Keeping Healthy and Keeping Active
Summer 2020 This summer presents us with some unique challenges when it comes to exercise and staying active. Many of us will need to find alternatives, or get more creative, with our fitness and workout routines. Here are some tips to help you start or continue to stay active and exercise this summer! If your goal is exercising, you should aim to work hard enough so you are breathing harder, your heart rate is elevated (in the aerobic zone), and you are breaking a sweat for at least 30 minutes. If you are at a more advanced fitness level, working in interval training with high intensity interval training (HIIT) will give you the best bang for your effort. This entails working as hard as you can, followed by a recovery period in a 1:1 time ratio. For example, running as fast as you can for 30 seconds, followed by a jog or walk for 30 seconds and doing this for 20 minutes. Tabata training is working in a 2:1 (work to recovery) time ratio, which is even more challenging. If the weather permits, get outside as much as you can for your activity. Enjoying the outdoors can improve your mood and get you moving. Planning to do your activities early in the morning or after the sun goes down can help you beat the heat. Other than the usual outdoor activities like sports, walking, running, and biking, don’t forget parks and playgrounds. Hiking, canoeing, and using a playground for an outdoor gym will give you some
different options for outdoor workouts. You may also use a nearby outdoor track for your workout. For a stairs workout, use the stairs or bleachers in parks, stadiums, or at a monument. You can create your own 5k, 10k, or mini triathlon. And why not multi-task and get some chores done while exercising? You can mow the lawn with a push mower, or build a new deck for your home. Effective workouts can also be done in your home or at work with minimal to no equipment. You can perform a cardio workout by simply combining different plyometric exercises. These are exercises that exert maximum effort in short periods of time, like jumping jacks. If you have a flight of stairs at home or at work, you can use these stairs for exercise. For more difficulty, you can incorporate HIIT or Tabata intervals as previously described. Effective strength workouts can be done with bodyweight exercises such as planks, push-ups, squats, lunges, etc. If you have some dumbbells, adding weight will increase the difficulty. There are plenty of apps with on demand workouts, online, right at your fingertips. Some of these are free, while others require a monthly subscription. There are also workouts on YouTube (including Refine YOU’s channel) for free. If you have difficulty staying motivated, creating a challenge for yourself can be a fun way to keep up the momentum. Do a one-minute challenge for 30 days. For one minute a day do as many push-ups as you can, or hold a plank for one minute. Another
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