Walking / Jogging

[Jachut 487]

I was just trying on formal dresses and evening gowns, sigh. It is very true that loads of cardio just makes you a smaller version of your flabby self. I can get into a size 16 (US 14) now, but every lump and bump I had is still there, just smaller.

I really really MUST get into some serious weight training!

[HeatherGurl 0]

I want to start running/jogging so bad! After 8 weeks of power walking, my heart rate just isn't getting up enough with the walking. What should I do? How do I start running without killing myself?

[Telly 4]

The more muscle you have, the more fat your body will burn.

You know how they say.. breathe in when you make certain movements during exercise and breathe out at the hardest part of the exercise..such as weight training? Well there is a reason for it. Also too, how many calories does muscle burn v/s fat? Here's a good resource link.

http://exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/f/muscle.htm

Q. How Many Calories Does Muscle Really Burn?

A. Most people know that muscle burns more calories than fat but, just how much more? Ever since I got certified more than eight years ago, I've been told that a pound of muscle burns anywhere from 30 to 50 calories per day. However, after doing some research, I've found that number isn't accurate. In fact, a pound of muscle only burns about 6 calories a day...a lot less than what many of us thought, but still more than a pound of fat, which burns only 2 calories in a day. If you can expect to burn 6 extra calories for each pound of muscle you have, you might also wonder how much muscle can you expect to gain once you start lifting weights. According to Dr. Cedric Bryant, Chief Exercise Physiologist at ACE [1], the average person usually gains about 3-5 pounds of muscle mass every 3-4 months.

Of course, how much muscle you put on is based on your genetics, gender, exercise program and diet, so each person will have a different response to weight training.

So, what does this mean? That you shouldn't bother lifting weights if you're trying to lose weight? I think you know the answer to that question. Even though muscle doesn't burn a huge number of calories on its own, it's still more metabolically active than fat and very important for weight loss. In fact, one study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology [6] found that, though weight training doesn't burn as many calories as cardio, it significantly increases average daily metabolic rate - the perfect foundation for losing fat.

And remember the other benefits of weight training:

• Prevents loss of lean body mass that happens from dieting and/or aging
  
• Weight training workouts burn calories
  
• Helps change your body composition, which helps shape your body and keep you healthy
  
• Strenghtens bones and connective tissue along with muscles
  
• Helps keep you strong and active as you get older

The bottom line is, strength training is important for almost any fitness goal, whether you want to lose fat, gain muscle or just get in better condition. Check out the following strength training resources for more:

______________________________________________________________

website link of this information: http://www.weightlossforall.com/burn%20fat.htm

Optimise your body to burn fat quickly and naturally

Burn fat quickly and naturally

While exercising our muscles burn both fat and glucose (carbohydrates in the blood) in different proportions. Depending on how an individual exercises muscle can burn fat in a larger proportion to glucose.

When activity is light and easy we tend to burn a much higher percentage of fat. Fat is a slow burning fuel that requires oxygen so if oxygen is delivered to muscle cells in sufficient quantities the cells can easily burn fat for most of its energy requirement. A potential problem for weight loss is lighter exercise burns fewer total calories.

If an individual increases their effort by performing a more intense exercise they WILL burn more calories however, because oxygen cannot always be delivered to the hard-working cells in sufficient quantities, cells are forced to burn more carbohydrates in order to keep up with increasing demand. If the level of exertion continues to increase then glucose eventually becomes the predominant energy source for muscles as this quick-burning fuel does not require oxygen.

It means to burn fat directly we should exercise at a lower level of effort and for longer duration. However some people just don't have the time to exercise for longer periods. The only way to burn fat quickly is to increase the metabolism through anaerobic exercise so we burn the fat indirectly. Fitness expert Tom Venuto has taught thousands of people worldwide exactly how to use certain exercises to burn fat fast.

Fat burning tips

• Burning fat requires continuous smooth movements so learn to develop a rhythmic style when exercising
  
• Breath slightly deeper and use a little more lung capacity for effective fat burning
  
• Do not hold breath during exercise!

WARNING!

If you possess a high number of fat cells you MUST exercise & diet using correct scientific principles in order to empty fat cells, any other way will result in Water loss and potential regain after diet stops. Read more on Fat Cells here!

