Exercise & physical activity options, Exercise program design

Exercise design: starting point

Leave a comment

Self-made exercise design? Can you design an effective and relevant program on your own, for yourself?

Wouldn’t it be great if all the parameters for exercise design were outlined and you could just fill in the blanks? Or if there was some AI/algorithm that takes all of your info and pops out some great options?

Hmmm…..Let start with options: can you list all of your exercise options? Is there any activity that you think you could maintain for 10 minutes at a time at a moderate intensity.? If you don’t know what is moderate intensity check out this post.

How about 5 minutes? I have talked a lot about exercise snacks. See my playlist on You Tube for details.

If not moderate, how about light intensity? What’s light? Anything that isn’t sedentary (not moving).

I have been doing primarily light intensity for the past 2 months now. Getting my heart rate up and generate some heat has mostly been precluded by my injury. If you want the details, watch my You Tube video called Falling Off Track. Then come right back!

Think of activities that you sustain for the express purpose of improving health and fitness. There has to be some intention in there.

You could take an every day task and make it more purposeful, by focusing on posture and energy exertion. Think physical engagement for a prescribed period of time.

Start here

List all of your options.

Beside each option, write down where they would normally occur(gym, outdoors, home, work, other facility).

Now indicate if they require any preparation and how much planning is required (do they need to be scheduled or can they be done off the cuff?).

Put down your list. While it is resting ask those closest to you for options that you are likely to undertake. Emphasize the “you” and not them (unless they are going to do it with you!). You may get a few more ideas.

Now rate all the activities from easiest to most difficult to accomplish.

List all of the activities in order of most likely to do to least likely to do.

Now asterisk the ones that are most important for your current health and fitness.

OK. What have you got? Lots of options for your exercise design!! If you are just getting back to fitness, pick the easiest option and the one that you are most likely to do. You can use that as your base as you build up some consistency for the stuff that is maybe more important later. And if you don’t know what is important to you, there are a lot of layers to that but you can check out Exercise specificity.

Hey, it’s a start, and that is all you need. More detail will flow in as you get into a new groove. You can do it! Tune in to my future blogs for the next steps!! Sign up today so you don’t miss out!

P.S. Not sure if you should be exercising? Try completing an activity readiness questionnaire. I have a video on Facebook explaining activity readiness questionnaires or see the bottom of my Essentrics page for links!

Anatomy, physiology and aging, Exercise goals & benefits

Exercise and feelings

So I have wanted to write about this for awhile. It’s about exercise but it is also about feelings. Exercise and feelings. What kind of feelings?

Well for me, the feelings start with physical movement. When I start to move, I look for and try to sense different things in my body including my muscle tone, my skin and the different shapes I make with my body and how it relates to the air and space around me, including the floor or ground.

There is term called “proprioception” which it my world is joint sense or knowing where your limb is in space and whether a joint is bent or straight for example. This doesn’t cover it all but it is a big part of what I feel. What about kinesthesia? What the heck is that and why is it so hard to find any satisfactory definition?

I could be wrong but I will use the term kinesthesia to include the following sensations in my body as they relate to movement: muscle tension (the good stuff), muscle tone (firmness), how my body occupies space, and the relative shape and position of one body part to another. I remember the first time I did an Essentrics® class, my hips and pelvis felt energized and toned, and I felt elevated both physically and emotionally.

OK. So maybe there were some endorphins or other natural body chemistry involved. I am not ashamed to say that I like the chemistry and prefer a type of exercise that induces their release.

So back to exercise and feeling. There are so many reasons to exercise (better health in a multitude of areas) but it is still a hard sell. So I’ve decided that I am just going to focus on what I want to feel, which is to feel more and feel better. Exercise is the best way I know how to do it. And it is literally, all up to me.

So if you want to feel more and feel better, try exercise. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It may be difficult at first, but if you start slowly and try to do it “right”, you can minimize the possibility of overdoing it. Finding the balance may be an ongoing process.

It is also fun to challenge yourself and look forward to better fitness. Relative fitness varies, in so many ways. Having goals and a variety of options will help you become a consistent exerciser. Finding some new approaches or tapping into some older approaches familiar to you may provide the challenge and evolution needed to keep you moving.

It’s spring in Canada, so being outside is a good idea when you can. Cover some distance. Get your heart rate up. Get warm. Check with your health or fitness professional if you are not sure where to start or have any concerns. Just move, more than you normally do. Your body will thank you (by giving back) and you will feel more and better.

Exercise and feeling: proprioception, kinesthesia, endorphins

Essentrics with Andrea Wednesdays @ 7pm and Sundays @ 10:30am

Andrea Nunn Exercise livestream Wednesdays @ 9am on Facebook

Videos and shorts on Youtube

Anatomy, physiology and aging, Cardio and VO2, Exercise goals & benefits

Increasing energy with exercise

Increasing energy with exercise:  How does exercise increase our energy?

