Exercise at any age!!
So you’ve slacked off a bit and avoided exercise.
Maybe your job demands too much of your time or you simply fell out of the routine. I have news for you. Whether you’ve taken off one year, ten years or haven’t exercised a day in your life – it’s never too late to start.
You see there are problems with living a life devoid of exercise. Big problems.
Your weight rises along with your blood pressure and cholesterol. Your muscles and joints degenerate at an astounding rate leaving you with daily aches and pains. Your body becomes weak, making you susceptible to all kinds of medical issues.
Why Should I Start Now? You’ve heard about the benefits that consistent exercise bring, but what if you haven’t been consistent? Should you even start at all? This has been the subject of many medical studies and the results are unanimous:
Exercise helps improve your quality of life even if you start late.
Researchers are constantly finding new benefits to consistent exercise. It’s no wonder that Dr. Robert Butler, of the National Institute on Aging, once said “If exercise could be put into a pill, it would be the single most prescribed medicine in the world.”
Imagine if a pill could offer all of these benefits (without harmful side effects):
* Substantially reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and osteoporosis
* Decreases the risk for stroke, colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure
* Helps to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight
* Contributes to healthy bones, muscles and joints
* Helps relieve anxiety and depression
* Promotes well-being and reduces stress
* Is associated with fewer doctor visits, hospitalizations and medications
* Helps prevent and treat chronic medical conditions associated with old age
* Increases energy levels and promotes sound sleep
* Strengthens immune system
I know that I would take that pill – wouldn’t you? Exercise may not be something that you can gulp down with a glass of water, but it will offer you all of the above benefits that can greatly enhance your quality of life.
Excuses, excuses, excuses…
I know what you are thinking. Those benefits sound great, but I can’t exercise because:
* Exercise is painful. Not if you do the type most suitable for you.
* Exercise is boring. Most people who exercise find it to be quite enjoyable.
* Exercise takes too long. It only takes 30-60 minutes a day.
* Exercise is confusing. Not when you work with a trained professional like me.
* Exercise if for young people. Studies have shown that exercise if for all ages.
Get Started the Right Way. Many people have started an exercise program only to quit days later. Now that you have decided that exercise may be worth your time after all, ensure your success with the following tips:
* Make a Commitment
You know the meaning and value of a solid commitment. It’s in your blood. So don’t view exercise as something you will merely try. You will only reap the true benefits of exercise when you stick with it.
A great way to reinforce your commitment is to solicit the support of your friends and family. Tell them how you plan to improve your health and quality of life through exercise – who knows, they may join you.
* Set Reachable Goals
This is an immensely important ingredient to your success. Don’t start your exercise program with unreasonable expectations. If you expect to lose all of your unwanted pounds, drop your blood pressure and cure your joint pain all in one week then you will be sorely disappointed.
Remember that it took years for your body to fall out of shape so it makes sense that it will take some time to regain it. The key to unlocking all of the benefits of exercise lies in one word: consistency. Only then will your body be transformed.
* Rearrange Your Schedule
They say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. This may be because his schedule simply didn’t allow for it. The truth is that as we age there is a tendency to become ‘stuck in our ways.’
The thought of rearranging your schedule may leave you a bit squeamish.
Remind yourself that exercise is worth your time and then think long and hard about your daily schedule. The fact is that you do have time to lend toward exercise – you simply need to find it. Set aside 30-60 minutes for exercise and then stick with it.
* Increase the Challenge
You should start your exercise program with the thought of easing into it. Since you haven’t exercised in awhile your body will need to build up strength and endurance. Consider a car that has been sitting in your garage for years. You wouldn’t turn it on and instantly slam down on the gas would you? You need to warm it up.
However, this warm up period should not last forever. Your body has an amazing ability to adapt to new challenges and will grow complacent when asked to do the same exercises over and over. When your routine begins to feel easy take that as a hint to increase the challenge.
Don’t let another day pass you by. You deserve the good life. Take action now.
There are many exercise equipment products on the market today that are designed to enhance the exercise experience. Some of this equipment may include a treadmill, weights, step apparatus, rowing machine, etc. Often well-meaning resolutions or other commitments are the driving force behind the purchase of these pieces of exercise equipment. However, after some time, boredom begins to set in or possibly an injury which results in this apparatus being used to gather dust, become part of a garage sale or the focus of a ‘for sale ad’ in the paper.
Therefore, when selecting exercise equipment, it is important to select equipment that will provide physical exercise, not produce boredom, reduce the risk of injury and be comfortable to use.
Exercise
One benefit of exercise bikes is that it provides a good exercise workout. A good exercise workout is defined as that activity that provides aerobic benefits, works the major muscles and aids in maintaining or reducing one’s weight.
The benefit of an aerobic workout will stimulate the heart and lungs. The stimulation is achieved through the proper intensity and continued level of the exercise being conducted. The levels needed for this aerobic workout is dependent upon the age and health of the person who is exercising.
Another benefit of exercise bikes is the exercise received by the major muscles of the legs. Both the muscles of the lower legs and thighs receive considerable attention and allows for a good ‘burn’ to be achieved.
In addition, the benefit of exercise bikes is the burning of calories. It is estimated that a workout of 30 minutes can burned close to 300 calories. This burning of calories in conjunction with a decrease in calories consumed, can help to contribute towards the loss of weight or maintaining one’s weight.
Reduces Boredom
It is impossible to receive the benefits of exercising if one does not exercise. Although, there are no guarantees, the purchase of an exercise bike may decrease the boredom associated with other pieces of exercise equipment. This decrease in boredom is possible because the exercise can be accomplished while reading a book or watching TV.
Less Risk
Another benefit of exercise bikes is that there is less ‘shock’ associated with this exercise. ‘Shock’ is defined as a part of the body coming in contact with a hard surface. This ‘shock’ action can cause stress which can be detrimental to parts of the body such as the ankles, feet, and knees. Such an example of this ‘shock’ is jogging and the wear and tear realized by the knees when the feet hit the surface of asphalt or other hard running surface. Obviously, any exercise that is done and creates pain is an exercise program that should be abandoned.
Comfort of Use
In addition, a benefit of exercise bikes is their comfort of use. Not only are exercise bikes available that can be sat upon like a normal bike, but there are exercise bikes that are manufactured in a semi reclining position. These bikes provide more comfortable seating as well as allowing the legs to extend outwardly rather than straight down. This comfortable seating provides less risk to the person who is exercising and minimizes the possibility of losing your balance and falling.
When you think of exercise, do you think of toning your body? Maybe you think of losing weight or building muscles. Maybe your doctor has told you that you nave to exercise for health reasons.
There are a number of things that people think of when they think of exercise, but skin care is usually not one of them. I have seen the skin care benefits of exercise firsthand. My oldest son has been experiencing severe acne and recently joined the cross-country running team at his high school. After three weeks of running daily with the team, he has already begun to show a major difference in his skin.
Acne sufferers are not the only people that have their skin benefit from exercise. Exercise improves your circulation, which means that any skin will benefit from it. Increased circulation brings more nutrients to the skin and removes more internal toxins from it. Perspiration during exercise pushes upper layer toxins to the surface and, provided you cleanse the skin after exercise, these toxins are removed. The result is a natural glow that is associated with youthful, healthy skin. Of course, your skin will be much healthier, but it may not be as youthful, but it will appear that way.
