Exercise: Essential
|
The only absolute truth in the area of exercise and weight loss is this: Becoming more physically active will burn calories, and as long as you don't absorb those calories back by eating more, you will lose weight. Getting active and getting your muscles to burn more calories is an essential part of a weight management program. It will improve your circulation and your nervous system more than any diet could. Regular exercise can fight all signs of aging, lower cholesterol ratings and reduce osteoporosis. But the question that fuels the multi-million dollar fitness industry is, "What exercise is best?"
This is a very contentious area. Mr. Weightless will only tell the simple truth, so below is the information that has been proven to be true, but the final judgment is yours.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race...
Slow and steady exercise that raises your heart rate a significant amount, but that still allows you to breathe without struggling for at least 20 minutes will encourage fat loss. This is called aerobic exercise. The term aerobic means "with air", meaning that your muscles are burning sugar and fat in the presence of oxygen. To be able to burn calories in the presence of oxygen, you have to be taking regular breaths, so the activity you're doing must be a moderate pace, at most. For many people who are overweight, this can mean simply a fast walk. For many athletes, this may be a quick jog. It doesn't matter where you are along the spectrum as long as your heart rate is raised and you can breathe normally or carry on a conversation.
Why 20 minutes? At first, your body will only burn blood-sugar because it is readily available. If you keep going long enough, your body realizes that blood-sugar won't be enough, so it starts burning fat as well. If you stop exercising before this happens, then your body will simply be tired and you will feel hungry because your blood-sugar will be low (see my article on Satiety, click here). Your body wants to retain the fat and avoid burning it. This is a survival mechanism... read my article on Adaptation that you can find on my website.
...Or Does Maximum Intensity?
There is another school of thought that has had similar success with just as much good theory behind it. Vigorous exercise for 10-15 minutes will burn just as many calories from your blood-sugar as a longer duration exercise, but it will also raise your metabolism for many hours afterwards. In other words, you won't burn fat during your workout, but you will slowly burn fat for a period of time after finishing. This method has been shown to have more dramatic effects on lowering body-fat than the low-intensity exercise described above. This is anaerobic exercise, meaning "without air". You'll be going fast enough that your breathing won't be enough to fuel the calorie burning. Carbohydrates (blood sugar) will burn without oxygen, which leads to the creation of lactic acid. This is what accumulates in your muscles, and makes them feel like they're burning.
However, there are serious drawbacks to this method, which make it difficult to recommend this strategy exclusively. Before embracing the high-intensity mindset, read below.
First, if a person is just starting a program, they risk serious injury if they try to exercise too vigorously. Knees, hips and ankle joints are very common injury sites, and muscle cramping can be very painful even if it is short-lived. Don't exercise at your peak intensity until you're used to exercising!
Secondly, high-energy activities tend to be high-impact on the body. Running fast, playing racketball, and jumping jacks wear down the connective tissues in the body, so even if a person is not directly injured, they are causing long-term damage. People who run road races often have chronic hip, knee and ankle pain. If you decide to pursue this type of high-energy program, I highly recommend a reclined stationary bike to reduce the strain on your joints.
The third problem is: How vigorous does a person need to exercise? If you go at your absolute peak, you may only last three minutes, maybe less, and that won't be effective. It is difficult to gauge how much you can push yourself to be exhausted exactly at 12 minutes.
Finally, though vigorous exercise technically takes less time, it requires changing into workout clothes, doing the exercise, then taking a shower and changing back again. That means scheduling more time for the preparation than for low-intensity activities, as well as having access to a place to change. On the other hand, going for a brisk walk you can do on a whim, maybe more than once a day, in your regular clothes.
The Best of Both Worlds: Two Alternatives
You can get good results using either method, but the best method is to combine the two. If you're in the gym using a stationary bike, your goal should be to do a warm-up of aerobic activity for about 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of anaerobic exercise. For many people, a 20 minute brisk walk followed by a 10 minute fast bicycling makes the most sense. For those who play high intensity sports like racketball, a light warm up on a stationary bike for 20 minutes before a match can kick-start the fat burning process. Everyone is different.
