Your Long Slow Cardio Event

Fitness Together is closed on Sundays. Every once in a while a client makes a case for opening for a few hours on Sunday. We've given it some serious thought over the years but have always come back to not. Instead, we encourage them to use the day to do something outside, specifically their long, slow cardio event.

Because if you're following our prescribed cardiovascular programming recommendations your weekly cardio efforts will include:

1. One short duration, high intensity event (SDHI)
   
2. Two moderate duration, moderate intensity events (MDMD)
   
3. One long duration, low intensity event (LDLI)
   

And Sunday is a perfect day to get out and complete that Long Duration, Low Intensity (LDLI) event.

Last week I discussed the Fat Burning Zone and where that fits (or, more accurately doesn't fit) into your exercise regimen. And the week before that we went into Zone 5, or the hot zone.

Today, with your LDLI, we are in the middle, and just slightly more active than the Fat Burning Zone. Technically, this (just slightly more active than the Fat Burning Zone) Zone is the Cardio Zone. However, the FT MSP LDLI we recommend is actually Part Cardio Zone, Part Fat Burning Zone.

Reasons for this are many. First, we really want the event to be measured in hours, preferably closer to 2 or 3. And if you're completing the other two or three prescribed cardiovascular events, 2 hours of cardio zone effort would be over training for most of our clients. So we suggest mixing just a bit of cardio effort within a longer, fat burning activity.

Second, this gives you an opportunity to get out and pick up some Vitamin D! As was mentioned a while back, there is significant momentum in the medical universe around Vitamin D deficiency in the US ... particularly during northern state winter months when we're so often cloistered indoors.

Third, this really assists with recovery. Back in my bodybuilding days, we would call exercise like the LDLI active rest. The term still fits too. Your LDLI event should be just enough effort to keep your body moving, but easy enough to not feel like exercise.

But before you start thinking "... hey, I'll just do that daily then ..." , do recognize that this only has practical value within a comprehensive program that includes prescribed resistance training as well as more intense bouts of cardio work. It's part of the puzzle, but a lost puzzle piece by itself.

Physiologically, many things happen during your LDLI. You pick up your heart rate just a bit, but not so much that you're really challenging your circulatory or respiratory systems. The increased blood flow, however, does provide much needed nutrient rich blood to your muscles, bones, and joints. Under the stress of more intense exercise (resistance or cardio), muscle fibers, tendons, and ligaments all get damaged a bit.

This is by design, as the rebuilding/recovery that follows makes them stronger, longer, or leaner. We call that adaptation, and it's why we exercise at all ... in order to adapt!

Additionally, conversion of energy sources to energy produces a toxic waste product called lactic acid. The more intense you exercise, the more lactic acid you produce. This waste product is the primary reason why you may feel sore after resistance exercise: your body doesn't like the lactic acid hanging around muscle groups. Stretching can help help eliminate lactic acid buildup, but we mostly depend on the circulatory system to clear it.

The LDLI then, provides an important niche role in assisting with your recovery: upside nutrition for your recovering tissues, and increased blood flow to remove lactic acid waste product.

Additionally, it gets you out of your house, away from the refrigerator, and does, indeed burn a few calories.

Exactly what you do for your Weekly LDLI will depend enormously on your current fitness level, but here are a few suggestions.

Walk. One of the best urban options available is the loop from Franklin (or Lake) to the Stone Arch (and through campus/the River Flats on the East side). Or Franklin/Lake to Ford on the South side. The lakes are fine grounds too, but the river loop will add a couple of smallish hills that will get just a bit further into the cardio zone for a brief time period. I haven't been in Kenwood lately, but if the walks are clean, a trip through Kenwood and Loring Park would work well too.

Snowshoe. No skills are really needed, and this will get you out into the woods! Additionally, you can use the poles to work the upper body a bit. You can stick to the snowshoe trails, or do some boonie chomping in the deep stuff. Warning though: don't get too far off the trail, or too far from a roadway. Snowshoeing through deep snow is a lot of work and you'll need a bailout option. Plus, if you're in a rural area, you could get lost until Spring! There's actually a reasonably active culture of snow shoeing too, with plenty of organized events around bird watching and moonlighting (night hikes). Check out the Minneapolis Park & Recs Snowshoeing page for a few options. The Theodore Wirth Park Chalet rents equipment, as does REI.

