ThinkSlim

Exercise For Fat Loss

This article has been provided by guest author Kyle Wood known as one of the best among up and coming Melbourne personal trainers.  Kyle has a keen interest in new and more effective training for himself and his clients and he believes exercise should contribute to your life and make it more fruitful rather than detract from it. He currently runs a blog in his spare time called Kyle’s Fitness Facts so take a look there if you want to know more...

Exercise for Fat Loss

Diet is very important when losing weight. The best training system in the world cannot out do a terrible diet filled with junk food, irregular meals and no veggies. However, as you reduce your caloric intake your body adapts to that caloric intake and the weight loss will plateau. This is where a lot of people will give up, however for those who continue, more calories must be cut and so on. This reaches a point where the calories are cut so low that you begin to starve your body.

A better solution to making that second cut in calories (or even the first) is to add exercise. If you are already exercising regularly then I suggest adding more intense workouts to your training schedule.  Here are some great ideas (that can all be done without a gym membership):

Sprint Intervals

Find your local track or oval (soccer pitches work excellent). Start off by doing one or two laps to warm up and then follow this cycle:

• Jog 50m
• Sprint 50m
• Walk 50m

Repeat this 4 times. Each week add an additional cycle until you reach 10 cycles. When you can do that move onto something new.

Note: A full size soccer pitch is 50m wide and 100m long so you can complete 2 cycles in one lap.

Circuit Training:

I’m not talking about walking around in a circuit on weight machines for 30 minutes, I’m talking all out circuits that will get your heart pumping through your chest and your fat cells dropping like flies. For these circuits you will need a railing or play equipment bar about 1.2m (4 feet) off the ground and a low bench or steps.

Circuit 1:

• Feet elevated push up x12 (on knees if unable to do on toes)
• Bodyweight squat x12
• Crunches x 12
• Butt Kick Jumps x12

Repeat 2 times before moving onto circuit two

Circuit 2:

• Burpees x10
• Inverted row (on railing) x10
• Forward Walking Lunges x5
• Reverse Walking Lunges x5
• Pushups x10

Repeat 2 times. Each week add an extra circuit to one of the circuits until you reach a total of 10 circuits.

Hill Sprints

Find a small hill. Sprint to the top, walk back down, rinse, repeat. You will be amazed at how awesome this simple activity is for cardiovascular fitness and fat shedding. Do this 5 times and then add an extra sprint each week.

Remember to warm up thoroughly beforehand and then warm down and stretch afterwards. This applies when doing any exercise.

You want more?

If you work your way up to doing all of that in a week then you can add low intensity recovery cardiovascular work to your off days. This kind of exercise is excellent at promoting blood to muscles to aid in recovery from your previous workouts. Good ideas are swimming, bike riding or brisk walks with your partner/family/dog.

Give these high intensity techniques a go. Stick to them for at least 6 weeks before you truly give them your analysis. I believe by then you will be addicted to high intensity training. Not only will they help you lose weight faster but you will also have more energy and feel more alert. Before I go, some great fun facts:

• Muscle requires more energy to exist, so the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism.
• 20-30 minutes high intensity training burns more total energy (calories) over 24 hours than 60 minutes of low-moderate total training.
• Recent studies are continuing to show that the lactic acid system (shorter bursts of energy like sprinting and circuits) is a far greater channel for fat oxidizing (fat burning) than the aerobic study (longer low intensity training) which might explain why sprinters are so ripped.

My new Silva EX3 pedometer: Here at Last!

My new Silva EX3 pedometer finally arrived a few days ago.

Well worth the wait - no wonder they were sold out! What a difference it is making.

The cheap one I bought while I was waiting for delivery of this one started being annoying and so I didn't wear it all day. With this one you can wear it around you neck, in your pocket or in your bag and it's around 20g (less than an ounce) so you don't even notice you're wearing it.

It resets itself automatically every night (keeping a record of the last 7 days for you) - I leave it in my dressing gown pocket until I'm dressed and then it goes in my pocket or around my neck depending what I'm wearing.

No annoying click click click either or falling off your waistband when you bend over.

If you've only ever used those horrible cheap ones you'll really notice the difference though that may be less of a case if you've had an expensive one before.

As far as motivation goes, it's working for me so far.

I'm reasonably fit so I didn't start from the beginners part of my pedometer weight loss program with a gradual build up on steps - I'm aiming to do 10,000 steps a day.

