Winston Salem Fitness

Listen to your body

• Know your body’s physiological hunger signals (lightheaded, headache, stomach growling), as opposed to psychological signals (social gatherings, emotional triggers, smelling food)
• Eat until you are content, not stuffed. Know when you have had enough. Remember that it takes about 20 minutes for your body to realize it is full.

Fits into your lifestyle

• Healthy eating is a lifestyle; make it a part of your everyday behavior.

Balance, variety, and moderation

• Include all the food groups to achieve balanced meals
• Choose and consume a variety of foods within each food group
• Know and eat appropriate portions of foods; nothing to extremes
• Don’t deprive yourself of certain foods – just keep in mind portions!

Tips to develop healthy eating habits

• Schedule and plan regular meals and snacks.
• Eat until you feel content – take your time when you eat, and savor each bite.
• Incorporate into your daily eating: water, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, protein-rich foods, and beans/nuts/seeds.
• Take a daily multivitamin.
• Notice the size and number of servings and the nutrient content of your food so that you know if you’ve achieved your nutrient goals.
• Take note of your sensations of hunger and appetite and whether they vary in response to emotions, schedule, proximity to food, and external influences.
• Think of food as one part of life, not as the center of it. Don’t over plan or over analyze your meals; ENJOY YOUR HEALTHY EATING EXPERIENCE!

Winston Salem Fitness - Tried and True Standard: You can achieve a satisfactory level of fitness with 30 minutes or more of physical activity, most days of the week, performed at a pace that increases your heart and breathing rates.

START SLOW if you haven’t done much before. There’s always a risk of injury or overexertion if you haven’t been very active; so be sure to get clearance from your doctor before you start. Also, once you start your fitness activity, keep the time period short and the intensity low until your body adjusts to the change and then, methodically, increase the time and intensity until you get to where you want to be.

SET A GOAL. Losing weight, becoming fit and trim, getting all that extra energy, and avoiding future health problems are all benefits – not goals. Your goal should be to find a way to get vigorous physical activity into your weekly routine. This kind of goal is more practical and achievable. Once you get there the benefits will follow.

FIND AN ACTIVITY that is tolerable, if not fun; one that fits your lifestyle and is easy to do. This is important because fitness has a short shelf life. It fades fast if you don’t keep it up, so you need to find something that you can do all the time, for a lifetime.

BUILD A SUPPORT GROUP. Try pulling your friends and family into your workout routine. You may be surprised at how those who first scoff at the idea quickly change their minds when they see you doing it.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE. Don’t get discouraged if you start a workout routine and you have a few slip-ups or miss a couple of sessions. Remember, you’re trying to build a whole new habit and that takes practice and occasional failures. Just keep trying until you find what works. The more you practice, the easier it gets — the easier it gets, the less you have to practice!

Winston Salem Fitness Myths

Myth No. 1. – “It Should Be Fun”

Expecting exercise or physical activity to be fun is expecting too much. Sports were designed to be fun but the purpose of physical activity is to improve your health profile and self-image, not necessarily to be fun. There’s nothing wrong with finding something fun to do as a physical activity, but all it really needs to be is tolerable. People don’t stop brushing their teeth because there’s no fun in it; they just get it done and move on. It should be the same for your fitness activity.

Myth No. 2. – “Taper Off Your Physical Activity As You Get Older”

There’s no evidence that the human body is any less capable of the same level of physical activity at age 65 than it was at age 25; especially if that level was maintained for the 40 years in between. Bones and muscle age more from lack of use, than lack of youth!

Winston Salem Fitness – Bears enter into a long winter slumber from October through April or May. Do you go into hibernation mode, too? If you are the type that would rather cozy up by the fire with a hot cup of cocoa than brave the cold weather, here are some physical activities for you to beat the winter doldrums and heat up the chilly months ahead.

Skiing or Snowboarding

The first snowboard of the 1960’s was originally called a “snurfer,” short for snow-surfer. The sport has evolved and so has the name. In the last twenty years snowboarding has joined the ranks of skiing and has gained popularity. It became an Olympic sport in the 1990’s, and is offered by most North American ski resorts. Hitting the slopes can be great fun for all ages. Picture yourself cruising down the slopes, or place yourself among the half-pipe snowboarding competitors and give it a try. First timers would be wise to sign up for a lesson to master the basics. If you are a veteran wanting to tackle more difficult parts of the mountain, consider taking advanced lessons to hone great technique. A day on the slopes can be pricey, but search the Internet for discounts and coupons.

