Getting in Shape Series - New Year Update

By Paul Piotrowski on Jan 1, 2007 in Health and Fitness

On December 19th I began a new challenge in my life to significantly improve my personal health and fitness levels using every self-development tool, strategy and technique I have learned over the last 10 years. Out of this process, the “Getting in Shape Series” of articles was born. My plan is to work on and tweak the program for optimal results. I started out by firstly getting the mental / psychological aspects of the program figured out first. The first four steps which I went through for that are described in detail in my first four articles:
Getting in Shape Series - Step 1 - No Holds Barred…
Getting in Shape Series - Step 2 - The First Few S…
Getting in Shape Series - Step 3 - The What, The W…
Getting in Shape Series - Step 4 - Getting Leverag…
My goal is to eventually implement a complete plan which will consist of the following elements of health:
1) Implementation of regular aerobic workouts to improve cardiovascular health
2) Implementation of a complete, properly balanced lifelong nutritional plan
3) Implementation of a strength training routine
These will be the first three pillars of health for me and the “Getting in Shape Series” will focus on these three pillars. As a starting point, to test out the effectiveness of the series, I have began to use the exercises described in the first 4 steps of the series to implement the first pillar of health which is a regular aerobic workout to improve cardiovascular health.
I am happy to report that I have been very successful with the implementation of the aerobic workouts into my daily routine even through the normally chaotic holiday season where most people find it hard to even think about working out on a regular basis. As I worked on the mental / psychological aspects of the series as described in my articles, I began doing a simple workout consisting of the following:
1) A 10 minute warm-up walk on the treadmill, designed to get the blood flowing properly and not to shock the system into sudden activity. From my brief research I read that just jumping into a run right away without a warm-up can be dangerous as it shocks the body into rushing blood away form the major organs and into the major muscles as the body activates the “fight or flight” mechanism. Essentially without a warm-up, if you just start running, the body doesn’t know if you’re going for a nice jog or if you’re being chased by a lion. Such stress is not good for your body long term, so my research found that a 10 minute warm-up to start is highly advisable.

2) A 20 minute jog maintaining my heart rate between 140-150bpm. The rate was calculated by the formula of 180 – age, which for me is 180-30 = 150bpm as the maximum rate I would want to train at to burn fat.

3) A 10 minute cool-down to allow the body to circulate the blood through my muscle groups so as not to create a lactic acid or other toxin buildup in my muscles which would create soreness and cramping in the muscles the following day.

4) 5-10 minutes of stretching to improve circulation and flexibility.
Using this simple workout formula I have been able to get the following results:
Total Days on Program: 13 Days
Total Distance Ran: 27.69 Miles
Total Time Ran: 8 Hours, 18 Minutes, 32 Seconds
Average Pace: 17m 59s/mile
Total Calories Burned: 4119 Calories
I have not began tracking my weight or body fat percentage as part of this program yet, as my first goal was to build a habit of activity, focusing on that as opposed to focusing on results. Results will come from instilling healthy habits, so that was my first focus point. In the coming weeks I will begin to start looking at the second pillar of health which is a proper nutritional plan. I will record my starting weight and body fat percentages as well.
That’s it for now, I just wanted to share with you the success I have had so far with this program, and hopefully it might inspire you to begin getting yourself into a better healthy body this year.
Paul