Fatso to Muscles

Injury is a setback, particularly if we want to achieve our fitness goals. Whether we are trying to lose some weight or gain some muscles, we are prone to injury regardless if we are exercising right or wrong. Accidents happen, and accidents will happen even if we are doing everything that is correct and carefully. So even if we get injured, we can look at it in a positive light; we can think of it as a little time off from exercise in general.

I have been injured numerous times in the past. Time where I did things wrong and times where I did things right. When I do things wrong it was more likely for me to get injured, but when I do things slow and steady with the correct form, I sometimes get injured as well.

Everyone of us either have or had some type of injury. And it does suck when we are in the middle of our progress and things go bad. When we get injured, we can’t do anything too vigorous because we might injure ourselves even more. So we have to stop and take a break. Don’t look at it as something that may hinder you goals. Think of it as a little break from your exercise routine. A break for your body to rest a week or so.

Psychologically, it would have a bigger impact on us because we tend to think it does hinder our progress, but don’t let that get in the way. We have to over come thinking negatively on things that pauses our progress, and think of it as a little break from the exercise routine we normal do. Physically it would heal the body, but psychologically, it help heal the spirit.

So next time when you do get injured during your exercise, don’t look at it as something that had slowed you down, think of it as a little break from your everyday exercise routine.

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You’re at the gym, on one of the cardiovascular equipments, or you’re outside your house about to go for a run. As you’ve finished, it seems easier now than it was a few weeks ago. So now you’re wondering-Did I get a good work out since I’m not sweaty prefusly than the first few weeks I had started? You have to understand that sweat may not be the best indicator on how the intensity of your work out is. So if sweat is not the best indicator, then what is? Well, according to ACE (American Council of Exercise), to determine if we’re getting a great work out, we then have to look into how fast our heart pumps.

Everyone sweats-some of us sweat more than others. When you go for a run or push some weight, you will sweat. Sweating is a good thing. But most people have this misconception of sweat. Most people think that the more you sweat, the better the work out you are getting.

It is true to a certain point, however, when we sweat from exercise, we are cooling our bodies; sweat allows the body to regulate its temperature. So when we sweat a lot, indeed we are getting a good work out, but it is not a great indicator that we are getting a good work out.

Some people have not exercised in a few years may sweat as much others that are in shape. A person just climbed a flight of stairs can sweat as much as an athlete that ran a 10k mile or body builder that just got done with a 2 hour work-out. So again, sweat may not be the best indicator on how our exercise intensity is -but instead- we need look on how fast our heart beats would be a better indicator.

According to Ace (American Council of Exercise), we need to be aware of a few thing first:

1. Maximal heart rate:
This number is related to your age. As we grow older, our hearts start to beat a little more slowly. To estimate your maximal heart rate, simply subtract your age from the number 220.

2. Target heart-rate zone:
This is the number of beats per minute (bpm) at which your heart should be beating during aerobic exercise. For most healthy individuals, this range is 50 to 80 percent of your maximal heart rate. So, if your maximal heart rate is 180 bpm, the low end of the range (50 percent) would be 90 bpm, and the high end of the range (80 percent) would be 144 bpm.

What does this recommended heart-rate range mean?

Now that you’ve determined your target heart-rate zone, you need to know how to put that information to good use. These numbers serve as a guideline – an indicator of how hard you should be exercising.

Those just beginning an aerobic program should probably aim for the low end of the zone and pick up the intensity as they become more comfortable with their workouts. Those who are more fit, or are training for competitive events, may want to aim for the higher end of the zone.

Keep in mind that the target heart-rate zone is recommended for individuals without any health problems. Additionally, individuals taking medication that alter the heart rate should consult their physician for recommended exercise intensity.

Where to monitor?

There are a number of ”sites” used to monitor the pulse rate. Two convenient sites to use are the radial pulse at the base of the thumb of either hand, or the carotid pulse at the side of the neck.

Accurate pulse-count assessment is crucial when monitoring exercise intensity. By using the first two fingers of one hand and locating the artery, a pulse rate can be easily determined.