Cross-Country Skiing

The word “ski” comes from the Old Norse word “skith” meaning stick of wood. Fortunately, carbon fiber and other high performance materials have upgraded modern skis, but the beauty of the sport remains its simplicity–snow, equipment, and energy. Rent equipment at your local ski shop and ski anywhere, even your backyard! Looking for a change of scenery, often there are cross-country ski courses near alpine ski resorts. Put your Nordic Track skills to use and give cross country a whirl!

Ice Skating

Did you know that ice skating might be a 4000 year-old sport? The oldest known pair of skates found at the bottom of a lake in Switzerland, are said to be that ancient! It is the perfect sport for all abilities and all seasons. It does not have to be below freezing to have fun on ice; you just have to get to your local indoor ice rink. Make sure you call ahead to find out the open skating times. Prices are usually reasonable and equipment is readily available for both hockey and figure skating buffs.

Snowshoeing

Snowshoeing was adapted from ancient snow dwelling people who used the devices to hunt and travel, but is equally as useful today as great exercise. This ideal activity works for anyone preferring to start slow and work up to more strenuous pursuits. Take one snowshoeing excursion through picturesque winter landscapes and you will quickly grow into an outdoor enthusiast. Snowshoeing is easy to learn, ideal for all ages, economical, gratifying, and relaxing. You can rent snowshoes and boots (waterproof hiking boots suffice) at national parks or outdoor stores for very little. Make sure that you dress properly, bring sunscreen and extra protection from the elements, carry food and water, plan your route with a trail map, and have fun exploring!

Sledding or Tubing

Did you know that a 150-pound person could burn approximately 235 calories sledding for 30 minutes? For less than ten dollars you can buy a sled that provides hours of fun. Check your local outdoor sporting goods store or hardware store for inexpensive sleds. If there aren’t any good sledding hills nearby, many ski resorts have designed tubing courses that not only take you to the top of the hill, but also provide a safe and exciting way to have the same thrill.

Try one or try them all, but don’t let the cold weather snow on your parade! Bundle up, use sun screen, and have some safe winter fun.

Winston Salem Fitness – Physical fitness is a very important part of your health. Not only does your level of physical fitness have a direct impact on your life.   Physically fit individuals are much less likely to get physical injuries and more likely to have enjoyable, productive lives. Exercise sessions don’t have to be long to get fit, but they do have to be regular and carefully planned.

Everyone should be engaged in a lifetime program of regular vigorous exercise that balances strength, agility, and endurance and allows for proper rest and recovery. Test your exercise program against these scientifically sound principles of exercise.

Your Exercise Program Should:

Be Progressive – The intensity of your exercise session must be gradually increased to safely and effectively improve your physical performance. Remember, there are many times throughout life that you may have to modify your training and begin slowly again, like after an illness, when recovering from an injury, or returning from deployment or a field exercise.

Be Regular - Regular exercise sessions (3-5 times per week) improve performance and reduce your chances of getting a sports injury on the weekends because of too little activity during the week.

Provide Overload – In order to improve you must gradually push yourself beyond the normal demands placed on your body. This is true for both strength and endurance.

Provide Variety – Spread the stress of exercise over the entire body by varying the types of exercises (that utilize different parts of the body) you do throughout the week. Variety also keeps up motivation.

Allow Recovery – The body is strengthened during periods of rest between exercise bouts. Rest between activities, good sleep habits, and proper nutrition help the body rebuild. Studies show that pushing yourself day after day may not only cause injury but can REDUCE your fitness level. A general rule of thumb is to allow 48 hours between similar workouts.

Be Balanced – Your exercise program should include low-intensity endurance activities (such as running, biking, swimming, or stair climbing), high-intensity endurance activities (such as sprints or intervals while running, cycling, swimming, or climbing), muscular strength and endurance (resistance exercises such as lifting weights or your own body weight), and agility training (activities that develop agility, balance, coordination, flexibility, posture, stability, speed, and power such as agility drills and individual movement techniques.) Use the sample fitness schedule as a guide.

Be Specific – The activities you perform during your exercise sessions should be specific to your goals. You may want more upper body strength to reach your job or mission related goals without injury – not just to achieve the highest score on the APFT.

Be Precise – Perform all muscle strengthening exercises slowly while holding your trunk straight and firm. The quality of your training may be more important than the quantity. Performing any activity sloppily or hurried is much less effective and may cause injury.

