I do believe our bodies (not church buildings) are the Temple of God's presence (John 4, I Corinthians 6). So I go on a yo-yo ride from time to time with getting this body in shape (ran one marathon, did a few Olympic & other distance Triathlons, tried a few bike races . . . love tennis . . . ).
Today's Tips:
1. If your goal is to lose weight try doing at least 5 min. of cardio before lifting weights, participating in other Gym classes (or even walking).
2. If your "ticker is strong" try using a Stair Machine to get your heart rate up fast (I was up to 135+ in about 20 second by running that puppy,the exercise rig, at full speed.). Then you can switch to whatever type of cardio machine you want (At home I climb our stairs several times to get my heart rate up quick).
3. If burning lots of calories is your goal - Do "cross-activities" between sets when lifting (see details of my "fun a.m. at the gym."
My 700 Calorie Hour:
I started with 1 min on the stair machine then switched to the elliptical (warming up my arms and shoulders/legs) for 10 min. I then was ready to do "Chest" today. My work-out partner was sleeping (Son -Gordo) so this is how I burned extra calories (note this is my month of switching up my Pecks workout (We've got a 4 month rotation). In between lifts I did sit-ups (using a ball, then doing seated crunches on the weight bench). Then I would switch off doing stretches between the next sets. By the end of one hour (& 3 min.) I had hit 700 calories and had added another 19.5 min. to the 10 min. of cardio time I started with.
I then did another 20 min. on a spin-bike, and then a cool down (shaving my mug) to finish with 1,024 calories in 1 hr. & 33 min (I had showered and combed my mass of hair, and jumped back into my regular daily actives in less than 2 hrs.
After Effects:
I was in cardio zone for a total of 39 min. (my max heart rate was only 148 and my average, 119). 50% of my calories burned were fat (YES!) and I had so much more energy and better focus today. Very cool is the knowledge that for the next hour I burned aprox. 200 hrs (just driving, phone & computer work) and the hour following that I added another 150+ (I normally burn about 100-110 cal per hr in sedentary activities). My body will actually burn more calories all day long because of an A.M. workout - cool!
Very cool web site (check out "The daily plate" feature - it's amazing) by Lance Armstrong!