Unlike my son, you do not have to take on an incredibly vigorous exercise; you simply need to begin doing an exercise that increases that heart rate for at least 20 minutes. Exercise that elevates the heart rate for 20 minutes or more will have keep your heart rate increased (to some extent) for the same duration after you stop the exercise. This mean that a light aerobic workout (or other form of exercise which increases heart rate) for 20 minutes will keep a slightly elevated heart rate for 20 minutes after you finish your workout. The same is true for other time periods for longer than 20 minutes; 30 minutes increases the heart rate for 30 minutes after you finish, etc.
When I say exercise that increases the heart rate, you will need to use common sense. Lifting weights to build muscle or slow walks do not do this. Exercises that work are brisk walks, aerobics, jogging, running, jumping on a trampoline, etc. Of these, the exercise that seems the easiest, but is actually the hardest to keep up for the duration of 20 minutes, is jumping on a trampoline.
Your dermatologist will tell you that, because the skin is the largest body organ, it reaps more benefits from exercise than the rest of your body parts. Aside from the benefits from increased circulation mentioned above, Exercise benefits the skin by creating the right environment for your skin to build collagen. Collagen fibers are the fibers that support your skin and help wrinkles from appearing. This is why you see women who work out regularly look so much younger.
As we age, the cells that produce collagen in out bodies slow down. The result of this is skin that appears loose and is dry and wrinkled. By adding a regular exercise routine, you skin gets the nutrients and oxygen it needs for these bells to perform their best. When these cells function better, your skin looks much more youthful.
Regular exercise will eventually help your muscles to relax. This seems odd since the first affects of exercise are a tightening and toning process that gives better shape to them. However, with continued exercise, your muscles pass this stage and learn to relax. Through this relaxation, anger expression lines and crows feet will begin to soften and future lines will be slower in coming. In other words, exercise is a great, cheap anti aging solution for your skin as well as the rest of your body.
Keep in mind that you cannot tone and build facial muscles like other body muscles. While there are fads concerning facial exercise and facial calisthenics, pleasing effects (if there are any) are only temporary. In fact, over time, facial exercise can actually make more expression lines and wrinkles appear.
No matter who you are of what your skin condition is, regular exercise will benefit your skin. Whether you have the acne and breakouts the younger skin is prone to or you have the lined, dry skin that older skin is prone to, exercising is going to help correct your skin related problems. One thing that you have to remember is that, without plenty of fluids (purified water and natural organic juices), your skin will not reap near as many benefits or reap them as quickly as it could.
There’s no doubt that hydraulic circuit training health clubs are more popular than ever before. With over 10,000 of these gyms dotting the American landscape, men and women alike are finding circuit training exercise to be relatively easy and certainly effective.
The question is, however, just how effective is circuit training exercise equipment when it comes to burning calories? Will the average workout buff incinerate 200 calories in a typical 30-minute circuit workout? Is it 400? 600? More?
Like many things in life, there are no exact answers when it comes to this exercise program and caloric burn. The reason is that different people will achieve different results from the same workout. To confuse matters even more, the same person will realize better results one day than they do another day, even though they’re using the exact same exercise machines for the exact same amount of time.
There are several reasons why this is so, some of which include:
* How hard you work / the effort you exert;
* The resistance settings on the machines;
* Your age;
* The amount of lean tissue (muscle) you have on your body;
* Hormone balance;
* Hydration levels;
* Does the workout contain enough cardio to elevate heart rate?
WORK = REWARD
Even though it may seem like common sense, the first point to make is that for circuit training weight loss exercise to be effective, you must put in some serious effort. Of course, this is also true of any exercise program! As an example, let’s take a look at cardio exercise in the form of running. A 165-pound person running at 5 mph for thirty minutes will burn 299 calories. That exact same person, running at 10 mph for thirty minutes, will consume 599 calories. The reward is directly related to the effort put forth. In this case, the number of calories burned more than doubles because the exertion is doubled. This principle is true whether we’re talking about aerobic exercise or weight lifting exercises.
RESISTANCE TRAINING EFFORT COUNTS TOO!
The underlying reality is that all weight training exercise machines are not created equal. Whether your goal is to exercise to lose weight or gain strength, the approach you take when resistance training has a direct relation to the number of calories you’ll burn. As an example, let’s consider our hypothetical 165-pound person again. When they resistance train moderately for thirty minutes, they can expect to burn about 112 calories. If, however, they resistance train vigorously for that same thirty minutes then their caloric burn will climb to 225. Again, the result more than doubles because the user has put in more effort.
If you’re going to gain the maximum benefit from circuit training then it’s important to hit the resistance portion of the workout with maximum effort. This means getting as many repetitions as possible (moving the exercise equipment quickly) and using the appropriate level of resistance.
2x THE WORK = 2x THE RESULTS
The bottom line is that how many calories you burn while circuit training is primarily up to you. The benefit of exercise that many people are seeking is caloric reduction (fat loss), so it stands to reason that if you’re going to work out it’s a good idea to put in maximum effort. Vigorous exercise, as opposed to moderate exercise, will double your fat loss results. This is true of both cardiovascular exercise and resistance training.
The exciting feature of hydraulic circuit training is that this exercise program actually combines the two different types of workout, so you’re getting your cardio and resistance training at the same time. By alternating between exercise machines and cardio stations, you maintain a constant elevated heart rate while at the same time working every single muscle group in the body. This ‘double duty’ workout serves to double your results, and it’s one of the major reasons why hydraulic circuit training is so effective.
SO WHAT’S THE ANSWER?
We know that you can burn from 299 to 599 calories in thirty minutes of aerobic exercise, and we also know that you can burn from 112 to 225 calories in thirty minutes of resistance training. Finally, we know that with the circuit training exercise routine you’re getting both types of exercise at the same time. Therefore, it stands to reason that you could conceivably burn between 411 and 824 calories in a thirty-minute circuit training session.
That’s why circuit training gym exercise works so incredibly well for those willing to exercise vigorously each and every time they enter the health club. It’s also a strong argument for hydraulic circuit training in general, as opposed to other forms of exercise such as exercise bikes, exercise balls or exercise treadmills. To achieve a calorie burn this high, you simply must be engaging in both aerobic and resistance exercise at the same time.
It’s easy to see why the best exercise tip is to take part in a regular exercise program on circuit training equipment. The proven caloric burn will bring you proven results.
Related Exercise Articles
Do you think of your body the way you think of your car? When a few lucky individuals acquire a sports car that boasts of the best automotive engineering available today, watch them read the maintenance manuals religiously.
They take their car for inspection even if it purrs like a kitten and take it for repairs as soon as something does not feel right. And they’re very concerned.
That car is their most prized possession, a symbol of all the long and hard hours they put on the job so they could finally acquire it. It cost an arm and a leg, so taking care of it is logically, their # 1 priority.
But how important is the person that drives that car? Shouldn’t that person – shouldn’t you – be the #1 priority?
Lifespan and Physical Appearance
The average life span of men and women is 80 years, give or take a few years. The painful truth is, a significant number of men and women look and feel 80 before they even make it to the first half of their life! You spot the tell-tale signs from their physical appearance:
sagging dry skin
unsightly posture
uneven and unsteady walk (they need to drag around those heavy pounds)
aching joints
sporting the “I’m not happy because I look terrible” look
Now, if their appearance is this bad, imagine what the inside machinery is like! Most likely, it’s even worse:
clogged vessels
inefficient heart
mounds of sugar and fat parked in or around vital organs
Conditions such as diabetes, nervous tension, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease that are silently brewing.