First day I had the EX3 I had only done 6000 or so steps by 4pm so I did an extra 30 minutes stepping in front of "Ready Steady Cook" to help me arrive at my target and yesterday I decided to walk to the Post Office instead of driving so that I could get some extra steps clocked up and I got to almost 13,000.

Today I have not done any formal exercise so I am around the 3000 mark and so that will be me going for a walk this evening or stepping in front of the TV again instead of being lazy.

By the way if you would like to buy one I have seen these on Amazon in the Uk - the .com site doesn't seem to have them but you may get something similar on their pedometers page.

Update: December 2012 Amazon no longer sells the Silva X3 but there are updated models that now cost less! See the Silva range here.

January Walking Project Update

Plans to follow my own "Lose Weight in 28 Days with Your Pedometer" progam from today have been foiled by my crummy old pedometer giving up the ghost. It's permanently stuck on 3458 steps.

So I just ordered a brand spanking new one - the Silva EX3 - the height of pedometer sophistication :) It should get delivered soon.

So what do you do when life gets in the way. Do you throw in the towel and give up on your plans?

(I hope you're answering no to that one!)

I went for a 40 minute walk anyway without my pedometer. The calories will be lost just the same. The pedometer is just a great motivational tool which can really help but it's not the be all and end all of walking if it breaks down.

Why not join me and walk every day you can?

I know the weather may not be the best in January in some parts of the world but as I learned from my sister-in-law who married a Norwegian and went off to live in freezing cold winter Oslo - they say there is no such thing as bad weather only bad clothes. So I wrapped up warm and out I went.

Feel free to log your own walks in the comments on my daily entries and I'll give you as much encouragement as I can. And if you want to follow my program you can it in paperback or a downloadable copy on Amazon - more details here.

Exercise Motivation - 6 Ways to Just Do It

Exercise is one of things where you always feel better when you do it but it's difficult to get going with it. 

Annie (who we spoke about last week always) finds it better to exercise in the morning before life gets in the way, but then is not always able to get up early so her work out will often fall by the wayside.

My view on exercise is that it is so good for your health that you need to do it.

It's not absolutely essential for weight loss (you have to run or walk more than a marathon distance to lose a single pound of fat and so what you eat has by far the greatest effect for most people).

But exercise IS essential to keep you alive, to tone your muscles, to help you sleep and to keep your spirits up! And of course, every calorie you use up by exercising counts. This means that although you won't lose a pound of fat in a single day, you could easily do so over a number of them - in addition to those you lose by eating less.

So exercise is worth it for all those benefits.

The best strategies to make sure you fit in exercise are

Start Early

Exercise as early as possible in the day as Annie has found out - even if it's not first thing then try to get out at lunch time rather than leaving it until the evening and if it must be the evening make it before dinner rather than after. The less there is to get in the way the better.

Move and View

Exercise while you watch TV - only allow yourself to watch the show you love if you are lifting hand weights, using resistance bands, rebounding, stepping or skipping around your lounge. If you can afford it and have space, exercise machines like treadmills, stationery bikes or elliptical trainers are fantastic to use at home - just put a TV near by and only allow yourself to watch if you use your equipment.

Small Doses

Exercise in small amounts of time throughout the day - simply move as much as you can - don't sit, when you can stand, don't stand when you can be moving around, don't use the elevator or car when you can walk or cycle. 10 minutes exercise is better than none at all

Make a Date

Make an appointment with someone to exercise - a personal trainer three times a week will make you take action - failing that a friend or tennis partner who you have an appointment to meet can work wonders as you won't want to let someone else down

Family Fun

Take up exercise with someone else in your family and encourage each other to exercise (you have each others best interests at heart after all) 

Love whatever it is you do to Exercise

Start exercising in a way you love - skiing, paragliding, horse back riding whatever might get you moving

And nowhere did I mention joining the evil gym ... Don't Join a Gym!

Exercise Motivation - How to Motivate Yourself to Work Out

I received a great tip to help motivate you to exercise from a reader this week and she gave me permission to share it with you.

"First thank you ever so much for your logical approach to weight loss. It's great and makes so much sense.

One "trick" I try when I decide to put off exercising or on those days when I simply don't have the time or the get-up-and-go to do it is to tell myself to get on the treadmill or elliptical for five (5) minutes. If after five minutes, I still want to quit, I can. However, I have to admit that I have yet to stop exercising after the initial five minutes.This may not work for everyone, but it has worked for me for years. I think that five minutes gives enough time to get the blood circulating and get the exercise high to begin.

