Find a Workout that Works for You
A study has shown that women are more likely to enjoy
and stick to an exercise programme if they are allowed to
select their own levels of intensity.
Find a Workout that Works for You
By WLR Dietitian
Believe it or not, working out with a personal trainer might
not be the best way to exercise if you want to enjoy getting fit
whilst shifting those excess pounds. According to a small study in
the International Journal of Obesity, overweight women were far
more likely to enjoy exercise when they selected the rate at which
they worked.
The study involved two 20-minute sessions on a treadmill – one
at a speed selected by the women themselves and one at a speed
just 10 percent higher than they chose, selected by a trainer.
The women found the exercise to be far less pleasurable when
the level of intensity of the workout was imposed upon them
compared to when they made the decision themselves about how hard
they wanted to work. The researchers believe that over time, if
someone else sets the intensity at which overweight women work
out, enjoyment and motivation are likely to dwindle so that
eventually they give up altogether.
Weight Loss Resources says:
This research confirms what many fitness experts have said for
a long time – whatever exercise you do, choose a rate at which you
feel you can exercise comfortably.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t push yourself. Muscles need to
work harder than normal in order to become stronger, firmer and
shapelier. That doesn’t mean you should overdo things, though. If
you work too hard, you could risk injuring yourself, so that you
have to miss your workouts completely until you recover.
You can also make sure you get the most from your workout by
exercising within your target heart rate range – this is 60–80
percent of your maximum heart rate.
To calculate your target heart rate, subtract your age from 220
to find your maximum heart rate. Then multiply that number by 0.6
and 0.8 to get your target heart rate range.
For example, if you are 40 years old, your maximum heart rate
is 180. This means your target heart rate is between 108 and 144
beats per minute. You can either measure this while exercising by
taking your pulse or by wearing a heart rate monitor.
For a far simpler measure of how hard you are working though,
just take the ‘talk test’.
In general, you should be able to carry on a conversation
during your workout. If you’re breathless or can't talk, you're
working too hard and so need to slow down. Bear in mind too, that
dizziness and lightheadedness are not good signs. If you
experience them, you are over-exerting yourself and should stop!
Finally, always remember to check with your GP before starting
a new exercise routine if you’ve been physically inactive for a
long time.
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