This month we find out ‘How much exercise is enough’ to maintain or achieve weight loss. We also find out how to burn off some of the crap we eat. Learn the importance of stretching with our exercise of the month, and tantalise our tastebuds with our apple bran muffins... who knew being bad could be so good for you? Also, meet Lifestyle Fitness’ very own Paul Peroy who lost 14 kgs in 8 weeks and is continuing to decrease his body fat... Learn the tricks of the trade from the Group Fitness Manager himself.
How Much is Enough?
So you know you want to start exercising but if you don’t know what you should be doing or how much of it, where would you even start with your health and lifestyle transformation? In this month’s article I will give you some tips and info that should help.
Australia is the leader in world obesity (wow! What a fantastic thing to come first inL ),with over 66% of the population affected by being overweight. The average non active person gains 8-9 kgs (mostly fat) from the age 18-55 & a further 1-2kgs each decade after that. So it quickly becomes evident we need guidelines to lose weight and also maintain weight.
To prevent this weight gain, it is recommended you partake in 2½-4 Hours of exercise a week at moderate to vigorous intensity. This includes some form of weight bearing and cardio vascular training (increasing your heart rate). This will counteract the weight gains through those years. It will also keep you feeling great as exercise releases endorphins into your blood stream. This also decreases the probability of you falling ill, increasing your life expectancy and the quality of your life.
To lose weight we would have to work a little harder, as the above would only counteract our natural weight gaining pattern. So, about 5 hours or more is generally associated with significant weight loss. Not forgetting a decent eating regime.
So we need Cardio vascular training, running, walking, jogging, dancing, group fitness or weight machines would achieve this type of work out. Remember we said moderate to vigorous so ensure intensity is factored in. This is why Group Fitness or Personal training is recommended, as when we train alone we have the tendency to slacken off due to boredom or just not being aware of our potential. A great indicator of intensity is our breathing, we should be breathing heavy but still able to hold a conversation, so our heart rate has increased but we feel ok.
Weight bearing exercise is also required. This will increase muscle mass and bone density, ensuring our health and strength. By increasing our muscle mass we ensure that we are efficient fat burning machines.
Getting fit and a balanced lifestyle shouldn’t be hard. So move it to lose it and limit your calorie intake without starving yourself for long periods of time. Now this is so simple anyone can do it... insanity is doing everything the same way you always have...and expecting different results. Make that change today.
Oops I Did it Again
Erase Your Binges
The Eating Plan can be the hardest thing to stick to. But don’t despair, it’s normal not to stick to The Plan 100% of the time. It happens to everyone, and I mean everyone, the lady next to you on the bus, the fitness instructor at your club, the model, actress and the athletes we all admire. We all have that moment of weakness where the doughnut is too good to say no to. CBS news reported that 42% of dieters drop out as soon as they eat something that isn’t in The Plan. But the trick is to accept that you will have some naughty stuff and either just get back on track the next day or counteract it with some extra exercise. Yes you could just do a little extra exercise and get rid of the extra calories you consumed. (Was that a light bulb moment we all had?)
Following is what you will need to do to counteract what wasn’t part of The Plan.
- 4 beers = 114 minutes of walking
- 1 cosmopolitan cocktail = 30 minutes of dancing
- 20 roasted cashew nuts = 25 minutes on a bike in the gym
- 2 cinnamon donuts = 51 minutes cycling
- Big Mac = 64 minutes of heavy weights training
- Block of chocolate = just over an hour of swimming
- 1.25Litre of coke = 54 minutes of circuit training
- 100 gram packet chips = 68 minutes of boxing
Here is an indicator of how many calories you will burn whilst exercising:
- Spin class – 600 to 800 Calories depending on how hard you work.
- Aerobics/Step – 440 to 800 calories
- BODYPUMP - About 483 calories. Added bonus - also increases your metabolism and muscle mass which will help you burn more fat all the time.
- Moderate house work – Approx 160 calories.
