| Pace Yourself |
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| by Bonne Marano | |
| Monday, 19 June 2006 | |
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With more and more people traveling, don't lose track of your life long program to stay and be healthy! You can exercise anywhere. When traveling throws your workout schedule off, remember some exercise is better than none. With a little planning, you can adapt your program for the road. One of the easiest workouts on the road is walking or running. A good pair of shoes is a minimal investment that fits nicely in any suitcase and the great outdoors can be your gym away from home. Many hotels have maps available at the concierge desk and may offer information on local running routes. If you prefer staying indoors, many hotels at a minimum have a treadmill. For a sample workout, try this 30-minute, high-intensity, boredom-buster routine: Warm up at 3.0 to 3.5 mph for minutes 1 to 4. Preparing the body for vigorous activity is important. Warming up the muscles and joints makes them more pliable and reduces the risk of injury or tear. Providing an increase of oxygenated blood to the legs will improve stamina. For minutes 4 to 8, walking at 4.0 to 4.2 mph is a great lower body workout. This eases you into the "zone," which helps when you are having a hard time getting motivated. For minutes 8 to 12, add an incline of 2 or 3 percent. This is just enough to give you an awareness of our glutes. For minutes 12 to 16, increase the speed on your incline to about 4.5 to 4.8 mph for a higher intensity and a kick in the calorie burn. You should be sweating about now! For minutes 16 to 20, keep the speed and lose the incline for a little recovery. Get ready to turn it up a notch (sorry, I'm an Emeril fan). For minutes 20 to 24, increase the speed to 5.3 to 5.8 mph. Those endorphins will be released, and the speed will put some distance between you and your stress. For minutes 24 to 26, push your speed to 5.8 to 6.2 mph. The finish is just ahead and we're going for that "runner's high." For minutes 26 to 30, you are cooling down. Gradually lower the speed of your treadmill until you are at 3.0 mph. Continue walking for another 3 to 5 minutes to lower the heart rate and redirect the blood from pooling in the working muscles, which could lead to dizziness. I love running and there is nothing as satisfying as finishing. Don't forget your post cooldown stretching, emphasizing the hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps and calves. And pat yourself on the back for not only working out but also "picking up the pace." Bonne Marano is a Certified Fitness Instructor and Personal trainer with nearly two decades of experience currently teaching at Equinox gym on Long Island, NY. Bonne is the owner of Fit To Be Tied, a fitness consulting company, and author of The Complete Bride’s Workout Guide (New Page Books). Check out her website at www.fittobetiedonline.com, if you're a bride-to-be.
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