|
|
      |
| The Lounge | Champions | The Wire | Schedule | Audio | Arcade | The Top Ten | Historical | Email | Video |
|
|
|
| The Lounge | Champions | The Wire | Schedule | Audio | Arcade | The Top Ten | Historical | Email | Video |
 |
Aerobics Imposters
In health clubs, they run classes that call themselves "aerobics". As you will come to see, they are neither aerobic, nor are they the best way to lose the excess fat. The main thing they accomplish for you is losing weight from your wallet. True Aerobics The word "aerobic" literally means "with air". It is the opposite of anaerobic (without air). These terms refer to the way in which your cells are providing the energy for your muscles to work. Anaerobic means sugars are being burned without oxygen, which creates a by-product of lactic acid. This lactic acid accumulates in your muscles, causing them to feel like they're burning. Aerobic means that blood sugar and fat are being burned in oxygen, which has only carbon dioxide as a by-product, which you exhale. Low intensity exercise is aerobic because you can inhale enough oxygen to meet your muscles' energy needs. High intensity exercise needs far more energy, but you can't breathe in enough air to keep up, so you feel "out of breath". But your muscles still need the energy, so they switch to anaerobic. However, you can't burn fat in anaerobic mode, only sugars, so you can't keep it up too long, and you're not accomplishing your goal of fat-reduction. Whatever activity you choose, you know you're in an aerobic mode if you can take deep breaths and carry on a conversation. If you're taking fast, shallow breaths through your mouth, then no matter how slow you may be going or what kind of activity it is, you're doing it anaerobically. Does that mean that walking to the store is aerobic activity? Yes. Most things you do all day are aerobic. For it to be exercise, though, you have to raise your heart rate. So, get the blood flowing by walking fast, and you'll be burning fat in no time. For aerobic exercise to be effective, it has to be long duration. When you start to move around, your body will burn blood-sugar in oxygen aerobically, but it won't trigger your fat cells to provide any fat to burn right away. Your body would prefer to wait for your next meal to replace the blood sugar. It's only when you show your body that it will need more energy right away that it will recruit fat from your fat stores. Once the fat starts to flow, you have to burn it, or else it will be re-deposited unused. So what does that mean? When you do a low-intensity exercise, it will really do you no good until you pass the 15-20 minute mark. Until then, you are just burning blood-sugar. Once the fat starts to flow, that's when the work really begins, and you should continue exercising and burning that fat for at least 20 more minutes if you continue your low-intensity activity. If you switch to a higher-intensity activity, try to breathe as deeply as possible to continue your aerobic burning. Use Your Biggest Weapons If your goal is fat-reduction and you want to achieve it as quickly as possible, you must use your biggest weapons. Larger muscles burn more energy than smaller muscles. Therefore, your choice of exercise should make use of your largest muscles, which are your gluteus maximus and your quadriceps... your butt and your thighs. Walking, jogging, stair climbing, cross country skiing, rollerblading and bicycling are all great examples of activities you can keep up for a long period of time, while breathing deeply and using your largest muscles. Swimming, unfortunately, is mostly an upper-body activity, no matter how hard you think you're kicking. The arm movements that you see some "power-walkers" doing, as well as the complicated patterns in "aerobics" classes at the gym are doing nothing to speed up weight loss. Arm swinging can improve your circulation and keep your mind occupied, but is not necessary, and certainly is no substitute for a good leg workout. High Intensity Usefulness High intensity exercise has it's good points, though. It is important to remember that a well-conditioned heart and lungs can fight heart disease and stroke, and makes all forms of exercise more effective. The only way to improve the function of your heart and lungs is to push them harder than normal, into the anaerobic side of things. When you're struggling for breath, breathing rapidly, and your heart is pumping at its maximum, you are making them more powerful and prolonging your life. Although anaerobic exercise does not burn fat while you're doing it, the exercise itself raises your metabolism so that you burn fat afterward for several hours. This is because your body is replacing all the energy you used. My other recommendations can be found in my article on Exercise. Those high-intensity classes offered by health clubs are good for some people, but there's no good reason for you to join one if you've never done it before. For some people, it makes the workout fun, which is a great motivator. The coach or instructor is also a great source of motivation because they encourage you to continue and push harder. Many people need that. Just remember that it is NOT aerobic exercise. The complicated patterns and arm movements serve no purpose, and if you can't keep up for more than 20 minutes, it may be a waste of time. For most men (and women) it is far better to do a nice low-intensity warm up for 20 minutes, followed by a moderate to high intensity run or bike for another 10-15 minutes. To get the best aerobic benefits, try to breathe deeply throughout, because that's what aerobics is really about! Aerobics is good, but there are better exercises for weight loss, read my article called Exercise: Essential. Aerobic exercise can be a part of your weight-loss equation. But the most important part you can't find in a gym, learn more on my site. David "Mr. Weightless" McCormick is the founder of Weightless Products, the best weight loss program for men. In his series of articles, he covers everything every man needs to know to lose weight fast and keep burning fat. There are no banners, no pop-up ads, no need to sign up, all articles are available in full for FREE. Wait Less for Weight Loss, visit Mr. Weightless today!
