The Now What? Fitness Series Collection

INTRODUCTION

As a fitness professional with over 27 years of experience in the fitness industry, it has come to my attention that most people don't really understand what they need to do to be healthy. I blame this in large part on commercialism and the media as it bombards people with misinformation in attempts to sell products that claim to be a magic pill, potion, contraption, solution, shortcut, or quick fix to fitness.

Hey, guess what? There is no such thing. And frankly, I think the public is getting sick and tired of being lied to and swindled. If you are one of those people, then I have some good news for you. I decided to write a series of books that explain as succinctly as possible what to do once you've decided on a particular fitness objective. The Now What? Fitness Series is intended to break down the subject of fitness into terms anyone can understand. The purpose of these books is to explain in a bite sized, easy to digest format the necessary components of an effective workout routine and healthy eating plan; one that will yield real results in the lives of those who are willing to take the time to learn what they need to do and why. No quick fixes here, just the facts.

It's not rocket science, and my intent is to simplify a very convoluted subject and give you the straightforward facts minus the hype, fluff, and filler. All you have to do is check out The Now What? Fitness Series titles and choose the ones that best suit your needs. Or you may read them all. That's the beauty of this compilation. One purchase and you get all six books. They are succinct so that you don't have to invest hours and hours in reading. However, rest assured they are jam-packed full of vital information. Each book covers a separate, albeit essential, step on the path to achieving improved health and fitness. In fact, without much of this info, you could waste a lot of time and even risk injury with ineffective and dangerous methods. Worse yet, you may get discouraged like so many people do who aren't armed with the proper knowledge and quit. I do not want this to happen to you. You should treat your commitment to fitness like your life depends on it, because it does. Never quit!

Whether you are a novice or just interested in finally getting the true facts on fitness, I suggest you read these and in this order:

So You Want to Get Fit...Now What?

So You Want to Do Cardio...Now What?

So You Want to Strength Train...Now What?

So You Want to Eat Right...Now What?

If you have decided to join a gym, then by all means you need to read So You Joined a Gym...Now What?

If you've decided you want to work out at home, read So You Want to Work Out at Home...Now What? They are all available for purchase at http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lindaburke.

You'll find each book in its entirety in the following collection. Because they are separate books on specific yet related subjects, and because not everyone will read all of them, it was necessary for continuity and coherence to repeat some of the pertinent content in each book. I've saved the About the Author segment for the end of the last book.

It is my desire to help you realize that it doesn't have to be complicated and that taking responsibility for your own health and wellbeing is your birthright and your duty. Your life will improve exponentially if you do this, I promise. Your doctor and hospital bills will diminish, and the quality of your life will soar.

I wish you the best of luck. Please do not hesitate to go to the NOW WHAT? Facebook page to contact me, leave comments, or interact with other readers of The Now What? Fitness Series. You may also contact me at my fitness website at Straightforwardfitness.com. It's full of absolutely priceless fitness tips and secrets, and it's totally free. You can sign up for my monthly newsletter while you are there and get a ton of other free stuff, too.

Again, thank you so much for your patronage and your trust.

From my heart to your health,

Linda Burke, CPT

Visit the author web/blog site:

http://nowwhatfitness.com

Five Stars! This book goes through the various nutrition that your body needs from protein, carbs, etc. Talks about portion control and how to loose fat faster. Very easy to understand!

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BOOK 1

SO YOU WANT TO GET FIT...NOW WHAT?

Getting In Shape with Vital Fitness Information & Essential Fitness Facts Including the Five Components of Physical Fitness That Will Finally Simplify How to Get and Stay Healthy

From The Now What? Fitness Series™

by Linda Burke, CPT

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INSIDE THIS BOOK

(See clickable TOC at the beginning of The Now What? Fitness Series Collection)

Introduction

Chapter 1 - What Constitutes a Good Fitness Plan?

The Five Components of Fitness

Chapter 2 - Cardiovascular Fitness

ACSM Cardio Guidelines

Benefits of Cardio Training

Chapter 3 - Strength Training

ACSM Strength Training Guidelines

Benefits of Strength Training

Chapter 4 - Flexibility Training

Chapter 5 - Nutrition in a Nutshell

Food Comp 101

Protein

Carbs

Fat

Chapter 6 - Bringing It All Together In a Feasible Plan Anyone Can Do

Chapter 1 - WHAT CONSTITUTES A GOOD FITNESS PLAN?

