Hello, MCO warriors! Although it’s been a week since Lockdown 2.0 was announced, the bitter reality is that this initiative will probably be extended for another 2 weeks due to the rising number of Covid-19 infections in the country, which has exceeded 4000 cases daily.
What can we possibly do to stay active and burn calories during this period? In an effort to keep Malaysians feeling positive and healthy, the government has allowed members of the same household the flexibility of performing outdoor activities together.
Since we’ve been given the green light to exercise, I’m going to teach you the basics of starting a running habit. Although it isn’t difficult to do, what you would need is CONSISTENCY to reap the benefits.
As a beginner, you’ll need to warm up and stretch your muscles before you begin your run. Warming up increases your body temperature, which enables oxygen to be better circulated to your muscles, allowing them to contract and relax easily.
As a result, your heart muscles are given the chance to prepare for what comes next, as sudden and impulsive actions can cause a heart attack.
STEP 1) How to warm up: Walk for five to eight minutes to prepare your body for the demands of running ─ begin slow and steady and progress to a more purposeful pace by the end of the eighth minute.
STEP 2) Start moving without pressuring the body: Alternate your walking and running until you hear yourself breathe.
Initially, you’d probably run for about 20 seconds and rest for a few minutes, as that may be where your body is right now, fitness-wise.
Gradually, things will get more interesting, when that short-run increases to 30 or 45 seconds, or even a minute to two minutes, and the time it takes for you to catch your breath reduces ─ that’s when you know your endurance is being developed.
STEP 3) Add some consistency: Set a daily workout duration (of 20 minutes), stick to it, and allow your body to adjust until you proceed farther.
Maintaining the same duration for a month not only helps you evaluate your progress, it ensures you continue to perform the activity because the moment it starts to hurt (due to an increase in duration), the chances of you repeating the activity will be slim to none.
Often times, te moment we notice some self-development, we will be tempted to increase our duration ─ let’s say, from 20 minutes to 30 minutes daily. At this point in time, try to be patient and keep to your regulated timing to prevent premature cessation.
When you stick to a plan ─ without pushing for a certain time or exceeding your body’s natural pace ─ you’ll end up achieving your goal on a happy note. When you’re happy, you’re motivated to continue and this leads to consistency, which, eventually, turns into a habit.
Once you’re able to focus on completing 20 minutes over a consistent time period, you'll recuperate faster, appreciate the activity better, and progress effectively, without risking any sort of injury.
Regardless of how long it might take, once you're able to cross that milestone, you'll be far more secure in your fitness level to add more time to your run.
STEP 4) Cooldown: Just like how we began with a warm-up, take five minutes to bring your body back to a resting state; this doesn't require much time and is important for the following reason.
As we exercise, more blood is pumped into our bodies due to our increased heart rate. When you stop exercising, your heart rate slows down and returns to normal. If your heart rate plummets too fast, your blood pressure will drop sharply, causing you to faint.
Unfortunately, this can be very hazardous to your health, so better be safe than sorry.
With that, love; Tana! ─ The Vibes, 20 January, 2021