If fitness authorities had it their way, they’d create legislation to make exercise mandatory as soon as a baby leaves the cradle, not during the teenage years when obesity is likely to strike.
But fitness shouldn’t be associated with any age limit. You can start at 10 or at 30 – even at 50 and 60 – the idea being that fitness should not be seen as the cure for a condition that’s already come about. As the saying goes, don’t wait for illness to strike.
Assessing How Fit You Are
Brad King and Dr. Michael Schmidt in “Bio Age, Ten Steps to a Younger You” (Macmillan, Canada, 2001) have devised a questionnaire for assessing physical damage to a body as a result of no exercise. We will borrow some of their guidelines, which we will summarize here:
Start with the question, “How do I look?” Do any of these answers apply to you?
Am I overweight, looking like an apple or pear?
Do I have a spare tire around my waist?
Has my skin become excessively dry, almost paper-thin?
Next, ask: “How do I feel?”
Do my joints hurt before or after any physical exertion?
Am I constantly worried and anxious?
Do I feel tired and sluggish most of the time?
Do I suffer from mood swings?
Last question, “How am I doing?”
Are simple walking and climbing stairs difficult?
Do I have problems concentrating?
Is running impossible for me now?
Am I unable to sit straight, preferring to slouch or stoop my shoulders?
You’ve completed your basic assessment. Note, however, that other exercise or fitness gurus will have their own parameters or indices for assessing your body’s overall state and one isn’t better than the other.
As long as they include all dimensions of the self – physical, psychological and mental – they are as valid as the next person’s assessment charts.
Turning You into a Fitness Buff!
After going through the assessment phase, you’re probably experiencing what some people fondly call a “rude awakening”.
If you’re not mentally prepared to accept exercise, please don’t force yourself. Just be familiar with its benefits and when you’re wholeheartedly disposed towards giving it a crack in the can, proceed slowly. “Slowly but surely” is the exercise cult’s favorite slogan.
Slowly but Surely…
In fact “slowly but surely” was probably what motivated Denise Austin to come up with her popular one-minute exercises (more on this in a later section). She had two types of people in mind when she designed the one-minute movements:
1. Uninitiated
2. People on the go.
It’s a quickie society we live in; we want everything quick – especially exercise! – and many converts would be willing to include it in their routine for the sake of health, if there were a quick way to get in, and certainly a quick to get out.
Benefits of Exercise
If you make exercise part of your day, Denise Austin believes you’ll already experience some noticeable benefits. These include:
Waking up in the morning feeling refreshed
Walking with a sprightly gait
Having energy left at the end of the day
Feeling more optimistic about recreation
Sleeping more soundly at night
MORE Benefits of Exercise!
The benefits above are general. Let’s examine the more specific benefits of exercise on specific parts of the human anatomy, as described by Goldberg and Elliot:
Exercise prevents heart disease!
The average ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) is about 4.5. If this ratio doubles or reaches 7, you double your chances of developing coronary heart disease. You reduce that risk by as much as 50{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} if your ratio is 3 or lower.
The lowdown on cholesterol: not all cholesterol is bad. You have the good one (HDL-1 and HDL-2), the not so bad one (VLDL) and the harmful one (LDL). To get your ratios, divide the total amount of your cholesterol by your amount of HDL. The lower the ratio you have, the better.
Exercise prevents osteoporosis!
Ponder the statistics: 28 million Americans have osteoporosis and of this number, 80{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} are women. Only 1/4 of this 80{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} know they have the condition and only half are being treated. The annual osteoporosis bill to the United States is $ 14 billion.
Studies have shown that sufficient amounts of calcium and regular exercise build strong bones. While genetics play a major role in developing the risks of osteoporosis, individuals can control some factors that will help prevent the problem.
Peak bone mass is attained in your 20’s. Starting an exercise program while still young, even if you live in the fast lane, will help you avoid this bone disease.
Exercise prevents diabetes!
People are still debating how much exercise an individual needs, but for people with type 2 diabetes, exercising three or more times a week improves fitness and blood sugar levels. If you have type 2 diabetes and are overweight, exercise done with the following parameters would be of tremendous benefit: intensity of 60{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600}-70{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} maximal heart rate, with duration of 30 or more minutes, 4-7 days each week.
The above benefits are only a few of the many advantages that an exercise/fitness regimen will provide.
There have been hundreds of documented reports that reveal how people’s lives have significantly improved and the remarkable transformation that their bodies experience after they made the decision to take ownership of their weight and fat problems.
In fact, Diane Rinehart (former Toronto magazine editor and writer) wrote in the Montreal Gazette on December 12, 2005:
“What we’re hearing about…is waiting times in emergency and operating rooms for ailments such as hip replacements, heart surgery and amputations. That’s a shame because the fact is, if we dealt with obesity, we wouldn’t be facing the epidemics of heart disease, stroke, arthritis and diabetes that clog our hospital waiting rooms and OR’s.”
This article along with several others that I will be posting over the next several days is YOUR key to fitting exercise into your life.
To keep things organized and simple, the articles will be broken down into five easy sections:
Section 1: Assessing Physical Damage And Accepting the Importance of Exercise (Which you are reading at this moment)
Section 2: No Matter How Busy you Are, there are Ways you can Exercise
Section 3: Busy Traveler? You can Fit Exercise into your Trips
Section 4: Exercise Aids To Go
Section 5: Information / Resources for the Hurried and Harried
Read them in order, or if you wish, focus on the section that is most relevant to you right now. Regardless of how you choose to read these articles, you can be confident of one thing: once you apply the advice within these pages, your busy life will include something new and important: exercise!
If you were to take all the diet pills, weight loss pills and fat burners sitting on store shelves right now, the resulting pile would be big enough to sink a battleship. Add to that stack all the diet products, diet patches, diet food, prescription diet pills and other weight loss drugs and pretty soon you’re talking about a virtual mountain of weight loss products designed to help you lose weight fast. If you really wanted to get carried away, you could then add to that heap all the weight loss programs, diet plans and diet programs that have issued a book within the last year. Can you imagine how big that mountain is now?
The resulting accumulation of ‘stuff’ is what the average American finds when they first seek a weight loss plan. Once you decide to drop those extra pounds and really get in shape, you’re confronted with a staggering array of fast weight loss diets, diet drugs and diet recipes that all promise fast weight loss with little to no effort.
Unfortunately, few of these quick weight loss programs actually work. Most people looking for easy weight loss try at least a few diets. According to Julie Garden-Robinson, extension food and nutrition specialist at NDSU, “About 95 percent of fad diets fail. Put another way, only about 5 percent of dieters are able to maintain a significant weight loss, which means a drop in weight equaling 10 percent, or more, of what they weighed before they began dieting.”
Many weight loss supplements and diet supplements don’t work either. According to Marketdata Enterprises, the annual revenue for the diet industry was over $ 30 billion dollars in 1990. A 2005 report by Stanford University documents that the consumer diet industry is now approximately $ 44 billion and growing. Much of this total is due to sales of weight loss diet pills and other weight loss drugs.