[Jachut 487]

Heather, what you need to do is introduce spurts of jogging now. There's so many elements to fitness, but the main thing is if you do the same thing all the time, you wont continue to improve. If you introduce intervals of jogging now - say 1 minute for starters - your fitness will increase to the next level. Gradually add to those intervals, and make sure you dont slack right off in the recovery walking stages, and soon enough, you'll be able to string them together and jog the whole way. www.coolrunning.com has a great Couch to 5K program to start people off with running.

[puddin 7]

Jacqui, I started doing 1 minute spurts of jogging a few weeks ago during my evening walks. At first I thought I'd die at the end of the minute, but now it's not so hard. It's amazing how quickly our bodies adapt to it. Now it's almost instinctive to start jogging.

About this whole weight training discussion... I'm a pretty scientific person and I know a lot about how our bodies work, but this whole WHEN and HOW and IF we should weight train has got me so confused I think my brain's going to melt. I've been told multiple times that losing weight and gaining muscle are two competing goals and shouldn't be done at the same time. That being said, I've also been told that building muscle is the key to weight loss. I can see both sides of the coin. But what does MY body require to repair from a weight training session and build muscle. It's altogether possible to sabotage my own efforts by eating too few calories and working out too hard with my cardio sessions so my body can't efficiently repair itself. I've been there before. It just makes you sick and sore. I'll ask my trainer on Monday, but I already know what he'll say: "Focus on the fat loss first, missy." So at this point I think I might just experiment with the whole thing. Right now I bust my butt every day to hit my 2,800 calorie expenditure goal (the BodyBugg device I wear keeps track of how many calories I'm burning at all times). Maybe that goal would be so much more attainable if I had some extra metabolically active muscle on me. I know it would, but with what parameters? This is my new Quest. Maybe I'll make a new post if I ever find the answer.

[Jachut 487]

It gives me brain meltdown too - so much so that I'm paralysed, I cant even start. I dont have a lot of time for weight training, I now cant justify a gym membership because I"m paying off my mega expensive treadmill and you just find so much conflicting information that it's too hard to even start.

High weight, low reps? Light weights, high reps? Upper body one day, lower on another? What about abdominal work? Are we really wasting our time like so much of the stuff on the internet says - and is the secret really contained in that e-book?

AAARGH. It does seem like a very good idea to not worry about it until I'm nearly at goal weight. Just focus on running, maybe just some push ups, tricep dips and crunches a few times a week. See where I'm at when I dont have a lot more fat to lose.

[Fat2Phat 0]

I think I have to focus on the cardio part of the exercise because for the next month I am on a 20lb lifting restriction. I am only 2 weeks post-op. I guess I didn't realize that the lifting restriction would last more than a couple of weeks. I am doing the small toning weights, but it honestly doesn't feel as though that is doing much.

[Telly 4]

I had a hard time trying to decide on whether or not to start weight training b/c of the reason that I heard weight training slows down your weight loss.

Well this is kinda true in my experience. The weight loss does slow because you are converting fat into muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat and though the scale will not dip has fast as you want it to, your end result is unbelieveable. I'd rather be 184lbs with muscle showing then 175lbs of nothing but fatness. I can really see a huge difference in my body tone with the weight and circuit training. The running has smoothed down everything, evenly and is great for my heart but the weight training is making me look aesthetically better.

I stayed 188lbs for 1 week and now up and down stuck at 184lbs. I do 1.5 hours of cardio every day and I am alternating weight training, circuit training, etc. My weight has remained the same. I am losing my fat and gaining muscle and I can really feel and see it. I went to Walmart the other day to buy a few workout bras and I saw workout pants. I tried them on. They were a size 14. Though I weigh alot still, I am in a 14 pants and that's just nuts to me.

I am no longer looking at the weight as a major factor in my fitness goals. I am looking at body composition. I spoke with a personal trainer who is also a certified yoga and pilates instructor and she told me that she was over 200lbs once upon a time. She began her cardio and pilates ..some weight training and she is now at a 14% body fat, wearing a size 4, weighing 150lbs. She's mostly toned muscle but her muscles are heavy, but she's tiny. She's about 5ft 4 I believe.

