Physical Fitness & Weight Loss Challenge
Week # 9 - Increasing Intensity & Variety
Welcome to week # 9!
The theme for this week is to increase your exercise intensity & variety.
Increasing Intensity
Over the past 8 weeks, you've been developing a strong exercise habit foundation.
Now, it's time to start taking advantage of this foundation and accelerate the progress of your exercise routine.
There are two main ways to increase your exercise load: increasing the duration and increasing the intensity.
This week, we'll start increasing the intensity of your exercise sessions, which is a great way to increase your load without requiring a bigger time commitment.
Intensity Level III
For Tae Bo, exercise level III is the 8 minute Tae Bo workout (red tape) at regular speed & power, or the Advanced Tae Bo workout (dark blue tape) at light speed & power.
For walking, exercise level III is walking at about 125 steps per minute.
Exercise Variety
If you are starting to get a bit bored with the Tae Bo tapes, these are some other exercise videos that I really recommend (I've used all of these myself).
It's good to add some variety to your exercise routine by mixing up different tapes for different workouts, or even doing some other physical activity that you enjoy instead of a workout.
Sharon Mann (5/5): Sharon Mann has an excellent workout DVD with a wide variety of routines including traditional aerobics, kickboxing, boxing, and boot camp workouts.
I would consider this an advanced workout because the pace and intensity is equivalent to the Advanced Tae Bo workout (dark blue), but you can take it a bit easy to bring it down to intermediate level.
Sharon is a very energetic workout leader and the videos use lively music.
I now use the kickboxing workout 3-4 times a week as part of my routine.
Turbo Jam (3/5): It's a good workout for beginners at exercise levels I to III, but the intensity is not high enough for later routines.
Although also a kickboxing routine, it has much more of a dance feel than the Tae Bo tapes.
Chalene Johnson is an energetic and fun instructor and the music is a bit more modern than Tae Bo.
While this wasn't my favorite program, it may be good as an alternative if you enjoy the demos available in the website.
Billy Blanks New Tae Bo Videos (4/5): Although full of energy, new workouts, and more diversity (with exercise bands and a weighted stick) I still prefer the original tapes to the new tapes and DVDs.
The original exercise routines give you a great workout, so I would recommend you stick with those instead of the new ones.
Tracy Mallett's The Method 20/20 Workout (5/5): This is a boot camp style workout combining cardio kickboxing, simulated jump rope, boot camp strength, and even dance moves into a great workout.
I like it because it provides some good cross-training with the other exercise tapes that I use. Tracy is energetic and engaging, and the drumming music is good.
I would also consider this an advanced workout good for intensity levels III and above.
http://www.traceymallett.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&relate=1&p=9
This workout is featured on ExerciseTV (called Cardio Kick Ep:2). If you have OnDemand as part of your cable TV package, you can view it for free.
You can also see a preview on your PC at the exercise TV web site.
http://www.exercisetv.tv/programming/categories/ search for Cardio Kick Ep2.
Sports or Other Physical Activity
An important part of any exercise program is cross-training in the form of a different sport or physical activity.
Cross-training is important because it works a whole different set of muscles and shocks your body into improving its fitness.
This week, start thinking about a sport (like basketball, tennis, racquetball) or other form of physical activity (like going on a hike, bike ride, etc.) that you could incorporate into your program once or twice a week.
I personally really enjoy playing racquetball twice a week. It is a great addition to my exercise routine. It not only gives me a break from the exercise videos, but it is something I enjoy and look forward to each week.
You can either do your sports/physical activity in addition to your regular exercise routine, or in place of one of your sessions.
Resistance Training
This week, you'll add a third exercise to your resistance training workouts.
1) Two-handed dumbbell swings (video)
Start with a low weight (5-10 pounds for men, 2-5 pounds for women)
2) Chest press on bench (or push ups or bent-knee push up)
You'll want to do one set of each exercise with 12-15 repetitions for each set.
Weekly Goals - Week # 9
Start by picking your reward for this week and writing it down on your scorecard.
Goal # 1 - Exercise Goals
Here are the exercise goals for week # 9 (EG9):
Advanced Track
Workout One
Days 1-6: 2 minutes warm-up + 8 minutes Level III + CD
Workout Two
Days 1, 3, 5: 3-5 minutes warm-up + 3 resistance exercises + CD
Day 2, 4, 6: 2 minute warm-up + 8 minutes Level III + CD
Moderate Track
Workout One
Days 1-6: 2 minutes warm-up + 8 minute Level III + CD
Workout Two
Days 1, 3, 5: 3-5 minutes warm-up + 3 resistance exercises + CD
Day 2, 4, 6: 2 minutes warm-up + 8 minute Level III + CD
Easy Track
Days 1-6: 4 minutes warm-up + 12 minutes Level II + CD
Day 7 is your rest day on all tracks.
Remember to check the box in your scorecard when you complete each day... and keep going strong!
Goal # 2 - Start measuring your weight daily
Now that you've laid the foundation. It's time to turn the weight loss part of the program up a notch.
Starting this week, weigh yourself every morning at the same time. You don't have to keep track, this is just something that you are going to monitor yourself.
Here are some guidelines:
- Weigh yourself without any clothes
- Weigh yourself in the morning after going to the bathroom, but before eating anything
You don't have to write down your weight, just make a note of it mentally and see where it goes each day.
You might see a 1-2 pound variation from one day to the next. This is due in part to fluid retention & stomach contents.
Measuring your weight daily is a good practice because it gives you immediate feedback. It also helps you take immediate corrective action if your weight is starting to slip back up.
Goal # 3 - Continue with reduced portion sizes
Continue with your reduced portion sizes eating 5-6 small meals every 3-4 hours throughout the day.
Consider using fruits and vegetables as one of your "snack" meals rather than other types of food. A "fruit & vegy" snack makes a great second meal around the 10-11 am timeframe.
Looking Ahead
Next week, you'll start using a zig-zag diet pattern to help you reduce your calorie consumption in a controlled manner without triggering the starvation response.
This pattern will help you accelerate your weight loss progress for the remainder of the challenge.
P.S. If you think this challenge is a good idea, I would really appreciate if you tell you friends, family, and co-workers about it.
This article is part of the physical fitness and weight loss challenge. Click here to learn more and join the challenge.