VO2

Improving the fitness of the heart and lungs through cardiovascular/aerobic exercise increases our VO2.  The higher our VO2 the more efficient we become at creating energy for ourselves by combining oxygen with glucose to make ATP.

Heart

Increasing fitness will increase the strength of heart. The heart can work more efficiently, expelling more blood with each beat.  More blood = more oxygen which means fewer beats required for any activity that increases the heart rate.

Strength

When we improve the strength of our muscles we do not need to max out our muscular effort.  If we could only lift 10 lbs of groceries, and now we have increased our strength to be able to lift 15 lbs of groceries, the 10 lbs will seem easy, with less effort required.  Therefore, more “energy” will be left over for other activities. 

Endurance

The same goes for endurance of a muscle.  I had a colleague that was used to treating shoulder problems. She decided to help out on the post-operative floor getting patients out of bed.  Half way through the morning, her back was sore and she needed a break.  The endurance of her back muscles was not sufficient for the task at hand.  Her back muscles were out of gas before the morning was over.  

Flexibility and range of motion

Having the flexibility and range of motion needed for a task will help conserve our energy bank.  For example, if you sit a lot, and have tight hip flexors (quad/psoas), every time you try to stand straight, there will be some relative resistance to standing straight.  This ultimately results in an increased use of our extensors(back and hips) and may make standing straight more effortful.

Endorphins

Endorphins are released during exercise and can make us feel lighter and brighter on a physical and cognitive level . Endorphins can also decrease the experience of pain. This may result in a reduced level of stress, leaving more energy for other tasks.

Summary and support!

Exercise will increase your energy levels.

For more information, please visit my Facebook page with my (soon-to-be) exercise support group!!

Essentrics Online Group classes:

UPDATE! Wed @ 7pm (30 min Essentrics)

Sunday @ 10:30 (60 min Essentrics).

Sign up page here.

Until then, onward and upward!

Exercise evolution updates, Goal & activity/exercise matching

Exercise resolutions 2023

Leave a comment

Not sure where to start with your exercise resolutions 2023? No pressure. I will go first:

First, my exercise evolution update

With the exception of the last 7 days, my routine has been pretty consistent and I look forward to resuming and evolving my program in the new year. In short, I will be continuing with lunchtime cycling, after work stretch and strengthening (machine, body weight and theraband, primarily legs), twice weekly Essentrics® class(teach), teaching a new mini class Wednesday am, weekly HIIT online class with my exercise peeps, and walks to and from work (get the snowpants out!)

I have some more specific goals that are exercise related:

A) I want to retest my VO2 max with a step test (Modified Canadian Aerobic Fitness Test (mCAFT)). Not sure what VO2 is? Check this post.

B) I want to retest my heartrate level during my fitness classes to see if my past calculations on time spent in a moderate intensity zone is accurate.

C) And I am strongly considering the dabble. This involves an in person or perhaps online ballet class. It will be very interesting to see how the class feels as it has probably been about 12 years since I have stepped into a dance studio. In person would be ideal as well as my biggest challenge. I will keep you posted.

Now for you.

If you don’t have any ideas, check out some of my past posts:

Q: Would you like to find out where you are on the exercise and activity spectrum? If you know where you are, you might be able to envision where you want to go.

Q: What do you want, what do you need? Check out Exercise Specificity.

Q: Do you need a story to get the ideas flowing? I’ve got a couple: The evolution of a group exerciser and Keeping it real.

I am going to open up the comments so if you wish to post your exercise resolutions or activity plans for the 2023 please do. It can be simple or with some detail.

If you don’t have any resolutions, don’t worry. The beauty of exercise and physical activity is that you can start anytime you want. Whenever you are ready. Exercise is one of those things that for many of us has its ebbs and flows. No guilt required.

And if you need help, find some help. Follow up with your favorite health practitioner or fitness professional. Complete an activity readiness questionnaire if you have any concerns. I plan to provide you with more structure and support, so feel free to join my email list for further updates very soon!

Are you ready? Then get set! Let’s GO!!

Essentrics with Andrea

Activity readiness questionnaires;

Get Active Questionnaire

PAR-Q Online

Exercise program design

Exercise program design ABC’s

Exercise program design

Let’s talk about exercise program design! When you have decided to exercise, what next? Need a little structure? Check out the following ABC’s of exercise design. Use your current movement repertoire to fill in the blanks.

wArm up

Body of workout/main goal/target area/target activity

Cool down or release

Part A

Warm up:

Start with easy, repeated or rhythmic movements that are gentle and suitable to your current fitness level. To see where you stand on the exercise and activity spectrum, see post Are you evolving as an exerciser?