Cross Country Ski. There are some skills required to ski (like knowing how to get up after you fall!), so I would strongly recommend a lesson if you're new to this activity. Not only do you add upper body effort to the mix, but there is a significant core/abdominal requirement as well. It is, without question, the best total body workout you can get! Because balance is part of the equation, your neurological system is taxed as well. While terrific exercise, you actually need to work very hard to NOT work too hard cross country skiing if this is your weekly LDLI: add just a couple of hills and you are quickly approaching aerobic zones. Your best LDLI options are the many local golf courses for fairly flat, rolling hill skiing.

Many city recreation programs offer beginner ski lessons, though I would strongly recommend true professionals in this area. Check either Finn Sisu in St. Paul, or Gear West in Long Lake. And when you're ready for the trails, check out skinnyski.com for trails, trail reports, maps and more.

The Fat Burning Myth

February is Heart Healthy Month!

Last week, as it was Valentine's Day, I touched on the hottest heart rate training zone, Zone 5.

This week, I'd like to slow things way, way down and comment on the coolest of the 5 heart rate training zones, Zone 1, or the Fat Burning Zone. While time spent in the Fat Burning Zone has it's time and place, one of the more common mistakes I see in clubs is the use of the Fat Burning Zone program on cardio equipment. Without knowing anything more, it certainly seems like a reasonable choice in cardio effort for a lot of folks: "I want to loose some fat; therefore, I want the Fat Burning Program. "

Unfortunately, spending a lot of time in the fat burning zone actually isn'tthe best way to reduce body fat! Nor is spending a lot of time in this zone the best route to good heart health. While time in this zone does have value in overall good health and fitness, you already spend most of your life in this zone ... when at rest ... when sedentary ... and when sleeping. Therefore, when exercising, it is critical that you pick it up a bit!

You see, energy for activities and exercise always comes from blend of fat, carbohydrate, and protein. Normally 60% to 70% of your Max Heart Rate, energy requirements for exercise in the Fat Burning Zone do indeed allow for energy to come primarily come from fats. But for fats to be used as an energy source f0r exercise (or activities that aren't too rigorous), they must be first converted to a more usable form of energy called glucose. Also oxygen is required to convert the fat to glucose, this level of metabolism is also considered aerobic (with oxygen).

The rub though, is that while the Fat Burning Zone metabolism is in fact slow enough to convert fats to glucose, exercise in this zone doesn't require much total energy, and, therefore doesn't burn all that much fat. Furthermore, and to the point now, is that at some point the utilization of fat as an energy source tops out: Exercise faster and you won't burn any more fat. Exercise harder and you won't burn any more fat. You do, however, burn additional calories as you pick up the pace within the Cardio (3) and Anaerobic (4) zones, as the following graphic illustrates. Here, fat energy consumption is yellow, carbohydrate consumption is blue, and protein consumption is red. The sum of all colors is your total calorie burn.

Note that while the fat utilization tops out beyond the fat burning zone, carbohydrate utilization continues to escalate with increased effort. And this is why spending time in the fat burning zone isn't a practical way to loose fat, because, at the end of the day, it's all about calories. Calories Ingested = Calories Spent + Fat Stored. If you consume more calories than you burn, you add fat. If you burn more calories than you ingest, you loose fat.

Valentine's Day Fitness - A Hot Zone Tutorial

February is heart healthy month.

And for good reason: Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in the US; Stoke the 3rd leading cause. The American Heart Association (AHA) states that 67M Americans currently have Heart Disease. Another 47M Americans show 3 or more symptoms of Heart Disease, according to Center for Disease Control (CDC). Together, that’s 40% of all Americans!

Today is also Valentine's day! So I thought a few words close the the heart would be appropriate.

Heart rate zones are quite simply ranges of heart beat rates where the heart, lungs, and circulatory system convert energy sources to energy uniquely within each range. Between your Maximum Heart Rate (MaxHR) and Ambient Heart Rate are five (or seven, depending on who you ask) heart rate zones, all based on a percentage of Maximum Heart Rate. Determining your MaxHR can be either very straightforward, or somewhat difficult. A common formula used to find your MaxHR is 220 minus your age. While a reasonable place to start for most people, this method of determining MaxHR can be highly inaccurate. Check with your fitness expert to determine a more accurate number for yourself.