How can the diet industry keep making more and more money, year after year? After all, $ 44 billion dollars is a lot of cash! The answer to that question is simple: repeat business. “98{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} of today’s dieters gain the weight back in 5 years. 90{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} of those individuals end up gaining back more than they lost originally, due to the body’s panic and efforts to stabilize metabolic rates over the long term” (source: Stanford University).
People are confused about how to achieve healthy weight loss that’s permanent. That’s why we’ve created this list of the Top 10 Exercise Tips For Rapid Weight Loss. The best weight loss program absolutely must include regular exercise, so with that premise in place let’s take a look at some real, honest and accurate weight loss information.
1. Our first exercise tip is to ignore some of the weight control advice from the experts. For at least the last year, there’s been a big push by several authorities (including the Surgeon General of the United States) to get people walking. Many people have been encouraged to walk 10,000 steps per day to maintain fitness, and “10,000 Clubs” have cropped up all over the country. Unfortunately, just walking won’t lead to much in the way of fat loss. Research done in Canada found that people who perform a moderate intensity activity (like walking) lose a lot less fat than those who exercise intensely. The primary reasons are that walking doesn’t get you into the target heart rate zone and doesn’t increase your metabolism very much following exercise. Because walking doesn’t burn much muscle glycogen, the body won’t metabolize much fat after a walking workout. A much better approach is to exercise intensely (above 65{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} of maximum effort).
2. To solve your weight issue once and for all, it’s vital to incorporate some type of weight lifting into your exercise plan. Scientists at the University of Colorado (Denver) discovered that resistance training for seventy minutes burned as many calories as running at seventy percent of maximum capacity for fifty minutes (source: Med Sci Sports Exerc; 34: 1793-1800, 2002). When you consider all the other benefits imparted by resistance training (stronger bones, ligaments, muscles, etc.) it becomes clear that incorporating weight training into your workout regiment is one weight loss tip that works.
3. Our third exercise tip is quite simple: just do it! Exercise is simply the best, fastest and most efficient way to reach your ideal weight and lose fat for good. Dieting doesn’t even compare. When you rely on dieting alone to help you achieve your fitness goals you will always be disappointed. As reported in ‘Fitness Rx’ in August of 2004, dieting without exercise is a sure recipe for disaster because when you diet without exercising up to 1/2 of the weight loss we experience will be from muscle loss. See, if you dramatically lower your caloric intake and you’re not exercising, your body will lose muscle. Since muscle is the ‘fat burning furnace’ of the body, the absolute last thing you want to do on a weight management program is give it up voluntarily. Consistent exercise, and particularly a weight lifting program, will preserve muscle and burn more fat.
4. This next exercise tip may seem like common sense, but it still bears repeating. If you want to reach your ideal body weight faster, then you must participate in weight loss exercise more often. It was back in 1996 that the Surgeon General began encouraging Americans to work out in 30-minute increments. Working independently, the United States National Academy of Sciences and the World Health Organization later reported that people wanting to lose weight faster should exercise up to sixty minutes per day. Research done at the University of Minnesota has proven that you can boost your weight loss results by up to forty percent by simply doubling your exercise time (source: Am J Clin Nutr; 78: 684-689, 2003). Will 30-minutes of exercise still work? Of course! But to really burn fat quickly, consider upping the ante to sixty minutes per day.
5. As if you weren’t convinced already, our next exercise tip also encourages you to add a weight lifting routine to your workout strategy. The reason is that only resistance training (commonly referred to as weight lifting) has the ability to add muscle to your body. Aerobic exercise won’t do it, and dieting certainly won’t either. Only regular weight lifting workouts will add the muscle you need to burn fat and keep it off forever. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue, burning calories 24/7. As a matter of fact, one single pound of muscle burns about fifty calories more per day than a pound of fat. So it stands to reason that the more muscle you have, the more calories you’ll burn around the clock (yes, even while you’re sleeping). So get started on that weight lifting program today.
6. You’ve probably heard that you should find a workout buddy to help you get to the gym. That’s good advice, but a better idea is to find a ‘challenger’. A ‘challenger’ is someone that gets in your face and challenges you to do better. He or she makes you uncomfortable by making you accountable. Sometimes the best thing someone can do for us is to make us mad, embarrassed or uneasy! This prompts us into action, and that action is for our own benefit. Do you have a ‘challenger’ in your life? Get one, and get one today! Maybe it can be your friend from work, or perhaps someone from church. How about a sibling? A ‘challenger’ is someone who knows you well enough to push when you need to be pushed, who will not let you make excuses. A good ‘challenger’ will call you at home and question why you’re not at the gym today. A good ‘challenger’ will stop by your desk at work to see what you’re eating today. A good ‘challenger’ will not let you fail.
7. The next exercise tip is that, in addition to a ‘challenger’, you need to find an ‘encourager’ to help you with your diet and exercise program. An ‘encourager’ helps you without accusing. An ‘encourager’ supports, believes in, and bolsters you at all times. Do you have an ‘encourager’ for your battle against fat? You should get one. Everyone needs an ‘encourager’ just as much as they need a ‘challenger’, perhaps more. Whereas a ‘challenger’ will demand that you get to the health club today, an ‘encourager’ will pick you up on their way to the gym and make it fun enough that you’re glad you went too.
8. This exercise tip is to seek expert advice so you get everything you can out of your workout sessions. Let’s face it, nobody can possibly be proficient in all areas. There are times in our lives when we need to get some expert assistance. When the car is broken, you get help from a mechanic. When you have legal trouble, you get help from an attorney. When the refrigerator breaks down you call a specialist. When you’re about to fight the world heavyweight champion, you seek help from an experienced trainer. And when you’re trying to write your own weight loss success story, you get assistance from an expert. If you’re serious about this fight against fat, then you need to find an expert. Ask a personal trainer or gym staff member how they can help you jump-start your fitness program and start making serious progress. Nobody has to fight this fight alone, and a fitness expert can help you exercise to lose weight permanently.
9. If you don’t have time to complete a full exercise session, at least do SOMETHING physical. If you simply don’t have time to get into the fitness center at all it’s better to make sure you get at least some level of activity. You could, for example, walk up the stairs during your lunch hour and burn 100 calories in a ten-minute climb. The bottom line is that every activity burns at least a few calories (even watching television burns 75 calories per hour!), so even if you skipped your workout today you can still get active.
10. The final exercise tip in this list is to work out where you’ll find the most weight loss support and weight loss motivation to encourage you. Even the best weight loss system in the world is without value if you don’t follow it, and the most advanced weight machine won’t do you a bit of good if you don’t use it (that’s why there’s exercise equipment sold at almost every yard sale). Many people find the support and motivation they need at a health club. Together with others who are ‘in the same boat’, you’re much more likely to stick with your healthy diet and exercise program.
If you’re ready to lower your body fat percentage once and for all, try these top ten exercise tips for rapid weight loss. The only thing you have to lose is the weight!
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The #1 fear people have when buying a treadmill is that they won’t use it. (That’s the #1 fear when buying any piece of exercise equipment).
They know that a treadmill can help them lose weight, get fit, burn extra calories and reach their fitness goals.
But that’s only if you use it. A treadmill is a large investment to make and you want to be sure that it is the right piece of exercise equipment for your needs.