That may be too much for someone who is just starting out, though. The best recommendation is to start at a low intensity activity like walking, and gradually increasing the intensity week to week. A good way to do this is to walk down the street directly away from your home for 20 minutes, then turn around and walk back at a slightly quicker pace. This low-intensity 40 minute exercise every day should be fine for the first week. Don't aim to run right from the start, start slow, be patient, and improve consistently every day. After a week or two, turn the "walk away" portion into a quick power-walk and try to jog all the way back. Remember to use time, not distance, as your measuring-stick. Making your workouts shorter is NOT the goal, we always want our fat-burning exercise to last 30 minutes, and our warm-up aerobics to last 20 minutes, regardless of distance.
The best fat-burning work out is difficult to program into a stationary bike, and works best on the street. This is "interval training". This type of workout allows you to get the benefits of high-intensity exercise and make it last over 20 minutes to burn fat right away. The formula is simple: Walk for 2 minutes, then run for 1 minute. Then repeat. Use the walking portion to catch your breath and prepare for the next high-intensity interval. At first, your "high intensity" may simply be a jog, don't over do it. Over the weeks, increase the intensity of your high-intensity portion. When you get up to a run, do NOT try to increase the duration of the high-intensity portion. You'll benefit more by continuing to increase the pace to a sprint, if possible. Keep the duration of the entire work out to 30 minutes or more. As I mentioned above, with all street running, beware the impact on your joints.
Frequency
How regular should exercise be? Every day. Anyone can fit in one half hour into their schedule. You should look forward to the physical activity, so choose one that you like to do if walking isn't for you. Remember that you're training your body to lose weight. If you don't exercise every day, your body will think that when you do exercise, it's a minor exceptional change. Only by doing it every day will your body come to expect it, and will therefore prepare for it. Training your body to expect to burn calories is half the battle! If anything, take the stairs instead of the elevator.
David McCormick is the founder of Weightless Products. His Mr. Weightless site is dedicated to free weight loss articles and advice. There are no banners, no pop-ups, and you will never be asked for your email address.
Mr. Weightless: Wait Less for Weight Loss!
http://www.weightlessproducts.com
|
|
|
Diet Pills And Safe Weight Loss: A Quick Guide To Diet Pills
Serious diet pills are intended for people who are overweight to the point of being considered obese. Therefore, they are known as anti-obesity drugs; and should not be used for quick, temporary weight loss.Diet medications and...(related: Weight Loss)
The One And Only Way To Lose Weight
There is only one way to lose weightThere really is only one way to lose weight. You have to burn more calories than you use in a day. It sounds clinical and counting calories is probably going to be involved. Every weight loss program on the market today uses one or a combination of the following methods. So whether you do it yourself or through weight loss programs, this is the only way you will lose weight. Find many to choose from at www.natural-weight-loss-programs.com.1. Eat less caloriesEat less calories than you use in a day. You have to ...(related: Weight Loss)
Winter Weight Loss Magic
If winter hibernation tends to pack on the pounds, take heart. There are some simple steps you can take this winter to prevent yourself from gaining weight. Even though it's a "natural" process to put on weight during the winter, it's not all that pleasant. So check out these simple steps to winter weight loss magic:>>>> WEAR RED: The color red is pure fire energy and it will literally melt fat. Add red to your wardrobe. For great weight loss while you sleep, wear red bicycle pants to bed (if you have weight around your belly and butt) or red pajamas. If you start to get too hot or a racing pulse, just wear red during the day.>>>> DOWSE: You c...(related: Weight Loss)
The Public Stoning Of Gastric Bypass Patients: When Things Get Ugly
Recently a woman went public in her online diet community with her decision for gastric bypass surgery. She was asking for fellowship and support from fellow dieters. What she received was a public cyber-stoning from hostile opinionated and poorly informed sanctimonious people.I was a bit taken back by the arrogance of some respondents: that if Lisa simply had the willpower she could lose the weight.Lisa has 170lbs to lose. In the last two months she has lost 7 pounds and a poster told her that was wonderful progress ? she should just keep doing what she's doing and lose the remaining 170 lbs. It would take Lisa, losing 3.5 lbs/month, 48 months to lose her weight. That is without setbacks or life's little disruptions. That's 48 months of maintaining a rigid diet/exercise program while seeing little progress. Few people can accom...(related: Weight Loss)
How Safe Is The Atkins Diet?