While beyond the scope of this note to provide a complete tutorial of heart rate zones and heart rate zone training (send me an email to request, or check the Fitness Tips Section of Our Website for our Heart Rate Zone Training to Look and Feel Fantastic Report for a more detailed paper), since it's Valentine's Day, a few tips on Zone 5, also known as The Red would seem appropriate.

This zone, sometimes also called The Hot Zone, is where heart rates exceed 90% of MaxHR. At this rate, fuel comes completely and exclusively from the purest form of energy ... a broken down glycogen molecule called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. Zone 5 ATP stores are depleted at this pace within just 5 to 35 seconds (depending on fitness level). At that point your body will tell you in no uncertain terms that you must slow down or stop to utilized more moderate energy systems and replenish the depleted ATP levels. Caloric consumption in this zone can be as much as a hundred times what is during a resting state. Like anaerobic exercise in zone 4, zone 5 metabolism also generates a lot of lactic acid.

Even world class aerobic anomalies like Lance Armstrong can only hold the red zone for a few minutes before needing to back off and replenish the ATP debt. Of course, with a 200 BPM MaxHR and an anaerobic threshold near 95% of that, Lance is burning fat while most of us are depleting ATP! As you can imaging, time in this zone must be very carefully managed. Indeed, for the most part only 0.5% to 1% of your total weekly training time should be spent in this zone. Most athletes train this zone with regular interval training. And while most exercisers will train in this zone only sparingly, it is still an effective, beneficial, and necessary part of good heart health.

So what is an interval? Intervals are quite simply carefully prescribed short, but high intensity cardiovascular exercise followed by lengthier 'recovery' periods between. More complete info in intevals is also available in our New Enhanced Cardio program (details below), but in the spirit of Valentine's Day, here's a Great, Easy Hot Zone Interval program for you our your loved one:

1. Complete a thorough 10 minute warmup
2. Increase intensity for 2 minutes to a point where you feel 'winded'
3. Rest for about a minute
4. Increase intensity for 2 minutes until you feel some pain, but not agony
5. Rest for about a minute
6. Sprint for 30 seconds
7. Rest for about a minute
8. Sprint for 45 seconds
9. Rest for about a minute
10. Sprint for 1 minute
11. Complete a thorough 10 minute warmdown

And that's it! If you're lucky, and really working hard, all you will spend between 10 and 20 seconds in Zone 5 with this workout.

But if you're looking to significantly step up your Heart Health, do check out our new
Enhanced Cardiovascular Programming Model.

Intended to provide a higher level of service to clients interested in a more focused cardiovascular programming model, as well as a way for potential clients to gain limited exposure to one on one training, three new programs have been developed.

Maroon Program Participants Receive, Monthly:

• Cardio equipment access 4x/wk
• An introductory 1:1 cardio workout
• Individually tailored prescribed cardiovascular program (PreCOP)
• Weekly Tips Cardio Email
• $99/mo Non FT Clients
• $19/mo Current Active FT Clients

Gold Program Participants Receive, Monthly:

• All Maroon Program benefits
• A New Heart Rate Monitor
• Max Heartrate testing
• A one on one heart rate monitored personal training session
• A one on one heart rate monitored cardiovascular session
• FT cardio team membership
• $229/mo Non FT Clients
• $139/mo Current Active FT Clients

Platinum Program Participants Receive, Monthly:

• All Gold Program benefits
• An additional one one one heart rate monitored personal training session
• An additional one on one heart rate monitored cardiovascular session Enrollment into the FT MSP Maroon Nutrition Program (Spring 2009)
• $379/mo Non FT Clients
• $279/mo Current Active FT Clients
  

Super Sunday Sloppy Joes

Just when I thought we were out of the woods with the food holidays, here comes yet another opportunity for extra calories ... super bowl parties.

While you might just treat this day as a throwout day, particularly if the rest of your week has been clean, here's a recipe that both tastes great and is 'fairly' low in fat:

Turkey Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups dices onions
1.5 pounds of ground turkey
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 cup dry red wine
1 can (14 oz) diced or crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
10 to 20 turns of black pepper

Preparation: Saute onions over medium heat until clear. Add Turkey and brown. Stir in red wine, increase heat, and cook until the wine is reduced to 1/4 cup. Add remaining ingredients and simmer slowly for several hours. This long simmer works best in a crock pot, which will also conveniently serve.

