Peak Fitness - less exercise equals more
Hi guys!
Welcome to my first big post on this blog :)
Today I would like to introduce you to the state-of-the-art book of Dr Joseph Mercola entitled “Effortless Healing”. The focus of today’s article will be on Peak Fitness as a prescription for vitality.
STATE-OF-THE-ART – modern and using the most recent ideas
A PRESCRIPTION FOR - a recipe for sth
VITALITY - energy and strength
"When you walk into any gym, you’ll see most of the people crowding around the cardio equipment. But there’s actually a way to exercise that’s far more effective than walking or running on a treadmill or using an elliptical machine for an hour. It’s called Peak Fitness and it takes only twenty minutes. (If you graph your heart rate during that twenty times, you’ll see that it peaks eight times). And of those twenty, you are only exercising hard for four minutes. But those four minutes are really intense. Most people who adopt Peak Fitness notice the following benefits within a few weeks:
lower body fat
dramatically improved muscle tone
firmer skin and reduced wrinkles
boosted energy and sexual desire
improved athletic speed and performance
fitness goals achieved much faster
But these aren’t even the most powerful benefits. Peak Fitness exercises can improve your insulin sensitivity by nearly 25 percent with a time investment of less than a few hours a month. That is, you can significantly improve your health without having to eliminate from your calendar many dozens of hours of other commitments.
THE CARDIO EQUIPMENT - machines that increase the rate at which your heart beats
A TREADMILL - an exercise machine that consists of a moving strip
AN ELLIPTICAL MACHINE - an exercise machine in the shape of an ellipse
TO GRAPH - to represent by a graph
TO PEAK - to reach the highest point
BODY FAT - storage of a greasy substance in adipose tissue
MUSCLE TONE - the healthy tightness of the muscles
FIRM - tight
WRINKLES - small lines in the skin caused by old age
BOOSTED - raised
BENEFITS - good effects
DOZENS OF - a lot of (DOZEN = 12)
A COMMITMENT - something that you must do
You can start a Peak Fitness program with any type of exercise. While having access to a gym or exercise equipment will give you a larger variety of options, it’s not necessary. You can easily perform the exercises with something as simple as running. Your goal is to get your heart rate up to its calculated maximum, which is 220 minus your age. That’s where the “magic” happens that will trigger your growth hormone release. If you are using exercise equipment, you should start off with a recumbent bicycle and then progress to the elliptical machine. Be careful about using a treadmill, as it will be slower to respond to speed changes and easier for you to fall off when you’re tired. Sprinting is ideal, but if you aren’t careful, you can sprain your hamstrings or pull a muscle. So be very careful about stretching properly, paying careful attention to your hamstrings prior to sprinting.
TO TRIGGER - to cause to start
TO START OFF – to begin at one point and then move to another
A RECUMBENT BICYCLE - a bike where you lie down
TO FALL OFF – to suddenly go down onto the ground
SPRINTING - a very fast run
TO SPRAIN – to cause an injury to a joint
A HAMSTRING – any of five tendons at the back of the knee
TO PULL A MUSCLE – to injure
STRETCHING - extending one's limbs, one's body in a reclining position
Here are the core principles of Peak Fitness:
Warm up for three minutes
Exercise as hard and fast as you can for 30 seconds. You should feel like you couldn’t possibly go on another few seconds
Recover for 90 seconds, still moving, but at a much slower pace
Repeat the high-intensity exercise-and-recovery cycle seven more times. (When you’re first starting out, you may be able to do only two or three repetitions of the high-intensity intervals. As you get fitter, just keep adding repetitions until you’re doing eight during your 20-minute session)
Afterward, cool down for two minutes by slowing the pace of the exercise you were doing during these “sprints”. After you’ve cooled down, your total time working out will be 21 minutes (less if you don’t complete all eight reps of the high-intensity-rest cycle).
It may take you a few weeks to a few months to work up to eight reps.
WARM UP - gentle exercises before a physical activity
PACE – speed
REPETITIONS = REPS
AN INTERVAL - a short period between two times
AFTERWARD(S) – after the time mentioned
TO COOL DOWN – to chill
TO WORK UP – to suceed gradually
Doing the Peak Fitness workout two or three times a week is the core of the program. However, to truly keep your body strong, flexible and pain free, you should incorporate other elements including; strength training, stretching or yoga."
WORKOUT – a period of physical exercise
CORE - the most important part
TO INCORPORATE - to include
Reference: Dr Mercola Joseph “Effortless Healing” (2015)
http://www.mercola.com/
So keep doing sport :D,
Micha