How do you know if a treadmill is the best piece of exercise equipment for you? How do you know if it’s suitable for the kind of exercise that fits your lifestyle?
If you’re thinking about buying a treadmill, here are 3 ways to tell if a treadmill is the right piece of exercise equipment for you:
#1 Do you prefer to exercise alone or in groups?
Walking on a treadmill is not a group activity (it could be – but that’s a little dangerous). If you prefer to exercise with other people, say for example in a group sports situation, a treadmill might not be the best choice for you.
Of course a treadmill can add another side to your exercise options if you do get most of your exercise from social or group sports. But if you absolutely hate exercising by yourself, don’t buy a treadmill.
On the other hand, some people enjoy exercising on their own – it’s a sort of getaway from the constant social buzz surrounding them every day. A treadmill would be great for someone looking for this kind of exercise ‘retreat’.
#2) Do you prefer to exercise outdoors or indoors?
Some people prefer to exercise outdoors. They take hikes to enjoy the beauty of nature or rollerblade down the sidewalks to take in the fresh air. If you prefer to be outdoors to exercise then a treadmill probably isn’t for you.
And if you live in all-year-round sunny, warm weather, you may not need a treadmill (then again, you may prefer an air-conditioned workout.)
However, if you happen to live in seasonal climates where it rains, snows or both, a treadmill can be a handy tool to maintain your fitness regimen during the bleak weather months. A treadmill can help you fight winter weight gain and even stave off those nasty winter blues.
#3 Do you enjoy walking, jogging or running?
Walking is an exercise that everybody can do. It’s simple, doesn’t require heightened coordination, and can be a great way to clear your head and deal with stress. Anyone can do it, regardless of fitness level – from absolute beginner to elite athlete.
There are also people who enjoy the rhythm and routine of jogging or running. Running or jogging is also one of the best all-round ways to burn fat. Again, it’s fairly simple to do and doesn’t require complex coordination.
While the benefits to walking, jogging and running are numerous, some people just don’t like to exercise this way. They like the challenge of a box-aerobics class or mastering a complicated martial art. If you fall into this category, a treadmill will not meet your exercise preferences and it probably isn’t the right machine for you.
If you do like walking but still want a challenge or even a distraction, there are easy ways to do this, of course.
Treadmills are growing more sophisticated all the time offering numerous built-in workout programs, upper-body workout arms and even built-in stereo systems for you to plug-in your favorite CD’s.
There’s also the magazine rack so you can read your latest Time or People magazine. And of course, the most popular method: setting your treadmill up in front of the television (or buying a mini-television to mount above your treadmill).
You can always make your workout more interesting with your home treadmill – but if you don’t enjoy walking, jogging or running, you might want to steer clear of the treadmill.
So those are 3 ways to tell if a treadmill is right for you. With our busy lifestyles and lack of time, the home treadmill also offers several other unique benefits, which you might want to consider before buying:
#1) Exercise Convenience
With a home treadmill you can jump on it at any time day or night. You don’t have to waste time driving to the gym. You don’t have to work around your gym’s hours or schedule your workout around those ‘peak times’. You don’t have to rush to sign up for a treadmill at the gym. It’s all yours. Workout whenever you want – and for however long you want.
With our jam-packed schedules these days, time is at a premium. While you may not have a long period of time to carve out for exercise, experts tell us that ‘mini-workouts’ give us the same benefits as long workouts. So instead of doing 30 minutes straight, with your own treadmill you can do 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night.
There’s a third convenience to having a home treadmill – you can wear what you want. No worrying about if your hair is staying under your baseball cap. No rushing to find the right T-shirt for the gym. While this may seem trivial – it can actually make a difference in how much you exercise!
#2) Exercise Comfort
With a home treadmill, you can exercise in the comfort of your own home. No worrying about the rain, snow or sleet that’s pouring down outside. You can jump on your treadmill with your favorite sports drink, turn on your favorite show and burn away those calories.
No worrying about winter weight gain or holiday pounds – because you have the tools at your disposal to easily work off any extra calories.
#3) More Calories Burned, More Weight Lost = Better Body Achieved
Because you can exercise when you want, for how long you want, regardless of weather or even busy schedules, you’ll use your treadmill much more. And when you exercise more, you burn more calories, lose more weight and achieve a better body. This is always a benefit!
Home treadmills continue to be the most popular exercise machines with buyers today. They offer convenience, comfort and more opportunities to enjoy getting in shape.
If you decide that a treadmill is right for you, know that you’ll be investing both in a great exercise machine and a better, healthier body!
Kathryn O’Neill is chief editor for Treadmill Reviews, a consumer oriented website focusing on the home treadmill market.
For the latest buying tips, brand reviews, and best buys, visit Treadmill Review at: http://www.TreadmillReview.net.
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Their have been so many speculations as to which abdominal exercise truly is, hands down, the best. You’ll hear about these “Ultimate exercises” that end up being nothing but fake exercises that someone made up on the spot. However, through hard research and personal experience, I’ve come to the honest conclusion, that this really is the absolute best abdominal exercise.
This isn’t just my assumption, but among the Fitness Community it is highly regarded as the Ultimate abdominal exercise, if not the absolute best. So before I explain what this exercise really is, I want to explain to you how it works and exactly why it is so powerful. Not only does this exercises tone your abdominals but it strengthens them in an insanely fast, powerful way that you’ve probably never experienced before. There is much more to this exercise, but with that little glimpse into it, let’s see how this exercise works.
Why This Abdominal Exercise Is The Best
Many exercises will only target a specific abdominal area or muscle group, which is why you compile a workout together of different exercises that target different sections of your abdominals. However, the reason this exercise is truly the best, is that it targets all of your abdominal muscles, as well as the tiny muscle fibers that are hidden beneath the main “six pack” muscles. Now occasionally you’ll hear of exercises that really do target all of your abdominal muscle groups, and that may be true, so what makes this abdominal exercise different from the rest?
With this certain exercise, you aren’t just targeting your entire core, but each and every one of your muscle fibers is getting a balanced workout, at an extremely powerful rate. Basically you’re not only maintaining a balanced core, but this exercise will continue blasting your abs much harder than any other exercise ever could. So, unlike most exercises, you maintain muscular balance as well as high-intensity muscle development.
How It Works Better Than Other Exercises
First of all, this exercise is isometric, meaning that it requires no movement of the joints and isn’t measure by the amount of reps you can do, but by how long you can hold the position. Being that it requires no movement of your joints, this means that you’re getting highly effective results and all of the stress is targeting your core six pack abdominals.
The second thing is that your six pack abdominal don’t develop by how much you work them, but by how you work them. Many exercises will influence your trunk flexion which is great, but research has proven that your midline stabilization is much more important to develop. Why? Because your abdominal muscles rely heavily on the midline stabilization rather than your trunk flexion, which is why almost every day-to-day movements, especially athletic movements, focus on your midline stabilization.
Along with easier movements, the midline stabilization is what your abdominals depend on to develop stronger at a faster rate. It’s been proven that if you can get this single exercise down and get to the point where you can hold this exercise for three minutes, then all other exercises will seem like a joke because they’ll be so easy for you. The reason being that you’ll have majorly developed your midline stabilization with this exercise, which is how you’ll develop six pack abs extremely fast.
