Starting The New Year Right-Part 3

Hello everyone. I hope that 2009 is off to a wonderful start for all of you! Ok lets get down to business. Part 3 for my fitness & wellness series is...aerobics. Ok now I can really hear you sighing all the way over here on Peek-A-Boo Street now. It's a topic no one wants to talk about. Exercise. Exercise. And yes more exercise. Even if you are a fit person you need to do aerobic activity where your heart rate is up for a certain amount of time. I would say for at least 20 minutes. Then you can start your cool down. But you should ask your doctor or look it up on the Internet to find out where your heart rate should be up to, so your burning fat.
I use to do a program called Canon Run on my treadmill that lasted for 40 minutes. There were times when I was on the treadmill for 50 minutes. No not running the whole time. There were different segments in the program that made you walk fast, jot slow, then run. Sometimes on an incline and sometimes not. So I wasn't just taking a stroll on my treadmill. I was really working out hard. My heart was pumping. There is nothing like it. I just love working out. Your heart is working hard and your sweating and your almost up to the point where your having a hard time doing the workout. That is to the point you want to be at. That is where your burning fat. That is when your cholesterol is coming down. That is where you will fix your high blood pressure, naturally. And you get that workout high. You feel like you can conquere the world. You think, if I can do this, I can do anything. Because aerobics is hard to do. And it's work. But you get so many health benefits. Probably even more than the doctors really know. I worked out on the treadmill for years. And I was a big advocate for it. Then I had a pinched nerve in my back or something and thought maybe the treadmill was the cause. I know now that it wasn't. But at the time I decided to look for another form of aerobic activity. So who did I turn to? I did this before in my twenties when I use to smoke. I turned back to Denise Austin's workouts on t.v.
I was a little concerned with her aerobics because her aerobic segment was at tops maybe 15 minutes. I was doubtful of how beneficial it would be to only have a 15 minute aerobic time. Because like I said, I was really working out hard on the treadmill. Denise Austin was going to be a piece of cake for me, I thought. I am a huge advocate for Denise Austin because I have seen more of a change in my body than I did working out on the treadmill for 40 minutes. I worked out with her faithfully for 11 months now. I have lost 9 pounds. And my whole body is more toned.
What I feel to be the reason for more results working out with her is for a few reasons. For one, she is a huge fan on reading food labels. Which I have done. Didn't before when working out on the tread. Yes she only works you out aerobically for 12 to 15 minutes throughout her commercials, but she also adds strength toning to her 30 minute show. She will work you out with weights or just exercises that zero in on a specific body part for one show. So over time, your whole body is getting toned all over. And then at the end of her show, she will show you what stretches to do for the muscles that you have worked out that day. At the end of her show, she will give you two health tips. I tape them with my dvr box so that I can do her workout early in the morning. That is the best time to do your workout. Because a study shows that we make excuses as the day goes on for reasons of not doing it. Plus your body goes right to the fat when it needs fuel when your working out. Your body will look for food in your stomach. But if it's empty your body will burn up your fat from your body. That is what you want. So work out before you eat breakfast!
Also what I like about Denise Austin is that she says she doesn't promote someone to be skinny-minny but promotes fitness. She says that we can't change our bodies because it comes from out parents but that we can re sculpt them.
I personally I'm striving for a flat stomach. I know it may take me to I'm 70 years old but that is my goal. But I won't achieve it by doing anything that would harm my body, like starving it. Plus you can be thin and not have a hard stomach. Denise Austin says it's good to have a hard abdominal muscles because it acts like a girdle to protect your back. Plus I have read in her book, which is on my bookshelf here on my blog, that for every inch of fat that you have around your belly is like putting four pounds on your knees. I repeat, that is just for 1 inch of belly fat! Also having fat around the middle adds to other health problems. So we all need to dwindle our fat around our middles. And even if you do have a flat, hard tummy. You need to maintain that for a life time. Fitness is something for a life time. It's not something that lasts for a couple of months. That's why you should never be on a diet. If you are eating right, there is no reason for you to ever go on a diet. The healthy choices you make for eating should carry on throughout your life.
But what I also like what Denise Austin says is that it's ok to have your favorite foods once in awhile. Once a month, treat yourself to a cheeseburger and fries. And you will also see that you won't gain the weight back either if your a fit person. Everything in moderation. That's what Denise Austin promotes and I do agree with that.
I remember reading somewhere on the Internet this little saying that I liked and often think of. It has to do with ones fitness program. I'm not where I'd like to be, but I'm better than where I was. I just that little saying and it has stuck with me throughout my fitness program.
So to wrap up this post. Check with a doctor first to work out aerobically to make sure your ok. Especially if you haven't done so in awhile. You don't want to hurt yourself.
Next thing that I would suggest is don't just stick with one type of aerobic exercises. Because with different exercises your using different muscle groups. And that is what you want, balance through out your body.
And watch your fat grams. And you will start to see results in just a matter of a few weeks. You should also work out five days a week.
So far we have worked from the inside out. To me, that's the way it should be done with any fitness and wellness program. My series is not done yet. I think I'd like to do a few more posts on fitness & wellness.
Because this post is running a little long, I will add the benefits your body gets with aerobic activity, in my next post.