Don’t do your Rx Run-Walk for the day if you have a fever, chills, or muscle aches.If you have a question not covered in this section, we want to hear from you! Please contact us through our website www.HERprescriptions.com.
Did you know every year after age 35, a woman’s metabolism slows down such that she is destined to gain 0.5 to 1 lbs per year? It’s unfair but true. Add in another 0.5 to 1 lbs per year for sleeping less than seven hours a night, and that’s a two-pound weight gain per year before we can even blink. Regained weight is most often related to no longer following a careful Rx Run-Walk and Rx Eat. In addition, your body does reset—it becomes more efficient in the way it uses the calories you eat. To offset the silent weight creep, women must get and stay active, eat well, and sleep enough.
The specific Rx Run-Walk days were chosen because based on our experience, most women have been successful at regularly doing Rx Run-Walk on that particular schedule. Our preference is that you think outside the box and move other priorities around to make room for Rx Run-Walk as the schedule is prescribed. If due to unusual circumstances, you are going to miss just one day, but the regular schedule usually works for you, go ahead and move the Run-Walk to a rest day that is convenient for that week. Then go back to the regular schedule.
If you are just not able to make the regular schedule work for you, here are some rules of thumb:
•Run-walk at least four days per week.
•Always arrange for a rest day after a hard run-walk day.
•Do not run-walk more than two days in a row. You need a rest day after two days of run-walk.
•Do not have a rest day on more than two days in a row.
There are so many individual health issues with a cold that you must consider your unique situation to find the answer that’s right for you. There are many infections that initially seem to be a normal cold but are not. If you feel bad enough to stay in bed, you might need to call your doctor’s office. If you feel well enough to consider doing Rx Run-Walk, it’s likely okay to do so. Here are some red flags (i.e., reasons to skip Rx Run-Walk for the day:
Don’t do your Rx Run-Walk for the day if you have a fever, chills, or muscle aches.
Don’t do your Rx Run-Walk if you have breathing problems that do not improve with your regular medications. If you have to use your rescue inhaler more than once, don’t do Rx Run-Walk, call your doctor.
Don’t do your Rx Run-Walk if you are dizzy, or having chest pain or difficulty thinking. Be in touch with your doctor.
If you have been regularly taking your Rx Run-Walk (for at least 12 weeks), you can probably just pick up your schedule where you left off. Studies have shown that you can maintain conditioning even when you don’t run-walk for five days in a row. Surely you want to continue regular run-walks if you can, but staying injury-free has an even higher priority.
If you feel any of the three signs of injury listed here, you should stop your run-walk immediately and take some extra rest days (at least two days in a row). Continuing to do the same exercise that irritated the tendon or muscle at early stages of an injury creates a dramatically worse injury, even during one workout. If you take 2 to 3 days off at the first symptom, you may avoid having to stop exercise for 2 to 3 months by trying to push through the pain. It is always safer to err on the side of taking more time off when you first notice one of the following signs:
1.Inflammation—any type of swelling, redness, or warmth
2.Loss of function—the injured area doesn’t work correctly
3.Pain—the kind that doesn’t go away when you rest for a few minutes
The longer you’ve been away from Rx Run-Walk, the slower you must return.
Less than 2 weeks off. You will feel like you are starting over again but should come back quickly. Let’s say that you are at week 10 in your training program but had to take 10 days off. Start back at week 2 for the first week. If all is well, skip to week 4 for the second week. If that works well, gradually (i.e., over the next 2 to 3 weeks) transition back to the week 10 schedule you were using before you had your layoff. If you were already taking the week 30 dose—considered your full dose of Rx Run-Walk—start back at week 20 and gradually work your way back from there based on how you feel.
14 days to 29 days off. You will feel like you are starting over again and it will take you longer to get it all back. Within 5 to 6 weeks you should be back to normal. Start at week 1 of your Rx Run-Walk training program. If there are no aches, pains, or lingering fatigue, then use the training schedule but skip every other week. If you feel good after doing the week 10 schedule, transition back into what you were doing before the layoff.
One month or more off. If you have not done your Rx Run-Walk for a month or more, start over again like a beginner. Reread chapter 3 and use the questions there to find the Rx Run-Walk that’s right for you. Then start at week 1 of your new training program.