If 2024 is all about taking your fitness to the next level so you can show off your new bod on cam, an important thing to remember is:
You don’t have to kill yourself exercising to get results.
Most of us refuse to believe that. We cling to the old saying, “no pain, no gain,” our faces beet red, heart stressed, sweat pouring… we think we need to exhaust ourselves to get the body we want; so, every new year, we commit to grueling workouts.
But here’s the problem… they don’t always work. And not only that there’s so much dread factor to them they may make you give up all together. Even worse you could injure yourself and put yourself out of commission.
On top of it, working out like a maniac may actually prevent you from losing weight.
If you find yourself committed to a fitness program that has you huffing and puffing begging for mercy only to see the scale never budging, it’s time to consider taking it down a notch and trying out the gentler Zone 2 workout.
What is a Zone 2 workout?
Recently they’ve come to light as one of the hippest types of fitness (even though the term has been around for quite a long time). Choose any workout you like but make sure to keep your ticker beating at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate – that’s called Zone 2. Cleveland Health Clinic explains in this article how to determine what that magic number should be based on your age. If you don’t have a watch to measure your heart rate while doing those burpees, a good rule of thumb is if you’re hitting Zone 2 you should be able to talk without being winded. If you’re gasping for breath your heart rate is mostly likely edging into Zone 3-5.
Why are Zone 2 workouts getting so much love?
They target fat and do not raise your cortisol. What is cortisol? As explained by CNN, it’s a stress hormone, and we need it for fight or flight situations.
If we go at exercise too hard it can put our body in flight mode, spiking our Cortisol. Not a good thing. Britni Vincent, a registered and licensed dietitian in St. Paul, Minnesota that was interviewed in the CNN article stated: “Overproduction of cortisol can cause belly fat. As your cortisol goes up, so does your blood sugar. And when our blood sugar goes up, our pancreas is going to output insulin.”
So, if you find yourself despising your workouts because they’re so darn hard, reassess. You want to be challenged, but not dying and Zone 2 workouts will give you results without knocking you out.
Check out these free ones on YouTube by Barlates Body Blitz to get kickstarted.
Main photo credit: iStock.com/torwai
Second photo credit: iStock.com/Nastco
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Alyssa Collins hails from Minnesota, where snowy days were the perfect excuse to stay warm inside and write. Over the years, she turned that joy into a career and has authored numerous articles for various publications (under pen names). Email Alyssa via alyssa@ynot.com.
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