The Connection To Mid-Line Stabilization
The most important role of this exercise is to target your midline stabilization, so exactly how does this abdominal exercise accomplish this? The position that your legs will be placed in plays a dynamic role in your midline stabilization accomplishment, but the bigger key role is your ability to hold your legs in that position.
Your abs are going to be absolutely blasted to their limit within 10 seconds because all of the stress is placed completely on them. It’s the job of your abdominals to keep your legs in that specific position and hold your spine straight up, so when you combine these two jobs together it turns into complete midline stabilization. This basically means your entire core is going to work to its absolute limits just to keep you in position for this exercise.
Why This Single Abdominal Exercise?
If you notice in many people that have “six pack abs” they might be rid of that belly fat, but they aren’t totally rid of that last bit of belly fat that hangs around your lower abdominals. Most people don’t notice the lower belly fat as they’re too focused on the toned, chiseled look of their main six pack abdominals.
So, since it’s almost impossible for most individuals to get rid of that last bit of lower abdominal fat, I decided to give you the solution to your lower fat problems. Now, you can do 1,000 crunches and sit-ups and maybe you’ll have that slightly toned six pack, but if you want to be completely rid of all that belly fat, including the notorious lower abdominal fat, then listen up.
This exercise is designed to do just that, blast away that little bit of extra fat right under your lower abs. Because of the long, strenuous position and the stress placed on all of your abdominal muscles, this exercise completely demolishes any remaining bit of belly fat you may have hidden. It may sound too good to be true, but perform this exercise for a week just as a test-run, and discover why this is the absolute best abdominal exercise.
What Is This Amazing Exercise?
So, at last I’m going to answer your question. This is an exercise highly regarded among CrossFit Training, which if you haven’t heard of it, you should look into what CrossFit Training is. Therefore if this exercise is highly regarded among this insanely fit individuals, you know this abdominal exercise is worth it. Now instead of dragging it on any longer, I’m just going to tell you what it is. It’s called the L-Sit, and I’m going to tell you how to do it.
Directions For Using Firm Ground or Exercise Mat
1. Sit down with your hands at your side
2. Lift yourself with your hands at your side and using them for body support
3. Kick your legs out in front of you as straight as you can
4. Lift them as high as you can while balancing and hold it
5. Hold if until complete muscle failure or give yourself a time limit
6. General rule of thumb is to go two reps for 30-45 seconds
Directions For Stabilizer Hand Grips
1. Sit down with your hands at your side on the hand grips
2. Lift yourself with your hands holding the hand grips, using the grips for body support
3. Kick your legs out in front of you as straight as you can
4. Lift them as high as you can while balancing and hold it
5. Hold if until complete muscle failure or give yourself a time limit
6. General rule of thumb is to go two reps for 30-45 seconds
Final Words – Rules With This Exercise
Now, I want to make something very clear with this article. Just because I said this is the absolute best abdominal exercise on the planet, doesn’t mean you’ll get six pack abs just by performing this exercise everyday. I want to apologize if I made it seem that way, because my only point in writing about this exercise was to stress to you the importance behind this exercise and the reasons why it’s the best abdominal exercise to get you six pack abs.
Honestly, it is a very powerful exercise and is considered to be “advanced” but just because it works very well doesn’t mean you should solely rely on this exercise to get a flat, toned stomach. Yes, you’ll get awesome results with this exercise as it is ten times stronger than any other exercise I’ve come across. However, to get real, permanent six pack abs, you have to have three things along with this exercise.
Here Are Those Things:
1. You need a healthy, consistent, strong dietary program that promotes fat burning and muscle development
2. You need strong cardio workouts that push you to your limits and assist you in destroying abdominal fat
3. You need weighted abdominal exercises alongside this exercise to really give your abdominals the absolute push they need to break through abdominal fat and tone out
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A good home exercise program will help you stay fit, but will it help you lose weight, too? You need a program that consists of proper nutrition as well as a fitness routine to help you burn those calories and increase your metabolism. Home exercises videos are a great way to keep you motivated and energized so you can burn fat, and burning fat will result in that weight loss you’re looking for. How do exercise videos work at home when you are trying to develop a workout program?
Convenience Keeps You Coming Back For More: If it’s not convenient, you won’t do it, right? I’ve heard that before… and it’s true. Most people fall off their exercise program because it’s too much trouble. You’ve got a lot of things on your agenda, and exercise is not going to get done if it takes too long or it takes you out of your way. If you can put in an exercise video while you’re waiting for the washer to finish spinning, and crank out a 20 minute routine, wouldn’t you do it? You can lose weight and get fit in the time it takes to finish a load of wash!
Keeping Up Your Routine: Exercise at your convenience and you will continue to exercise. When you are exercising regularly, you will place a greater demand on your body’s stores of fat. This will cause your metabolism to increase dramatically. With routine exercise, your body will burn fat as a source of energy at an accelerated rate, resulting in a slimmer, more toned you. Your level of fitness will improve with each workout routine you perform. And when those workout routines are easily available in an exercise video, you’ll be more likely to keep up your routine.
Properly Executed Exercise: Exercise videos are a great way to learn the best exercises to burn fat and build lean muscle. You’ll be presented with the best stretching, strengthening, and toning exercises in a professionally designed series of movements. When you are able to exercise in your very own home at your convenience and receive expert information regarding proper exercise form, you’ve got the best possible start to a great fitness program.
Less Expensive: Gym memberships and expensive exercise equipment may be one of the most frequently stated reasons why people exercise at home. Are you missing anything by foregoing the gym? Not when you consider the professional quality of home exercise videos. Many well-know fitness gurus, celebrities, and athletes have developed high energy, entertaining, and motivating fitness videos that you can sink your teeth into. Would Denise Austin come into your home and train with you for the same price as your video, or with the same convenient schedule? Exercise videos give you access to wonderful fitness professionals 24/7 at a fraction of the cost.
Your Personal Fitness Level: But what if I’m not ready to touch my toes let alone bounce around the room for a full 30 minutes? That’s alright, because exercise videos are developed to help everyone move through fitness levels that are comfortable to the individual. You are not expected to keep up with a group or do exercises that don’t feel right to you. You’ll also get lots of tips about diet and nutrition so that you can easily change your eating habits to enhance your weight loss program. As your abilities improve, you’ll find many exercise video programs include resistance bands and other small equipment that will enhance your fitness program, but at your own rate.
Change Up Your Routine: After you’ve maintained the same exercise routine for awhile, your body will need a little challenge to remind it to keep improving, otherwise you will reach a plateau. Give your body a surprise move, and it will start burning calories faster and your metabolism will get a little boost. Try a little dance exercise video, whether it’s Salsa, Hip Hop, or Belly Dancing, and see if you don’t feel new muscles and get your heart beat going a little faster. By giving your body a new routine, you kick-start your fat and calorie burning all over again which results in improved muscle tone and faster weight loss. Don’t get stuck in a rut – ramp it up to lose even more weight.
Regular exercise is critical to your health and well being and weight loss is dramatically increased when dieting is combined with exercise. Find the exercise videos that suit your lifestyle and your goals and you can begin exercising in your very own home immediately. Your body will thank you for your efforts and you will look and feel better than you have in years. Home exercise programs and fun videos you can do in your home are a great way to get in shape and experience fast weight loss. Are you ready to take the next step toward a slimmer and stronger you?
