ETC Lab

May 4, 2014 By ETC Lab

Pulverize the Plateau

If you’ve been stuck lifting the same weight, or doing the same aerobic training routine, THEN it’s time to pulverize that plateau.

Strive to do more. You don’t have to wait for us to deliver a new program to “change things up.” Exercise is about meeting your personal goals. If you aren’t satisfied with your results, take the reins and accelerate your program to suit your needs. We still advise that you maintain a moderate intensity, 55-60% max heart rate. With that said, there are unlimited ways to maintain this heart rate, on average, while still increasing the intensity and physiological benefit. If you want to challenge yourself with something new and increase your strength, as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine (click to read “Breaking Plateau’s”), try a few sessions using this formula…

1) Warm-up with something you know you can do, easily. For example, if you are doing resistance training, perform 8-10 warm-up repetitions of a light weight for every exercise. For aerobic training, this translates to moving at a comfortable pace for 5 minutes and you should barely break a sweat.
2) Next, aim to increase the intensity (resistance or aerobic). This could be for the next set (resistance) or the next 5 minutes (aerobic). Select something that feels hard, and really push yourself because it is only for a brief duration.
3) Then, bring the intensity back down to a moderate level (harder than warm-up but easier than what you just did).
4) Increase the intensity AGAIN, back to a level that challenges your body. You should find yourself struggling towards the end of the set/5 minute interval. Note: If you aren’t struggling, you didn’t push yourself hard enough.
5) Relax with a long cool-down period (e.g., set of 20-30 light & easy repetitions, 8-10 minutes of slow walking).

Should We Take Breaks?

If your goal is to increase your endurance and heart health, there is no need to take long pauses in your workout. Of course, whenever you increase the intensity of aerobic or resistance training, your body will signal to you when you must take breaks, and the importance of these shorts breaks as well as cooling down after strenuous exercise can be read here. Try to break only when you must. Then, take full advantage of these opportunities as a chance to replenish water and energy lost during our workouts. It’s great to find workout buddies and engage in conversation at the gym (exercising with others is often, more fun), yet talking can lead to long delays and disrupt the flow of your exercise sessions. Getting chatty means you are providing less of a challenge to your body. If you want to push yourself to become more physically fit, get comfortable [with being uncomfortable] with fewer breaks in your exercise routine.

April 28, 2014 By ETC Lab

Add Steps Whenever & Wherever You Can

Starting an exercise program is a BIG step in the right direction, but you can always do MORE to make yourself healthier.

Consider how many opportunities to move each day that you turn down. Do you take the stairs or the elevator at work? Do you choose the same option at the mall and airport? If you really want to see changes, start thinking about exercise as something you can do at any time, at any location.

Be more proactive and take advantage of every opportunity to squeeze in a few more steps, stands, bends, twists & turns.

Lifestyle physical activity has been associated with the same benefits as structured exercise, including improvements in cardiovascular and cognitive functioning.

Weight Management & Stress Relief

Many of you are concerned about your weight. The activities we perform on a daily basis can help eat away at the excess calories we consume. In a typical moderate-to-vigorous, 60-minute exercise session, you might burn between 300-400 calories. However, the average woman consumes ~1800 calories, whereas the average man consumes ~2500 calories. If you have been inactive and you are overweight, you probably have a habit of consuming more calories. In other words, you need more movement to tip the scale and get “calories in” vs. “calories out” to tip in your favor.

Extra movement requires planned breaks throughout the day. We all get caught up in office or home activities that keep us tied to our chairs. Apart from burning calories and improving physical strength and endurance, integrating light-to-moderate physical activity whenever you can, will increase blood-flow, reduce muscle tension from sitting, improve your posture, and give you time to think and process daily events.

Here are some ideas for adding extra movement into your day:

Nature walks. Weather permitting…. Get outside! Walking outside is associated with elevations in mood and adds variety to your regular exercise regimen. If you plan to take a nature walk, remember you aren’t there to take a leisurely stroll. If you go with a friend who likes to be chatty, be sure that your conversations don’t spoil your speed. The only thing that should be a change of pace is the scenery. Enjoy it!
Parking close is lazy. Many of you have probably heard about gaining more steps by parking further away from places like your office, the grocery store, or even your workout facility (really, don’t stress when you lose the closest parking spot–that’s built-in exercise!). Every step counts! The next time you visit one of these places, try it out for yourself.
Stair-climb Mt. Everest (without leaving Illinois). Stair-climbing takes more energy than using an elevator or escalator. Climbing stairs will not only increase your total steps per day but it also recruits your lower-body muscles. Using the stairs for 1 minute can burn up to 10 calories depending on how much you weigh. If you work on the 2^nd floor and you go to and from work plus leave for your lunch break, that’s an extra 40 calories burned. If you use the stairs every day for 1 month, you’ll burn 1,200 calories. Imagine if you did this for a year
Have a dog? Don’t “let them out,” “take them out.” The next time you decide to let your pet outside, go with them. Instead of letting the dog go out in the yard, take them around the block and keep both you and your pup active. Your dog may also need the extra push to stay healthy. Help each other out and take yourselves to the park or mall or anywhere pets are allowed to wander around. Silent walks with our furry friends can provide a great source of stress-relief.

April 21, 2014 By ETC Lab

Use Positive Self-Talk

We talk to ourselves all the time. It is time to take advantage of these conversations!

