Strickland Fitness

I hope everyone had a great weekend! The excitement level is growing with the October Challenge just 10 days away. This is going to be a great way to gain new knowledge on fitness and nutrition while expanding your tool box with new exercises and cardio workouts. And it’s all for free!

Well, hopefully everyone has started or continued to be active with their workouts and not just waiting for the challenge to begin. The next prep tool will be to know your resting heart rate and maximum heart rate. You will need this for the cardio workouts in the Challenge. Now that you know how to get your heart rate (with a heart monitor, the machines at the gym, or manually), take your resting heart rate. It’s best to do it right when you wake, but you can do it at any time you are at full rest. For your maximum heart rate, it’s best to get it by using the form of cardio (running, biking, swimming, etc.) you plan on doing. If you don’t have access to your mode of cardio, you can run in place at home or outside to get it. We will use running in place for the purpose of talking about how to get your maximum heart rate. After a couple minutes of warming up and stretching (see pre workout post in fitness tips category), start running in place. Slowly increase your speed to maximum intensity. As you are hitting maximum intensity, start singing your favorite song out loud. Stop running the instant you need to gasp for air between words. Check your heart rate. This is your maximum heart rate. Be sure to write down your resting and maximum rate. You will need this when the challenge starts. If you need a refresher on how to get your heart rate, see http://stricklandfitness.com/2009/09/17/prep-tool-2-for-october-challenge/.

Once you have done this, put a check mark in the box for Sept. 21^st. Great Job!!

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 Ok, here is the first tool you will need for the October Challenge. For any fitness program, the biggest element is nutrition. Whether you want to gain, lose, or maintain weight, this will have to be looked at. Create a food journal that you can keep track of what you eat and drink, when you consume it, and how much specifically you consume. I will not be looking at anyone’s journal so be honest with yourself. Now starting at the beginning of the next day of reading this, start journaling. It shouldn’t take long and you should create an easy way to do it to be sure that you do it every day. Write down everything!! There are many websites and iphone apps out there that can track your intake for you for free. If you don’t know how to count calories, this might be the way to go because later you will need to know the specific amount of calories you are taking in. Again, just figure out the system that works best for you to be sure you do it every day!

Next, print a generic calendar from your computer for the second half of September and the whole month of October. Keep this calendar next to your computer. Once you have found your food journal entry procedure, put a big check mark in the box for the 16^th! Great Job!

Use of any knowledge from this website is voluntary. By reading this post, you agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the disclaimer in the about section of this website. Thanks for participating!

I have a goal of losing 20 pounds and so far I have lost 10. I seem to have hit a wall and the weight has stopped coming off. What should I do?

Well, if you are losing weight, then your nutrition is probably really good. What needs to change is your cardio and weight training. Our bodies adapt to the stresses placed on it, so that is a good possibility of why you hit a plateau. If your body has adapted to your training, surprise it. Try doing some interval training for your cardio and mix up your weight training routine.

Do diets really work?

Diets are a short term answer to a long term problem. The only diet that really works is a lifestyle change. Try making subtle adjustments to your nutrition so your body and mind can adapt. Keep making the changes until you have a healthy diet everyday…not just for the next couple weeks.

When should I weigh myself?

You should weigh yourself in the morning. That is the time of day you will get the most accurate number. The most important thing is weighing yourself at the same time of each weighing day.

I got really tired and light headed right when I started working out, what’s going on there?

One possibility is you have low blood sugar. If you haven’t eaten within an hour of working out, your body doesn’t have the fuel to perform. Try eating a balanced healthy meal an hour before working out.

Is running on a treadmill the same as running outside?

It is a good alternative, but it is not the same. Treadmills are moving so it is actually helping you along. Most people can run faster on a treadmill than they can on the ground. You will also burn a bit more calories on the ground than on the treadmill.