Contact: Bev Hillman
Vancouver Personal & Physical Training
PH: 604-948-0709
September, 2005

Sometimes It's Good To Mix It Up
By: Bev Hillman
Vancouver Personal & Physical Training

We all know that exercise is good for us. Exercise has been proven to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, breast cancer, back pain, osteoporosis, hypertension, obesity, anxiety, depression, stress and premature death. As well, people who are fit generally sleep better, feel better and have more energy than people who are unfit.

Many people have discovered the joy of running or walking. And, as your body adapts and you become fitter, you find you're able to run or walk farther, faster or longer than before. But then maybe something else happens - perhaps you develop an overuse injury from doing too much too soon; maybe you find the novelty of running three days a week wearing of and are starting to find it all a tad boring. May it's time to consider mixing it up!

The solution is cross-training. Cross-training may sound like it's only for high-performance athletes, but any level of exerciser can benefit from the principles of cross-training.

At its simplest, the idea is to use different activities to build over-all strength that a single activity along doesn't provide. Some people do different activities within the same exercise session while others alternate activities in successive workouts.

If all you do for cardiovascular exercise is run, then you're stressing the same body parts each time you exercise. Not only does your risk of an overuse injury on those particular parts increase, but your boredom threshold may also creep a little closer. If you were to cross-train by running for one workout, them swimming for the second and maybe bicycling the third session that week, you'd be working muscles differently and likely stimulate your appetite for exercise again.

Your heart and lungs don't know the difference in cardiovascular workouts. They still have to work hard to supply your muscles with oxygen. In fact, you can achieve a greater heart rate through a different activity that your body has not adapted to.

By incorporating other activities you will become a stronger runner as you will strengthen muscles and support structures that you use differently, or not as much as you do when running.

Cross-training also means mixing up the intensity of your workouts. Do a moderate run one day, and maybe an easier cycle and a moderate to hard weight training day the next. You want to avoid accumulating fatigue. (Next month we will discuss various weight training programs and the importance of change).

When considering alternate activities to running or walking, choose something that you enjoy doing as opposed to something you think you should be doing. There's not much point to forcing yourself to swim if you really don't enjoy it. So try cross country skiing or hiking instead. And don't expect to start off with your cross-training activities at the same high level as your walking or running. Remember, you're using muscles differently when you cross-train and your body will need to adapt to these new demands in much the same way as your body had to first adapt to running or walking.

Bev Hillman is a local Fitness Consultant and Personal Trainer. She teaches Yoga Flow and Power Yoga classes at the Ladner Leisure Centre. She can be reached at trainwithbev.com or 604-948-0709, or contact her via e-mail at bev@trainwithbev.com.

-30-

Vancouver Personal & Physical Training
Tel. 604-948-0709
info@trainwithbev.com
TrainWithBev.com