So the moral of the story is don’t beat yourself up when you break your eating plan, make up for it at the gym with a little extra activity and get on with it. Don’t be a Diet Disaster Statistic, get right back on track and enjoy your health and well being. It’s your life, so make the most of it.
Apple Bran Muffins (no fat)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-bran cereal
- 1 1/4 cups skim milk
- 1 1/4 cups self raising flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chunky applesauce or finely chopped fresh apple
- 2 eggs
Directions:
Combine cereal and milk in a large bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to soften. Combine flour, cinnamon, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add raisins and set aside. Combine applesauce and eggs and stir into the cereal mixture. Stir in dry ingredients just until moistened. Divide into 12 muffin cups, which have been sprayed with nonstick spray or use paper liners. Bake at 400 degrees about 25 minutes, till lightly browned.
Nutritional Information Per Serve:
Makes 12 Servings Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 150
- Total fat: less than 1 gram
- Saturated fat: less than 1 gram
- Cholesterol: 1 mg
- Sodium: 373 mg
- Carbohydrate: 35 grams
- Protein: 5 grams
- Dietary fiber: 5 grams
STRETCHING!
Stretching is probably the most overlooked exercise ever. People often finish their workouts and just walk out… not taking the time to stretch. Stretching will increase your speed (as the increased range of movement equates to a larger stride), increased mobility, decreased injury and a speedier muscle recovery after training. It is also important to know that as we age our flexibility decreases and this is one of the biggest causes of our physical aging, stopping us from being able to perform everyday tasks. So make sure you stretch after every workout and add the occasional stretch in on its own after warming up, it is very important never to stretch a cold muscle.
Here are some stretches to add to your collection.
Disclaimer: As with any type of physical activity, it is advised you warm up for 5 minutes before commencing exercise, followed by 5 minutes of stretching upon completion. These exercises are designed as a basic guide and professional consultations should be taken before commencing any exercise.
Pictures Courtesy of: Les Mills
Paul Peroy
Paul has been part of the fitness industry since he left school, so being sedentary definantely wasn’t the issue here. Always active he was one of the lucky few who could eat whatever he wanted and remain a constant weight. "Now that I am ummm lets say above 30 hahahahaha heading closer towards the other decade" his body was starting to change…
"It was the strangest thing, since childhood, I’ve never worried about my weight. So it was time to put all those years of fitness know how to practice and I began my road to the new me..."
Firstly he analyzed what he was doing, keeping a diary of what he was eating, when he was exercising and at what intensity and duration. "This took 2 weeks so I could look for any patterns. I was working out quite a bit too, but I was eating way too much..."
Paul then began a smart eating plan, taking it back to basics. Looking at portion sizes and cutting out all those special treats. "It really wasn’t brain surgery, I knew what I should be eating and how much, I just like to pretend I don’t know why I have put on weight." Allowing himself a whole day off his eating plan, kept him on track through the week, "I didn’t go crazy, it’s not like I ate from the minute I woke till I slept, I just had the foods I absolutely craved and wouldn’t allow myself through the week."
"I also increased the level of my training. It’s not like I had the time to add to my workouts", with a full time job, family commitments and life we can’t spend all our waking hours exercising. So I made sure the time I spent at the gym was effective. I love BODYPUMP, so I decided I could add weights, which I hadn’t increased in years. I was surprised how quickly I coped with the bigger weights so I increased them several times in the 2 months. I also made sure that in my cardio work outs I put in 110% so I really worked to my potential, finding new limits week after week in BODYSTEP, ABT and FATBUSTER. Also, making sure I participated in more Pilates and stretching to balance out my regime".
Well, it paid off and within 8 weeks Paul lost 14kgs. He has continued losing body fat and increasing muscle mass which is exactly what he wants. " I want to be comfortable by the pool or at the beach and I haven’t finished yet. I plan to keep getting fitter and stronger than ever before so when I hit fo--y (I can’t say it) I look and feel better than ever before.
Great work Paul you’re looking great, and the best thing about it is, you have inspired all the participants in your class to work that little bit harder and get that little bit fitter, healthier and sexier along with you. There is nothing more motivating than working out with someone that is achieving results…