Making A Start On Fitness
Quick start = quick finish.
Working on your fitness is not a sprint, it is a marathon.
How many times have you, your friends or you family members made a New Years Resolution to “Get fit this year”. Sure enough the very following day, there they are, out in the January sun, slogging it out on their very first jog around the block. By the end of the 1st week they have done their first 5km. “wow”. ”That’s great.”, “Can’t believe you did that.” Applause, applause, applause!
Nxt week, 5 km becomes the bench mark. In your head all you hear is
5km…..5km……5km, must do 5km, but is really tough to do 5km back to back when you haven’t exercised for ages! So you put on a brave face and slog on. After all, you have so much to live up to now, so much expectation.
Third week comes around, and guess what, your body is tired. It is hard to bounce out of bed with any enthusiasm for anything, let alone another 5km run! You haven’t been able to meet the 5km mark, let alone break it and build on it. Your training has reached its plateau and now it is making a steady decline on the priority list.
By the end of the third week, you are promising yourself that you will get back into it next week, after you have had a little rest, and there it is.
Almost as quick as it began, it is over, always with the intention of getting back into it, with all the guilt of failure and ‘I should’ to go with it.
Over-training = De-training.
Slow and steady wins the race.
When beginning a new routine it is of course a great idea to embrace your enthusiasm.
How you do that, will be a pretty good indication of the likelihood of success or failure.
If embracing your enthusiasm to start means going at it like ‘a bull at a gate.’, then it is more likely that it will also finish quickly.
However, if embracing your enthusiasm means making a steady start, one that you can manage with a small impact on you lifestyle and could be sustainable over a long period of time, then it is more than likely that you will be a winner!
An enthusiastic but steady start would look something like this:
| Wk 1 & 2 |
AM |
PM |
|
Monday |
1 hr walk that includes hills. | 20 min flat walk. |
|
Tuesday |
1 hr fast flat walk.+ stretches | 2o min 1 min jog/1 min walk |
|
Wednesday |
20 min flat walk. |
Rest |
|
Thursday |
10 min continuous flat jog.+ stomach crunches, back extensions and stretches. | Rest |
|
Friday |
1 hr long easy paced walk. | 10 min continuous flat jog + stretches. |
|
Saturday |
Rest |
Rest |
|
Sunday |
30 min interval jog, including stairs. |
Stomach crunches, back extensions and stretches. |
| Wk 3 & 4 |
AM |
PM |
|
Monday |
1 hr walk that includes jogging up the hills. | 20 min flat walk. + stretches. |
|
Tuesday |
Rest |
Rest |
|
Wednesday |
1 hr paced walk. | 2o min: 1 min jog/1 min walk |
|
Thursday |
10 min continuous flat jog.+ 1×10 push ups, 2x10stomach crunches,2×10 back extensions and stretches. | 1 hr long easy paced walk. |
|
Friday |
Rest |
12 min continuous flat jog + stretches. |
|
Saturday |
Rest |
Rest |
|
Sunday |
30 min interval jog, including stairs. |
Stomach crunches, back extensions and stretches. |
| Wk 5 & 6 |
AM |
PM |
|
Monday |
1 hr walk flat walk. | 20 min flat jog. + stretches. |
|
Tuesday |
2o min: 2 min jog/1 min walk | 20 min hill walk. |
|
Wednesday |
1 hr paced walk. |
Rest |
|
Thursday |
1 hr walk, with short intervals of jogging from one telegraph pole to the next. | . 25 min continuous flat jog. |
|
Friday |
30 min paced walk.2×20 stomach crunches,2×15 back extensions,
2×10 push ups and stretches. |
Rest |
|
Saturday |
Rest |
Rest |
|
Sunday |
30 min interval jog, including stairs. |
Stomach crunches, back extensions and stretches. |
You can see that this program is progressive.
© It includes interval training sessions that will build your fitness.
© I really like interval training; it takes the sameness out of ‘going for a jog’.
© This program also includes strategic rest periods in order to avoid over training.
© You will notice that the afternoon sessions are generally shorter than the morning sessions. That is because you are going to have to get up earlier to fit it in. In the afternoon, you might be getting home from work, you might be losing day light, you might have to come home and cook dinner. Take into account your lifestyle when planning your weekly program; it has to be achievable, with the smallest impact on your already established necessities. If your having trouble “finding time” check out my post on time managment here.
This type of programming is just an example, it is flexible and can be changed.
© If you are a little less enthusiastic, you could start with just morning jaunts, or just afternoon.
© Depending on your fitness levels it can be adjusted.
© If you are already a walker and want to get fitter for running, then you can exchange the walking time for more interval training, or extend the time for jogging.
© If you are a swimmer, then you can apply the outline to a swimming program.
If you use these as templates you should be able to jiggle things around to suit yourself. You can move the rest periods around, but I would not exchange any ‘rests’ for an exercise. It is just as important for a body to get adequate rest as it is for a body to get adequate exercise.
Don’t be afraid to join in.
A final note on a topic I hear repeated over and over.
It sounds like this: “I can’t exercise with you yet, I am not fit enough.” What a load of rubbish!
De-mystifying this myth!
Cardio work outs can be very anti social. Typically someone who is fit will spend at least several hours per week, just in maintenance.
Humans are social beings and most people will be grateful for the company. If they invite you, accept the invitation graciously. Don’t worry about not being able to keep up. Your new partner won’t be too interested in your fitness levels. They will be interested in you, getting you fit works to their benefit too.
A buddy system for exercising is motivating. The more buddies you have, the more enjoyable your workouts can be.
Exercising with someone who is fitter than you makes you push yourself out of your comfort zones. Improvements will happen quicker if you can train with someone above your grade.
So, really, your expectation to live up to other peoples expectations and the fear of failure is ego based. Let it go, take a steady approach to your fitness goals and take every opportunity to enjoy it.
Allison
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