Warming Up (Preparing for Activity)

Before exercising or playing a sport, do a 5 minute warm-up that contains some of the same movements as the exercise or sport in which you’ll be engaging. For example, if you are going for a run you might start out by walking at a brisk pace on your way to your desired training speed. (Note: Specific static stretching is not necessary during warm-up if adequate active preparation is carried out.)

Cooling Down (Recovering from Activity)

Always cool down after every exercise session. A cool-down is basically the reverse of a warm-up and gives your heart rate a chance to come down to a normal level. If desired, stretches to improve flexibility during cool-down should be performed for at least 30 seconds without bouncing.

Source: Where is Your Fitness Program Taking You?; PR 36-04; December 6, 2004; PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE, U.S. ARMY CENTER FOR HEALTH PROMOTION AND PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND 21010-5403; For more information, call 410-436-2088/800-222-9698/FAX 410-436-4784

Winston Salem Fitness Walking – It doesn’t require a pair of fancy boots to start walkin’. Find a comfortable pair of shoes, grab the dog, and get moving. Walking is an effective, low impact stress reducer. Best of all, it is an activity for all ages and requires nothing more than a consistent commitment.

Why not set up a walking program to provide support to Family members and Family Readiness Groups of deployed Soldiers? Holistic programs such as Operation Walk to Freedom & Walk to Iraq and back serve to enhance the mind, body, and spirit of the Army Family.

While you’re at it, don’t forget about one of your best friends. As you are benefiting from walking, your dog could be too. Having a dog to walk increases the chances that you will get out and walk more than once a day. In addition to providing purposeful activity, dog walking may create a form of social support that has been identified as an effective behavioral strategy for increasing physical activity.

Making simple lifestyle changes can help to add to your walking time throughout the day. Begin by taking the stairs instead of the elevator and you will not have to worry about buying a stair-climbing machine. The staircase at work is free and easy to start using. There’s not even a need to change into work out clothes, so get started using those stairs today.

With all of the options available to increase walking time and physical activity, taking extra steps a day is easy and fun! You can even come up with your own methods for increasing your daily walking time. Share the health, invite Family and friends to join you and everyone will benefit.  Start walking today!

Winston Salem Fitness – What is stamina? According to the dictionary, it’s the capability of sustaining prolonged stressful effort. Another word with nearly the same meaning is endurance. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are three components to endurance: cardiorespiratory fitness (endurance), muscular strength, and muscular endurance. Here’s what they have to say about these elements of stamina:

Cardiorespiratory endurance is the ability of the body’s circulatory and respiratory systems to supply fuel during sustained physical activity (USDHHS, 1996 as adapted from Corbin & Lindsey, 1994). To improve your cardiorespiratory endurance, try activities that keep your heart rate elevated at a safe level for a sustained length of time such as walking, swimming, or bicycling. The activity you choose does not have to be strenuous to improve your cardiorespiratory endurance. Start slowly with an activity you enjoy, and gradually work up to a more intense pace.

Muscular strength is the ability of the muscle to exert force during an activity (USDHHS, 1996 as adapted from Wilmore & Costill, 1994). The key to making your muscles stronger is working them against resistance, whether that be from weights or gravity. If you want to gain muscle strength, try exercises such as lifting weights or rapidly taking the stairs.

Muscular endurance is the ability of the muscle to continue to perform without fatigue (USDHHS, 1996 as adapted from Wilmore & Costill, 1994). To improve your muscle endurance, try cardiorespiratory activities such as walking, jogging, bicycling, or dancing.

Stamina is an important component of readiness fitness, and fitness for everyone!

Why your workouts shouldn’t stop with a cool-down

One of the hottest areas of sports nutrition research these days has to do with the benefits of immediate post-workout nutrition intake.

Carbohydrate Replacement Benefits

In the past few years, university studies have proven the following facts about immediate post-workout carbohydrate consumption:

• It results in rapid replenishment of muscle and liver glycogen (the storage form of carbohydrate in the body).
• It results in much faster and more complete glycogen replenishment than consumption of an equal amount of carbohydrate beginning two hours or more after exercise.
• It results in better performance in a subsequent workout than consumption of an equal amount of carbohydrate beginning two hours or more after exercise.