Think about it..

If you are losing alot of weight, you are most definately losing muscle mass too. Do you want to be a 135lb ..flabby person or a 150lb very very toned person with hardly any fat, wearing a smaller size than a 135lb does?

Good example of this.. I saw my sister-in-law for the first time in months, she's put on some serious weight since she married last July. She says to me that she's 130lbs but she is very flabby with alot of cellulite around her upper thigh, butt area (she was wearing shorts). I do not have cellulite anymore... in fact, my legs are extremely toned..in comparison and I weigh 50lbs more than she does. I have no double chin but she does. Isn't that crazy?

[Fat2Phat 0]

Tellymelly...

All great points. I can't wait until the weight restriction is over. Does anyone else have such a long weight lifting restriction??? I have a month of no more than 20 lbs.

We need to not stay focused on the numbers of the scale but the overall body appearance and good health. We must all try hard not to become obsessed with numbers only.

[puddin 7]

Telly, fat doesn't convert into muscle. Your body builds it with Protein and uses carbohydrates to transport it to the muscle. Telly, you are absolutely correct, however, when you say that you probably won't lose much weight if your goal is to build muscle. To really, effectively build muscle you've got to feed it. And since you sometimes stay the same weight during the week (but you've gained muscle), you are eating as much as you're expending, which is an ideal situation for weight training. But the band makes that difficult and eating as much as we're expending is contrary to the reason we got the band. But for us people with a LOT of fat on our bodies that really NEED to take off the pounds, it might be better to get rid of most of the weight, first, before focusing on the ideal situation for weight training. It IS possible (I did a lot of research last night and this morning on this), apparently, to lose a lot of weight and gain muscle at the same time - but our bodies don't like to do it, and it's not that efficient at it for very long, oddly enough.

So my trainer said this morning that before I focus on building muscle he's having me focus on losing most of the weight. And then he's going to have me switch off between weight training intervals and weight loss intervals (like 3 weeks at a time) as I get closer to my goal weight. Once I'm at goal I can focus a lot more on the weight training. But apparently if you gain pounds in muscle you also gain fat, it's inevitable. So that's why he's going to have me switch off. But Telly, your weight is probably closer to where it needs to be to do the weight training; I think you're doing a FANTASTIC job and you look great, honey.

[Telly 4]

Telly, fat doesn't convert into muscle. Your body builds it with Protein and uses carbohydrates to transport it to the muscle. Telly, you are absolutely correct, however, when you say that you probably won't lose much weight if your goal is to build muscle. To really, effectively build muscle you've got to feed it. And since you sometimes stay the same weight during the week (but you've gained muscle), you are eating as much as you're expending, which is an ideal situation for weight training. But the band makes that difficult and eating as much as we're expending is contrary to the reason we got the band. But for us people with a LOT of fat on our bodies that really NEED to take off the pounds, it might be better to get rid of most of the weight, first, before focusing on the ideal situation for weight training. It IS possible (I did a lot of research last night and this morning on this), apparently, to lose a lot of weight and gain muscle at the same time - but our bodies don't like to do it, and it's not that efficient at it for very long, oddly enough.

So my trainer said this morning that before I focus on building muscle he's having me focus on losing most of the weight. And then he's going to have me switch off between weight training intervals and weight loss intervals (like 3 weeks at a time) as I get closer to my goal weight. Once I'm at goal I can focus a lot more on the weight training. But apparently if you gain pounds in muscle you also gain fat, it's inevitable. So that's why he's going to have me switch off. But Telly, your weight is probably closer to where it needs to be to do the weight training; I think you're doing a FANTASTIC job and you look great, honey.

Let me recite this in more depth so that you can understand.... the space that your fat is occupying..fat cells, will empty. The space..no longer fatty but muscular, weight training is good for you. Turn the fat (space) into muscle.

**EDITED/ADDED FROM HERE ON***I never said I would not lose much weight with weight training, I said weight loss will slow b/c a few weeks ago, it was just melting off with a few plateaus, but it's slowing now that I'm weight training.

