Raw Body Fitness
RAW BODY FITNESS
Physical exercise and proper diet are absolutely essential for a strong and healthy body. Without both, a strong and healthy body is not possible. Since proper diet has already been addressed in “Why Eat Raw Food?”, we will now focus our attention to physical exercise.
Your Muscles
Without muscles, you could not move. You couldn’t stand. You couldn’t walk. You couldn’t write or talk. You couldn’t even blink your eyes. Even worse, your heart and blood vessels would not work and you couldn’t live. You were given muscles to be able to move your body parts, so it is important for you to keep your muscles strong and working properly. Remember, your heart is also a muscle and you want it to keep working flawlessly without skipping a beat.
Take good care of your body and your body will take good care of you!
Who Should Exercise?
Age is not a factor in determining whether or not you should exercise. It doesn’t matter if you are 10 years old or 90 years old. If you are either very old or very young, you still need to exercise although the amount and intensity will be different.
Strength is not a factor. You need to exercise if you are strong or if you are weak. If you are strong, you want to stay strong. If you are weak, you want to get strong.
The simple answer is that everyone needs to exercise.
Questions About Physical Exercise
What kind of exercise should you do? How hard should you exercise? How long should you exercise? How often should you exercise? Should you exercise every day? What foods should you eat before exercising? What foods should you be eating after exercise? What if you don’t see results right away?
What Kinds of Exercise Are There?
There are three basic kinds of physical exercise: Aerobic exercise, bodybuilding and stretching.
Aerobic exercise is important and effective to get your heart rate and breathing increased enough to cause more life giving oxygen to flow through your body and brain. It also helps keep your blood vessels clean and clear and strengthens your heart. You will always notice that your mind is much sharper after an aerobic exercise. That’s because you are delivering increased amounts of needed blood and oxygen to your brain
Another benefit of aerobic exercise is that it burns large amounts of calories helping to eliminate excess fats.
Bodybuilding or resistance training is important because it creates stronger muscles and bones. Every time your muscles are called to work, they contract, generating the power required for a specific task and tear down muscle tissue in the process. Immediately after they work out and tear down tissue, they begin healing and rebuilding. Each time they heal and rebuild, they get a little bit stronger and larger. That is the basic principal behind bodybuilding. If, on the other hand, they are not used, they will get weaker and atrophy, getting smaller.
When your muscles contract, they exert a pulling force on your bones through connective tissue such as ligaments and tendons. In response to this pulling, your bones become stronger so they will be ready for an even greater effort next time. Bodybuilding is, therefore, also great for strengthening your bones.
Stretching causes your muscles and connective tissues to lengthen and relax allowing the body to be more limber and flexible. We don’t want to be rigid or stiff. We want to be limber, supple and move easily. Being limber also helps prevent injury from a sudden extreme movement.
What Kind of Exercise Should You Do?
The answer is that your body needs all three kinds of exercise. Spend one hour each and every day, 6 days a week, alternating between aerobic exercise for one day followed by muscle strengthening the next day and stretching the following day. Each time you perform a muscle strengthening routine, it is important to work out a different muscle group from the previous workout so that your muscles will recover properly.
You probably noticed that I said you should exercise 6 days each week and not 7. That is because your body needs one day to rest and recover. So you should pick one day each week when you let your body just relax and take it easy.
What Kind of Aerobics?
Depending on your physical condition, you can walk, jog or run on flat terrain or hills. You can walk, jog or run on a treadmill. You can climb on the stairmaster or stairclimber. You can do spinning classes. Aerobic classes. You can swim laps. Ride your bike. Play tennis or raquetball. You can do anything that will get your heart rate into your target zone and keep it there for as long as you can for up to an hour. Be sure to check with your doctor or your trainer before you start on your exercise program. If you need to, start slowly and gradually increase your effort.
Buy yourself a heart rate monitor to help you keep your heart rate in a desired zone that is optimum for you. This helps to keep you working just hard enough and yet not too hard. One basic guideline is that when your breathing is labored, you should always be able to talk reasonably comfortably. You should never be so out of breath that you can’t talk easily.
There are several different methods for calculating your target heart rate, but you should investigate for yourself with your doctor or by going online for guidance. One old method that I have used is to take the number 220 and subtract your age and then multiply the answer by 80% and that should be your target heart rate. For example, if I am 66, I subtract 66 from 220 which gives me 154. I then multiply 154 times 80% and that gives me a training heart rate of 123 beats per minute. Everyone is different and some may be able to train at higher or lower rates, but that will at least give you some idea of the approximate rate you should target.