Ask most people what it takes to achieve their ideal body and optimal health, and they would likely tell you that you must exercise regularly and eat sensibly. However, I am here to tell you that is only part of the story. Many people think that as long as you are doing some type of regular cardiovascular exercise and trying to watch what you eat that you are doing all you need to do. I would challenge you to look closely at these people, and I would bet that most of them are NOT at their ideal body composition (fat free mass versus body fat) and nowhere near optimal health.

Now, with that said, I want to give these peeps their props for doing what they do. After all, in today's world anyone who is doing regular cardio and trying to improve their eating habits is way ahead of most folks who, unfortunately, are doing little about their health besides watching it fail and then expecting a pill or procedure to fix them. However, my point is that these healthy-eating, cardio doers are leaving out a very important piece of the fitness puzzle and, consequently, they are making it much harder than it needs to be. Without this key ingredient, your recipe for improved health and fitness will be incomplete, and your longevity and quality of life will suffer, especially as you age. You simply cannot be totally fit without it no matter what your age or gender. What's the key ingredient, you ask? I'll get to that in a moment, but first let's discuss what constitutes a good fitness plan. Perhaps in order to be totally physically fit, we need to look more closely at the definition of fitness.

FIVE COMPONENTS OF FITNESS

Physical fitness may be defined in many ways. The five components of fitness are as follows:

1. Cardiovascular/Cardiorespiratory Endurance - The capacity of the heart-lung system to deliver an adequate oxygen supply for sustained energy production, also known as aerobic fitness. Example: Walking or running outside or on a treadmill, cycling, elliptical training, swimming, etc.

2. Muscular Strength - The amount of force that a muscle can produce in a single, maximal effort. Example: Performing one dumbbell shoulder press using the heaviest weight you can possibly lift.

3. Muscular Endurance - The amount of force that a muscle can produce repeatedly against resistance. Example: Performing a set of 12 repetitions of a dumbbell shoulder press or to hold a fixed or static contraction, which is also known as an isometric contraction, i.e., holding the dumbbells over the head over a period of time.

4. Flexibility - The range of motion of a joint.

5. Body Composition - The ratio of body fat to fat-free (lean) mass in an individual. In other words, the amount of fat compared to bones, muscle, organs, etc.

In order to achieve optimum health and fitness in these five areas you must incorporate consistent exercise into your lifestyle. There are a few fundamental principles of exercise that must be adhered to in order to progress safely and effectively with any exercise plan.

THE FIVE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF EXERCISE

The definition of fitness would be remiss without the following list and discussion of the basic fundamental principles of exercise.

1. One should incorporate a structured exercise plan that aims at a good balance of training each of the aforementioned fitness components.

2. It is necessary to use progressive intensity as you train to bring about improvement.

3. It is also imperative to take appropriate time off or rest between sessions to allow recuperation and growth to take place.

4. Any type of fitness training, whether it is aerobic, strength, or flexibility training, is based on what exercise physiologists call the overload principle. For example, to train any body system, such as the cardiopulmonary or musculoskeletal system, we must make it work harder than it is accustomed to working.

5. A major fundamental principle in training for optimal fitness is specificity of training. In other words, each component of fitness is conditioned or trained in very specific and differing ways. In order to help drive home the specificity of training principle, look at this analogy: One might use the treadmill or elliptical machine to do their cardio, right? However, that wouldn't really do much towards improving their muscular strength or endurance. Likewise, flexibility training helps increase the range of motion of a specific joint, i.e., the hip or shoulder, but it is not effective for improving cardiovascular endurance or muscle strength. In other words, you can stretch till the cows come home, but it won't likely improve your heart health or grow your biceps. Similarly, resistance/strength training, such as weight lifting, is the best way to increase strength, but it is not the most effective way to improve cardiovascular fitness or flexibility.

What this all means is you have to do cardio to improve cardiovascular fitness. You have to stretch to improve flexibility...and finally for the often bypassed and underestimated key ingredient, (drumroll please....) you have to STRENGTH TRAIN (or resistance train-same thing) to improve muscular strength and endurance. And perhaps most importantly, you have to do all three for total fitness.

I honestly cannot overemphasize the importance of strength training in a well-balanced fitness regimen. However, I have some good news and bad news that may help persuade you of the necessity of strength training. I'll give you the bad news first. However, do not despair because the good news far outweighs the bad.

THE BAD NEWS

• Did you know that our resting metabolism decreases approximately two to five percent every decade after 25 years of age? Consequently, our resting metabolism decreases approximately one-half percent every year.

