Can you really achieve peak aerobic fitness in only 30 minutes a day? If you focus on achieving your fitness goals during the time you have available, you can get fit and stay fit devoting only 30 minutes per day to exercise.
How can peak aerobic fitness be achieved in only 30 minutes? To do this, you're going to use the power of walking to give you a quick and focused workout that will tone your cardiovascular system, promote weight loss, and help to relieve stress.
In preparation for your 30 minute peak fitness workout, you'll want to choose streets in your neighborhood that are suitable for a daily walk. Pick streets that have some gentle rolling elevations, but without steep hills. If you're just starting out, you're not ready to tackle steep inclines on your 30 minute walk. Make a list of at least five different routes you can follow in your fitness workout. It's important to have variety to prevent boredom and burnout.
You'll also need to plan for rainy days. Will you feel comfortable doing your daily walk in a raincoat or would it be best if you have a small treadmill for occasional in home use. It's important to answer this question before you're confronted with the situation. You don't want to lose your momentum because of a few rainy days. If you're going to get fit and stay fit, you'll need your workouts to be consistent.
Your daily routine will consist of a five minute walk at a leisurely pace, moving your arms as your walk. This will help to stretch your muscles and get the blood flowing to your extremities. Try to focus in on moving your arms and legs in a rhythmic manner at a steady pace. Check your watch to verify you're spending a full five minutes in your leisure phase of walking.
Once you've completed five minutes of leisure walking, it's time to move into your higher intensity, peak fitness mode. You want to walk at a rapid pace that makes it difficult for you to talk, although you're still able to speak. This is your optimal fat burning pace and will maximize the number of calories you burn during your workout.
Remember to move your arms during your full twenty minutes of walking As you increase your walking speed, move your arms at a more rapid pace. Your upper body movements will help to increase your heart rate and enable you to burn more calories. Try to continue at this high intensity pace for 20 minutes. If you aren't able to complete the full 20 minutes, don't be discouraged. You can work up to it over time.
Congratulations on achieving your 20 minute peak fitness walk!. Now, it's time for a five minute cool down. You can slow down your pace to a more leisurely stride for five minutes. Continue moving your arms and breathe deeply as you walk the last few minutes. Give yourself positive reinforcement for a job well done. You're well on your way to achieving peak fitness and you've only spared 30 minutes out of your day.
If you practice your peak fitness routine on a daily basis, you will be able to get fit and stay fit without having to spend money on an expensive gym membership. Over time, as you become more fit, you can continue to increase your walking pace using the talk test as a means of gauging your level of intensity.
Give this fitness routine a try, it can make an enormous difference in how you look and feel.