It is extremely important that if you ever feel weak or dizzy while you are exercising, stop exercising immediately and do not push any further until you feel good enough and safe enough doing so.
What Kind of Bodybuilding and Stretching?
The best plan is to join a gym and work with a trainer where they have all the weights and machines in one place. Plus a trainer will be able to provide you with the correct exercises and also should be able to inspire you to push yourself to your limits. But please understand that you do not need a trainer and you can easily do this by yourself.
If you work out by yourself, there are some basic rules that will help you select the proper amount of weight for each exercise. Let’s say you are working out your biceps and you don’t know how much weight to use. This will take a little experimenting, but it won’t take long. Select enough weight where you can do between 8 and 12 repetitions, slowly and with full range of motion, and where you can’t do one extra rep. Let the muscles rest for one or two minutes and then do the set again. Repeat at least three sets with a brief resting period between sets.
Don’t be concerned about lifting a heavy weight. You might start out using 5 or 10 or 20 pound dumbbells, but in a few months you can easily be up to 20 or 30 pounders. It happens fast. Start slow and work up gradually. Also, during each workout session, you may have to decrease the amount of weight with each additional set. You may even find that on your last set, you don’t even need any weight for some exercises, especially shoulders. Experiment, but remember the basic rule of slow motion and full range of motion with enough weight to only do between 8 to 12 reps for each set.
In a few weeks you can begin to increase the number of sets building up to 6 or 8 sets per workout.
You should make a list of which muscles you are going to exercise and on what day. You should also keep track of the weight and the amount of reps.
Visit the Raw Magic Super Store and find a selection of great exercise DVD’s or research the internet and discover what kind of exercise programs are available on DVD or video for home use.
I personally like the P90X program by Tony Horton because it’s very effective and takes only one hour per day to get really great results. P90X mixes it up every day from bodybuilding to aerobics to stretching. If at first you find that it’s too hard to duplicate what you see on the video, don’t be discouraged. Start slowly at your own pace where you can hang in for the hour and you will only get stronger and better in a matter of a month or two. That’s what I did and it worked great.
When I started, there was no way I could do what they were doing, so I just followed along and did whatever I could do to stay up, even if that meant using no weights at all or doing push ups on my knees or doing only partial push ups or pull ups. In time, you will get stronger and before you know it, you will be following along just like the people on the videos.
Even if you are much older and have difficulty moving, you can benefit tremendously and get stronger by simply doing whatever you can do for even a few minutes at a time and gradually increase the time and effort. Even if you are bedridden, you can exercise your arms and legs by simply moving them as much as you can. In time, your muscles will get stronger and you will be able to do more and more. Your body is a miracle and has the ability to get stronger if you just keep it moving and feed it properly.
Whatever you do, stay with it and I guarantee you will see great results if you don’t give up.When I started P90X, I was 66 years old, 30 pounds overweight and badly out of shape. P90X has given me and continues to give me everything I need in an exercise program. I get rigorous strength, aerobic and endurance training that gives me great results. I also get stretching and abdominal workouts as well as improving my balance. Remember to pace yourself and only push as hard as you feel is right. Listen to your body. When you are breathing hard during exercise, you should be able to talk without difficulty. Look at your heart rate monitor and confirm that you are exercising at a level that takes your heart rate up to your target rate and no higher.
Whatever program you decide on, mix it up and get outside. Go for an hour-long brisk walk or a run. Find a trail and go for a hike for an hour or two. Go for a long bike ride or whatever you feel is good for you. It feels great to get outside and you will be amazed at how good you will feel afterwards when your blood is pumping and your breathing is producing loads of rich oxygen for your mind and body.
Getting away from the usual places where you spend most of your time is good for expanding your mind. When you are in the same old place, your mind tends to be more rigid simply because it is in the same old predictable and safe place. When you leave that space and go outside, your mind will be more open to new ideas simply because you are now in a new place and out of your comfort zone. Try it! I find that it works great for me.
As far as stretching exercises go, there are hundreds of stretching and yoga classes and videos available. Look around and join a class that fits into your likes and your schedule. If that doesn’t work for you, buy a stretching or yoga DVD or video. You will find a great selection of videos in the Raw Magic Super Store.
