Many people still believe in cardio training as a way to prevent heart disease or heart attack. However, in part one of our short series, I discussed why the push for cardio training has far more to do with big business selling “health” products you don’t need.
The real issue isn’t one of preventing cardiovascular disease by aerobic exercise. It’s getting the right kind of exercise to benefit your physiology plus meeting the demands of your work and sports environment.
For example, aerobic conditioning is not general. If it were, any world-class marathon runner could jump on a bike and win the Tour de France, or even the 70.3-mile Ironman World Championship triathlon!
Also, strength training is not general. There is a very finite amount of carryover from one lift or movement pattern to the other. If this were actually true, the best squatter would be the best dead lifter too.
Building True Fitness
Everyone needs to build fitness. However, fitness that lasts (aerobic or anaerobic) must be built on a solid foundation of real health principles. Proof of this premise can be seen when legendary marathon runners (Jim Fixx) and champion bodybuilders (1995 Mr. Australia Lou Barrie) die of heart attacks at a young age.
When we follow our Primal Pattern® type — eat high-quality organic foods and do this regularly to maintain our blood sugar levels in an optimal range — get to bed at a reasonable hour and learn to manage our stressors, the addition of an exercise program of any type becomes truly therapeutic and offers disease prevention.
Aerobic fitness atop the standard American diet of carbohydrates, refined sugar, additives and preservatives (CRAP!) doesn’t offer resistance to disease. In fact, it may well bring it on!
Why? That’s simple. Exercise is a stressor. If you add more stress to an already stressed system, it will CRASH!
You may think this is simple, logical, straightforward stuff, but it isn’t because, again, there is big money involved here. There’s thousands of examples I could cite, including the many hospitals around the country that have contracts with McDonalds, Wendy’s and Chick-fil-A.
So, these fast-food “restaurants” feed sick and dying people in the hospital their sad crap, while they pedal away on bikes, pump pedals on stair masters, and about every other expensive aerobic machine you can imagine!
Real Aerobic Fitness
If you want functional aerobic fitness that lasts, I suggest that you study the principles presented in my book How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy! and listen to my audio program entitled, You Are What You Eat!
While you are in the process of revitalizing your body from the inside out, I recommend you choose movement patterns that provide injury prevention and improved performance in the environments where you work and play.
While exercising, all you need do is wear a heart rate monitor to determine your target heart rate zone. If you want a greater aerobic stimulus than your work or training environment is currently providing, simply shorten your rest periods.
In short order, your body will progressively experience a greater aerobic response to the stress impinging upon the system via the activity you have chosen.
If your heart rate begins to rise too high, simply take a little longer rest period or decrease the number of repetitions you are performing or the amount of time under load.
By following these simple guidelines, not only will you learn to eat, move and be healthy, you will possess the greatest form of heart disease prevention you could ever have: Good health!
Love and chi,
Paul
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