Did you know, that in a four week period you could either lose or gain 80% of your fitness depending on what you choose to do?
Even the most toned athlete can lose 80% of his or her level of fitness by spending a whole month in bed. What is exciting is even the most out of shape amongst us is only four weeks away from an 80% increase in their fitness level.
4 step process to implementing the “Four week rule”.
FIRST: Make a decision that your health is worth it and take responsibility for it.
SECOND: Become accountable to someone, whom you trust, to give you encouraging feedback and keep you on track when you really don't feel motivated.
THIRD: Find an activity that you enjoy so that you look forward to the workout.
FOURTH: Modify your activity, such as walking, biking, running, dancing, weights, etc. to your current level of fitness. Just make sure that you don’t do too much at once. There is no benefit to go from complete inactivity to a gym rat in the next 4 weeks. As you have heard, “Rome was not built in one day”. Move at a steady pace for at least 10 minutes 3 times a week and slowly building from there. This will make it easier for you to keep yourself motivated.
One of my goals in practice is to ensure that your muscles and joints are properly balanced. It is beneficial for you to get an evaluation before starting an activity in order to reduce the chances of you getting injured or creating unnecessary strain or sprain on your body. Also, it is an excellent idea to get yourself checked up by your family physician before starting any strenuous activity.
Give this four week rule a try and see what happens! Let me know via e-mail.
Your trusted advisor, Dr. Zeya Alikhan DC