Compositions & Coffee Presents: "Creative Soul Digest"
Mindful Movement Monday
Hello my beautiful people and welcome back for our last week of Women’s Health. We’ve covered some pretty broad topics over the past few weeks but I hope it’s given you some great insight, inspiration, and provided some motivation to meet your goals for this year. I want to start this Movement Monday by looking at a new rising trend in the fitness world; anaerobic exercise. Lastly, I’ll give you some great free apps for monitoring your health and workouts. So let’s jump right into it with first looking at what anerobic exercise is:
Anaerobic Exercise
Anaerobic exercise is any activity or workout performed at a high enough intensity that your body can’t provide the necessary energy to complete it with oxygen intake alone. Those types of workouts primarily use fast twitch muscle fibers that can only function for a short amount of time. Without oxygen, the body uses adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and glucose in the muscle cells for energy but that process can’t be sustained for more than 90-120 seconds. After that your muscles will have produced a significant amount of lactic acid. Anaerobic is done at high intensity and usually using multiple intervals. HIIT workouts, for instance, are an anaerobic exercise. Sprinting, weight lifting, plyometrics are also considered anaerobic because you are giving 100% effort but you can only sustain that effort for a short period of time. Most sports involve anerobic bursts followed by periods of rest.
Why Anaerobic?
Exercises like HIIT burn more total calories in a shorter amount of time. It’s also extremely beneficial for power development, building muscle mass, and fat burning. You build stronger joints and bones due to the increased impact on your body.
Tips for Anaerobic
· Always warm up for at least 5 minutes
· Start with large muscle groups first
· Do 1-3 sets of 8 to 15 repetitions (make sure the weight is heavy enough that by the last set
you feel ready to stop)
· Complete 8-10 exercises
· Proper technique is vital
Here’s how to incorporate it into your workout
· Sprints
· HIIT
· Plyo jacks
· Plyo lunges
· Froggy jumps
· Squat jumps
· Burpees
Always listen to your body when doing any form of anaerobic and high intensity workout. Start slow and ease into it so you don’t strain yourself and ultimately stop all together. Let’s take a look at Aerobic next.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise are low-intensity exercises designed to keep your heart rate up for an extended period of time. In other words, anything where oxygen intake is sufficient enough to provide the energy necessary to sustain that exercise without tapping into alternative energy sources. This type of exercise utilizes the glucose and fatty acids the anaerobic system has already produced for fuel, which can sustain the activity for extended periods of time. Examples of aerobic are: walking, running, cycling, even dancing. Your body continues to consume enough oxygen through these workouts to power through.
Why Aerobic?
Aerobic exercise triggers fat burning because you still have oxygen in your muscle tissue. It improves your cardiovascular system by strengthening the heart and potentially increasing the maximal amount of oxygen the body can utilize which can improve your endurance. We all know improving your cardiovascular health is important in fighting heart disease and diabetes. These diseases plague our sisters at higher rates than any other race. Aerobic exercise is known for releasing endorphins which are feel-good chemicals released by your brain. You can also reduce arthritis pain and stiffness through joint movement.
Tips for Aerobic Exercise
· Start slow either casual slow or lesser time (5 minutes in the morning 5 in the evening)
· Make it simple so you can commit to it
· Gradually add more minutes to each session
· Include 3 elements in your work out: warm up, conditioning, cool down
· Stretch regularly to reduce soreness and increase flexibility
· Set goals for yourself that are attainable
· Start with something low impact such as swimming, biking, walking, or pilates.
A general goal for any and all workouts is 30 minutes per day but start slow and work up to that if it seems like a mountain to climb. To wrap up this discussion let’s see what a good regimen looks like with anaerobic and aerobic combined.