Immediately after exercise, isolate your pulse and count the number of beats in a 10-second period. To determine the heart rate in beats per minute, multiply the number of beats per 10 seconds by six. For instance, if a 10-second pulse count were 20, then the heart rate would be 120 bpm.

A final word about heart-rate monitoring

Remember, your estimated target heart-rate zone is just that – an estimate. If you feel like you are exercising too hard, you probably are. The best advice is to reduce your intensity and find a heart-rate range that works for you.

Compliments of ACE (American Council of Exercise).

So there you have it, the best way to know how good of a work out you have done is to monitor your heart. Now we know this, how do we monitor our hearts another way? Well, there are devices we can buy that will help us monitor our heart rate.

There are many companies that manufacture heart rate monitor devices. There are the high end kinds that have a lot of feature that would cost a lot, and there are also decent ones that doesn’t cost as much. You should research some of them to see what is the best one for you.

If you go to the gym, most cardiovascular equipment have heart rate monitors on the machine itself so you may not need to purchase the device. That is up to you. You might want to ask the staff if the heart rate monitors on the equipment is accurate so you know you’ll be getting a good workout or not. In addition, most cardiovascular equipment have a heart-rate chart on the machine to let you know where your heart rate should be.

And also, I know someone that uses a heart rate monitor and he tells me it syncs with the cardiovascular machine and instead of holding on the metal plates that determine your heart rate, it is already displayed wireless on the screen of the equipment. That is at the gym I currently work at. Other gyms have different equipment so you should ask the staff at the gym your going to see if heart rate monitor devices sync to their machines.

There you have it. Now you have a better understanding of what should be a decent work-out compared to a great work-out. The key to it is your heart rate and how to monitor it. Remember though, if you haven’t been exercising lately you should contact your physician to be sure what your maximum heart rate is at so you don’t get injured.

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Most people that start an exercise program will probably quit during the first week because for the reason they want fast results so thus they push themselves to the extreme and usually end up giving up. Hard work is definitely a must if a person is trying to change themselves, but jumping into it too fast may discourage you. Changing your life style does no mean going from sitting on the couch to running a 10k marathons or competing for the Strongman competition. You have to know what the expect and then develop strategies for it.

Starting anything new is difficult. Starting an exercise program is just as hard. Most people start an exercise program do too much too fast, and with that, often leads to super soreness or injury. Further, to add to the weight of you quitting because doing too much too soon can be frustrating and increases stress, thus you will be more likely to give up.

What you can do from my experience is always start slowly and lightly, then gradually increasing the resistance. The reason this is because when you start slowly then gradually increase in resistance, duration, or both, your body and mind will get use to it and it won’t seem like a long time if it is duration or seem like it is too difficult if it is the intensity you’re going after.

After a few weeks into your program, you will want to see the results you were expecting right? Maybe a six-pack, bigger arms, or maybe a little thinner…right? Well, it depends on where you started at. If you are not as big as some people then you will obviously see results a lot faster than a person that does the same exercise program that is heavier.

However, you will feel stronger a few weeks in before you see physical changes. Basically, you don’t want to think ahead too much and see yourself having a six-pack in only a few weeks in. Your enthusiasm will diminish when the results you imagine yourself in a few week in don’t come true.

Don’t be expecting fast result in physical changes because it doesn’t happen even weeks-in sometimes. And also remember, it also depends where your body is in terms of body fat. The heavier you are, the longer it will take to shed those pounds, compared to a person that has a body fat percentage in the lower range. Don’t get discouraged though, changes are happening but you just can’t see them visibly yet.

After you have gotten through those phases, there is yet another phase: commitment. Usually, during the sixth through tenth week you may tend to slowly lose motivation because of one or a combination of factors: soreness, fatigueness, boredom, and not seeing the results you imagined when you first started.

A lot of different factors can hinder or even stop you from continuing your goal. This is by far the most important factor that separates the winners and the losers. Staying committed to your routine during this period is important for the reason that if you stop now, it says something about your character, you will never accomplish most thing you want if you stop during the middle stages of any thing you do.