Protein Replacement Benefits

Other studies have demonstrated the following benefits of immediate post-workout protein consumption:

• It results in rapid repair and rebuilding of muscle tissue damaged or broken down during the workout.
• It results in much faster and more complete muscle tissue repair and rebuilding than consumption of an equal amount of protein beginning two hours or more after exercise.
• It reduces muscle soreness and improves muscle function during the recovery period.

A Post-Workout Power Combo

Still other studies have shown that when carbohydrate and protein are consumed together after a workout, carbohydrate enhances the benefits of protein, and protein enhances the benefits of carbohydrate.

Until recently, however, no study had looked at the long-term effects of regular post-exercise protein and carbohydrate consumption. But a new study led by researchers at Iowa State University did investigate these effects, and produced some very interesting results.

In this new study, Marine recruits representing six platoons were assigned to one of three treatment protocols during 54 days of basic training. Each day after exercise, some Marines received a placebo drink containing 0 calories, others received a control drink contain 8 grams of carbohydrate and 3 grams of fat, and others received a drink containing 8 grams of carbohydrate, 10 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fat.

The investigators report that, “Compared to placebo and control groups, the protein supplemented group had an average of 33% fewer total medical visits, 28% fewer visits due to bacterial/viral infections, 37% fewer visits due to muscle/joint problems, and 83% fewer visits due to heat exhaustion.”

In addition, “Muscle soreness immediately post-exercise was reduced by protein supplementation versus placebo and control groups on both days 34 and 54.”

The relevance of these extraordinary findings to athletes is clear. This new evidence indicates that athletes in heavy training will maintain a higher level of health and performance if they consume a carbohydrate-protein liquid supplement immediately following each workout.

Indeed, based on all we now know, post-workout supplementation should be considered a part of the workout itself.

Until this time, athletes have been encouraged not to consider their workout completed until they have performed a proper cool-down. Now it’s time to extend the definition of a complete workout to include immediate post-cool-down nutrition.

Matt Fitzgerald is the author of “Triathlete Magazine’s Complete Triathlon Book.” He coaches runners and triathletes online through Carmichael Training Systems (www.trainright.com).

Winston Salem Fitness – Who gets injured more: hard-charging fitness buffs or plain recreation-seekers? According to research, the more enthusiastic individuals have a higher incidence of injury. These hard drivers tend to ignore the early warning signs of microtrauma and stoically continue to train through pain. A similar finding is discussed by Dr. Russell Pate in the book Physical Activity, Fitness and Health. In a small, one-year follow-up of 40 runners, he found that Type-A behavior, but not running mileage, was associated with an increase in running injuries, particularly multiple injuries.

This fact may serve as a caution for staminacs that might otherwise push themselves too hard when faced with a nagging problem. By listening to the body and making proper activity adjustments based on the symptoms, minor problems will often be addressed at an early stage and never have the chance to become an obstacle to continued training.

Injuries also can cause psychological pain, according to Dr. Michael Stuart and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. They noted that injured individuals who normally exercised regularly became depressed, angry, and their energy level decreased when they were unable to train. Additionally, this depression became more pronounced the longer the layoff. Their findings suggest that the chronic background noise of injury limiting exercise tends to have an adverse effect on stamina. Suggestions offered by this group include:

Think positive: you will recover – Recognize that the injury is only a temporary setback and focus on the future. View the injury in light of a lifetime of exercise and acknowledge that this is simply a minor, transient obstacle.

Your body’s instinct is to heal itself – For many injuries, the body will perform all of the work of healing, if provided with a proper environment. Follow the guidance provided by your physician or physical therapist. Recognize that by following a plan, most individuals receive a mental boost by knowing that they are helping themselves. Additionally, the implemented plan may be beneficial by accelerating the recovery process. Turner Blackburn, Director of the Berkshire Institute of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, writes, “Sports medicine doesn’t wait for Mother Nature. We are always looking for a short cut to allow the patient/athlete to return as quickly and safely as possible. Sports medicine tries to pamper Mother Nature. Since the muscles have an automatic shutdown following an injury that results in atrophy, reverse the process as soon as possible. The sooner the intervention, the fewer problems there will be.”

Stay involved with your sport – To combat depression, stay involved with the activities that you enjoy. If you can’t actively participate in the activity, find a book or videotape and use this time to reflect and learn.

Turn your injury into a positive learning experience – Look back on the training and analyze why the injury occurred. Since most injuries are of the overuse variety, examine the training program and determine if any mistakes were made. If a problem can be identified, it can be avoided in the future.