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Secret to Safe Weight Loss The safe way to lose weight begins with a thorough checkup by your family physician. He can check for any health problems that might defeat a simple diet plan. Anger: The Unexpected Emotion After Gastric Bypass Surgery The words I read made me furious. There it was, in black and white, the story of a fussy baby who was spoon fed ice cream to keep her quiet. Pathological Eating Disorders and Poly-Behavioral Addiction When considering that pathological eating disorders and their related diseases now afflict more people globally than malnutrition, some experts in the medical field are presently purporting that the world's number one health problem is no longer heart disease or cancer, but obesity. According to the World Health Organization (June, 2005), "obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults overweight - at least 300 million of them clinically obese - and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability. Carnitine Weight Loss Revealed: Why L-Carnitine Should Be The #1 Weight Loss Drug Carnitine is simply the safest and healthiest supplement you can use to boost weight loss and energy. So then why isn't it touted by drug companies as a miracle weight loss drug? First of all, it is not a drug, but a natural compound found in meats and all throughout your body. 4 Tips for Fast Fat Loss Part III Fat Loss Tip #3) Proper Meal FrequencyMeal Frequency (i.e. Are Low Carb Diets Good for Everyone? What's a Low Carb Diet Really Mean?When I hear low carb to me it means, "low sugar," or "less processed foods." If we'd all make an effort to avoid chips, cookies, cakes, high corn syrup drinks, and candy, then we'd be reducing our overall carbs and eating more healthfully at the same time. Your Words Affect Your Weight Loss - Stop the Struggle Are you Telling Yourself It's Too Hard to Lose Weight?Telling yourself you have to "struggle with this weight issue for the rest of my life," is as good as telling yourself there's no point in trying. "Why bother? I'll just gain it right back. Lose Weight NOW! - Do or Die Time! Some of you will not like what I'm going to say, even though it is the truth. That may be where the issue of America's health problems lies. 10 Tips for Dining Out There is no doubt about it; Americans are eating in restaurants more often than ever before. In 1970 Americans spent just 26% of their food dollars on restaurant meals. Gastric Bypass Surgery - What Are The Risks? Although all of the risks involved in gastric bypass surgery aren't fully known, there are many that are. These include possible infection, clotting of the blood, and the development of gallstones, a bleeding ulcer and even pneumonia. 5 Easy Weight Loss Tips You Can Use Right Now Sometimes, just the thought of starting on a diet and fitness regimencan be so overwhelming, we stop before we even give it a shot. Let'snot be overwhelmed then, OK? Instead, let's look at 5 easy ways youcan start down the path to a slimmer, lighter you. 3 Guilt Free Fat Burning Food After Dinner Snacks Want an after dinner snack? Jealously watching your family consume full-fat ice-cream, biscuits and cakes as you're reading this, and feeling left out? Then try these delicious alternatives, designed not to limit your calorie intake, but to be satisfying, providing nutrient-rich and low energy dense food.Fat Burning Snack Idea No. Pizza, French Fries, Beer and Other Diet Foods Now this is the real American Dream! I'm here to let you know that it is totally possible to lose all the fat you want while eating nothing but junk food. The only hitch is that all the fat you want to lose is going to have to be zero!Here are some tongue-in-cheek (or burger-in-belly) suggestions for how you can turn even the greasiest, sugariest, most overprocessed calorie bomb into lean, mean diet food. Fast Weight Loss - Can You Really Lose 60lbs in 30 Days? Fast Weight Loss - Is it better to lose 2lbs a day or 2lbs a week?Yes it's very possible that you can lose 60lbs in 30 days but I don't think you would want to and here's the reason why:Let's say you do lose 60lbs in 30 days? how much of that weight you lose do you think is going to be pure body fat? Remember-- body fat makes us look ugly.Anytime you try to lose more than 2lbs a week or 60lbs in 30 days (2lbs a day!)?A larger part of the weight you lose is only going to be water and muscle. Weight Loss Surgery: A Last Resort Thinking about weight loss surgery? You're not alone. Over two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. Diet Fads: Supermarket Sheep Eighteen or twenty years ago, I was into high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate diets, courtesy of the original Atkins Diet Revolution and, to an even greater extent, Stillman's Quick Weight Loss Diet (which I must admit I still prefer to Atkins but that's merely personal taste). At the time, every aisle was loaded with labels proclaiming Low Fat or Reduced Fat. Weight Loss Tips, Tricks, and Tactics - Part 1 I personal lost 60 pounds in 2003. Here are some tactics I used to lose the weight. Lose Weight NOW! - The Truth or Consequences Diet? If you knew when you were going to die, would you really want to know? If you knew when you were going to lose your life, would you do anything different? If you had a choice of living longer or living a better quality of life, which would you choose, longer or better?People say, "if only" they had known they were going to have this happen to me, they would have done things differently. IF ONLY?I had not stressed so much about life. How Does Phentermine Work? Learn Pros & Cons Of Phentermine For Weight Loss Phentermine, like many other prescription drugs, works with chemicals called neurotransmitters in your brain. It actually stimulates your neuron bundles to release a particular group of neurotransmitters known as catecholamines, these include dopamine, epinephrine (formally known as adrenalin), and norepinephrine (noradrenalin). 5 Tips To Losing Weight With Convenience Food While it would be ideal to make all of our own snacks and meals from scratch everyday, the plain and simple truth is that most of us simply don't have that kind of time. This is where we turn to convenience foods to meet our dietary and weight loss needs.
|
Section Site Map - Submit News - Feedback - Comments - Advertise with Us Copyright © 2006 Luminati Inc. All rights reserved. 
|
