Keep Moving Up...

You have the best of intentions when you first walk into a gym or get on your brand new home treadmill or stationary bike for the first time. Hope springs eternal and with renewed resolve, you decide that THIS time you're actually going to make it happen - you're going to get lean and fit - for good.The only problem is that you probably don't know the formula to actually make that happen.

Sure, you know that eating more healthfully and doing cardio a few to several times a week should help you lose your gut, but that's very different than an actual plan with solid principles you know will work and around which you can structure a program.

One of the most important and most often ignored principles of a fitness program is this: Gradual, Consistent Progression (GCP)

There are three variables that can be adjusted in an exercise program:

1. Frequency (how often you exercise)

2. Duration (how long each exercise session is)

3. Intensity (how hard you're working)

The first two combine to determine the total number of hours per week you exercise. You can slice up three hours (about what I do) a number of ways - one three-hour session (not recommended), two 90-minute sessions, three 60-minutes sessions, four 45-minute sessions, six 30-minute sessions - it's all three hours total. So at some point, you have to start increasing your workload so that your relative challenge level goes up with your improving capacity. But that means you should also execute the activities as safely as possible and that your starting level of intensity, and your rate of increase has to be right for you. More on quality execution in future posts.

But for now, starting out at a challenging, but manageable level of intensity, and increasing that between 10-25% per month is a good range. That could mean walking a mile in 20 minutes one week and working toward getting it done in 18 minutes by the end of the month, and then do some stretching or light jogging in place with the extra two minutes. Or maybe you're able to do 12 push-ups against the kitchen counter on day one and 15 after four weeks.

The important thing is that you keep moving forward, slowly, and continually, until you reach the level you want to maintain.