Power Snooze and Fartlek!

Power Snooze - OK, what brainiac coined this term? I don't know about you, but unless it's an all nighter, no 'nap' or 'snooze' makes me wake up feeling powerful, or sprightly. In fact, I wake up feeling very much like a Nanna (no offence). I need someone to come and spritz my face with cold water just to get me out of bed. Better yet hook an IV drip with coffee straight into my veins!

The reason I write this is that I have just woken up from an attempt at a so called power snooze! Jim and Bob were asleep so I thought I'd sneak in a 20 minute (who am I kidding, I wanted an hour at least) nap. No sooner had I begun dreaming of tonight's glass of wine I was rudely awoken by young Bob's squawking cry. Does anyone ever wake up from a 20 minute nap feeling better? I know I don't. It's for this reason I so often choose the guaranteed fatigue buster and get my backside hi-tailing it for a run. Even a weights session comes with a sure-fire burst of zest!

This morning Sexy Twin and I took the kidlets, and Sexy Twins's lovable canines, for a walk along the "ridge". We caught up on the daily goss, shared amusing anecdotes about our kids (I lamented I was ready to sell Jim on Ebay) and then inevitably our discussion turned to health and fitness.

Sexy Twin, like me, has a love for running. Hers began in the lead up to her wedding in an effort to shed her final post baby kilos. Like myself, she too found the adrenalin and strength one feels after running addictive. We jog together often, and in true twin form we can match each other stride for stride.

It has not always been the case though and both she and I will be the first to admit that in the initial stages of running we both had the grace of a hippopotamus doing ballet. An hour after my first decent run (20 minutes) my breathing was still laboured, and my face continued to resemble a beetroot. Like many things though practise makes perfect and the more I run, the easier it becomes. I even boast a healthy "sun kissed" glow these days after a run. Much better than being mistaken for Barney the Dinosaur, both in colour and physique.

When I first set about on my mission to battle the bulge, I stumbled across an amusing word in a weight loss magazine, fartlek. Honestly, this word is just ridiculous. The minute I see or say it, I feel like a 10yr old school girl getting the giggles at the word, fart! I think I am going to teach Jim to say it later so I can hear his gorgeous 3 yr old voice wrap it's way around such a funny word. The even funnier part is that the word "fart" means speed! Next time Muscle man lets one rip I'll have to ask how fast it was! 'Lek' for anyone who wants to know, means "play".

Fartlek, or as otherwise known (in the I'm not trying to be Guy Leach world), interval training, is where you increase and decrease your speeds as you progress for the duration of your run, or even walk. So for example on a typical treadmill run, I do the following:

• Warm up of 2 minutes at speed 6.5 km/pr hr incline of 2%
• 1 minute walk at speed 7.5 Km/pr hr
• 1 minute jog at speed 9
• 1 minute jog at speed 10
• 1 minute jog at speed 11

Repeat x's 6 and then warm down for 2 minutes at speed 6.5 again.

When I first began interval training I started at speeds ranging from 4km/pr hr through to 8.5.

Research has shown that interval training can help you burn 30% more fat than standard walking or running. You are encouraging your heart to work harder and constantly pushing yourself to be that little bit stronger. It's also a great way to measure fitness and see improvements in not only your fitness levels, but also your ability, both physical and mental.

You don't need to set about doing any sort of structured or forced intervals initially. Even just walking brisker between light posts (trees work too), or increasing the speed gradually on your treadmill each minute for 4 minutes (repeat 2-4 times to begin with and work your way up) are fantastic ways to get the heart pumping and the blood flowing.

So next time you are thinking of having a power snooze, how about a 20 minute fartlek session instead ;o)