Your warm up may include using cardio equipment like like a stationary bike or treadmill. Your warm-up could also be components of your main workout done slower in a smaller, gentler range to start.

Use your warm up to transition your mind and begin directing your focus to your body and how it relates to the physical space around you. “Let go” of the tasks that you were recently involved in or one’s that you need to do later.

Vary the intensity, by changing the speed slightly or use progressively larger movements.

These are all options. You can do what works for you. If you are not sure, consult someone who should know how to help you find and narrow down your options.

Part B

“Body” of workout/target areas/target activity:

This part of your workout may be where your goals come in to play:

Do you want to get stronger, more flexible, less stiff, have more endurance, better posture, better cardiovascular fitness, or improved balance? Is increasing the amount of movement at a particular joint important to you? Do you need to relieve stress? Check out Exercise specificity: what do you need?

You could focus on a part of your body (upper body vs lower body, back body versus front, arms and legs, spine and core)

You can also look at specific workouts already out there that meet your needs (Pilates, Yoga, Barre, Zumba, HIIT, TRX, Spinning, Interval training, circuit training, Essentrics®, weights).

If you are not sure, talk to someone who should know (family doctor, chiropractor, trainer, physiotherapist, massage therapist, kinesiologist, naturopath, or other health care or fitness professional).

Part C

Cool down or release:

This could be a progressively slower version or less intense version of what you were just doing (you were jogging and now you will walk). Kind of like your warm-up but in reverse.

Often cool downs will include stretches of the muscles that were used in the workout, which could be static or dynamic stretches. A cool down allows the temperature of your body to decrease slowly and if you got your heart rate up, to slow it down gradually and allow the muscles to return to a normal level of circulation.

It may also be the time where you feel the most relaxed and released and if that is the case, go with the flow and stay focused on the here and now.

To stay in the moment, something like diaphragmatic breathing (belly breathing) can be used to center yourself and release even further.

The ABC’s of exercise program design!

For more information, join me Wednesday mornings at 9:00 on Facebook for an interactive livestream on all topics exercise. If you are interested in trying an Essentrics class, please see my sign-up page. And finally, watch for my fun “shorts” on You Tube!

Are you ready? Get set. Let’s move!

Exercise evolution updates

Exercise Evolution Update

Exercise Evolution Update

Before I give you my exercise evolution update, I just to let you know that I am livestreaming weekly on all topics exercise on Facebook!

Join me for “Tea & Exercise: Livestream Chat with Andrea” @andreanunnexercise Wednesday mornings at 9am on Facebook live

There will be a fun physical demo along with a brief chat. Follow my page on Facebook to keep up with future topics and updates!

Update

I haven’t published an exercise evolution update for awhile. The last one was back in January. I have adjusted my routine so I do at least a portion of my workout at lunch, which leaves more time available for other things in the evening.

I have maintained relative consistency in my frequency which, for me, is the most important thing. It’s easier to scale down and then back up versus falling off the wagon completely. I’d rather do a little less to suit my current schedule than nothing at all. Here is my latest weekly routine:

Lunchtime 4x per week: 22 minutes of cardio MT 80 (MT=minutes spent at moderate heart rate intensity. For more discussion on moderate heart rate intensity activity, see Moderate intensity exercise. Where do you find yourself? )

I have monitored my heartrate manually to make sure I get into my moderate heartrate zone, which is above 109 beats per minute.

Daily walks to and from work 25 min each.

Essentrics teaching 1hr 2x/week MT40

Saturday endurance/HIIT class MT 20

2x week weighted workout: leg press and ham curls plus step exercise, 12 minutes. I have not been diligent at keeping my heartrate up, but instead focusing on pain free movement.

2x week sliding lunges plus “glute medius” work in standing and side plank with theraband. Again, heartrate has not been focus but painfree motion and ideal alignment.

This week I developed some new choreography for my classes. This usually takes an additional 3-4 hours of intermittent activity.

So I am just under my the goal of 150 minutes of moderate exercise based on recommendations from CSEP Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults (ages 18-64 years). Now that I have re-assessed, I will figure out where I will make up that extra 10 minutes that I am missing! Keep it real and don’t worry if your routine doesn’t go exactly as planned! Get out into the activity sphere everyday and something will get done! Are you ready? Then let’s GO!

Check out my page Essentrics with Andrea if you are thinking about trying an online class. Join me @andreanunnexercise Wednesday mornings at 9am live on Facebook!

Anatomy, physiology and aging, Exercise program design, TIps

Exercise and injury: We all have our limits

Why do we injure ourselves?

