Peripheral heart action (PHA) is a game-changer, with or without lockdown.

When it comes to ageing, research shows that next to genetics, lifestyle habits are the biggest shapers of the human body and that means your destiny is largely in your hands and not your DNA. Enough to motivate you to fine-tune your diet, start a regular exercise routine and ensure you get your eight hours of sleep. 

Or is this enough? The ‘healthy lifestyle’ drill is something we’ve all become accustomed to, so why do we tend to revert to our old habits? Perhaps this is down to following trends because we think we ought to, rather than really wanting to. The ‘want’ needs to come from within and post lockdown we now have a choice and more importantly, a reason. 

With this in mind, and understandably the fear of another possible pandemic, your priority should be focused on building a strong immune system and looking after your mental health. And what better way to start than with exercise!

When you exercise and learn to relax, your immune system lifts, cortisol and blood pressure levels go down, and your mood is enhanced. Bone density increases with weight bearing exercise, along with improved joint mobility and stronger heart and lungs. 

Regular practice of exercise and mobility seems to be able to alter the trajectory of age-related changes.

Nowadays with many of us working from home it has become clear that we do not need the most high-tech gym equipment to get a great workout, but still there seems to be the ‘I’m pressed for time’ excuse when it comes to taking action.

You are certainly not alone in the struggle to commit to the recommended guidelines of three cardiovascular (CV) and two resistance training sessions every week. Enter PHA training – a workout I’ve personally been teaching for years which has finally been given an official name. A time-efficient training formula that gives you a great CV workout whilst simultaneously toning up all the muscles – all in one session. With a warm-up, cool down, stretching and mobility included you’re onto an incredible results-driven workout 

It can be completed almost anywhere with minimal equipment such as light weights and resistance bands. Your own home can save you time, avoiding travelling time to and from the gym Equally, it can be done in the gym incorporating both resistance training and CV equipment. 

The theory behind PHA training is by alternating between upper and lower body exercises, the heart has to work harder to divert blood from one end of the body to the other, which is further enhanced with bursts of CV training. However, I’ve also found that switching between the upper and lower body allows you to achieve more without realizing how hard you’re actually working because you work the lower body to fatigue and then rest it whilst you train the upper body, and so on. Whatever your current level of fitness, incorporating even two PHA sessions into your will make significant improvements to your fitness levels and all-round conditioning.

Peripheral Heart Action (PHA) is going to be a game-changer for you! Once you’re into the PHA routines, you’ll notice changes fairly rapidly and realise just how effective and challenging they are. 

It’s certainly a smart way for time-pressed individuals to train – with or without lockdown!

Join me on Zoom for a complimentary PHA workout!