Consistency is the key word, and it’s the hardest thing. Life throws challenges at you to disrupt your progress consistency, and once you’re off it’s so hard to get back on track. We are creatures of habit, and maintaining a habit of personal health is the goal I strive for.
When overcoming and enduring life’s challenges, that is the time when we most need to continue to work out. I need to burn off my stress, or else it just compiles in me until I’m snapping at loved ones and treating my body poorly. The endorphins from working out help to keep me calm and relaxed. It’s important for me to workout, because that inspires me to eat clean. I crave healthy foods when I exercise.
There are things I can do to increase my likely hood for success, like work out in the mornings before life disrupts my rhythm. I’ve started and stopped many times, but this time I am sticking with it. As a forcing function I signed up for a 10k in May.
This winter I got really sick and it had damaged my cardio pulmonary capabilities. I’ve started doing targeted zone 2 workout. I’d set the treadmill to speed 2.5 and adjust the incline. Within a week of walking nearly every morning from 30 - 60 minuets I lowered my heart rate and had to raise the incline to the max at 15, when before I would be above my zone 2 just at 7. I’m stunned with how fast my body responded.
I’ve listen to Pavel Tsatsouline (think Enter the Kettle Bell) on the JRE podcast, and he talked about the importance of stretching the circulatory system out before going into HIIT. The arteries and veins need to be loosened up, and I’m doing that through targeted zone 2 cardio.
Now that I’m on a good zone 2 rhythm, I’m introducing weight training back in. The goal being consistency, I am starting light, and keeping the workouts short. It’s easy for me to get started and then be lifting 2 hours 5 days a week. I will limit my workouts to 3 times a week, and have yet to determine the time, but probably between 45 minuets or 1 hour and 15 minuets.
I’ll start light and work up. Focusing on legs. Probably do an A day B day routine, not sure yet. I’ll start with big muscle groups. I’ll also work arms and legs on the same day I think, to take advantage of all the growth hormones released through the big leg muscle groups.
Anyway, that’s the plan. Good luck everyone.