The Atkins Diet Seems To Never Go AwayFad diets come and go, but The Atkins Diet, a high-protein, low-carbohydrate weight-loss plan, seems never to go away, no matter how many medical professionals denounce it."Low-carb diets have been linked to increased frequency of colon cancer, formation of kidney stones, kidney disease, and even osteoporosis," says Neal Barnard, MD, president of the Physicians Commission for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit research group based in Washington. "The weight loss you see in low-carb diets isn't all that much better than what you see in studies of low-fat, vegetarian diets."A Pretty Evil Weight Loss DietPutting it more bluntly is Kiku Collins-Trentylon, a sports train...(related: Weight Loss)
Fitness Resolutions
The holidays are now officially over and it's time to get back on track! January 1st is the day we all get to start over. A time to make the changes in our lives that we've wanted to make but got sidetracked along the way. So, you've had your fill of tempting treats. The holidays are always exciting and indulgent. Now that they're over, hopefully you'll never want to look at another piece of pumpkin pie or vat of mashed potatoes. Starting a healthy eating program will be a plea...(related: Weight Loss)
Which Is Better? Exercise Or Dieting?
If you want to reduce your body fat, focus on increasing the amount of exercise you get rather than decreasing your food intake. A recent national study was done using two groups of sedentary men, one group in their 20's and the other over age 65. A lot was learned from this accumulated data and it ...(related: Weight Loss)
A Look At Bariatric Surgery Complications
Although many patients have few problems after bariatric surgery, there is the potential for complications, both small and large, just as there is with any surgical procedure. Minor complications can include dietary intolerance, hair loss, dry skin, menstrual irregularities, or pain. Other complications that may occur include dumping, stenosis, a narrowing of the gastric pouch's outlet, vitamin or mineral deficiencies and anemia, gallstones, and vomiting caused by stretching the pouch.More serious risks, ones that may need emergency attention, include bleeding, blood clots, infection, leakage of stomach acids, bowel obstructions, or hernia. Additional surgeries may be needed to correct any health problems that occur because of these complications. Of course, death is a risk as well, although the risk is less than on...(related: Weight Loss)
Mind, Body Weight Loss For Life Equals Behavior Change - The Acceptance Factor
Getting to the ROOT of the matter: If the plants in your garden are not healthy looking, just trimming them back will not take care of the problem. What do the roots look like? I am no psychologist, but there is a very interesting twist you need to understand before you begin any weight loss or fitness program. To change unwanted behaviors, it's important to acknowledge your thinking toward exercise and eating. A lot of people believe they know what t...(related: Weight Loss)
Fast Weight Loss And Exercise - Pay Now Or Pay Them Later!
Why have I allowed myself to get into this shape? Have you ever said that? With life comes responsibility and with decisions comes consequences. It's your choice today to do something positive. Tomorrow it may be out of your hands. There are three underlying emotions that keep you from taking better care of yourself: denial, pride, and laziness. Consciously or subconsciously, this threesome is the root of why most Americans have allowed themselves to get in the shap...(related: Weight Loss)
Getting Through The Holidays Without Gaining Weight
Now that the holiday season is here, holiday foods and meals take center stage. And this is as it should be. Food is a terrific celebration ...(related: Weight Loss)
site-map - Copyright © 2007 | Contact Webmaster - shukra1111 [AT] yahoo.com | All Rights Reserved | Weight Loss