Want a sexy flat stomach? You’ll definitely love these 7 easy-to-do exercises that will help you achieve just that.
Follow these exercises on their own for a complete ab workout or tag it to the end of your cardio workout.
So, when you realize you’ve been missing your routine at the gym very often thanks to your busy schedule, these exercises will surely get you going.
xoxo
Karishma Damani (Beauty Editor, Glamrs)
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Fitness exercise machines for the home are very popular and one of the most useful and easy to use is an exercise bike. However, it is not just a matter of going out and buying the first one you see that’s within your budget! You really need to do some research first to determine the type of exercise bike that is right for you and the features that you will want it to include. You will have to decide between a recumbent and upright bike and to find out if it is easy to adjust and comfortable to use.
How Much Do You Want to Spend?
Of course this is usually the most significant consideration but you shouldn’t go for the lowest cost exercise bike available as it may perhaps not last for very long, be easy to use or give you good exercise. A beginner’s bike at a minimum will set you back roughly $ 200, and even though this will be adequate it probably won’t have any of the features that can be found on higher priced training bikes. For a small amount more, between $ 300 and $ 650 you will get a higher quality exercise bike with some features such as magnetic resistance, heart rate control, a comfy seat and generally quiet and smooth operation.
For roughly $ 550 you will be able to buy a first-rate exercise bike with all the features you may want. For this price you ought to expect loads of built-in workout programs, simple to use resistance control and LED display console, handlebars that are effortless to modify and a very good guarantee.
Comfort of the Exercise Bike
Certainly your exercise bike needs to be comfortable as you will be using it for quite long periods. You will need a well padded seat and handlebars that can be adjusted easily. Are you going to buy an upright or recumbent exercise bike? Many people think that recumbent exercise bikes are more comfortable to use than upright exercise bikes as you sit in a more reclined position which puts less stress on your back. Upright exercise bikes, even though they are not nearly as comfy, do have the benefit that you can effortlessly boost the intensity of the workout by pedalling standing up just like you would on a normal bike.
Adjusting the Resistance
Exercise bike resistance is adjustable in two ways. A good number of the lower cost models use tension and a belt, more expensive models use magnetic resistance which is quieter and more reliable. Exercise bikes that use magnetic resistance usually use a button or knob. A button is easier to use.
Monitoring Your Heart Rate
It is particularly crucial to be able to keep an eye on your heart rate while training as this is the whole aim of riding your exercise bike in the first place! Always purchase an exercise bike with a built-in pulse rate monitor so that you can adjust your training accordingly. Almost all the exercise bikes do have this though less expensive ones will often just have a pulse rate monitor integrated into the handlebars. The more expensive exercise bikes will have workouts that are driven by your heart rate so they adjust automatically to keep your pulse rate at a level that you fix. This is a very nice aspect but not vital if you can’t manage to pay for it.
Integral Workout Programs
Many of the less expensive exercise bikes do not have workout built-in programs. Even though you may believe this is not too much of a shortcoming you will find that merely sitting on the bike and pedalling will turn out to be tedious very rapidly! With exercise programs you can adjust your exercising and the feedback you get will assist with your motivation. Consoles that give you feedback on distance covered,calories burned and heart rate etc. certainly do aid your enthusiasm and keep you exercising for much longer. Nearly all of the exercise bikes in the middle range i.e. between approximately $ 300 and $ 600 will give you a realistic collection of integral workouts and a fairly good display. More expensive exercise bikes i.e. in the $ 650 and over range will have a very wide range of workouts and first-rate displays with a complete range of feedback information.
Conclusion
With exercise bikes, as with all fitness exercise machines you will only get what you pay for so buying the cheapest bike you can find is not really the best or most economical plan. If you buy a cheap bike that is flimsy and uncomfortable you won’t use it for very long and it will be waste of money. better to pay a little more, get a better quality exercise bike and enjoy your workouts.
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The type of substrate (fuel) and the rate at which it is utilized during exercise is largely dependent on the intensity and duration of the exercise. During strenuous exercise there is an obligatory demand for carbohydrate (CHO) oxidation that must be met; fat oxidation cannot substitute. In contrast, there is an increase in fat oxidation during prolonged moderate intensity exercise as carbohydrate fuels are depleted. Fats are also more dominant in long duration exercise since fat oxidation requires more oxygen than does carbohydrate oxidation.
Fuel Selection During Exercise
Again, fats are the primary source of fuel for muscle during low-intensity exercise (70{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} of VO2max). Proteins contribute less than 2{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} of the substrate used during exercise of less than one hour’s duration but may increase up to 5-15{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} during the final minutes of exercise lasting 3-5 hours.
At about 40{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} of VO2max there is a “crossover point” where carbohydrate becomes more dominant than fat in supplying fuel to the muscle. This shift to CHO metabolism is caused by two factors: the recruitment of fast twitch fibers (which are better equipped to metabolize CHOs) and increasing levels of epinephrine in the blood (which contribute to glycogen breakdown). This shift can also be seen when examining the contribution of fat oxidation at various exercise intensities. At 20{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600}, 50{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600}, 80{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600}, and 100{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} of VO2max, fat oxidation yields 175 kcal/min, 250 kcal/min, 200 kcal/min, and 25 kcal/min, respectively. As such, someone looking to burn more fat during exercise would want to hover in the 50{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} to 80{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} VO2max range.
As the duration of exercise increases, there is a greater contribution from fat and less from carbohydrate. This is the result of increased levels of blood lipase, an enzyme that helps break down fat, during low-intensity longer duration exercise.
Muscle Glycogen Utilization
At the onset of most types of exercise, and for the entire duration of very strenuous exercise, muscle glycogen is the primary carbohydrate fuel for muscular work. The intensity of exercise determines the rate at which muscle glycogen is used as a fuel. The heavier the exercise, the faster glycogen is broken down. Furthermore, studies have shown that glycogen is depleted faster from fast-twitch fibers, especially during interval type work .
Historically, it has been thought that increased epinephrine levels in the blood were responsible for the initiation of glycogenolysis (glycogen breakdown). However, other research has shown that the breakdown is also triggered within the muscle itself as a result of increased Calcium ions .
Maintenance of Normal Blood Glucose Levels During Exercise
As glycogen, and thus glucose, is the primary fuel sources during most exercise, it is needs to be remembered that glucose plays a primary role in supplying our vital organs with energy. As such, the body has many systems in place to maintain adequate levels of glucose in the blood during times of inadequate carbohydrate intake (starvation/fasting) and accelerated glucose removal from the blood (exercise). Blood glucose concentration is maintained through four different processes:
* Mobilization of glucose from liver glycogen stores
* Mobilization of fats to spare blood glucose
* Synthesis of new glucose in the liver from amino acids, lactic acid, and glycerol
* Blocking of glucose entry into the cell to force the substitution of fat as a fuel.
These processes are controlled by several “slow” and “fasting” acting hormones such as thyroxine, cortisol, growth hormone, epinephrine/norepinephrine and insulin/glucagon. Maintaining normal blood glucose concentrations is a major task when you consider that the liver may only have 80g of glucose before exercise begins, and the rate of blood glucose oxidation approaches 1g/min in heavy exercise or in prolonged (>3 hours) moderate intensity exercise.