The last factor in your exercise program would be hitting a plateau. During this phase in your exercise routine, your body is now stronger than you first started, so you won’t be burning as many calories as before, and your muscles has gotten use to exercises thus the exercises will be easier than you first started.

A few great things about this phase is that you’ve gotten stronger, weight loss, better over all performance, look better than before, feel better than before, or just a overall aspect of your body, mind and spirit better than it was a few months ago.

However, with being better over all, you may tend to slack off a bit or a lot depending on your situation. Because when you’ve reach your goal or close to your goal, you feel it may be unnecessary to further your exercise since you have meet or about the met your objective.

As exercise gets easier for our bodies, we need to change it up a bit by increasing the intensity, duration, or both so that our bodies will continue to be challenged accordingly thus our bodies will continue to burn as much calories as it can burn.

Now you have an idea of what to expect and what you should do, you could prevent those little obstacles that may hinder or prevent you from completing your exercise objectives.

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Quitting something is hard, particularly if you had put time and effort in it. Whether it is academics or trying to change yourself physically, when you have quit, it seems like you’ve failed yourself. I have quit on many things, many times. It is depressing, but quitting once or twice does not mean you’ve failed. I don’t believe in failure unless a person stops trying-unless I stop trying…unless you stop trying.

I had put many hours and had put much effort towards my goals. But sometimes things don’t go the way you want it to go. I had quit on so many things I wanted to pursue in life, I had lost count. Sometimes, things don’t work out to your expectations, so you would have to go a different route.

We all have made mistakes in our lives. We want to become the best in what we love. I for one, want to reach the ultimate goal, which is to become a doctor. For me, I believe that becoming a doctor not only pays well or have a high status in life. For me, I want to achieve this ultimate goal is because I was never number one or number two, or even in the top fifty throughout my life growing up.

I was the kid that got picked the last. I was the chubby kid that no one wanted to play with. I was the kid that nobody wanted to be friends with. I was that kid no one really cared about. I don’t want your sympathy or pity. I want to let people out there know that there is hope. There is a future for us…for you.

We have failed on so many things in life, most of us lost count. Things like relationships, if we’re ever so lucky to even have one. Things like academics, and things like physical transformation.

Things that we’ve failed in does take a toll on our self-esteem. Because we have failed so many times, we seem to accept the fact that we are failures, and some of us will never complete their goals.

I am here to tell you that everyone has failed one way or another. The only difference is the one that do succeed have failed many times but kept on going and the ones that failed once or twice or even ten times stopped. We should do the same and keep on going. It is our time to rise.

“There is no failure except in no longer trying” — Elbert Hubbard

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There is a time when we wonder why we are doing what we are doing or why we did what we have done. There is no measurement in an individuals success or success in general. The only person that can value their success in such a way is themselves. We want to be what everyone wants: the best. We want to achieve a level of success that nobody can take away; it could be academics, spiritual, or physical. But why do we do it? I believe some of us do it because we were told we couldn’t.

I sometimes wonder why I do what I do or how could I have achieved a certain level of success I would doubt otherwise. After watching Michael Phelps swam his last race in Beijing, The media interviewed him on how he achieved the level of success he did. There were many answers but the one that caught my ears was that he was bullied when he was younger and that was another reason why he had accomplished what he did.

Using emotion as fuel certainly helps an individual achieve their greatest dreams. When some one tells you that you can’t do it, and you put you head down and grind daily, there is no feeling that can compare to the satisfaction of you finally achieving your aspirations and showing the person he was wrong.

The greatest success I believe are not external factors. For example, You can make a lot of money, but it is nothing if you lose it. Success for that is if you lose all you money, you have the ambition and knowledge to get it all back. That is the greatest success that no one can take. I believe the greatest success come from within.

If not all of us, I believe most of us, have had been told or overheard that we couldn’t or never will achieve or goals we set forth. It could be because others do now believe in us; It could be because we have failed in the past; or It could be just about anything. Failing is okay, because failing is another step to success, but failing and never try again, seem like you have failed yourself.

So for the people that had been told we will never achieve anything in life, now is the time for you to show them that you can and you will. Let’s do this!

“I do it because I can, I can because I want to, I want to because you said I couldn’t” –Anonymous

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