I always knew that it sucked getting old but I never knew exactly how much.  Now that I’m essentially there, I’m more determined than ever to fight the effects of it for as long as I’m physically able!

Losing Fat Is Not Always a Good Thing

One of the more insidious tricks that old age plays on your body as you age involves fat.  Yeah, I know that we spend most of our lives fighting the accumulation of it but fat plays a very important role in how our bodies function.

The type of fat I’m talking about here is called subcutaneous fat.  This is the fat that’s right below the surface of our skin.  Subcutaneous fat acts like a “shock-absorber” protecting bone and muscle tissue from the usual bumps and grinds of daily life as well as the typical exercise routine or one-on-one game of basketball.  It also acts as an insulator helping our body regulate temperature.

As we age, the amount of subcutaneous fat steadily decreases, especially on our face and hands, the elbows and lower arms, as well as the knees and lower legs.  This is the reason that as you age, you tend to look gaunt or even bony,  especially around your face and joints.

The problem with this is that as you lose more and more subcutaneous fat, your muscles and joints become much more susceptible to bruising and injury.  It also means that your body has a harder time regulating it’s temperature – one of the reasons many elderly are always feeling cold.

So losing subcutaneous fat is not a good thing and one of the things you’ve got to compensate for as you age.

The Worst Part of It

Although the effects from the loss of subcutaneous fat is bad enough, it’s not the worst part of the story.  As you age, Father Time throws you a “1-2 punch” composed of the two following facts:

First is the fact that as we age, our body increases it’s accumulation of body fat to our upper arms, upper legs, and torso.  Remember that the rest of our body is actually getting skinnier as we loose subcutaneous fat from the face and extremities.

Second is the fact that aging generally reduces the size of muscle tissue.  As you age, you’re not as strong as you used to be in addition to having less endurance.

“But wait a minute,” you say.  “That can’t be right.  I can’t be accumulating more body fat because I still weigh the same!”  Sorry, but the cruelest trick of all is that as we age, our body increases the amount of body fat it stores at the same time that our muscles are shrinking.  Your weight may stay exactly the same but your proportion of body fat vs. lean muscle slowly and consistently increases until about age 70.

Now, you tell me – does that really suck or what?

Getting Old Sucks!

The more I read, the worst the story got.  Aging essentially slows down, reduces, or in some cases, begins to shut down essentially all of our physical and “life support” systems.  Everything from the loss of your sex drive to the creation of brittle bones.  From your digestive system to your heart, everything begins to lose strength, endurance, and efficiency.  “Geez!” I thought. ”Why not just shoot me now!”

But There is Hope

I was really depressed at this point.  Why would anyone want to watch their body slowly deteriorate day by day?  Why would you go through that?  All of a sudden,  the movie “Soylent Green” didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

But the chapter did end with some hope and since the focus of my blog is fitness, I’m pretty sure you’ve already guessed what it is.  It turns out that in study after study, moderate exercise has been shown to delay – in many cases significantly delay – the physical effects of aging.

More specifically, it appears that resistance training tends to create a wider range of positive benefits than does endurance training.  It’s not that cardio isn’t important, it is.  But resistance, or strength, training positively affects a number of things (other than building strength) including balance and flexibility as well as increasing the production of essential hormones that normally decrease with age – and maintaining strength, balance, and flexibility are the keys to staying independent as we age.

No Magic “Youth” Pill

Sorry, regardless of what you might see on the late-night Infomercials, there is no “fountain of youth” pill, elixir, injection, or supplement.  Nothing that “works while you sleep” to turn back time.  The only proven method that delays the effects of age, the ONLY PROVEN method, is exercise.

So it turns out that the only way to beat Father Time is to literally beat Father Time.  Punch him in the face with your kickboxing gloves.  Smash his foot with a dumbbell after working out.  Tie him up with your resistance bands after your routine.  Every time you engage in any kind of physical activity – taking a brisk walk, lifting weights, doing pushups, whatever – you’re taking a punch at Father Time.

Yeah, I know that Father Time always wins in the end but I’m determined not to give him an easy fight.  I’m determined to go the full distance and give it all I’ve got until the Good Lord rings the final bell.

How about you?

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach andPersonal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – no email, no cookies, no catch.  Download and enjoy!

Email Me:  Hiram Perez   

Technorati Tags: aging, getting old, exercise, health, fitness, muscle, father time, hormones, fat, resistance, cardio

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1. Top 10 Exercise Mistakes: Number 5

Of course, he was talking about “just showing up” at the gym, or wherever you do your exercise routine.  But you can’t argue with the pure logic.  Just show up.

