how to take care of your health

Guidelines

by Zaheer Khan

Before beginning any of our exercise programs, read our Reboot Movement Method Guidelines:
Warm Up
Always ensure you start slow for the first five minutes of your workout. This will give your muscles and your heart rate a chance to adapt to the intensity. When starting out we recommend that you find soft even terrain such as a track (sports oval) or the hard part of a sandy beach. The extra cushioning will allow your muscles to get used to your new exercise program. After a number of weeks your body will become accustomed to your new exercise routine and you will safely be able to move to undulating terrain, harder surfaces and hiking trails.
Stretching Do’s and Don’ts
We believe that with a thorough warm up and strengthening exercises your body will be able to exercise safely without the need for traditional static stretching. If you do like to stretch, we recommend doing so after your walk or jog. Stretching before your workout does little to warm you up and, as you may be very tight in certain areas, static stretching may actually cause more harm than good.
Gage Your Intensity
Working out with friends is a great way to keep motivated. It also allows you to test your level of intensity in a very simple way.
Can you hold a basic conversation with your friend as you are walking?
If you can’t- slow down, your heart rate is too high.
If you can keep long conversations without needing to take a breath, your are going too slow.
Focus on Technique
Once you are warmed up, the safest way to increase your speed and intensity in the Walking and Jogging Programs is to take smaller steps at a higher frequency. Striding out with larger steps will cause you to land on the heel of your foot which causes extra impact and stress on your joints. In fact, even with good technique, every time you put your weight on one leg whilst jogging, 3 to 4 times’  your body weight worth of pressure goes through your foot to your joints, ligaments and tendons. That’s a lot of pressure. Aim to land each step in the middle of your foot to allow your calf muscles and the arch of your foot to take the pressure.
How Fast Should I Go?
We know that it can be difficult to know exactly how fast and how long you need to walk or jog to get results. There have been thousands of studies that all conclude the same thing: Even 20 minutes of moderate exercise a day will dramatically improve your health. That can be 20 minutes of any type of movement that gets your heart rate up. But how hard do you really have to workout to get the benefits? We recommend using the Borg Rate of Perceived Exertion scale (RPE) outlined below:

1. Before you start walking or jogging give yourself a score between 6 and 20.  6 meaning you are at rest and 20 meaning you are exercising at an extremely intense level.
2. During your walk or jog, monitor your progress and regularly give yourself a score between 6 and 20, depending on how hard you think you are working.

In fact, if you add a zero to the end of your score, it will equal your approximate heart rate!
Don’t Overtrain
Finding the balance between exercise and rest is certainly a challenge. There are a number of factors that contribute to success in any training program.  Being physically able and mentally willing to continue your workout routine for the long term is key.  Overtraining can occur to anyone, below are some clear signs.
Five signs of overtraining:

1. You are finding it harder to get up in the mornings
2. You have unpredictable mood swings
3. You are cutting your workouts short
4. You are making bad food choices- usually foods containing high amounts of sugar and fat
5. You are getting sick often or have very low energy

Maintain Your Fitness Program
Assess your quality of sleep:

• Are you getting at least 7-8 hours of good quality sleep every night? During your sleeping hours your body regulates your hormone levels and prepares it for the day ahead. To get better quality sleep try and create a ritual before going to bed by incorporating the following.
• Do not watch television for at least one hour before bed
• Dim the lights (your body actually produces Melatonin, a natural sleeping aid, when your mind thinks it is night time)
• Have a cup of herbal, caffeine free tea

Cut back on the frequency, duration and intensity of your exercise:

• Working out at very high intensity for long periods can actually put strain on your immune system.
• Aim for 20-40 minutes of moderate intensity exercise.

Beef up your juice intake:

• No, that doesn’t mean add  meat to your daily juices! We mean add in lots of vegetables and fruits such as beets, carrots, celery, spinach, broccoli, berries, melon and of course LOTS of leafy green vegetables like kale to give you the proper balance of electrolytes, protein, fluids and total nutrients you need to help your body restore and preserve its natural reserves.

Consult your doctor:

• It is always recommended to have a general check up with your doctor prior to partaking in any new forms of activity, just to be sure.