Summary

In summary, a well balanced program is one that is achievable, fun, and meets the basic exercise prescription components of intensity, duration, and frequency. These guidelines to minimize injury of progression, specificity, overload, recovery, and consistency, should be built into your workout program. Exercise is a lifelong endeavor that has many physiological benefits, but ultimately it is beneficial because it makes you feel good!

Winston Salem Fitness – While these positive training principles yield suggestions to limit injury risk, they are implemented in a program over time. Day-to-day exercise issues include the role of warm-up, stretching, and a cool-down. They prepare the body psychologically and physically for your workout. Additionally, it is widely believed that properly performed, these measures help limit the risk of injury.

Warm-up: The warm-up session is preliminary exercise, which may last a half-hour or more in competitive sports. For recreation, the warm-up is normally much shorter and may practically consist of simply jogging the first mile slower than normal training pace. The purpose of the warm-up is to elevate the heart rate and increase the body temperature by several degrees. It helps a person to psychologically prepare for the exercise session. Since movement is occurring with the warm-up activity, the range of motion of the joints and the efficiency of muscle contractions are also enhanced.

The increase in muscle temperature associated with an adequate warm-up can result in increased performance. Donald Kron of the Sports Medicine Clinic in Lake Charles, Louisiana, reports that warming-up the legs results in an increased vertical jump and an increase in maximum cycling power. “We have an easier time selling athletes on stretching to enhance performance than to prevent injuries,” says Kron. “We like to design stretching programs that allow the athlete to rehearse the movements required in each sport.” The warm-up often consists of both general exercises, such as calisthenics, stationary bike cycling, or jogging, and exercises that are specifically related to the chosen activity. Examples of a specific warm-up are swinging a golf club or tennis practice, which are skill rehearsal for the activity.

Stretching: Stretching is routinely included in the warm-up outlined above, because it seems reasonable and makes sense. However, the jury is out regarding its efficacy, particularly if engaged in prior to an activity like jogging. Dr. Van Mechelen found that injured runners have stretched significantly more before running than non-injured runners, and FitNews, the publication of the American Running and Fitness Association, has referred to stretching for injury prevention as the “Myth of the Month.” FitNews summarizes the debate by noting that, “No matter how hard you look, you won’t find a single controlled research study that proves stretching reduces the frequency of injuries.”

Additionally, there does not appear to be any hard evidence that supports the contention that stretching will decrease post-exercise soreness, although continuing research is underway. However, the stretching procedure intuitively seems to be an appropriate part of the warm-up routine and may be a form of an insurance policy for some. As the Penn State Sports Medicine Newsletter suggests, “No one wants to be blamed for an injury because he or she did not use all of the warm-up tools available.”

This controversy does not mean that stretching is useless. Stretching will increase your flexibility if performed properly over time. The research cited above, however, questions why stretching needs to be done routinely, and if so, how should it be done? The answer to the first question appears to be a qualified ‘yes,’ stretching should be done routinely. The effectiveness of stretching to achieve flexibility makes it an important tool for the maintenance of joint range of motion that naturally tends to decrease over time.

Stretching for flexibility will help minimize the loss of elasticity and counteract some of the connective tissue stiffness that occurs with time. This type of stretching is part of a program that should be sustained over a period of months for sustained increases in joint motion. As investigators at The University of Illinois point out, there is no reason to expect significant flexibility decrements over time in healthy adults.

Their research has found that differences in flexibility with age are so minimal as to be of limited clinical importance. At least to 74 years, any substantial loss of joint mobility should be viewed as abnormal and not attributable to aging, and therefore, should be treated much as it would be in a younger individual.

The second question dealing with how stretching should be done is a little easier to answer. That is, it is now clear that stretching cold muscles is a bad idea. Stretching should occur only after the temperature of the muscles has increased. It should be preceded by a warm-up or performed during and/or after workouts. Research by Dr. Dean Taylor and colleagues at Duke University suggests that the optimal time to hold a stretch is approximately 12 to 18 seconds.

They note that the largest increase in flexibility occurs in the first four repetitions. In terms of how hard to push during the stretch, the guidance by Bob Anderson, author of Stretching (the best selling book on the subject) brings straightforward advice: “Good stretching is knowing your body. It has nothing to do with how far you can move any particular part. The feeling you get when you stretch is a good gauge. The right feeling is when you can perform a stretch, but it doesn’t hurt.”

