Transform Your Life: The Ultimate Guide to Conquering CHOP Month 1
Unlock your body's potential with our CHOP month 1 guide
CHOP Month 1: Your Guide to Getting Started
Congratulations on taking the first step towards controlling your POTS symptoms, and choosing a healthier you! By committing to CHOP, you're already on the path to a stronger, more confident self. This program is all about taking control of your health and making positive changes that will benefit you for years to come. So, take a moment to acknowledge yourself for making this choice and get ready to unlock the power of CHOP Month 1.
The CHOP exercise program is an effective way to manage POTS symptoms and improve your overall cardiovascular health. With dedication and patience, you can build up your exercise tolerance and enjoy a better quality of life.
Ready to dive in? Here are the five steps you need to start your CHOP programme.
Prepare: Before starting the CHOP exercise program, it's important to take some time to get ready. Print off the CHOP calendar here and put this somewhere safe, so that you can mark your progress on it daily. Make sure you have set a consistent time each day to exercise, and ensure that you are eating a balanced diet that supports starting exercise. Also, remember to stay hydrated and take breaks as needed. If you're able, seek support from a Vestibular Physiotherapist to help guide you through the programme, and always make sure your healthcare provider is aware you plan to start a graded exercise programme.
Follow the Guide: The CHOP exercise program provides a calendar that outlines the exercises you should perform on each day of the week. Follow this to ensure that you are performing the correct exercises in the correct months. You don't have to follow this "to the day", but it is important that you try to stick to the week's schedule as much as possible.
Understand the Strength and Cardio Exercises: The CHOP exercise program involves a split between strength and cardio exercises. On strength days, you will perform exercises to build your muscle strength and endurance. On cardio days, you will perform recumbent exercises on your bike or rower to build your cardiovascular fitness. It is important that you review the guide to understand the specific strength exercises recommended for CHOP.
Calculate Your Heart Rate: To ensure that you are exercising within a safe heart rate range, it is important to calculate your base pace and MSS heart rates. The handy MSS/ Base Pace calculator here calculates your optimum heart rate and how to use heart rate targets to guide your exercise intensity.
Purchase a Recumbent Bike or Rower: To start the CHOP exercise program, you will ideally have access to a recumbent bike or rower. This equipment will allow you to perform the recommended recumbent exercises in the comfort of your own home. If you don't have access to a recumbent bike or rower, don't worry! CHOP is designed to gradually increase your exercise tolerance, so you can start with simple exercises like leg lifts, knee bends, and arm lifts with light weights.
Ready to Get Your Heart Pumping? Let's Learn How to Calculate Your Heart Rate and Guide Your Workouts Like a Pro!
If you suffer from POTS, brain fog can make it challenging to calculate your exercise heart ranges.
To make things easier, we've created a handy Heart Rate calculator for CHOP that takes into account your age and resting heart rate to determine your target heart rate range for exercise. Simply input your details into the calculator and it will provide you with the optimal heart rate range for your workout. This way, you can focus on your exercise routine without the added stress of calculating your heart rate manually.
Remember, always check in with your medical provider before undertaking a new exercise programme to make sure this is safe.