If you recorded everything you said to yourself, you might be surprised at the degree to which you are negative. The use of negative self-talk can create unnecessary tension and anxiety which can build and reduce your motivation to exercise. When you are starting a new exercise program, it is important to remain positive and reject those negative thoughts when they occur.

The negative internal dialogue that many novice exercisers have includes the most common excuses people give for skipping exercise.

Stressful days. Don’t forget that exercise can reduce stress and re-energize the body.

Negative self-talk: “I had a long day at work. I am so stressed out. I just want to go home.”
Positive self-talk: “Even though my day was long and I’m tired, my workout will provide me much needed stress relief.”

Bad weather. We would encourage you to keep up with your exercise routine whenever possible (as long as driving conditions are advisable, rain or a little snow shouldn’t keep you home).

Negative self-talk: “The weather is so crummy today, I’ll just go to the gym tomorrow.”
Positive self-talk: “I don’t like cold, windy, rainy days but that won’t affect my inside workout”

Boredom. Jumping into a new program is a novelty that soon wears off, just like a shiny new gadget. However, it is up to you to make it fun.

Negative self-talk: “My exercise class is so boring. We just do the same things over and over again.”
Positive self-talk: “I can try 0ther classes like Zumba to make my workout more fun this week.”

Hopefully you get the picture. You have always had these psychological tools to rejuvenate your exercise motivation. Now you just have to remember to use them. Its up to you to keep a positive mindset!

March 23, 2014 By ETC Lab

Fuel Your Body

Water is essential to the human body.

Water has many functions that keep us alive. Water makes up more than half of our body. It protects vital organs, facilitates digestion and waste removal, and regulates body temperature. Water fuels our cells to perform the functions necessary for our survival.

Since water is essential for the maintenance of our body’s daily functions , it is necessary to replenish the water that is lost throughout the day. According to the Institute of Medicine, men should drink about 13 cups of water a day and women should drink about 9 cups per day. However, this is just a general guideline. The amount of water you drink depends on many things such as your health, your environment, and your activity level.

In a one hour bout of exercise you can lose > 4 cups of water depending on the intensity of your workout and the environment you are doing it in. As someone that is becoming more physically active, you will need to consume more water than someone who does not exercise.

If you do not consume the proper amount of water it can lead to dehydration.

It is important that you drink before, during and after working out to avoid becoming dehydrated. Dehydration causes your muscles to fatigue, cramp and you can even lose balance & coordination. It also causes your body to be unable to properly cool itself, which can lead to heat exhaustion or in more severe cases, a heat stroke. Even small amounts of water loss can decrease performance during a workout. For example, you might feel “flat” “stale” or “tired.” A common sign of dehydration is when you begin to yawn.

While you are exercising water is usually the best option to replace lost fluids. However, if you are exercising at a high intensity for more than 45-60 minutes you may prefer to consume a sports drink to help replenish fluids and electrolytes that have been lost. It is important to prevent dehydration before the problem occurs, which is why you should drink fluids before signs of thirst or dehydration begin to show. There are a variety of things you can consume to replace lost fluids throughout the day such as: water, smoothies, certain juices, and eating fruits and vegetables.

Keep in mind that consuming food or drinks high in fat or calories may also slow you down. Additionally, caffeinated beverages including black/green tea and coffee can also impact your performance. Caffeine is a stimulant that can cause your heart rate to soar during your workout. If you are a regular coffee drinker in the morning who experiences a “crash” later in the day, be sure to time your workouts strategically. Choosing to drink water throughout the day and making healthy choices will provide you with the fuel your body needs to exercise.

March 16, 2014 By ETC Lab

Set Your Goals Yet?

Study participants: Remember to complete the SMARTER Goal-Setting unit of your Exercise Course

Goal-setting is one of the MOST important components of any new exercise program. If you don’t have a clear idea of what you plan to focus on, you may quickly become frustrated by your exercise efforts. It is also important not to fool yourself. Try not to overshoot. Set some small, realistic, and manageable goals, while also keeping your big picture, long-term exercise objectives in mind. If you have been inactive for more than 3 months, it is probably a good idea to focus on developing a regular exercise routine first. If you find a way to incorporate more physical activity into your daily life, you will notice all kinds of changes which likely include better physical conditioning and may include loss of excess bodyfat.

Rather than focusing on weight loss, we suggest that you aim to improve your overall health & well-being. If you wonder what that might “look like” you can measure changes in well-being by how energetic you feel, reduction in pain or stiffness, improvements in sleep quality, or even how often you get sick. If you find yourself having difficulty setting an exercise-related goal, try this:

Envision yourself 6 months from today. What kinds of changes did you notice?

Now, if you pictured yourself 30 lbs lighter or stronger and “more toned”, then you know you have your work cut out for you. For example, you cannot skip out on your aerobic or resistance training–you need to be consistent doing both types of exercise 3-4 times per week to accomplish these goals. You may also want to set goals related to the total duration of each exercise session or the maximum resistance you are able to push and pull. In contrast, if you saw yourself completing a 10k or half-marathon, you may want to focus more on incrementally increasing the distance of your weekly walks or runs.

Hopefully you can now fill in the blank sticky above. Once you have your goals written down, try posting them strategically at home or work. These notes will serve as daily reminders of what you have set out to do. Lastly, remember that we rarely accomplish goals entirely on our own. Get your friends and family involved. Tell them about your exercise program and what you are working on. This is just another way to increase the likelihood of reaching your self-set exercise goals.