Either Breathe or Faint - A True Story

Guys its time to relate to a personal experience, and talk to you about a very important lesson – you can literally faint if you don’t breathe while exercising.

Just last Sunday I was out running my 6 miles of the day, syncing my steps with the beats of David Guetta’s new song, When Love Takes Over - A brilliant running tune. So there I was, on my last bend when I saw my arch running nemesis, Crazy Legs, through the corner of my eye. Crazy Legs! He’s a heck of a runner and we often run into each other at the track around the park. And when we do… its Game On!

It started as an innocent crossing that ended in two guys acting like kids, trying to show each other off. That was 7 months ago. Now after all this time, nothing has changed. We still try to kick each other’s butt. We never meet after covering the same amount of distance; but if I were to be honest, then I must tell you that Crazy Legs is somewhat of a professional runner and beats me 7 out of the 10 times we run into each other....

But last Sunday I had decided, that there was no way ol’ Crazy is going to get the best of me. So as soon as I saw him, I started accelerating. That sneaky little running maniac saw me gain speed and the next thing I know, he’s right behind me. Since I was on my last leg, I kicked myself into high gear. The thing about Crazy though, is that he doesn’t give up easily. He started matching my speed step by step. Determined to kick his butt, I went into an all out sprint. I did realize at that point, that I was holding my breath, something I used to do a lot when I was younger; but I thought what the hell – I’m almost there. I knew the consequences of not breathing, all too well. But I still thought I could pull it off for a couple of 100 meters. Turns out I was wrong.

I did beat Crazy that day buts it’s a very hazy memory that I didn’t even get to gloat about; because as soon as I stopped, I got light headed and extremely dizzy and almost fell down flat on my face. Lucky for me Crazy Legs was trying to catch up, because he kind of held me upright till I regained my strength. And that’s something he got to gloat about. Curse him!

But there’s a very important lesson here guys: No matter how “into it” you get, you gotta breathe while exercising. For those of you who are wondering, holding your breath creates pressure in your chest that slows down the blood flow back to your heart; which means less blood pumped out. Try it. Hold your breath and feel your pulse. You’ll feel it slowing down. This happened to me while running but its more probable at the gym, where you tend to hold your breath more, with the weight lifting and all.

Although breathing properly consists of finding your own breathing rhythm, you can find some great material online to help you get there. Here’s one article we came across, for breathing while running, on the Runner’s World site, while this is another one we came across on a site called essortment

For weight training, according to an article in the 2005 March/April issue of the Health and Fitness journal publication of the American College of Sports and Medicine(ACSM), breathe in while bringing the weight towards you or while lowering the resistance, and breath out while moving the resistance away from you. Here are a few other sources that are helpful:
http://www.bigmusclesbuilding.com/breathingweightliftingexercises.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/breathing-during-weight-training.html

So again, repeat after me:

I will not hold my breath while exercising

As for you Crazy Legs, it ain’t over yet. I’m gonna even up the score soon, so be ready for it. Btw thanks for saving me from denting my face :)


Stay Fit
Apollo

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Run For Fitness, Run For Fun

Burning fat faster than a locomotive
Feeling good, energetic and stress free 
Supreme physical conditioning - including a stronger heart, a greater lung capacity, lower blood pressure and an increase in good cholesterol (HDL).


Such are the benefits of running. It’s true. Although there are a lot of cardio activities out there that you all should try to find out which one is for you, running is one of my favorites that burns the most calories.


If you’re a runner, then you know what I’m talking about. There’s a huge sense of achievement and that feeling of conquering the world when you wrap up with your run.

If you aren’t a runner, then allow me to say this:
Get your butt on the tread mill or outside and do a few laps!

Trust me. Give it a try and watch your excess weight melt away. Ofcourse if you are new to running, you need to build up your run. By that I mean you need to gradually increase the distance and the speed you can run at. There are a number of examples on the net on how you can do that. I personally liked the one mentioned in the September 2009 issue of the Women’s Health magazine.

Gents Hold On. Just because this example came from Women’s Health doesn’t mean you’ll be a “wuss” for trying it out.

