A Recipe for Fitness

STEP 1 - Set a realistic weekly training schedule, one you can stick to, don’t rush to get fit, have patience.

STEP 2 - Invest in a Heart Rate Monitor, your time is valuable, so make sure every second of your workout is effective to meet your goals.

STEP 3 - Try to develop a good technique, the benefits of a better technique can far out way the benefits of just working harder. The better the technique, the better your training effect.

STEP 4 - Don’t rush into hard heavy exercise, this will do very little except feel uncomfortable. Work at lower intensities to condition the body to build a solid base aerobic fitness.

STEP 5 - As your fitness and muscle conditioning improve, be careful not to overtrain, working extremely hard can be as harmful as effective. Very little high intensity is needed, training harder for long periods is not good, small amounts of high intensity is much more effective.

STEP 6 - Understand the science behind your workouts, there are different training effects to be gained at different H/R zones, look at your own needs and goals and decide the levels of intensity you require.

STEP 7 - You’re exercising more effectively now and have a good routine going, don’t blow it! Remember, a good balanced diet is essential, regular exercise and a healthy eating plan is going to work. It’s a balance, eat too much and exercise too little and weight will be gained, exercise too much and eat too little and exhaustion will occur. Little and often is usually the best way to keep the metabolism working, don’t starve your body, particularly after exercise, your body will only store more. Make sure you’ve eaten at least 2 hours before exercise and eat again within 1 hour after, your body will need it and more importantly, will use it!

STEP 8 - Use the zone guide below, you are in control of your workout, with this knowledge you can personalise every workout you do.