Workout routines
Most aerobic workout routines are based on the relative stress they impose on your body. For example, the general rule for establishing a suitable training intensity is to measure your VO2max. To improve your aerobic fitness, you then follow a training program that corresponds to a percentage of this maximum.
However, most people don’t have access to the equipment needed to measure their VO2max. Instead, they use their heart rate to establish a suitable training intensity.
This is because during some forms of exercise, there’s a link between oxygen consumption and heart rate. During aerobic exercise, such as running or walking for example, oxygen consumption and heart rate tend to rise together. Yet the relationship doesn’t hold true for all forms of activity.
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Workout routines that don t deliver what you expect may be a waste of energy.
Most workout routines designed to improve your aerobic fitness involve exercising for 20 minutes or longer at a percentage of your maximum heart rate known as your training zone.
Quite apart from the fact that the formula traditionally used to calculate your maximum heart rate is extremely inaccurate, some workout routines can elevate your heart rate without having any effect on your cardiovascular fitness. In other words, it’s possible to raise your heart rate, keep it there for 20 minutes or more several times each week, and it won’t improve your fitness in the slightest.
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To eliminate the confusion of choosing a tailored program or a specific diet, you may first want to consult your physician to discuss what the best options for you are.
Your physician may ask you to add a fitness program to your diet as well, or may require you to choose a specific diet if you have health issues. Meeting with your physician is especially important before starting a program or diet especially if your goal is significant weight loss.
Once you have decided on either a program or a specific diet, you will then be able to tailor your program or diet to meet your lifestyle and achieve your desired results.
If you are confused by weight loss programs you are not alone. There are so many different types of diets and programs that it is no wonder there is confusion. Some convince you that the answer is low fat, low carb, while others preach the opposite. The important thing to remember is to choose a diet correct for your lifestyle.
Each diet or program has it’s advantages and disadvantages. In a program, such as Jenny Craig or NutriSystem, you are being closely monitored and are eating specific meals designed for your weight loss.
While if you are on the Zone or Atkins Diets, you must monitor and prepare your own meals. Your choice may also be a financial consideration as well. Most programs such as Jenny Craig or NutriSystem cost significantly more than the Zone or Atkins, as they are preparing your foods for you.
There are four phases to the Atkins diet, they are; 1) Induction, 2) Ongoing Weight Loss, 3) Pre-Maintenance and 4) Lifetime Maintenance.
During Phase 1 (Induction), you restrict carbohydrate consumption to 20 grams each day, obtaining carbohydrate primarily from salad and other non-starchy vegetables.
In Phase 2 (Ongoing Weight Loss), you increase carbohydrate in the form of nutrient-dense and fibre-rich foods by 20 grams daily in the first week and then 30 grams daily in the next week until you gradually lose weight. Then you subtract 5 grams of carbohydrate from your daily intake so that you continue sustained weight loss.
In Phase 3, known as Pre-Maintenance , you make the transition from weight loss to weight maintenance by increasing the daily carbohydrate intake in 10 gram increments each week.
In the last phase of the Atkins plan (Lifetime Maintenance), you select from a wide variety of foods while controlling carbohydrate intake to ensure weight maintenance.
There are mixed views on the Atkins diet amongst health experts and dieticians. Many experts are critical of low-carb diets but have not totally discounted the Atkins diet as an effective method of losing weight. Although they do assert that it is too early to adopt the low-carb diet, health experts do concede that it is worth exploring. One main criticism of the Atkins diet is that it does entail frequent meat consumption.
However, followers argue that the program can be tailored for different preferences and metabolisms. After the first phase (known as the Induction phase ) the Atkins diet plan can be modified. Despite the immense popularity of the diet, the Atkins diet plan continues to have many skeptics. Another criticism of the diet purports that a person is unlikely to keep the weight off over the long term. However, this claim could just as easily be applied to many low-fat or low-calorie weight loss plans, on which dieters are likely to feel hungry.
The Atkins diet is the focus of these comments from the American Heart Association:
“The Atkins diet holds the controversial belief that low fat is not the only way to go for a healthier lifestyle and weight control. Dr. Atkins blamed carbohydrates (grains, pastas, fruits, potatoes) for weight gain. He believed that if you reduced your carbohydrate intake then you would lose weight. Too many carbohydrates in your diet encourage your body to retain fat.”
When the body absorbs simple carbohydrates quickly, it causes an insulin response that speeds the conversion of calories to fat. The plan focuses on the consumption of nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods and vita-nutrient supplementation. It also restricts processed and refined carbohydrates (which make up to approximately more then 50 per cent of people s diets). It encourages you to eliminate sugar from your diet as this contributes to a slower metabolism.
The Atkins diet is designed to be a program on which you can maintain a healthy weight for a lifetime and it is highly suitable (but not restricted) to those who prefer eating animal protein. The diet offers people who have failed on a low-fat diet a healthy, effective and safe alternative. Instead of carbs and sugar, eaters are allowed plenty of fat and protein.