Goal: To run 30 minutes at a stretch
Time to achieve the goal: 7 weeks
Intensity: moderate intensity (a pace at which talking isn’t easy). Start out with light intensity if you can’t handle moderate in the beginning
Frequency: 2-3 times a week on alternate days

Week 1: run 2 mins and walk 3 mins. Do this 6 times to total 30 mins
Week 2: run 3 mins and walk 3 mins. Do this 5 times to total 30 mins
Week 3: run 5 mins and walk 2 mins. Do this 4 times to total 28 mins
Week 4: run 7 mins and walk 3 mins. Do this 3 times to total 30 mins
Week 5: run 8 mins and walk 2 mins. Do this 3 times to total 30 mins
Week 6: run 9 mins and walk 1 min. Do this 3 times to total 30 mins
Week 7: run 30 mins. do it once.
And Voila! You’re done. You can now do a straight 30 min run.

If you’re an intermediate/advanced runner, then you can apply the same principle to take your running time up to 60 minutes. Or you can try to do the same distance in less time. The choices are endless.

Tips for effective running:
- Stretch 5 mins before and especially after your run
- Make sure you have comfortable running shoes that are not totally worn out
- If you feel like you cant move on to the next week, then don’t push it. Repeat the week you just did, to get more used to it
- On the other hand if you feel you can kick it up a notch, then see if you can skip a week. But don’t push yourself beyond your limits
- If you’re running on a tread mill, run at 1% incline to get that running outdoor resistance
- Throw in some strength training during the week as well. This will make you a fat burning machine
- Don’t run right after eating. Give yourself 2-3 hours after a major meal

Things to watch out for:
- If you’ve got a history of knee injuries, get yourself ok’d by the doctor before you start
- Don’t ignore any kind of pain. Stop your run, and get yourself checked.
- Don’t alter your natural running style to accommodate for the pain you are feeling. That can lead to injuries because of excessive stress on your joints (ACSM Health and Fitness Journal July/Aug 1997)
- Don’t push yourself beyond your limit. Listen to what your body is telling you

There are also some good running sites out there which you can search for. They will have more advice on running. I’m listing one I found pretty helpful, below.
http://www.active.com/running

Advanced runners, don’t fret, I’ll be putting up an advanced interval training workout especially for you. Lets see if you’re up for the challenge.

Till then, Stay Fit and let me know what you thought about this running strategy. I would love to read your comments and incorporate your suggestions.

Apollo

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My No Weight Shockwave Circuit for Fat Burn and Muscle Tone

Ola!

There are times when you're feeling really explosive and energetic and really want to tear it up, but you dont have a jogging track or the eqiupment to do so. In times like these, I've found my shockwave to do the trick. Its for guys and girls alike and as far as im concerned, its so money!

Choose the level that best suits your current fitness level and go for it. Also if you have any injury history, its always good to consult your physician before doing something you're not used to.

That being said,  put your favorite tunes on and enjoy

No Weight Shockwave Circuit

For: fat burning and muscle toning. It will also give you a cardio workout

3 levels: 45 seconds, 1 min 15 seconds or 2 mins per exercise. 5- 10 second rest between stations. 

Do the circuit at least twice and do the exercises in the mentioned sequence

Remember: to keep those abs tight through out, to keep those elbows and knees soft, to cool down at the end.

Hope it shocks you like it does me!

Exercises

Star Jumps (go as high and low as you safely can. Dont pull anything)
Squats
Side to side jumps (go as high and low as you safely can. Dont pull anything)
Bridge or Plank (on knees as an option)
Push ups or press ups (on knees as an option)
Tricep dips
Shadow boxing (give it everything you've got here)
V up  
Single side leg raises
Superman

Optional: Add the below as your circuit finisher for the icing on the cake
Side to side jumps
Squats
Star Jumps

Do an active recovery for 3-4 mins (so keep on doing something like jumping jacks or light stationary jogging) and then repeat the circuit 2-3 times. You can even do it 4-5 times if you've gone with level 1 and you arent feeling it as much.

If you've done the work out and you're not out of breath or you aint sweating, then you either need to  increase the time per exercise or take the harder option. If you did both these things and you still aint sweatin, you need to tell me your secret :)

Stay Fit

Apollo

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