There are a couple items I want to really drill into your subconscious with this newsletter.One is a misconception you need to understand regarding cardio. The other contains five fundamental, yet very critical points to adhere to in order for you to achieve maximum fat loss results. If you've ever wondered why you can't drop weight even though you do cardio all the time...you're in for some intriguing info.
A lot of women have succumbed to the practice of doing more cardio, more cardio and even more cardio. All without the correlating fat loss they were hoping for. There's a reason their fat loss wasn't proportionate to the exercise duration. It has to do with three main contributors that involve calories. Here's why long steady state aerobic activity is inferior to an interval based approach.
1) Calories burned during exercise.
You'll simply burn more calories from performing at a higher exertion level. Intervals typically incorporate an effort level above 80% with a recovery period below 30%. Basically, work at 80% or more of your effort level for a particular exercise, then back it off to around 30%. Keep alternating high/low.
This approach to cardio was promoted heavily in the Body For Life program and for good reason, it flat out works.You're probably saying...ok, burn more calories by working harder. That's pretty obvious. BUT....This is the not so obvious part.
2) Calories burned after exercise.
An interval approach to cardio has been shown to increase post exercise caloric expenditure for up to 24-48 hours. Long duration hasn't.How would you like to burn more calories over the next 24 hrs just by changing the type of cardio you perform? Your arm should now be raised above your head :-)and
3) Long duration cardio decreases muscle mass.
When that happens, you burn fewer calories all day long. The less muscle you have the fewer calories you burn. The more you have, the faster your metabolism becomes. Shorter intervals of cardio actually promote lean muscle mass whereas long duration produces hormones that tear down your muscle tissue...again, not a favorable action if fat loss is your goal.
Now don't take this the wrong way and think you're going to get "Schwarzenegger" muscles. Won't happen! By putting your body in the most optimal situation to lose fat, you're actually promoting an environment for your body to preserve and potentially build lean muscle mass. Which is a good thing!
Ok, enough about cardio. Let's talk about five fundamentals you need to adhere to in order to realize your fat loss goals. Contributing to these five are some world renown fitness and nutrition experts by the names of John Berardi, Alwyn Cosgrove and Craig Ballantyne. These guys are major players in the world of fat loss.
Here we go with our five "must do" fundamentals.....
1) You fail to consider the consequences of your actions!
Either your food and exercise choices get you one step closer to your fat loss goals or they don't. You need to place either a positive or negative action on your choices. Once you get this down, you'll be heading in the right direction at record pace.
2) Control your blood sugar levels.
High blood sugar levels trigger your body to store fat! Plain as day. To keep them under control,eat every 2-4 hours, limit starchy carbs like potato,oatmeal, whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta to only the 2-3 hours after you exercise. At this time, you're body needs sugar to restore and recover from your exercise program. Other times,they're really not needed.
3) Eat more fruits and vegetables!
As Americans, we eat very few. Some studies show less than 1% of us gets 5 servings per day. WOW!Low sugar fruits like berries, oranges, apples and plums eaten in moderation are important. Forget the people who say fruit is bad. Anything consumed over and above what is necessary isn't good. So eat a small piece of fruit with some of your daily meals....preferably early in the day as fruit does contain natural sugars. I could go on and on about the benefits of vegetables, so I'll save it and just tell you to get some with every meal. They balance your bodies acidity level, increase your metabolism and provide lots of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, fiber, photochemicals, and other micro-nutrients. Enough said.
4) Exercise with some intensity.
A Harvard study showed that intense exercise reduced death rates whereas low intensity exercise had little to no effect. Although your probably not directly concerned with that right now, the results you'll achieve from upping up your exercise intensity will be profound. Stop counting crossword puzzles as your daily exercise and exert yourself. :-)You just might be surprised how much you like the results!
5) Cover your nutritional bases.
Your fat loss efforts may be affected by your nutritional inadequacies. In order to maximize your efforts, make sure those nutritional gaps are filled. Take a multi vitamin/mineral once or twice day. Water soluble vitamins are flushed out of your system if not utilized so take one in the morning and again later in the day. Nothing mega dosage level...just normal RDA amounts.
Essential fats. It's estimated that over 80% of Americans are deficient. A study done in Ontario, Canada concluded that by supplementing with essential fats, individuals can raise their metabolism by up to 400 additional calories burned per day!! There are many benefits to taking essential fats. You can do your research, but not taking them will have a negative impact on your fat loss.
Protein. If you can't get the optimal levels in each day, then use a quality protein blend. Use it in shakes or in your oatmeal. Either way, you need to get a good portion at each meal.It not only helps stabilize your blood sugar, but assists in repairing your bodies many tissues in addition to the many other important hormonal roles it plays.
There's a couple others, but these are the "players". Here's what I want you to take from this article.....
1) Exercise Intensely with Weights
2) Perform cardio intervals equally as much as your longer cardio days.
3) Eat every 2-4 hours
4) Up your fruits and vegetables
5) Limit "starchy" carbs to the 2-3 hours after exercise only. Limit them in the evening, even if it's after exercise.
6) Implement consequences for your poor actions and reinforcing ones for your positive actions. Build that connection.
7) Cover your nutritional bases with just a few supplements
These are core to any successful fat loss program. Do these 90% of the time or more and you'll accomplish your fat loss goals!
~Thanks Eric for explaining in such great detail why we Should use the meal plan and work out the way we do! It really work...do BOTH and you will see results! For those of you that don't know, Eric is a GREAT and SUCCESSFUL trainer in AZ that I love to get his newsletters because he is always right on!
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