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Part II - June Exercise Program

You should now be starting to feel the benefits of four weeks’ worth of exercise – so keep it up! This month, we’re going to raise the bar by placing a couple of longer cardiovascular exercises in between your regular strength workouts. These can be as varied as you like, for example brisk walking, running, swimming, a bike ride or a session with a skipping rope. All exercise should now be at an ‘intermediate’ level, so it’s even more important to always warm up and cool down properly after each session (see below).

Warm up
Before you start any cardio exercise, you need to loosen up your body with plenty of gentle muscle -stretching. This will help you avoid pulling or tweaking muscles during your workout.

Cardio
Once you’ve limbered up, choose your cardio option. As we’ve suggested above, this can be anything from step-ups on a staircase to pedalling on an exercise bike for 30 minutes. If you’ve been following our plan, you should be capable of more intense exercise by now, always start out slowly and then build up speed, and remember to take in fluids every 15 minutes.

Resistance training
Finish with a good session of resistance training, including squats (with hold at top and bottom); press-ups (front of knees) and triceps (legs further away). We’re also adding two new exercises for the upper body – bicep curl and lateral raise (see videos below) – and three stomach exercises: front curl, crossover and reverse curl.

Cool down
Often overlooked, cooling down is an incredibly important part of your workout, so don’t skip it! To cool down (also known as warm down), gradually reduce the intensity of your exercise; do some gentle stretches, and take in liquid to help you rehydrate. As well as giving your heart (and, as a result, blood flow) a chance to return to ‘normal’, this will help your muscles to flush out lactic acid, which can cause stiffness and cramp.

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This month's tip:
Don't ignore the need for more sleep. Studies have proved that even 10 extra hours of sleep per week can have a positive difference on cardiovascular ability, strength and flexibility.

Healthy food of the month:
Nuts. We’re talking about almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts, peanuts and cashews (preferably unprocessed). Nuts are an excellent antioxidant; a great form of protein; and, most importantly, contain plenty of Omega-3 oils which help to lower blood cholesterol levels and build strong muscles and bones.