Effective stretching starts slow, using a static or gentle isolated muscle stretch. Vigorous bouncing, sometimes called ballistic stretching, should be avoided at first because it loads the muscle-tendon unit too rapidly and increases the likelihood of a strain. Further, when a stretch occurs very rapidly, there is too little time for the normal connective tissue relaxation to occur, which may render the stretch ineffective.

Following an appropriate warm-up and gentle progressive stretching program, some ballistic activity may be appropriate as a prelude to a dynamic sports event. The key again is start slow and be warm and loose prior to engaging in explosive activities. Bob Anderson points out that, “There are many methods of stretching, some more complex than others, but if practiced regularly and with sensitivity, all seem to yield results.” If soreness occurs, it suggests that overstretching is occurring and the vigor of the stretches should be decreased.

Joggers can start out slowly, and functionally loosen up as they progress through the first mile or so. Pre-exercise stretching may not be as important for them, but should be emphasized following the workout to promote flexibility. With golf, however, it’s unlikely that you would want to drive with 50% effort on the first tee, especially with an audience surveying the shot. In this case, an adequate warm-up with some focused stretching exercises and activity specific repetitions should be performed before your game.

Cool-Down: The cool-down is designed to bring the body back to a pre-exercise level and minimize the effects of the workout on future flexibility. By protracting the exercise at a reduced intensity, the body can metabolize some of the soreness-producing lactic acid that has accumulated in the muscles during a vigorous workout.

Additionally, if a person simply stops an workout, there is a chance that with the relaxation of veins in the legs, blood will pool there, and the person could faint. By maintaining activity at a reduced rate, cardiovascular function slowly returns to near the normal rest state. This is also an ideal time to stretch, since the muscles are warm and tissue compliance is greatest.

Progression: Progression is perhaps the most important concept to minimize the chance of an overuse training injury. The body adapts to the things that it does regularly and allows gradual improvements in performance. For instance, the reason that new recruits, and not the drill sergeants, are usually injured in basic training is that the sergeants have been performing the activity for months or years and their bodies have adapted to it. That is, any individual who has exercised for a long time is probably going to be able to continue that activity without significant difficulty.

Individuals get into trouble when they change their program to either do more or train at a higher intensity, or are attempting to come back after a layoff. Dr. Smith, advocates a 10-percent rule for minimizing the chance of injury. Smith says, “Each week, there should be no more than a 10-percent increase in the amount of training time, amount of distance covered, and number of repetitions performed in your activity. If you increase your intensity, don’t increase your distance. Although no controlled study has as yet defined the optimum safe training progression for an athlete to follow, but adhering to the 10-percent rule makes good sense.”

This concept is tied to the familiar exercise prescription which recognizes three variables that describe virtually all activities: 1) duration, 2) intensity, and 3) frequency. The chance of an injury increases dramatically when any of these are individually increased by more than 10 percent in a given week. Additionally, the total exercise exposure, expressed by the product of duration, intensity, and frequency, should not increase by more than 10 percent for any given week.

This may actually be a liberal rule of thumb, if the advice of a legendary Oregon track coach is considered. Bill Dellinger’s solution for his elite track athletes was 10 percent a year! About Dellinger, Runner’s World correspondent Bob Wischnia states, “That may be one reason Dellinger’s greatest runners, such as Steve Prefontaine, Alberto Salazar, and Ken Martin, didn’t peak until after graduating from college. The 10 percent solution is even more applicable to midpack runners. It reduces the risk of injury and allows plenty of time to get stronger and improve.” All of these variables interact with each other and a change in one causes an impact on the body which will result in slow adaptation over time.

A second element associated with progression is “periodization,” a training cycle designed to deal with changes in intensity and duration. When intensity increases, duration decreases. Conversely, when duration increases, intensity decreases. Coaches have used periodization to enhance the performance of their track and field athletes, but it has now become a common training principle that can be adapted to most all exercise programs. Periodization increases the power of the 10 percent rule by providing additional time to recover.

While periodization programs appear in many forms, they all include a varied training stimulus and periods of planned rest. What most people associate with the 10 percent rule is that increments can be added week after week. This probably isn’t the best approach because some tissues need more time to adapt. Dr. (Col) Tom Scully, a surgeon at William Beaumont Army Medical Center, found that by backing off slightly about every third week during an increased phase of training, the incidence of stress fractures in bone decreased markedly. Meanwhile, the respite allowed recovery and bone growth to occur, which he states, “should be considered to be the skeletal goal of physical training programs.”

