FIT HEART
FEBRUARY!
February 1st is the start of our fit heart month! A nod to the Heart Health month of February, this challenge is all about helping you get your heart into shape! This will involve the challengers doing the recommended 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week for the whole month. We will be posting from Sunday to Thursday with mainly cardio interval based workouts that you will do the very next day! The focus will be on creating a healthy heart by allowing the heart rate to rise and recover as quickly as it can. When the month is over you will see great improvements in your beautiful hearts performance! Rules are as follows:
1. ****Consult a physician before entering a new fitness program and know your limits! Listen to your body and know what level you are at and don’t overdo it. If you are a true beginner you will need a heart rate monitor and just ease into it. The fact that you get through 5 days with 30 minutes of activity will be challenge enough! For intermediate or more advanced challengers don’t be afraid to just add these onto your regular workouts to up that level.
2. Follow us on Instagram at Endurance8health and on Facebook at Endurance on 8th Health Centre to see the workouts posted from Sunday to Thursday.
3. From Monday to Friday or 5 days out of a 7 day week you will perform 30 minutes of heart healthy exercise. This does not mean you absolutely have to do our workouts, these can be weight training workouts or as simple as walking your dog for 30 minutes. Just make sure you heart rate rises and you get moving!
4. Check in our Facebook page every time you complete a day and use the “Fit Heart February” code in your check in. This can be done by simply writing a status and putting the location as Endurance on 8th Health Centre
5. You may want to get a heart rate monitor if you don’t plan to do the cardio routines on machines that can track it for you. You will be given parameters of where and when your heart rate should rise and fall which you will want to track as the timing is important. *If you are a beginner or have a personal or family history of heart problems, consult a doctor first and make sure to get a heart rate monitor!*
6. Track your progress! The first and last day of this challenge will be test days where you can see where you begin and what you’ve achieved at the end!
Recommendations:
– Do not weigh yourself throughout this challenge! You may weigh-in and do measurements at the beginning and the end but be sure to realize this is for your heart and not weight-loss. I cannot stress this enough because we can sometimes do things for the wrong reasons. Pick your reason now and stick to it!
– Write down the reason you are doing this and make sure to stay inspired every day. We will be posting along the way to help but always remember that it’s YOU that must stay inspired and do the work! Daily inspiration is important.
– Have a planned time of the day that you will complete your workouts and don’t let ANYTHING get in your way. You can do this challenge by simply starting to walk to work instead of driving, taking a walk a lunch (in the +15 if it snows!) or adding cardio when you normally only do weight training.
– No slips allowed in this challenge! You have 7 days to complete 5 workouts and always remember that it’s your choice. You can choose to do it or not but there is no such thing as a slip!
Written by: Lara Schamotta