• Did you know that every year after the age of 25, the average American gains one pound of body weight, yet loses one-third to one-half pound of muscle? Mix that cruel fact with gravity and an unhealthy lifestyle, and it is easy to see why the scales go up, and the body parts sag as we get older.

• Weight loss and weight control or maintenance is next to impossible without strength training, especially as we age.

THE GOOD NEWS

• One pound of muscle burns about two to three times more calories a day than one pound of fat.

• The more toned and conditioned muscle a body has, the higher the metabolism and the more calories are burned even at rest.

This means if we are not happy with our present appearance, level of fitness, weight, or strength level, we CAN strength train and change it. Now that truly does spell good news brothers and sisters! Still wondering why strength training is so important? I thought not.

So no more excuses! Get busy! Make the time and begin your cardio, strength training, and improved nutrition plan today. There is no time like the present to begin to look and feel better. Take control of your life by making healthy lifestyle choices that will change much more than your appearance.

Happiness is an inside job. It's a choice. However, it is very hard to be happy when you feel like hell. It's time to take responsibility for your own health and begin making choices that will pay off in ways that will reward you beyond merely reaching your ideal body weight.

When you are healthy, you feel good in body, mind, and spirit. And when you feel good in body, mind, and spirit, you are thriving. I believe that's what we are supposed to do. THRIVE! Not suffer through existence in a self-induced sick and dying body, but thrive in the joy of the healthy and fit body that is our birthright.

In the following chapters I will delve lightly into cardio, strength training, flexibility, and nutrition. All of these elements are necessary components to achieving true fitness; therefore, understanding them will help make them more easily attainable.

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Chapter 2 - CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS

Cardiovascular fitness , also known as aerobic (means with oxygen) fitness or cardiorespiratory fitness (including the lungs) describes the ability of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels to deliver an adequate supply of oxygen to exercising muscles. Blood must flow from the heart through blood vessels (vascular) to the lungs to pick up oxygen that can be delivered to exercising muscles.

Cardiovascular endurance simply means the ability of the cardiorespiratory system to deliver adequate oxygen to exercising muscles for a prolonged period of time.

We improve our cardio endurance by performing cardio or aerobic exercise, which may be defined as any activity that utilizes your large muscle groups in a rhythmic fashion and gets your heart rate up into your target heart rate zone.

THE BAD NEWS

Unhealthy lifestyle choices such as lack of exercise or not enough aerobic exercise, poor eating habits, smoking and excessive drinking of alcohol are just a few of the factors that can cause damage to the most vital organs in our bodies, i.e., our heart, lungs, etc., and, hence, have detrimental effects on our health and our lives.

THE GOOD NEWS

We can play an active role in our health and improve it exponentially by beginning a structured exercise program that includes (that's right, you guessed it) a cardio exercise routine. So now that you know what it means, let's take a closer look at:

• ACSM guidelines for cardiovascular training

• Benefits and risk factors

• Different modes of cardio training

ACSM CARDIO GUIDELINES

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has instituted a list of cardiovascular fitness guidelines, which I have listed for you below.

• The 3 basic components to any exercise conditioning session are warm-up, conditioning stimulus, & cool-down.

• Warm-up & cool-down performed at approximately 50% of stimulus intensity (hold conversation without much difficulty).

• Warm-up & cool-down may take 5-15 minutes, depending on age & fitness level.

• Accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity on most days of the week. (Intermittent activities have same health benefits as continuous activities.)

• Frequency: 3-5 days a week.

• Intensity: 50% to85% of heart rate maximum (220 - age x .50 to .85) or 60% to80% heart rate reserve (220 - age - resting heart rate x .60 to .80 + resting heart rate)

• Duration: 20-60 or more minutes per session, continuous or intermittent activity. If you are very de-conditioned you may even need to split it up into several 10-minute segments. Like Nike says, JUST DO IT! Increase your duration by 5 minutes a week until you reach your desired amount.

• Type: Aerobic (run, brisk walk, swim, crosscountry ski, dance, elliptical trainer, cycling, stationary bike, etc.)

• The 3 stages of cardiorespiratory training: Initial, Improvement, Maintenance.

• Progression of both intensity and duration in a single session is not recommended. Increase the duration first before increasing the intensity. If you can complete an exercise session at the upper level of frequency and duration for 2 weeks without signs of excessive fatigue, progress to the next level.

• If training is discontinued, gains in fitness regress by approximately 50% within 4-12 weeks.

• If weight loss is your goal, frequent, enjoyable exercise periods of low to moderate intensity and relatively long duration result in the largest weekly caloric expenditures.

• Stay within your heart rate range. Monitor through