Schwinn 206 Recumbent Bike Owner's Manual - Page 26

GUIDELINES 3. Focus on the positive. Avoid looking at your exercise program as a way to fix something that's wrong with your body. Instead focus on your successes. Congratulate yourself after each workout. Thrive on the energy that exercising gives you. 4. Develop a constructive attitude. Do not focus on what you are giving up to exercise on a regular basis, but on what new options you'll have after you become fit. 5. Engage your body and mind. Connect on a deeper level, you'll be more likely to stay with your routine. If your exercise time on a stationary bike is your 30-minutes away from work or a time for reflection, you're much more likely to stick with it. Individuals claim to experience an increased sense of creativity and an enhanced thought process due to a regular exercise program. 6. Consider many of the physiological benefits. If a strong and fit body isn't enough to keep you motivated, consider some of the hidden benefits of exercise: lower blood pressure, stronger heart, more efficient pulmonary system, lower risk of osteoporosis and stress reduction. n It's Never Too Late . . . for Fitness Most of us have very busy schedules and to keep our fitness level intact we have to be extremely efficient. These three words, efficiency of effort, form the core of creating your own home fitness center. Efficiency of effort means producing maximum gains with minimal time spent; this is the goal of most of us when designing our home fitness program. The bottom line is you must be creative and innovative to get the best results. With this book and your own creativity a great workout is only a few moments away; a different grip on the multi-gym, a varied stepping rhythm on the stepper, a new intensity on the stationary windload simulator or a more rapid stroke rate on the rower. By varying your workouts you'll create maximum gains in the shortest time frames. As you will see, your home fitness equipment will allow you to reach your fitness goals and prepare properly for a healthier lifestyle. Anyone who is serious about fitness - or for that matter just improving their overall fitness - should have a few basic pieces of home fitness equipment. It makes no difference if you are a competitive cyclist or triathlete, an executive or someone trying to tone their muscles, the home fitness center is the most efficient way to help you reach your physical potential. Edmund R. Burke, Ph.D., is author of the Complete Home Fitness Handbook, published by Human Kinetics Publishers. It can be found at major book stores or you can order it by calling 1-800-7474457. He also serves as Director of the Exercise Science Program at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. n Suggested Readings: Burke, Edmund. Complete Home Fitness Handbook, Champaign, IL., Human Kinetics Publishers, 1996. Book illustrates how to set up a home gym, purchase equipment and gives workout programs for various pieces of home fitness equipment. Anderson, Bob; Pearl Bill; and Burke Ed. Getting in Shape: Workout Programs for Men & Women. Bolinas, CA., Shelter Publications, 1994. Offers information on how to set-up a balanced fitness program of cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training. Burke, Edmund. Precision Heart Rate Training. Champaign, IL., Human Kinetics Publishers, 1998. Fine-tune your workout intensity. This book fully explains why and how to train with a heart rate monitor. 24