As mentioned, the intensity level of exercise during a cleanse/detox
should remain within the 'fat burning zone'. By this it is
understood that your heart-rate should not exceed a certain
level. This is particularly for those who chose running as
their form of exercise as it is very easy to exceed your maximum
heart rate.
The 'fat-burning zone' is different for everybody. To calculate
this zone, we recommend the Stu Mittleman method. Stu is an ultramarathon
champion and set the world record for running the 1,000 mile
run (he completed it in 11 days) and also holds the US record
for the Six Day Run: 578 miles (96 miles/3.7 marathons per day!).
Stu also ran across America in 55 days, at a rate of 52 miles
per day in 2000. We can consider him to be somewhat of an authority
on aerobic training and running!
Calculating your Heart Rate Zones
The method for calculating your heart-rate zones according to
Stu is to subtract your age from 180. This defines your uppermost
limit before you start burning sugar instead of fat. Have you
ever finished a run and felt dizzy and queasy? This is because
you were burning sugar instead of fat! When exercising at this
level, the exercise actually becomes anaerobic instead of aerobic
and serves more to increase muscle strength/capacity. Indeed,
while training above this zone has many benefits and uses as
part of a wider training regime - it is far too intense while
detoxing.
The fat burning zones are broken down into three stages, at
the lowest level of intensity is the warm-up zone, followed by
the mostly aerobic pace (MAP) and then the most efficient pace
(MEP). MAP is the zone where the most fat burning takes place
and it is within this zone that you should concentrate your efforts
whilst detoxing in order to give yourself a work-out and to help
flush your lymphatic system.
Using myself as an example:
180 - my age (25) = 155
MEP Upper Limit = 155
- 10 = 145
MEP Lower Limit = 145
MAP Upper Limit = 145
- 10 = 135
MAP Lower Limit = 135
-10 = 125
Warm-up Zone = 125-135
Unless you run frequently, it will probably be fairly difficult
to keep within the warm-up and MAP zones whilst running and therefore
you may need to intersperse your running with walking, perhaps
for 200 meters every kilometer in order to keep your heart-rate
down.
Knowing your Heart Rate
Obviously, the best way to know your heart-rate is to wear a
heart-rate monitor. However, if you do not own one of these,
you can still roughly estimate which zone you are in using the
following guidelines:
Signs of being in MAP or MEP:
- you can still talk normally without being short of breath
- your vision is clear and you have heightened senses of smell
and sight
- you are in a steady, comfortable rhythm
- you would rate your level of intensity somewhere between 4
and 7 (at the very most)
Signs of being out of the fat-burning/aerobic zone:
- you are short of breath, especially when talking
- you may feel dizzy or nausea
- you do not feel comfortable
- you are looking forward to finishing!
- you would rate your level of intensity as above 7
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