Fitness Clinic Material from June 1

Fitness, Starting at Square One - Next Week Join Us for the Real Thing!

Welcome to the world of walking, running, and being fit! You are on a journey that involves a physical, mental, and organizational component. The WOW Team is here to help you define and work toward a lifetime of fitness. Fit and Female Women of the World, let’s come together to GET FIT AND STAY FIT.

Taking your pulse
With no equipment but a watch, you can get a baseline measurement of your fitness level by taking your pulse. Find a pulse (such as your arm/wrist or your neck). Place your fingers gently on the pulse (heart beat). When you can feel a strong beat, start counting, while watching your watch for 60 seconds. The best time to do this for your base pulse rate, is in the morning, before getting out of bed.

Calculate your heart rate during activity

Start with 220
Subtract Age -50 (example only, use your real age!)
170 X 90% = 153 This is a maximum level for exertion

170 X 80% = 136 This is a hard level of exertion

170 X 70% = 119 This is a moderate level of exertion

170 X 60% = 102 This is a beginning level of exertion

All of the numbers above apply to a 50 year old. Your numbers will be different based on your age.

How does your resting heart rate affect your level of exertion? The more fit you are, the harder you will have to work to increase it to the higher levels.

For your information only:

What is your current weight? _____________

How many push-ups can you do? __________

Can you touch your toes without bending your knees?

Do you know how many calories you should consume on a daily basis? Your weight X 10 (i.e. 130 X 10 = 1300) If you are active for an hour or more you may add 20% to that amount or (1300+260 = 1560).

Walk, Woman, Walk!
Before you can run, you need to be able to walk. Like a child, you must have the strength, balance, and flexibility to hold yourself upright and move forward.

Balance exercise #1
Stand on one leg with the other leg lifted and bent at a 90 degree angle. Hold for one minute. Repeat on the other side.

Balance exercise #2
Stand on one leg, holding other ankle, with sole of other foot pushed up toward the buttocks. Hold for 1 minute. Repeat on the other side

Feet
Keep your feet happy and the rest of your body will follow! Because your feet have such a tough job, they are really tough! I defer to Pete Egoscue and his wonderful book Pain Free to elaborate on the importance of your feet. Of course all parts of our body are important but, oftentimes, we will notice things in our feet that are indicative of problems elsewhere. Take good care of your fee and, if you notice pain, please talk to me or a sports doctor to determine the cause and, more importantly, a remedy.

Shoe Basics
Shoes should be comfortable, brand name shoes, which give you support and flexibility. Get them fit by a sports shoe professional – especially the first pair. For more details on fitting shoes, please refer to the article in http://altbgo.blogspot.com. Also, join us at Sports Basement on June 4 from 6 – 8 PM for their talk on shoes and an opportunity to buy for 20% off.

Breathing
When you move in harmony with your body systems, your breath guides the way. Breathing deep and steady allows the exchange of the old air for the new stuff to keep your body functioning properly.

Steady breathing and pacing creates the potential for you to go long distances, efficiently. Fill that diaphragm by inhaling deeply and exhaling completely. These two actions create the space for new oxygen to move into your body because you have removed a substantial portion of the old, used-up stuff by forcing it out. Practice this by mouth and through your nose.

Stretching
A good workout includes stretching at the end of the workout. By this time your muscles are warm and responsive like rubber bands. This is the time to use opposite muscle groups and let them stretch out from their own elasticity.