Serve on whole wheat buns. Top with a dollop of yogurt, or cottage cheese, if desired.

Superbowl Sunday & the Spread Office

It's Superbowl Sunday!

And while I originally wrote Pitt 27 AZ 10 on the downtown whiteboard, it's never safe to take the favorite in the big game, so I'm now predicting
Arizona 16
Pittsburgh 9.

But the whole event reminded me of a topic around workplace ergonomics I've wanted to address for a while now. It's called the spread office. In college football, the offensive trend for years has been the spread offense. With it, offensive teams use formations that use the entire width of the field. The theory is that it spreads defenses thin in enough to create mismatches in places where talent doesn't match up well.

Many teams run it very well.

While we're not looking for mismatches in your office, the Spread Office does offer an opportunity to be more physically active in an otherwise inactive desk job.

Using the entire width, height, and depth of your office space (spread out) allows you to use your body more which will, in turn, increase blood flow, increase energy levels, and burn a few calories!

Here are my top 10 Spread Office suggestions:

1. Move all filing cabinets to the far end of your office area. Place them conveniently out of reach so that accessing them requires either scooting over on your chair, or a short walk & squat.
   
2. Place your desktop accessories (stapler, tape dispenser and 3 hole punch) atop of one of these filing cabinets. You will now be required to similarly either scooting over on your chair, or walk a short distance to access them.
   
3. If your bookcase isn't in a fixed position, move it across the office floor as well. Place frequently referenced books, manuals and other documents in this 'remote' bookcase.
   
4. If your bookcase isn't movable, place frequently referenced books, manuals and other documents into or within the most remote location (tall or wide) possible.
   
5. Place your desktop calculator on the surface of your desk furthest to your right so that you need to rotate, at a minimum, 90 degrees to use it
6. Place your inbox on the surface of your desk furthest to your left so that you need to rotate, at a minimum, 90 degrees to access it.
   
7. If you have a desktop printer, place it behind your monitor so that you need to stand or reach around your monitor to reach it. If that's not a practical location, put it on a surface at at the physical end of the printer cable ... perhaps on top of one of your 'remote' bookcases. You may need to do some shopping, but you can get 25' printer cables.
   
8. Put your pen cups/holders on a shelf above your desk so that you need to rise from your chair to access them.
   
9. Upgrade your phone so that it can reach all corners of your office. You can get either a really long cord, or a cordless phone. Then, move the base or handset of your phone to a location that requires you to either swivel your chair, stand to access it. And unless you're typing on your keyboard during a call, take it standing up!
10. Substitute a stability ball for office chair a few hours per day. They're under 50 bucks and can significantly improve your core strength and posture.
    

Why Fitness Programs Fail

It's late January now, and you've been making your way to the gym 4 days per week for 3 solid weeks. Not only do you hate the crowds, and hate the treadmill, but you haven't lost a single pound of weight. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

Expecting to loose 25 to 30 pounds by summer suddenly doesn't look so promising anymore ... especially after the fruitlessness of all that hard work.

Unfortunately, this is an all too common January scenario.

What is going on here, and why?

First, the good news: you're making more progress than you think. The most difficult part of becoming fit is simply fitting it into your busy life. Now, there are lots of tips and tricks for doing exactly that, but if you're attendance is good now, you've cleared (at least temporarily) the hardest hurdle. Credit yourself with a win.

Second, the good news gets even better, because you have lost some body fat ... you just don't see it because you've been measuring body weight (on your scale) and not body fat (done with skin fold calipers). In fact, one of the biggest mistakes people make when beginning a fitness program is not having fitness assessments taken at regular intervals. Especially at the beginning of fitness programs where lots of physical adaptations are taking place: bone densities are increasing; neurological pathways are being formed; and muscle tissue is growing. All of this is terrific, and increases your metabolic engine, but it also ads lean body mass to your frame that frequently offsets the body fat loss, so you don't see that change on the scale!

And that becomes discouraging.

