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Stretch for Fitness Success
When you think of developing a strong, muscular physique what type of exercises do you think of doing? To improve and develop strength most individuals focus on lifting weights – exercises such as bench press, push ups and flies – that focus on...
Stress and Exercise
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People who exercise regularly will tell you they feel better. Some will say it's because chemicals called neurotransmitters, produced in the brain, are stimulated during exercise. Since it's believed that neurotransmitters mediate...
Live Longer By Exercising - Part 2
In our last article we examined the top ten ways that regular exercise can protect you from disease and add years to your life. In this article we're going to examine even MORE ways that you can benefit from exercise!
Even though many of us...
Live Longer By Exercising - Part 1
The goal of this article is answer the question "why do we
exercise?"
Now, I know what you're all thinking: we exercise to lose fat so
we can look good! To be honest, that's the reason why most of us
exercise, and there's nothing wrong with...
Diet and Exercise Evolution: Adaptation (part II) -- Examples and Practical Advice
Understanding the theory of adaptation (see previous article, Adaptation I) will give you the tools to evaluate your diet and daily routine. If you have any question about whether something is good for you, always examine both the immediate...
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The RIGHT combination of diet exercise for maximum weight loss
Put simply, your resting
metabolic rate is the minimum
number of calories your body
needs to survive if you sleep
in bed all day. Your body
needs energy for hundreds
of bodily functions such as
breathing, keeping the brain
functioning and any movement
your body makes. Just being
alive uses up around 70% of
the calories you burn every
day.
According to research, the
following calorific expenditure
is used by the body: Homeostasis
- 70% Digestion & Elimination
- 5-15%
At this point, our body has
already burned around 85%
of daily calories without
taking any exercise or activity
into account. Running on a
treadmill at a fairly steady
pace for 20 minutes can burn
between 150-300 calories depending
on your body weight - thus
the amount of calories we
burn in activity is far fewer
than the body burns keeping
itself functioning.
So if you consider what happens
when we reduce the amount
of calories you ingest but
keep your activity levels
the same, your body has to
become more efficient at functioning
with less energy and will
consequently slow down your
metabolic rate in order to
function more efficiently.
In addition, as your body
is receiving from fewer calories
from your diet it will look
for elsewhere for other sources
of energy...your muscles.
If you're wondering why it
won't turn to fat just yet,
this is because the body will
use fat as a last resort -
its long term energy store
in cases of starvation - it
will only be used when all
other energy reserves have
been used up.
So not only will you starve
your body of the adequate
nutrients it needs to function,
you will also be forcing it
to eat into muscles for energy
and you will lose lean body
mass. There is also research
that shows that if you do
start to eat 'normally' again,
most of the weight gain will
be fat and that muscle mass
will not be replaced by re-feeding.
So what does this mean for
those of us trying to lose
weight?
It means that: - Cutting calories
alone will simply slow down
your metabolic rate - Cutting
calories will probably result
in muscle loss, which will
not be re-gained if you start
to eat 'normally' - Aerobic
exercise is unlikely to burn
sufficient calories for effective
weight loss and may also result
in loss of muscle - An important
key to losing weight is retaining
your lean body mass - your
muscle, which means resistance
exercise should be included
in your programme
So if you want a short, one
sentence that says it all
- here it is...a combination
of diet, a small amount of
aerobic training (at the right
intensity) and a moderate
amount of resistance training
should result in the most
weight loss without a loss
of lean body mass.
About the Author
Lea Woodward is a qualified
personal trainer and director
of activOne ltd in the UK.
activOne provides personal
training, diet & nutrition
advice and massage therapy
to private clients & corporate
wellbeing services in the
East Midlands, as well as
virtual training to clients
worldwide. Check out the website
http://www.activone.co.uk
Resources - Link Exchange
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