Carbohydrate Replenishment and Diets
This is one of the main reasons why it is recommended to replenish glucose and glycogen levels during activities such as soccer games, marathons, triathlons, 3-5 set tennis match, and so forth. Each of these sporting activities require moderate to high levels of exertion for extended periods of time and thus fuel replenish, mainly via sports drinks, is essential in maintaining physical performance and skill execution.
The effect of carbohydrate intake and diet composition on performance has been heavily studied. The vast majority of studies show that a high carbohydrate diet is essential for those who engage in intense or long duration exercise. For instance, one study had trained subjects run a 30 km race twice, once following a high carbohydrate (CHO) diet and the other time after a mixed diet. The initial muscle glycogen level was 3.5g/100g of muscle following the CHO diet and 1.7g/100g of muscle during following the mixed diet. The best performance of all subjects occurred during the high CHO diet. Although the starting pace was not faster, the additional CHO allowed them to maintain the pace for a longer period of time .
Bear in mind that substrates and hormones can interact and alter certain processes. This is commonly seen when a high glycemix index CHO food is ingested just prior to exercise. In this case, the resulting spike in blood glucose elicits a rise in insulin levels. As a result, fat mobilization is reduced (due to insulin’s anabolic effect on fats) forcing the muscle to use additional muscle glycogen. This is not desired if you are looking to sustain a given exercise intensity for prolonged periods of time.
Putting It All Together
The common misconception is that to lose weight you must stay in your “fat burning zone”. Eventhough there is some truth to this statement, it is inaccurate in the sense that losing weight is about burning as many calories as possible. As such, exercising at a higher intensity for moderate durations would be most effective in burning calories. It is important to remember that a calorie is a calorie regardless of its source and since 1 lb of fat is equivalent to 3500 calories, calorie-reducing exercise regimens are most suitable for those looking to lose weight.
Such exercise programs can take the form of interval work, where a bout of high-intensity exercise is combined with a bout of low-intensity. This type of training of has been shown to elevate the body’s metabolism for up to 16 hours post-exercise. It also fosters the maintenance of lean body mass while stimulating the release of lipase – a good thing since maintaining muscle and losing fat should be the goal. Having said this, I would also recommend implementing longer duration low-intensity exercise as well for it’s aforementioned benefits on fat oxidation. However, ensure to keep the intensity in the 50-80{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} VO2max range for best results!
References:
Essen et al. (1978). Glycogen depletion of different fiber types in human skeletal muscle during intermittent and continuous exercise. Acta Physiologica Scandinavia, 103: 446-55.
Hultman et al. (1967). Physiological role of muscle glycogen in man with special reference to exercise. In Circulation Research XX and XXI, ed. C.B. Chapman, 1-99 and 1-114. New York: The American Heart Association.
Karlsson, J. & Saltin, B. (1971). Diet, muscle glycogen and endurance performance. Journal of Applied Phsyiology, 31: 203-206.
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It is estimated that 80{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} of home exercise equipment is not used after the first year.
So, you’re planning to buy a piece of home exercise equipment… and you have promised yourself that this time you are really going to use it!
Maybe you already have a collection of different exercise devices… but you are convinced that with this new contraption you will definitely reach your fitness goals.
Or you keep saying to yourself… “If I only had that fitness machine I would be motivated to work out”.
Around 80{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} of home exercise equipment buyers said the same thing… and the equipment they bought is gathering dust in the corner somewhere along with their dreams of muscle tone, more energy, weight control and feeling great.
Don’t part with your hard earned money before you make sure you will be one of the 20{3813292df256cc7359db914c8bfffc508a0964aa786224d36d2cb21f4b33d600} that buys home exercise equipment and actually uses it, because as we all know… you are only going to get the physical benefits from the home exercise equipment you buy if you actually do the exercise.
Who Buys Home Exercise Equipment And Then Doesn’t Use It?
According to Consumer’s Union, it is the beginner, or inexperienced, exercisers that are most likely to purchase home exercise equipment and then not use it.
As a matter of fact… beginner exercisers don’t use 2/3 of the home exercise equipment they buy.
Although buying home exercise equipment seems like the logical first step to improved fitness… it is the beginners that give up using the equipment more than people who already enjoy an active lifestyle.
Let’s see why this happens…
Using Home Exercise Equipment Is An Exercise In Self Control
Most people over estimate their self control.
Even though they exhibit determination and enthusiasm when researching the home exercise equipment to buy, seeking out the best price, purchasing and installing the equipment in their home… most people just don’t have enough self control to use the equipment in the necessary manner to reap the rewards.
Thinking about exercise, talking about exercise, researching exercise and purchasing home exercise equipment is not exercise.
There is no home exercise equipment that will completely transform you and help you reach all your fitness goals without an investment of time and energy.
As a matter of fact… the costs of seeking fitness are immediate, while the benefits are delayed.
Most beginners get frustrated putting in the time and energy necessary to reap the long term physical rewards using the home exercise equipment .
As a result, 2/3 of the home exercise equipment finds its way into garages, closets and basements with the closing comments… “That thing didn’t work.”
Prove Yourself Worthy Before Buying Home Exercise Equipment
Most beginners buy home exercise equipment because they took a good hard look in the mirror and didn’t like what they saw… or they assessed their physical abilities and found them lacking.
Next step… buy a piece of home exercise equipment!
Well, hold on there… not so fast.
As I’m fond of saying… Fitness is a journey, not a destination.
The bodily changes and improvement of physical abilities you seek can only be obtained for the long term by incorporating consistent physical activity into your lifestyle.
Prove yourself worthy of the purchase of home exercise equipment by first adding physical activity to your lifestyle by using the effective, versatile and efficient piece of home exercise equipment that you already have… your own body!
If you are really serious about improving muscle tone and energy levels while controlling weight and feeling great… start by performing a workout program of bodyweight calisthenics exercises.
Bodyweight calisthenics exercise is the perfect method to use for the beginner, as well as experienced, fitness enthusiast when starting a physical fitness training program… and should remain part of a well balanced fitness training regime.
As a matter of fact… you should not start using home exercise equipment of any kind until you first have developed the ability to control the movement of your own body.
Once you have effectively added physical activity into your lifestyle… you can buy that piece of home exercise equipment to augment, vary and diversify your physical training with the confidence that you will actually use it.
In conclusion…
Bodyweight calisthenics exercise is the perfect place to start your physical fitness training program.
Properly done… bodyweight calisthenics exercise will develop a strong, lean and athletic body that actually performs as good as it looks.
Once physical training has become a habit… buy home exercise equipment to improve your already effective training.
The body and physical abilities you seek are not determined by the equipment you have at your disposal… but rather by your desire to improve and incorporate physical activity into your lifestyle!
Save yourself a lot of time and money by proving to yourself that you are not overestimating your self control… because if you fail to successfully add bodyweight calisthenics exercise into your lifestyle, you will most likely fail to use the home exercise equipment you buy.
So what are you waiting for?
Use your own body as your gym… and get started on your own personal fitness journey today!
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Note: All information provided by Fitness Blender is of a general nature and is furnished only for educational/entertainment purposes only. No information is to be taken as medical or other health advice pertaining to any individual specific health or medical condition. You agree that use of this information is at your own risk and hold Fitness Blender harmless from any and all losses, liabilities, injuries or damages resulting from any and all claims.
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