The Ideal workout
Ideally if your goal is to get fit (lose weight and build muscle) you want to make time for both anaerobic and aerobic workouts throughout the week. Research has shown that 3-4 workouts of high intensity exercise with proper rest periods in between yields optimal results. However, aerobic workouts can be done as many as seven times per week without rest periods in between. The health department recommends adults have at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardio per week. The biggest part of that is keeping your heart rate 60 to 75 percent of your maximum (so increasing your intensity means decreasing your duration). Ideally the average person should start with 1-2 aerobic sessions with 1 anaerobic session per week and build up to 3-4 aerobic sessions mixed with 2 higher intensity anaerobic workouts.
This is merely information and recommendations folks but it’s different for everybody. Regardless, you should consult your physician before starting any workout regimens and discussing what would be best for your needs. Set goals and intentions and make sure to stick with it. Rome wasn’t built in a day. My dear friend said the perfect line that finally made sense to me for my own goals, “You didn’t put the weight on over night so you won’t be able to take it off overnight either.” Right?! Alright I have some amazing apps for you to check out as well to help with your goals.
Must Have Apps
General Fitness Apps
1. FitOn
a. I know y’all saw Gabby and her ‘Hunka Hunka’ husband in these ads. So I’ve been a
user of Fiton for 2 years now and I absolutely love it. Great workouts built around your
needs, your schedule, and the instructors are fantastic. I would highly recommend trying it
out so many options.
2. 7 minute workout
a. This app is neat because you can create custom workouts, view your stats, and
challenge friends. The only thing with this app is you’d have to subscribe to get all the
benefits but the free stuff associated is pretty good.
3. Map my fitness
a. This app allows you to track a variety of activities including cardio, gym workouts, dog
walks, hiking, total body, yoga and more. Great for letting you know how many calories
you’ve burned if you don’t have an Apple watch or Fitbit.
4. Nike Training Club
a. With 365 workouts who wouldn’t be all in with this app. You can scroll through the list
and pick the workout that pumps you up. It also makes recommendations based on your
selections and for your goals and level. The app also has a news feed for nutrition and
lifestyle.
5. Sworkit
a. I honestly just learned about this one and am super excited because all the kid workouts
are completely free. They have strength, agility, flexibility, warming up, cooling down, and
just moving (which all kids could use). They also offer.a free week for adults in case you fall
in love with the kids side and want to try it for yourself.
Free Yoga
1. Yoga for beginners
a. Amazing for obviously beginners but honestly even for non beginners since it offers such
a wide range of poses and classes. From beginner, to fat burner, to abs, and bedtime yoga
this app has it all. The classes range from 7-14 minutes.
2. Lotus yoga
a. This app has a library of yoga poses and sequences for easy reference. Classes are also
sorted by theme, focus, and level. The programs range from one to five weeks if you decide
to go that route and you earn badges along the way.
3. Simply yoga
a. The title says it best, this app is straightforward and perfect for beginners. From 20
minute beginner yoga routines to 40 and 60 minute yoga sessions this app is great for
getting you up and posing.
Free running and walking
1. Nike Run Club
a. This app is great for quick starts, speed runs, treadmill runs, and half-marathon practice.
You can also choose a workout plan ranging from 4-8 weeks.
2. Zombies, Run!
a. This app is amazing! Perfect way to keep you entertained and engaged. There a zombie
themed storyline and it requires you to complete missions that are equivalent to walks, jogs,
or runs in the real world.
3. Map my run
a. This app is a great tracker to keep up with your weekly progress. You can also
participate in challenges with other runners and record your workouts.
Well fam what do you think? Sounds doable and what a great way to challenge ourselves. It’s up to us we are the only ones to advocate, adjust, and protect our bodies. Remember you are not alone in this and the best way to keep at it is to get yourself an accountability partner (or gym buddy). So call your girls and get them in it with you, or snuggle up to your boo and give them those eyes haha! Find your motivation and let’s get it!! It’s a new year let’s get it right this time around! Share with me in the comments your plan and what you found helpful from this months health tips and insights. I have the recommendations below and I want to see you back here each day to finish out the month with me. Until tomorrow…
--Be Free
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