But don't let it be: you're doing better than you think. I have eight more tips like this all queued up for Saturday's 2:00 PM Seminar, but you'll have to come by to get the rest of the story!

I will, however, leave you with one more good one.

Focus on Pure Fitness levels for February. This is actually something best done at the very beginning of an exercise program, but will help keep you motivated for the next few weeks. Particularly if you want to loose weight, pick 3 fitness related goals that have nothing to do with the scale: total pushups; distance traveled in 6 minutes on the treadmill; resting heart rate; total body weight squats; crunches in one minute ... whatever. Never mind the reading on the scale for the next 4 weeks; just focus on fitness. If your build it, the weight will come ... off.

Frozen Friday Fitness

It's always been a few degrees cooler than actual, but I just had to capture the near nothingness on my deck's thermometer this morning. Officially, it was -27 at the airport, though my reading was -35! I have never personally seen this little red on it in the 16 years we've had it!

So, what's a Minnesotan to do when it's 20 below outside?

Well, as it turns out lots!

Here are my top 10 things to do when it's nothing short of damned cold outside.

1. Defrost your freezer. Box or bag up all of your freezer items an move them to the garage, deck, patio, or your car. They will stay plenty frozen for the 12 or 15 hours it might take to defrost your freezer. Hopefully, you'll need to take a flight of stairs or two in the process to burn a few calories! And while you're at it, thaw out and prepare at least one of the items you bought because it's good for you, but you just haven't gotten around to preparing. We all have them, and you know what I'm talking about: liver, frozen brussel sprouts ... that bison steak. Also, check the expiration dates on anything pre packaged. If it's expired, just throw it out!
   
2. Drink. And drink a bunch ... of water! Temps this cold reduce humidity levels indoors and out. Heating systems dry it out even more! And because of the cold, most of us don't seem thirsty, so we tend to hydrate less. Got a slight headache? Maybe you're dehydrated. Sip on a hot cup of green tea, or a cup of hot water if you need something warm in your hands. Otherwise, plan to consume at least 8 ounces of water before each meal today.
   
3. Bake some squash or yams ... the more yellow or orange the better. In 20-some years of working with clients on diet, the yellow and orange vegetables tend to get neglected more often than almost anything else. Technically classified as caretenoids, they are low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol, and a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium and Magnesium. They are also a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese. Complete nutrition facts here, for baked with added salt, so you can/should reduce your sodium intake by cutting back on (or eliminating) the added salt ... especially if hypertensive. Plus, your oven will add some heat to your home!
   
4. And while the oven is hot, Roast some pumpkin and squash seeds. Low in Cholesterol, they are a good source of Protein, Vitamin K, Iron and Copper, and a very good source of Magnesium, Phosphorus and Manganese. This food is, however, high in fat, especially saturated fats, so you'll want to sprinkle them on salads use sparingly in other dishes.
   
5. Go to the gym! With the New Year's resolutes out in full force, it's guaranteed to be warm and humid in there! Or call Fitness Together if you don't like the crowds or humidity, but really want to heat it up!
   
6. Book a trip to someplace warm ... like hot enough to require that you shed some clothing. Facing an immediate deadline for exposing otherwise well covered body parts will help keep you focused this Winter. Click here to connect with my good friend Renata at AAA for some travel tips.
   
7. Get some sun. Rarely does it get this cold with a lot of cloud cover. Grab a book, your notebook computer ... or whatever ... and find a sunny window to sit near for an hour or two. Some physicians believe that a good portion of our winter ailments are due to sun derived vitamin D deficiency.
   
8. Women, schedule your annual breast exam. While October is breast cancer awareness month; if you missed it then, schedule it now.
   
9. Men, check your prostate. While heart disease is still your best chance of checking out early, cancer is #2 and colon cancer is one of the likelier villains. Very treatable when caught early; very deadly when not. Pick up the phone right now and get it scheduled!
   
10. Register for my Fitness Fundamentals Seminar NEXT SATURDAY! You don't need to go or call anywhere cold; just click here to book your seat! Or, refer a friend, co worker or family member to the seminar and pick up a Free Fitness Together Personal Training Session for each seminar registrant you refer!
    

So, even though it's not (Rio de Janeiro forecast) 80 degrees outside, there are still plenty of things to do to stay fit and healthy!