Exercising for weight-loss and overall health

Exercise for health and weight loss. 

*Referring back to the rules of weight loss, you do NOT need to exercise to lose body fat but it will help to retain lean muscle mass during a calorie restriction phase. The best way to hold on to muscle is to work it to the point you damage the delicate micro-fibres, forcing the body to repair them - and make them stronger. 

It’s not all about CARDIO!

Some people (mostly gym owners who want you to take out a monthly sub$cription) will tell you that you need to do hours and hours of ‘cardio’ on fancy, expensive machines to lose weight. This simply is NOT true. The one thing I guarantee you will lose doing this is INTEREST!  The truth is, the best exercise routine is one that you enjoy, and that helps in your daily life. 

So, with this in mind, I recommend most people (that are physically able) should combine short, intense cardio sessions with ‘progressive resistance’ routines created by professionals. In simple terms, lift weights to make you stronger and do something that gets you out of breath to increase your fitness levels. This will slowly change your body shape AND help you carry the shopping, run for a bus, play with the kids etc. etc. 

Example of beginner’s weekly exercise routine:

DAY	AM	PM
Monday		Weight lifting
Tuesday		HIIT Cardio
Wednesday	Lunchtime walk
Thursday		Weight lifting
Friday	Lunchtime walk
Saturday	HIIT Cardio	Socialising
Sunday	REST	REST

Exercise for weight loss

HIIT. 

HIIT - or High Intensity Interval Training, is a recent buzzword but has been around for many years (race horse trainers use HIIT to train winners) and purely describes a method of short, sharp periods of exercise at full steam combined with gentle rest periods. 

Examples: 

• Sprint 50M at full pelt, run back at a slow jog. Rinse and repeat for a number of ‘sets’.

• Exercise bike for 30 seconds at maximum work rate then 30 seconds at very gentle pace.

• And so on...

HIIT has been shown to burn as much fat in shorter sessions than longer ‘steady state’ cardio such as jogging, treadmill etc. It’s a great way to get your workout done when you are short of time whilst still getting the cardiovascular - and fat burning - benefits. It can also be performed on most machines, or with any non-equipment or ‘bodyweight’ exercises such as running, burpees, squats etc. 

You can download an APP for your phone to help you setup timings for your HIIT sessions. *Sometimes known as ‘Tabata’ sessions/timers. 

Walking. 

Providing you don’t dawdle along, walking can be a really good fat- burning exercise and is easy - and cheap - to do. Aim to walk at approx 4MPH and ideally, for 45 mins. Use an app to track your route, a step counter, or listen to podcasts along the way. Log your exercise so you know your calories ‘burnt’ for the day. 

Weight Training (Females)

Contrary to popular myth, women won’t get ‘bulky’ and ‘mannish’ looking by lifting weights, even if they perform the classical ‘big lifts’ like squats, bench press and deadlift. Women’s hormone levels are different to men’s so they would have to lift a lot of weight, and take a lot of drugs, to even approach that ‘bodybuilder’ look. Instead, a progressive resistance (ie small increases in weight/repetitions each week) program will help build up joint strength, muscle definition and put your curves back in the right places.

 For overall strength increases, and to look better in the buff, choose a program that incorporates ‘compound’ lifts i.e. movements that use multiple muscle groups - Squat, deadlift etc. Workout roughly 2-3 times a week AND GET PLENTY OF REST.

Weight Training (Males)

As men reach the ripe old age of 30 their testosterone production slows down which sees a slow reduction in lean body mass and makes it progressively harder to put on muscle. Partner that with a reduced ability to recover from injuries and you’ll understand the need to choose a professionally produced weight training program.

 For overall strength increases, and to look better in the buff, choose a program that incorporates ‘compound’ lifts i.e. movements that use multiple muscle groups - Squat, deadlift etc. Workout roughly 3 times a week AND GET PLENTY OF REST. Men are men and they want to go overboard at first with 2 hours sessions at the gym, 8 times a week. This will be detrimental to your muscle recovery and lead inevitably to over training, fatigue and injury. 

Weight Training (ALL) 

The most important aspect of weight training is that you must progress. Choose a starting weight you can lift 5 times with good form. Perform 5 sets of that exercise. When you can perform 6 repetitions, add a couple of kilos to the bar and go back to 5 - and so on until you can only go up in smaller increments. 

Recommended routines for beginners:

• Stronglifts 5x5 (All)

• Starting Strength (All)

• Strong Curves (Women)

Remember, each time you increase the weight on the bar, the body must adapt and strengthen your muscles, joints and tendons in order to lift that same weight again next time. If you keep increasing the resistance, the body will become stronger to compensate.