The Start2Health Exercise System
So many physical activities can be health promoting and/or recreational, but one stands out as providing the most universal and efficient benefits for nearly everyone: the activity that trains the body to burn fat. The body maximizes its fat burning (versus carbohydrate burning) when the hear rate is within a specific range of ten beats per minute. The Start2Health Exercise System will show you how to achieve and monitor this optimal rate with a scientific technique called The 180 Formula.
Before you begin any Exercise or Diet program you may want to consult your physician.
TO START – HOW OFTEN SHOULD I EXERCISE AND WHAT KIND OF EXERCISE SHOULD I DO?
You can exercise as little as thirty minutes a day, three times a week, and you’ll be on your way. Exercising five or six days a week, however, creates faster progress. As far as what kind of exercise you should do, a variety meet the criteria, because the program keys on how fast your heart is beating. Some of the more popular are:
- Aerobic Classes
Any other exercise works provided you increase your heart rate to a predetermined level, keep it there for a minimum of fifteen minutes, and then gradually reduce it back to your resting heart rate.
CALCULATING YOUR OPTIMAL AEROBIC HEART RATE RANGE
As stated in the intro, the body maximizes its fat burning (versus carbohydrate burning) when the heart rate is within a range of ten beats per minute. The best way to calculate and monitor your own range is with the “180 Formula” developed by Dr. Philip Maffetone and popularized in his book, In Fitness and In Health. It is reprinted here, with permission of the author.
The S2H Workout Guide
Now that you know how to achieve and monitor your optimal heart rate, you are ready to exercise. Here is the S2H method:
1. THE WARM UP PHASE:
Take at least five to seven minutes to go from your resting heart rate to your optimal aerobic rate. Critical circulatory changes occur during these first few minutes. As your heart rate increases, blood normally sent to your internal organs for everyday activity, now diverts to your muscles. This supports the higher levels of physical activity associated with increased heart rates.
Avoiding injury is paramount in the warm up phase. You must slowly reduce the blood supply to internal organs, while simultaneously increasing the supply to the exercising muscles, which now function at higher levels. Ignoring this phase predisposes you to failure by:
- Increasing chance of injuries
- Decreasing development of the aerobic system
- Reducing fat-burning effectiveness
Therefore, gradually increase your heart rate!
2. THE AEROBIC PHASE:
The body maximizes its fat burning versus carbohydrate within a range of ten beats per minute. Naturally you want to exercise in this range, to maximize the “fat-burning” benefits which include:
- More energy
- Less inflammation
- Reduced body fat
- Weight loss
- Improved hormonal imbalance
- Enhanced sense of “well-being”
Once your heart rate stays in this range for twelve to fifteen minutes, fat metabolism increases and remains increased for the other 23 hours of the day. Therefore spending fifteen minutes at this rate trains your body to burn fat all the time.
3. THE COOL-DOWN PHASE:
Take five to seven minutes to transition from your aerobic exercise rate to your resting rate. As with the warm-up, circulatory changes remain critical in this phase. The gradual reduction of heart rate reduces blood flow from your muscles and transfers it to your internal organs. Ignoring this phase increases muscle soreness after exercise, because lactic acid and other waste products aren’t flushed out of the muscles.
1) Decide what form of exercise you want to do in your aerobic heart rate range.
2) Do this exercise at least three times a week.
3) Combine this exercise with the Start2Health Diet System™ and your individualized supplements, discovered through the Supplement Questionnaire. Your body will then have an abundance of raw materials to transform into good chemicals through your exercise.
Return to this section every 30 days to reread and review what you are doing and why. The Start2Health Questionnaire should be re-taken every 30-60 days. This allows you to update your supplements and maximize your progress.
An Overview of the Start2Health System™
- If indicated, do the Two Week Test to determine your level of carbohydrate intolerance
- Follow the principles of a Basic Healthy Diet
- Take Supplements regularly (the S2H Supplement Questionnaire will assess these for you)
- Redo the Start2Health Supplement Questionnaire every month
- Follow your Start2Health Exercise System™