Ridding of the weight first... both weight and cardio is doing that for me. I lost 56lbs so far, doing lots of cardio and suttle weight training, all is well. Now I am fully weight training and though my weight loss is slowing, I'm seeing a major difference in my appearance and pants sizes.

I also know that the band does not allow you to eat more and with workouts like mine, I have to eat more. This is the main reason I have decided not to get a fill. Because of my workouts, I am eating 6 meals a day. I can't do that with the band being filled. I am taking in 2,800 - 3,000 calories per day now.

[puddin 7]

Hon, we are talking about the space occupied

Do you mean about converting fat into muscle?

[Telly 4]

Your personal trainer told you to hold off on weights??? That's just weird. I've spoken to quite a few and they all say go for the weights.

I have been weight training for weeks now and I'm still losing weight.

[Fat2Phat 0]

Puddinpie (cute name by the way),

I am very interested about your last post. That is an interesting way to look at it. I never thought about it being better to lose the weight first then work on building muscle. I have never researched it. You have added another thing for me to look in to. Thanks for the research you have done. Maybe I should get a trainer...

[Telly 4]

Space, talking about fat space v/s muscle space, see below

http://www.therealessentials.com/lean.html

The Best Way to Burn Fat

The best way to permanently shed unwanted flab is through a combination of moderate exercise, weight training, and proper diet.

There are three reasons why exercising and weight training work to slenderize the body:

1. By adding muscle, you permanently raise your metabolic rate, since muscle burns 25 times more calories than fat. Muscle is active tissue that continually consumes energy - even while resting or sleeping. In contrast, fat is inert and requires little energy to maintain.

2. When you convert fat to muscle, you automatically slenderize yourself because muscle takes up less space than the same weight of fat.

3. Studies have shown that people with more muscles are more energetic. This encourages them to be more active and do more exercising. This creates a self-perpetuating cycle of fat-burning.

Because muscle weighs more than fat, this means that you might not lose weight if you convert fat into muscle. In fact, many people gain weight after starting a weight-loss program even though they look leaner. This can be very disconcerting to people who are conditioned to associating leaner bodies with less weight. If they stick with their weight training, they will begin to lose weight eventually. However, this is not the real goal. A true slenderizing program is designed to make the body leaner, regardless of what you weigh afterwards.

Why Weight Training Works

Resistance training generates one of the largest rises in growth hormone of any exercise according to a study conducted by Borst et al. in 1994. These researchers found that the activity of lifting weights at just 70 percent of lifting capacity resulted in a tripling of growth hormone levels.

Nothing can pare away fat, add muscle, and reverse the signs of aging better than growth hormone - a key hormone that steadily declines as we grow older. In a l990 New England Journal of Medicine study, Daniel Rudman, M.D., showed that growth hormone supplementation increased lean body mass by 8.8 percent while reducing fat deposits by 14.4 percent. Other studies have demonstrated similar results, showing that higher levels of growth hormone in older people can both rev up metabolism and literally resculpt the body, paring away fat as lean muscle tissue is added (Salomon et al., 1989).

Walking

Aside from weight training, aerobic exercises, like walking or bicycling, are the next best exercise to pare fat and improve health. According to Hippocrates, the ancient Greek patron of medicine, you have two doctors: your right leg and your left leg. He prescribed walking as a universal remedy for all mental and physical conditions.

Light walking (at 60 percent of maximum heart rate) is one of the simplest and easiest exercises to improve health, condition the body, and burn calories. Not only does walking carry the least risk of injury of any aerobic exercise, but it also does not require any special training or equipment. According to Marian Minor, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Missouri School of Health, "Walking is probably the most efficient way to burn calories for weight loss."

Research conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis showed that walking a 15-minute mile burns almost as many calories as jogging or running, but without the wear and tear on tissues, joints, and organs. "At 5 mph, walkers' hearts beat harder than runners,'" states Wendy Kohrt, Ph.D.

Uphill walking can accelerate calorie burning and improvement in physical condition and can also result in better conditioning than running. Start by walking for 20 to 30 minutes 3 times a week. Eventually, you should build up to a 30 to 40 minute walk every day. Ideally, you should be able to walk a mile in 15 minutes. In fact, walking three miles in 45 minutes provides better cardiovascular conditioning than running one mile in six minutes