In addition to stretching, yoga makes you feel better. Practicing breathing exercises, postures and meditation, makes you healthier in body, mind and spirit. Yoga lets you relax your mind and meditate to a deep, relaxing place that you will find very comforting and peaceful.
Move Your Body More
If you are used to parking right next to the entrance door where you are going, think about it and park farther away where you will have to walk further. If you can sit instead of lying down, do it. If you can stand instead of sitting, do it. Encourage yourself to walk more. If you are sitting down and watching television, instead of using the remote control, get up and change the channel. Think about moving as much as you can. Make yourself walk up and down the stairs instead of taking the elevator or the escalator. Always make yourself move more than you are used to. You’ll be glad you did when you look in the mirror and like what you see and when you feel stronger and move quicker like when you were younger. All those little baby steps add up!
Recovery Time and Muscle Development
For the quickest muscle development, it’s important to give the muscles that you just worked out adequate time to recover. Recovery can take anywhere from two days to a week depending on the size of the muscles and the intensity of the workout. It is also important to rest your body from all strenuous exercise for one day each week.
Usually the larger muscles like the quadriceps or back will take longer to recover. These large muscles may take up to one week to recover if they are worked hard. Smaller muscles may only take two days to fully recover. If you work a muscle too soon before it has fully recovered, the muscle will not develop as rapidly. That only serves to break down more muscle tissue before it has a chance to rebuild and is commonly called over training.
A little time, practice and research will get you on your optimum path.How Hard Should You Exercise?
The answer depends on your goals. Do you want the body of a powerful body builder? Do you want the body of an Olympic gymnast or do you want a lean well-defined body that will serve you well for the rest of your life?
The bigger the muscles you want, the harder you will have to work for them. Only you can answer the question, “how hard should you exercise?”.
How do You Know You Are Getting a Good Workout?
The answer to whether or not you got a good workout from stretching and aerobics is easy. All you have to do is do the exercise as prescribed and you know you got a good workout.
But bodybuilding or muscle strengthening is different. A general guideline to knowing that your last bodybuilding workout was a good one, is that the muscles you just worked out should feel weak for the first 24 hours after and they should feel a bit sore the next day or two.
The weakness and the soreness indicate that you did a good job tearing down your muscle tissue and now all you have to do is wait and let the perfect raw food you are eating rebuild your muscles to become stronger. You’ve done your part with the exercise and now your body will do the rest while you simply wait a few days. Pretty cool!
What Kind of Food Should You Eat Before You Work Out?
It’s important to eat a small amount of food about one hour before you work out so that you will have enough energy to get through your workout without feeling weak. It’s like putting gasoline in your car. Don’t have your body running on empty. Give it what it needs to operate at its’ best.
Fruits contain natural sugars and are excellent before a workout. They will insure that your blood sugar level remains high enough for a good workout. Don’t eat so much food though, that your stomach will be working hard and sending the blood you need for your muscles to your digestive tract instead. You don’t need a lot of food before a workout unless it is going to be intense. Your body will tell you if you listen to it.
If you eat the right food, you do not need to buy expensive supplements that probably don’t do much good anyway.
What Kind of Food Should You Eat After You Work Out?
After workouts, you need to stay with your natural uncooked vegan diet. Contrary to the popular myth about protein, you don’t need massive amounts of protein because there is plenty of it in your normal vegetable and fruit diet.
Click on these two links to see videos about the Protein Myth: video 1, video 2. If you want more information, then go online. You will find several large and powerful bodybuilders who are 100% vegetarian. They may increase their food intake, but they don’t eat meat or dairy.
There is plenty of protein in vegetables. Confirm this by watching the videos about protein in the “Testimonials”. Also, think about powerful, muscled animals like gorillas, rhinos, bulls and others that eat only grass. How did they become so powerful by eating only grass? They don’t eat proteins and they don’t eat high-priced supplements. They just eat a lot of plain old fresh, living grass and leaves.
What if You Don’t See Result Right Away?
Many of us have heard stories about people who have exercised regularly, and for some unknown reason, they did not lose weight. You may have even experienced this yourself. The truth is, that when you follow RAW MAGIC, you will not fail. You will definitely succeed! RAW MAGIC really works for everyone.
Do It!
Okay now, it’s time to make your plan for your exercise and actually do it. Once you get started, stay committed. Always make the time for your daily exercise. You will be happy you did…..and remember, you are worth it!
Enjoy your new body!
Check with your physician before you begin any diet or exercise program that is new or before you modify any prescription medication you are currently taking.