Did we do too much too soon? Did we go beyond our physiological limits? Maybe we have an underlying problem that keeps resurfacing? Maybe there is something going on in our biomechanical bodies that we are not fully aware of or understand. Maybe we have been a consistent exerciser and have been doing the same thing for years? Did you try something new and didn’t really know the basics? Are you a weekend warrior?

Tissue tolerance

Exercise and injury. There are a multitude of possibilities. But I would say in most cases, we have exceeded our tissue’s tolerance. Not a great layperson term, but it kind of summarizes it all into one box.

Our bodies our made of different tissues, and I am speaking very generally from a biomechanical perspective: we have bones, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, fascia, skin, and nerves that represent the physical entities that make up our musculoskeletal system, the one that moves our limbs, maintains our posture, allows us to move from one place to another, fidget or reposition, and of course carry out out daily tasks(even sedentary ones) as well as exercise.

We exercise to keep this system primed and ready for action. The less we move, the more limited our movement repertoire becomes. By checking in with your body regularly, responding to and modifying our physical routines, we are more likely to get the balance right.

Exercise and injury. Think about the following :

Consistency of exercise (how regularly do you exercise?)

Volume of exercise (number of repetitions or repeated movements in a session or specified time frame, eg. number of steps in a day)

Impact (high or low impact, which one do you do?)

Range (does your flexibility or available joint movement match what is required for your chosen activity?)

Force or strength requirements (are you loading a tissue too little, just right, or too much? It depends on your goals)

Frequency (do you have rest days in between workouts? Do you workout once a week or daily, or work different parts on different days?)

Technique (what are you doing, why are you doing it, and what is the best technique, alignment, speed, rhythm, or range to do it at)

The above list is very generalized, but you can see there are multiple modifiable factors that can affect the tolerance or resilience of our tissues, and in turn, when it results in injury or having “overdone it”.

If you are a high level athlete versus a grandmother who takes care of her grandkids, you will likely have different goals when it comes to your fitness and lifestyle. Try not to compare yourself to others when thinking about what kind of program you should do.

See my blog called Exercise specificity: what do you need? for help in figuring this out.

Let’s be realistic

Exercise and injury do not need to go hand in hand. I think in many cases our ego gets the better of us. Or maybe it’s our memory (or inserted memory, a.k.a. delusion). Our inability to be in the moment with our bodies may result in participating in an activity in a manner that was better suited to a younger version of us, many years or even decades ago. In this case, re-evaluating how you feel during or after your activity of choice may help you refine and remodel the way you do things, matching it more closely to your current abilities or physical capacity.

Training

If you know you are training for a future event which will require a level of fitness that exceeds your current fitness level, educate yourself, use common sense, ask questions and look for advise from those who appear to be successful in the same activity. This may increase your odds of avoiding injury and completing your goal. I think one of the best things you could do is be realistic on time. Give yourself more than enough time to prepare for the event.

Fuel

We know that the resilience of our tissues also depends on the fuel we use to sustain activity and to build and regenerate new tissue. This gets even trickier, as there are so many views on nutrition, and everywhere we look there is advise on how to best address this. Find someone you trust and whose perspective is similar to yours when it comes to food choices. Start with the obvious by making healthy food choices(i.e. avoiding junk food, highly processed food). Eat what you know is healthy more often.

Consistency

Exercise and injury. My last thought is think about consistency. If you only dabble in exercise or in intentional physical activity once in a while, start with one day a week, or one activity that you can do well. Develop a basic schedule that you can stick to. Find a place for it in your calendar and make that the beginning of your “exercise week”. You may find that planting the seed (deciding when, where , what and how) and then cultivating it (completing it at the beginning of your “exercise week”), may result in new “buds” in unexpected areas.

Motivation to exercise

Exercise for the most part should be fun. If you hate it, maybe you are doing the wrong thing. The options when it comes to exercise and physical activity are endless. You don’t need to fit into any mold. If something works for you, stick with it. Then see if there are ways to expand your horizons, and switch it up a bit.

If you really do not know where to start, talk to someone who should know, and don’t feel intimidated. It doesn’t take much to get moving. And once you find the beginning of your path, it could take you anywhere.

It’s OK to “start over” many, many times. Keep at it, and soon you will feel something stick. You’ve got to move, and I have no doubt that you can do it!

Let me help you get started

If you need help, accountability(and I mean this in the lightest sense) or just to know that you are not alone in your exercise journey, join me in September for weekly motivational movement, exercise demos, conversation and fun! It won’t be complicated. Stay tuned!

If you are ready to roll, check out my page, Essentrics with Andrea. It could be your starting point, or maybe it will be something you can try later. In any case, take charge and join my email list. I will send you future blogs and the latest updates on my scheduled livestreams.

Are you ready?

Get set and let’s GO!

Making daily physical activity and exercise a lifestyle choice