Aerobics

An Alternative Approach

There's a quick, revolutionary concept that forever changes the face of aerobics and the way you go about your workout. With this information you can greatly improve your cardiovascular conditioning... in only 10 minutes a day.

Forget about 30-60 minutes of punishing your knees. Forget pathetic attempts at alleviating boredom by synchronizing your treadmill workout with TV Guide.

(I admit it: I used to coincide my treadmill runs with Wheel of Fortune. Hey, it kept me sane! I think.)

Aerobics have long been a staple of physical fitness. But I'm about to jar you with some shocking news:

We've been doing it all wrong.

Many fitness resources will tell you to follow a traditional aerobics regimen that goes something like 30 minutes or more, three or four times a week.

But here's something many people don't know:

According to Al Sears, M.D., author of The Doctor's Heart Cure, extended aerobics sessions are not only a waste of time but may actually be harmful to your heart. Dr. Sears explodes the myths about aerobics and offers a great alternative for getting in shape.

No, I'm not telling you to toss out your treadmills, stairclimbers, stationary bikes, rowers, and whatnot. By all means, keep them. What I'm saying is, you can use all of this equipment to your advantage in a much, much, shorter and far more efficient time frame.

As an incredibly busy dad with three kids and a packed work schedule, I found Dr. Sears' findings to be extremely helpful. (If I can find a way to squeeze in his suggested workout regimen, you can too.) With his revolutionary PACE exercise program (Progressively Accelerating Cardiopulmonary Exertion), you can build a powerful, disease-free heart.

In fact, Dr. Sears has helped over 15,000 patients successfully reverse heart disease. Among the benefits of following the PACE program outlined in The Doctor's Heart Cure are:

• Extended life expectancy
• Shed fat and gain more muscle mass
• Remove plaque from your arteries
• Improve your cholesterol ratios
• Enjoy improved strength, health, and vigor!

There are also numerous health and nutrition tips including use of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and Omega-3s to protect your cardiovascular system, but I'll be covering those topics separately in upcoming UniqueFitnessTips.com articles.

For now, I want to share the main concept behind the success of the PACE program: Interval training.

That's all there is to it. Instead of a long, monotonous aerobics session, mix it up! I highly recommend following Dr. Sears' guidelines in his book because it includes so many other important fitness concepts you don't want to miss -- but when it comes to aerobics, here's some food for thought:

Long duration exercise -- that typical 30-60 minute low intensity workout -- does wonders at making your heart and lungs more efficient. But, according to Dr. Sears, that also reduces their reserve capacity. And, ironically, it's reserve capacity that protects you from a potentially fatal heart attack.

Traditional, old-school aerobics workouts actually make your heart and lungs shrink. We've always assumed this was a good thing because obviously, they're in more efficient condition. Yes, efficient in terms of being able to jog for an hour or more. But what about when you need that sudden burst of energy, when there's a sudden demand on your heart?

As Dr. Sears explains, heart attacks have often occured either at rest, when lifting a heavy object, having sex, or dealing with sudden emotional trauma. Your ability to run five miles at a steady pace has nothing to do with this! It's your heart's strength, and it's reserve capacity, that makes all the difference.

The Doctor's Heart Cure refers to numerous studies that prove short-duration exercise offers far more benefits than long-duration. Without a doubt it's interval training that significantly reduces heart disease risk, lowers cholesterol levels (all the while raising your HDL, your "good" cholesterol), and promotes higher peak stroke volumes. As Dr. Sears explains, "peak stroke volume" is synonymous with "horsepower" and reflects your heart's ability to make quick adjustments to sudden changes in demand. And this is what protects you from the Big One.

And so... by all means, enjoy any form of aerobics exercise you have. I personally prefer a treadmill for interval training, although most of the time I actually use mine to cool down from a kettlebell session (if you have a kettlebell, you probably don't need any aerobics equipment at all -- nonetheless, I like to mix it up and do different workouts on alternate days).

Either way... if you're going to stick to a program, you need to use the fitness equipment that appeals to you the most! I highly recommend checking out BigFitness.com because not only do they have fitness equipment available at discount prices, but they also offer used, refurbished equipment at a much lower cost (my treadmill is used and it's withstood a good pounding for years).

Whatever sort of aerobics equipment tickles your fancy, keep your workout short and sweet and give interval training a shot. A lot of treadmills and stairclimbers already have built-in interval programs that you can follow. If yours doesn't have such features, get a copy of Dr. Sears' book and follow the PACE program. You'll be amazed.

Yours in health and fitness,

Mark Drolsbaugh

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