Increasing your exercise is as easy as taking the stairs

You say you don't have time to exercise? I beg to differ. Read on for simple strategies on how you can get your 30 minutes per day.

30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise on most days of the week (think 5) is the minimum amount of exercise needed to achieve cardiovascular and health-related benefits. (Remember: more is needed if weight loss is the goal) The good news for people who are time crunched is that you can accumulate this 30 minutes throughout your day. You can break it up in to three manageable 10 minute periods.

Ideas for increasing your daily activity:

WALK ON YOUR LUNCH BREAK

PARK IN THE FARTHEST SPOT FROM THE STORE ENTRANCE

TAKE A WALK AFTER DINNER

WALK OR BIKE TO WORK

CLIMB THE STAIRS TO YOUR OFFICE INSTEAD OF TAKING THE ELEVATOR

ON YOUR 15 MINUTE BREAK, CLIMB THOSE STAIRS AGAIN

Here are a few random facts on stair climbing that I gathered from a recent article in the Intelligencer.

67% RISE IN STAIR USE AT A 10-STORY MIDDLE-INCOME HOUSING COMPLEX IN THE BRONX AFTER THE CITY STARTED POSTING "BURN CALORIES, NOT ELECTRICITY" SIGNS

33% DIFFERENCE, IN A HARVARD STUDY, IN MORTALITY RATES BETWEEN MEN WHO CLIMBED MORE THAN 55 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS A WEEK AND THOSE WHO DIDN'T

STAIR-CLIMBING IS A MORE EFFICIENT FORM OF EXERCISE THAN WALKING: TWO ADDITIONAL MINUTES OF STAIR-CLIMBING PER DAY (APPROXIMATELY 3 FLOORS) CAN BURN MORE THAN ENOUGH CALORIES TO ELIMINATE THE AVERAGE ADULT'S ANNUAL WEIGHT GAIN

People are discouraged by boredom and encouraged by novelty. What can you do to make exercise more appealing to you? How about making it more fun?

WORKOUT WITH A BUDDY, TAKE TURNS MAKING UP NEW EXERCISES

EXPERIMENT WITH A NEW CLASS

PICK UP A FITNESS MAGAZINE AND TRY SOME NEW EXERCISES

PURCHASE A NEW WORKOUT VIDEO SUCH AS TAW KWON DO OR HIP HOP

TRY A BOOTCAMP STYLE WORKOUT

GO ON A WALK/RUN WITH A FRIEND

RUN AROUND AND PLAY WITH YOUR CHILDREN IN THE YARD

Take a look at this video clip and see the measures that some folks in Sweden went to in order to encourage people to take the stairs.

See, making exercise fun really works! I love that clip. :)

Your Do Anywhere Workout

Do you have a body?

Then you can do this workout!

It is perfect for anyone who travels, doesn't have any equipment, or is in a time crunch. This workout should be done as a circuit. That means you will move quickly from one exercise to the next with as little rest as possible. Take about 30 seconds of rest at the end of each round. This workout is challenging but can be modified. Look below for suggested modifications.

WARM-UP:

20 high knee marches in place

30 jumping jacks

REPEAT 1 x more, no rest

WORKOUT:

20 bodyweight squats

60 seconds jump rope

15 pushups (can be modified on the knees)

60 seconds jump rope

20 each stationary lunges

60 seconds jump rope

30 ab bicycles

60 seconds jump rope

30-45 second forearm plank hold

60 seconds jump rope

rest 30 seconds

REPEAT 2 x more

Don't have a jump rope?

You don't really need one. Use an imaginary jump rope and perform the exercise just as if you were jumping a regular rope

Can't do a full 60 seconds of rope?

Start with 30 seconds and work your way up

Need more rest time?

Listen to your body. As you get stronger shorten your rest periods between exercises. Challenge yourself.

As always, if you have never exercised before, consult your physician to make sure that you are cleared for exercise. This workout may not be appropriate for everyone.

Enjoy!

Current ACSM Guidelines for Exercise

The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association have created a set of standards in regard to exercise frequency, intensity, and duration. These standards are outlined below but for more in depth information please visit the ACSM website at

http://www.acsm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home_Page&TEMPLATE=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=7764

Guidelines for healthy adults under the age of 65 (if the goal is overall health)

DO moderately intense cardiovascular exercise for 30 minutes at least 5 x per week

DO vigorously intense cardiovascular exercise for 20 minutes 3 x per week

DO 8-10 strength training exercises, 8-12 repetitions of each exercise, at least 2 x per week

Moderate-intensity physical activity means working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat, yet still be able to talk. This can also be deemed the "talk test". The "talk test" means that you can talk but you are breathing with some amount of difficulty. Vigorous-intensity exercise is more difficult than moderate-intensity. You will only be able to say a word or two at a time when you are exercising at this level. This is hard work!

