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Diet
and Exercise Evolution - Best Weight Loss
Exercises
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by:
David McCormick
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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 run. It doesn't matter where you
are along the spectrum as long as your heart rate is raised and you can
breathe normally.
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). Your body wants to retain the fat
and avoid burning it. This is a survival mechanism... read my article
on Adaptation.
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. 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
You can get good results using either method, but the best method is to
combine the two. 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 run 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 Ultimate Weight Loss Exercise
Interval Traning is the best combination of long-duration aerobic
exercise and short-duration anaerobic exercise, and can melt the fat
off faster than anything else. Look for my article describing Interval
Training on WeightlessProducts.com
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.
About the Author: David "Mr.
Weightless" McCormick is the founder of Weightless Products, the best
weight loss program for men. All articles are available in full for
FREE, with no banners, no pop-ups and no registration. Wait Less for
Weight Loss, visit http://www.weightlessproducts.com
Source: www.isnare.com |
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