Warmed muscles burn fat more readily than cold muscles. The implications of this go deeper than you might think. Fat is released during stress. The stress of sudden, intense exercise, releases a deluge of fat molecules into the blood stream that are used as fuel.
If you start your exercise at full speed, your cold muscles can’t use these fat cells, and they end up in places where they aren’t wanted, such as the lining of your arteries.
A method of determining physical activity intensity is the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE). Perceived exertion is how hard you feel like your body is working. It is based on the physical sensations a person experiences during physical activity, including increased heart rate, increased respiration or breathing rate, increased sweating, and muscle fatigue. Although this is a subjective measure, a person’s exertion rating may provide a fairly good estimate of the actual heart rate during physical activity.
A simple way to understand your RPE:
RPE 1-2 Easy; You can have a conversation at this level.
RPE 3-4 Easy-moderate; You can still converse with minimal effort.
RPE 5-6 Moderate-hard; Conversation requires some effort.
RPE 7-8 Difficult, Very challenging; Conversation requires much effort
RPE 9-10 No-talking zone.
Are you at the point where you need individual attention from our staff with no interruptions? Consider making an appointment with Joyce for a one-on-one personal training session or with Tamara for one-on-one nutritional counseling. Ask at the front desk for a brochure of their services and fees.