I’m sure you’ve heard the quote that “90% of success is just showing up.”  Same goes here.  Whatever your health goals are, however impossible they might seem to you right now, you can achieve them if you consistently show up and do your routine.

The key to success is consistency.  Working your routine day in and day out.  Logging the miles, doing the reps, putting in the time.  That’s how you lose 50 pounds.  That’s how you improve your cardio and lower your blood pressure.  That’s how you do 100 push-ups.

This is so simple, yet so powerful.  And the neat thing is that it works on pretty much anything.  Want to get your degree?  Just show up at the library every day and hit the books.  Want to dramatically improve your marriage?  Just turn off the TV and show up in the bedroom a little early every night.  Want to succeed in just about anything?  Figure out where you need to be and what you need to do – and then just show up day after day.  Bit by bit, step by step you’ll get what you’re looking for.

But you’ve got to be consistent.  You’ve got to stick with it until you reach what you’re working towards.  That’s critical.  It’s also my biggest problem.

I’ve been in great shape so many times in my life it isn’t funny.  If I don’t consistently keep up my exercise routines, my body quickly slides back into “couch potato” mode and actually starts craving ice cream, soda, and chips.  Before I know it, my pants don’t fit anymore.

Exercise is not something you do once and then you’re good for the rest of your life.  Exercise is like brushing your teeth.  You have to do it consistently for the rest of your life.

Same usually goes for everything else.  You don’t just get your degree and then stop learning.  You don’t build a great relationship with someone and then just kick back.  Why not?  Because it all falls apart if you don’t constantly keep working, improving, strengthening, expanding.

So make a commitment to your health goals.  Promise yourself that you’re going to do whatever it takes to get yourself in the shape you want to be in.  Figure out exactly how you want to get there, whether it’s by doing Yoga or Cardio or whatever.  And then just show up.  Like Tony says, if your exercise routine is on DVD, just keep hitting “play.”  Then tomorrow, hit “play” again, then the next day, and so on.

Just keep showing up.  Keep that phrase in your mind and it will help keep you on track.

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S. Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.” This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – for a limited time.  Just click on the title to be taken to the download page.  Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: exercise, cardio, endurance, p90x, tony horton,  consistency, goals, health, weight loss, diet, strength, success

You might be interested in the following items from Amazon.com:

P90X: Tony Horton’s 90-Day Extreme Home Fitness Workout DVD Program

• Get lean, bulk up, or grow stronger, with an endless variety of mix-and-match routines to keep you motivated
• Muscle Confusion technique accelerates the results process by constantly introducing new moves and routines so your body never plateaus
• Collection of 12 highly diverse and intense DVD workouts
• Also includes comprehensive three-phase nutrition plan, specially designed supplement options
• Personal trainer Tony Horton will keep you engaged every step of the way

Tired of ineffective workouts that sound great but produce less-than-optimal results? Turn to the P90X Extreme Home Fitness system, a bundle of 12 sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping workouts designed to transform your body from regular to ripped in just 90 days. Hosted by personal trainer Tony Horton, the series of DVDs will help you get lean, bulk up, or grow stronger, with an endless variety of mix-and-match routines to keep you motivated. The secret behind the P90X system is an advanced training technique called “muscle confusion,” which accelerates the fitness process by constantly introducing new moves and routines so that your body never plateaus and you never get bored. The more you confuse the muscle, the harder your body has to work to keep up. And the more variety you put into your workout, the better and faster your results will be. By breaking old routines and opening new doors, secondary and tertiary muscles are constantly being activated and developed.

In addition to the 12 DVD workouts, the P90X comes with a comprehensive three-phase nutrition plan, specially designed supplement options, a detailed fitness guide packed with valuable information on how to get the most from your program, a How to Bring It DVD that provides a quick overview of the system, a calendar to track your progress, online peer support, and much more.

The DVD Workouts
Each of the 12 highly diverse and intense DVD workouts focuses on either a specific set of muscle groups or a unique training technique.

