Cardio Reduces Cancer Risk

Question:

Dear Victoria,
I have been dealing with fibroids for several years now and I am tired of going to the doctor. I had several removed and yet new ones appear. My doctor suggested I radically change my diet and exercise program because I refuse to have another surgery and she said that so far they have not been cancerous. I want to improve my health, lose some weight and see if that helps along with the other suggestions she has given me.
- Mary G.


Mary,
First off let me say that I am so sorry to hear that you have had such a battle with your body. I am not a doctor, but I have personal experience with a client, Cheryl, who had a similar issue with her body and now her health is 100 percent improved. I will share her program highlights with you so that you can take control of your body again and give it everything it needs to heal and restore itself.

Cheryl was a like most women who work in a high stress executive position, was over worked and under funned! That means she did not have enough fun in her life.

She came to see me because had several fibroids in her breast tissue and wanted to lose some weight and improve her health.

Her doctor did not want to do anything with the fibroids until she had lost some weight and changed her lifestyle.

The first thing we did was to go to a more balanced Glycemic based nutritional plan so that we could balance her blood sugar and get rid of her nasty mood swings. (See Quick Start Energy Program)

Then we attacked her fat head on with a total fat blasting cardio plan. She was pretty strong and motivated so I did not have to baby sit or coddle her through her workouts. She was like a greyhound chasing the rabbit around the track.

Being motivated is eighty percent of the process when it comes to stepping up your fat loss, radically improving your health and dropping inches quickly. Cheryl lost twelve inches in thirty days and after six months of aggressive lifestyle readjustment. That amounted to thirty pounds and several pant sizes down from where she started. She went from a size sixteen to a size eight. She was committed and it sounds like you are too.

What exactly qualifies as a cardio exercise?
Cardiovascular exercise or the industry buzz word, Cardio, simply means that you workout doing an activity that raises your heart rate, the number of times you heart beats per minute, to a level where you're metabolically burning fat. That level is 50 - 60% of your maximum heart rate.

The trick is to find an intensity that is forceful enough to make you breath hard, but not so hard that you can’t carry on a conversation. You are working out in what is known as your Fat Burning Target Heart Rate Zone.

Here is how YOU monitor your own personal fat burning heart rate along with the guidelines that match your desired results.

Frequency of Training

Your desired goals help you determine the how often you should do your cardio workouts. It is explained below.

Intensity of Training

This depends upon your fitness level. I like to use the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) method for those who do not have a heart rate monitor to determine the appropriate intensity of your cardio workout. The RPE has a scale of 1-10 where 1 is at rest and 10 as hard as you can possibly work. Monitor yourself throughout your workout to ensure that you stay within the correct training zone. There are four broad training zones to consider. One should be right for you:

New Participant to Getting Buff Zone: RPE 5-6 (approx 50% of maximum heart rate). This is for those of you who are new to exercise and represents a first step for the inactive.

Warm-up: 5 min. low level
Time: 15—30 min in the zone
Frequency: Four times per week.

Fat Blasting Zone: RPE 6-7 (approx 60-70% of maximum heart rate). Often referred to as the fat burning zone. Intensity moderate enough so that you can train for long periods so ideal as a progression for a beginner or for those training for distance events.

Warm-up: 5 min. low level
Time: 30-60 min in the zone
Frequency: Five to six times per week.

Aerobic Zone: RPE 7-8 (70-80% of maximum heart rate) For active and trained individuals this assists in providing an endurance base for more intensive exercise and for the improvement of cardiovascular fitness.

Warm-up: 5 min. low level
Time 30-45 minutes in the zone
Frequency: Four times per week.

I want you to start at the first level and gradually work your way up to the Fat Blasting Zone in thirty days. You should aim to progress the intensity of your cardio workouts as you become comfortable within each zone and progress through the zones until you reach your desired goal. Then work in the Aerobic Zone to maintain your new fit and healthy body!

Monitor Your Exercise Intensity

To get the most out of your workout, you should frequently monitor your exercise intensity. This will insure that you are working within you heart rate training zone and, therefore, are getting the most out of each workout. If you work too hard, you're likely to injure yourself and, possibly, burn out. If you're not working hard enough, you may get frustrated when you don't see results over time.

Take Your Pulse

Place your index and middle fingers directly under your ear then slide your fingers down until they are directly under your jawbone, pressing lightly. Start with zero on the first beat and count for 10 seconds then multiply by six. Always check your pulse frequently throughout your workout to make sure you within your target heart rate zone. If I were you, I would not want to spend one minute out of my fat blasting zone.

You can also check with your local sporting goods store for a heart rate monitor that monitors your heart rate throughout your workout via a transmitter worn around your chest and a watch on your wrist.

Mary, not only will you melt the fat off you’re a**, look at all the fantastic benefits you get as a bonus from your new cardio program.

Cardio makes your heart strong and healthy, which is fantastic for reducing heart attacks, strokes and cancer.

Cardio makes improves your lung capacity, which strengthens your respiratory system. Now, here are the rest of the awesome benefits you get from cardio.

Cardio can help reduce high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes

When you do your cardio your brain releases endorphins, natural pain relievers and feel good hormones, that make you feel good. You will sleep better, reduce stress and improve your overall energy through out the entire day!

I absolutely love cardio. I am known as the "Cardio Queen" because I love the immediate effects it gives me and the long-term benefits of a tight hard body. My husband loves it too!

Types of Cardio:

• Power Walking
• Treadmill
  
• Jogging
• Stationary and outdoor cycling
• Cardio Dance
• Elliptical Training
  

Mary, I have to tell you that when Cheryl decided to turn her health around and stop destroying her body, she did cardio six days per week every week. I would come into the studio at different times of the day or evening and there she was, stationary cycling, power walking on the treadmill or putting on her shoes in the back of my cardio step class.

She did not stop or quit. She did so well, that she shocked her doctor and herself. One day I was in the studio and she came bolting through the doors totally excited jumping up and down. She had just come back from a doctor’s appointment where she found out that the fibroids were gone!

She is a completely different person today than she when I first met her. She is wearing hip hugger jeans and spaghetti strap tops. That was a definite first for the formerly burned out financial executive! She knew a lot about managing other people’s wealth and now she has become the master of managing her own health.

Exercise is nature’s healer and the benefits last a lifetime. I cant' guarantee that you will get rid of your fibroids, but research is proving that exercise heals your mind and your body and it reduces you risk of cancer.

Go for it Mary. Give it a chance and you will start a healthy addiction for cardio. That I do guarantee!

God Bless and make it the Best Week Ever!



CAUTION: It is STRONGLY recommended that you see a healthy physician for a complete medical examination before undertaking an exercise null. Particularly if you have a family history of high blood pressure or heart disease, are over the age of 45, smoke, have high cholesterol, are obese, or have not exercised regularly in the past year. If at any time while exercising, you experience faintness, dizziness, pain or shortness of breath you should stop immediately.