I just thought I'd share this with you since you have shared such wonderful advice with us.
Thanks and God bless

Martha Tucker"

As someone who exercises but is not that keen (believe it or not) I think this works well. Luckily I understand and feel the benefits of exercise enough to do it even though I'd rather spend 30 minutes on the sofa with a good book.

Sometimes I have to force myself but once I'm exercising I often think that it's not so bad after all and I'm happy to be out there running or whatever.

So try this little trick to get yourself moving and see if it helps motivate you to exercise regularly too.

Thanks Martha!

FREE : 5 Easy Ways to Flat Abs

I don't know why the stomach exercises they teach everywhere have to be so hard.

In the past, every time I did exercises for my abs I seemed to hurt my back or my neck rather than flattening my stomach, and I hated getting down on the floor to do them so much I often avoided them altogether.

The result is that I have spent quite a lot of time seeking out easier ways to exercise my stomach over the years and now that I am happy with my system, I have put together a FREE course so that others can have the benefit of these exercises.

If you would like a copy of that course "Flat Abs Fast - 5 Easy Ways to a Washboard Stomach" just click on the image or link below to get the lessons sent to your inbox.

(This is probably not for you if you are a gym bunny who loves working hard on your muscles but it has had rave reviews from those who are not that fanatical about spending their time working on their bodies and just want the results)

Click Here to Get Your Course

$100 Best Home Gym Project

If you're thinking about getting in shape in 2008 but wondering how you're going to afford to join a gym (or whether you really want to) remember that you always have an option of working out in the comfort of your own home.

While home gym equipment such as treadmills and elliptical trainers can be expensive to buy (and take up a lot of room in your home) you CAN put together an effective home gym for as little as $100 covering all the main aspects of getting fit : cardio, strength and flexibility.

$100 home gym project was started to explore the options for quality fitness equipment on a budget giving you the options you need to get in shape without spending a fortune.

Remember, now is the time to get your equipment together if you want to be ready for those New Years Resolutions so take a few minutes to explore equipment options for a small budget and get some ideas for putting your own kit together.

A Heart Rate Monitor : My Birthday "Treat"

I used to have a Cardiosport heart rate monitor when I took up running many moons ago. I quite liked using it but when I got it out this year ready to use for my 5K charity race training it had died. Probably the battery, I thought, but I didn't do anything about it.

I did the race and gave up running again. ( Never really did like running - just the feeling it gave me when I'd finished - must be all those happy hormones raging around).

Then this birthday back in August I decided I'd quite like to have a go at heart control training again with a shiny new heart rate monitor. I don't know, something to do with me feeling I was not really breaking a sweat on the stepping and rebounding in front of the TV. I knew I was fitter when I was running, yet I thought I was working quite hard anyway. Finally got around to ordering the monitor and it came quite recently. (You can tell I was keen)

Working hard? Not so, says my Polar F6 Heart Rate Monitor, not so at all - in fact I am coasting if the truth be told. To get the heart rate showing anything like moderate exercise I have to be working much harder.

You know I think a lot of us kid ourselves that we are exercising but we are probably not using that many calories. This baby tells me how many. Only 40? How can that be for all that time...must be at least..what?...only 10 minutes?

It's like having a coach shouting in your ear "work harder" all the time. Maybe it's something to put on your list for Christmas this year? But only if you want to use more calories when you work out...there's nowhere to hide any more

Rest between exercise sessions to Burn More Fat

Researchers in Japan have found that you burn more fat if you split your exercise session into two and rest in between - in the experiment two sessions of 30 minutes exercise with an hour break in between burnt measurably more fat than 60 minutes of exercise in one session.

Although the researchers are not yet sure why this occurs or what the best ratio for exercise/rest is I'm sure more experiments will be done in this area so that we can understand more about it over time.

iTWire - Exercise-Rest-Exercise: Possible formula for extra weight loss

technorati tags:burn+fat, fat+burning, lose+weight

Walk while you Work

I sit at my computer quite a few hours each day so I was quite interested in the news of a treadmill designed by the Mayo Clinic you use with your computer allowing you to walk and work at the same time.

Obviously you'd be unable to get up much speed when you were trying to focus on the screen but just walking very slowly (one mile an hour) for a couple of hours a day could mean a weight loss of 20 to 30 kgs (44 - 66lbs) over the course of a year.

Now if only I could find a way to fit a treadmill like that into my office...

Work treadmill 'boosts weight loss'