It is important to note that the above recommendations are for health purposes only and more time, 60-90 minutes at a time, may be necessary for weight loss and weight maintenance. The 30 minute time recommendation is for healthy adults who wish to maintain a healthy lifestyle and prevent chronic disease.

If you don't have enough time in the day to complete a 30 minute chunk of exercise don't give up, research has shown that your moderate-intensity physical activity can be accumulated throughout the day and can be just as effective as exercising for a constant 30 minutes. Here are some helpful suggestions for accumulating your 30 minutes:

1. walk for 10 minutes on your lunch break

2. walk for 10 minutes around the soccer field and cheer on your kids as they play

3. Walk 10 minutes to the grocery store

Wahlah! There you have it. 30 minutes accumulated throughout your day. This is extremely useful when trying to fit physical activity in to an already busy schedule.

Are you getting your daily/weekly amount of recommended exercise? If not, what can you do today to start making exercise and physical activity a part of your every day routine? Any suggestions/comments on how you fit physical activity in to your busy lifestyle? I'd love to hear your ideas.

Exercise is Medicine

In my experience doctors are more interested in treating symptoms then getting to the actual cause of the ailment. They are often quick to write prescriptions for pain, blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol. Now I realize that there are many cases in which a person does need to be put on pharmaceutical care but do the doctors ever talk to the patient about lifestyle modifications? Do they ever give real world advice on how to incorporate healthy nutrition and exercise into one's daily life? I wonder what it would be like if doctors always referred clients to registered dieticians and personal trainers. What if this was common protocol? What if medicine always worked cooperatively alongside lifestyle modifications to give the patient a better outcome.

Watch this utube video to see how you can start the conversation with your physician.

http://www.youtube.com/v/GYBLR7DhjVY&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6

HCF client completes 1st Chicago Marathon

House Call Fitness is proud of Julie Fisher for finishing her very first marathon in 3:51:20. For those of you who have never run a marathon this is a VERY respectable time. It’s about 8:30 per mile for 26.2 miles.

I’ve had the honor of watching Julie as she trained for over 6 months to achieve this goal. She was out there hitting the pavement when most of us were still in bed sleeping. She ran when it was raining. She ran when it was dark. She knocked out miles on a treadmill when it was too nasty to be outside. She ran through blisters. She never missed a long run. All of her hard work paid off with a sub 4 hour marathon.

I think the part that I find the most inspiring about her journey is that she completed all of her training while being the mother to two young boys. Read on for a short interview with Julie.

Abby: What was the hardest part about training for the marathon?

Julie: Choosing to do a training run instead of doing other things, like sleeping in, having a leisurely breakfast with my family, and getting together with friends.

Abby: What was the best part about training for the marathon?

Julie: The sense of accomplishment that I got from building my mileage each week. Seeing the muscle definition in my legs was an added perk.

Abby: Did anything funny or strange happen to you on race day or during the race?

Julie: The funniest/strangest thing was the urination situation. There were guys peeing up against trees, in gatorade bottles, wherever. A woman in my start corral was wearing a blanket around her. Another woman in my start corral asked the blanket woman to hold up her blanket so the other woman could sit down on the curb on Columbus Drive and pee. All the normal peeing rules went out the window.

There was also a “green man” running the race - a guy wearing a head-to-toe green lycra-type suit. You couldn’t see his face. I’m not sure if he could see or breathe.

Abby: What was it like to run the Chicago marathon?

Julie: It was harder than I could have imagined. I’m glad I did it, but man, was it hard.

The physical experience aside, the race itself was amazing. The crowds were so supportive, the course, particularly on the northside, has such great energy. The race is well-run, and the runners are generally a very friendly bunch.

Abby: How did you feel in those last few miles? What was going through your mind?

Julie: I wanted to stop. I felt sick and tired, literally. The nausea was overwhelming, and my legs were having a hard time moving. I was so uncomfortable. When the pace group behind the one I started with passed me, I tried to pick it up to join them, but I just couldn’t do it. And I was too tired to care. I just wanted to be done.

The things that helped me keep going were (1) my husband, who rode his bike to several spots in the marathon to cheer me along;I would count the blocks until I could see him again, (2) my kids and their sweet faces along the way, and (3) the other runners who gave words of encouragement as they passed me in those last rough miles.

Abby: What advice would you give to someone who is training for their first marathon?

Julie: I guess it would be, “listen to your body.” but then again, sometimes you have no choice but to listen.

A big thanks to Julie for taking the time to tell us about her marathon experience. Now she can get back to icing those sore muscles.

We are up and Blogging!

House Call Fitness is pleased to announce the start of it's adventures in blogging. Here you can check out all the latest in fitness and personal training. There will be equipment reviews, exercise demos, the latest scientific research on fitness related topics, nutrition tips, etc. Come back often and leave your questions and comments.