Specificity: Specificity deals with the type of activity included in a workout. It is clear from a decade of clinical research that every exercise is unique and there is not a great deal of crossover effect from one activity to another. It’s risky to assume that one type of exercise adapts you for all others. Therefore, from an injury prevention perspective, you should change your workout routine very gradually, if at all possible, and recognize that your limits refer to specific activities.

To illustrate, we can contrast two related (yet significantly different) activities of jogging and sprinting. Although both use the large muscles of the legs, they differ in both the specific muscle fibers used and the way these fibers are activated by the brain. Jogging is a slow, rhythmical activity, and “slow twitch” endurance fibers are called upon to perform this task. Sprinting takes big bursts of energy. It uses a specialized set of muscle fibers called “fast twitch” fibers which are specialized for strength.

Although a jogger may have trained these endurance fibers, the bigger, stronger fibers that are activated in a sprinting activity would not be receiving a significant training effect while jogging. An expert panel at Penn State cited this disparity, noting that it is fiction to think that “participation in aerobic exercise produces significant strength gains for the muscles involved. For example, the leg muscles of champion marathon runners clicking off repeated sub-five minute miles are not much stronger than age and gender-matched spectators lining their 26 mile course.”

This phenomenon explains why muscle pulls are so frequent in weekend athletes who attempt to play sports like softball or basketball. Sprinting activates a new group of muscle fibers and creates higher tension levels, which may overwhelm the muscle-tendon unit and result in a pulled muscle. To be prepared to sprint, the training program needs to be specific and include some sprinting.

Training needs to be tailored to meet the specific demands of the activity performed. Jogging is different from sprinting and these differences need to be recognized and respected. The bottom line is, be cautious when undertaking new activities, and provide the body with some time to adapt to the novel task.

Overload: Overload is the stimulus required for a positive training effect. This is most easily visualized with weight training, where an individual is pushing or pulling a given weight in an effort to make a muscle stronger. If the weight that is used is easy for the individual to move, and the muscle is not “overloaded” or tasked to work at a greater than normal level, there will not be a training effect.

For example, if an individual performs 20 push-ups a day, five days a week, at the end of the year that individual will be able to perform 20 push-ups. The outlined push-up program is adequate for maintenance, but it is insufficient for a positive training effect or improvement. In a similar fashion, with aerobic programs, when the goal is to increase the aerobic capacity or improve running speed, an overload is required to serve as the stimulus for this change. The interval training program discussed in this guide is an example of a training program that uses periods of overload mixed with the next component, recovery.

Recovery: Recovery is providing the time and environment for the body to adapt to the demands that have been placed upon it. As indicated earlier, the number one mistake is doing too much, too fast. Often, this drive is expressed in the adage “if a little is good, then more is better!” Recovery can take the form of an easy workout, or the well deserved day off.

It isn’t necessary to train every day with the same workout. For example, experts agree that the greatest benefit of aerobic exercise coincides with training just three days a week. Some small benefit exists for training up to five days a week, but beyond that, a point of diminishing or reversing returns is reached. Even world class athletes need recovery.

Bob Wischnia of Runner’s World describes a run with the one-time marathon world record holder, Rob De Castella. He writes, “I assumed everyone was running slowly out of politeness to me. Afterward, we retreated to a pub to blow the froth off a few, and I mentioned to Deek (De Castella) that he didn’t have to run quite that easy just for me. ‘I wasn’t running easy for you,’ Deek said, mildly irritated. ‘It was for me. When I run hard, I run very hard. But when I run easy, it’s extremely easy.’ Deek believed that the single greatest mistake most runners make is to run too hard on their easy days.” The lesson: build recovery into your exercise program.

Cross Training is another way to put some recovery into a training program. For a regular jogger, replacing a run with a session of swimming, cycling, stair climbing, or walking would be an example of crosstraining. The values of cross training are only beginning to be recognized, but they include keeping training interesting by adding variety, decreasing injury incidence by promoting recovery, and providing an invigorating workout while resting the muscles and joints normally stressed.

Consistency: Consistency is staying on track and insuring that the exercise activity is performed properly. When individuals become fatigued, their form will often deteriorate and stress will be placed on tissues which have not adapted to the demand. Remaining vigilant for proper exercise form will significantly assist in minimizing the risk of injury.