• Workout One: Chest & Back. This superset chest-and-back-blasting workout emphasizes two classic upper-body exercises–push-ups and pull-ups–to build strength and develop shape. The combination of these two push and pull movements will help you burn loads of calories while simultaneously attacking, strengthening, and developing multiple muscle groups.
• Workout Two: Plyometrics. Get ready to go airborne. Offering more 30 explosive jumping moves, this intense cardio routine will keep you in the air most of the time. Plyometrics, also known as jump training, has been proven to dramatically improve athletic performance. If your sport involves a ring, rink, field, court, or track, this training will give you the edge. Just be prepared to “bring it” for a full hour when you leap into this workout, because there is no letting up.
• Workout Three: Shoulders & Arms. Nothing rounds out the perfect physique like a pair of well-defined arms and shoulders, and with its potent combination of pressing, curling, and fly movements, this routine will leave you feeling stronger and looking sexier. Whether you want to build muscle mass or just slim and tighten what you’ve already got, these targeted shoulder and arm exercises will give you the results you want.
• Workout Four: Yoga X. Yoga is a vital part of any fitness regimen, and is an absolute must for an extreme program like P90X. This routine combines strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, and breath work to enhance your physique and calm your mind. Yoga X will leave you feeling energized, invigorated, and maybe even a little enlightened.
• Workout Five: Legs & Back. Get ready to squat, lunge, and pull for a total-body workout like no other. While the main focus of this workout lies in strengthening and developing the leg muscles (quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves), there are also a handful of great pull-up exercises to give your legs a quick breather while you work the upper body.
• Workout Six: Kenpo X. Kenpo X was created to give P90X users a high-intensity cardiovascular workout packed with lots of punching and kicking combinations to improve balance, endurance, flexibility, and coordination. During this workout you’ll learn some of the most effective ways to defend yourself, while at the same time getting your body in peak condition.
• Workout Seven: X Stretch. Stretching is the one thing that will help you achieve a higher level of athleticism over a longer period of time. The X Stretch routine is an integral part of the program, as it helps prevent injuries and avoid plateaus. The extensive full-body stretches that make up this routine use disciplines from Kenpo karate, hatha yoga, and various sports to ensure that your body is fully prepared to meet all P90X challenges head-on.
• Workout Eight: Core Synergistics. Each and every exercise in the Core Synergistics workout recruits multiple muscle groups to build and support the core (lumbar spine and trunk muscles), while at the same time conditioning your body from head to toe. Loaded with a variety of fun, unique, and challenging exercises, this routine will get you moving in all directions to maximize your P90X results.
• Workout Nine: Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps. Packed with an array of moves that target both large and small muscles, this workout will do wonders for your upper body. In just one full sequence you’ll get a healthy dose of presses, flys, and extensions to push you to the brink. The results will be a stronger, leaner, and highly defined upper torso that will leave you looking awesome, with or without a shirt.
• Workout 10: Back & Biceps. With a host of curls and pull-ups, this routine will make it fun to flex those powerful biceps. But don’t worry, ladies–by using lighter weight, you can focus on toning and tightening these showcase arm muscles without adding the size that most guys covet. Additionally, this workout also provides some great back definition that everyone can appreciate. Regardless of your goals, you will achieve them in dramatic fashion if you dig in and max out your reps.
• Workout 11: Cardio X. This low-impact cardio routine can be used in a variety of ways to meet your P90X goals. Use it in addition to your standard P90X workload when you want to burn some extra calories, or as a substitute if your body needs a break from the program’s high-impact workouts. Whatever your reason for using Cardio X, you’ll find it a fun, full-throttle, fat-burning workout that will leave you feeling lean and mean.
• Workout 12: Ab Ripper X. The combination and sequence of movements in this unique workout taps into not only abdominal strength, but true core strength as well. Master these 11 highly effective exercises and you will achieve vital abdominal muscle strength to benefit your overall health and physical performance. You’ll also develop that highly coveted six-pack as you take Ab Ripper X to full throttle. It’s extreme work that’s better than any machine in any club.

P90X Fitness Guide
This is your road map and your plan of attack for using P90X. Learn guidelines for getting started and essential tips for how to make the most of the program. The fitness guide provides you tips to reduce your chance of injury; a fit test; recommended supplements and equipment; detailed instructions for stretching, warming up, and performing exercises; and guidelines to help you select which P90X phase to complete, whether Classic, Doubles, or Lean.

The Nutrition Plan
Following the P90X nutrition plan is just as vital to your overall success as any of the extreme workouts in this program. Specifically designed to work in tandem with the P90X workout routines, this three-phase eating plan recommends the perfect combination of foods to satisfy your body’s energy needs every step of the way. P90X is not about quick fixes or miracle diets. It’s about selecting the healthy foods that you want to eat, and determining the portion amounts that will provide your body with the right amount of fuel to excel during exercise. The P90X nutrition plan offers three phases. Phase 1 is the Fat Shredder, a high-protein-based diet designed to help you strengthen your muscles while simultaneously and rapidly shedding fat from your body. Phase 2 is the Energy Booster, a balanced mix of carbohydrates and proteins with a lower amount of fat to achieve additional energy for performance. And Phase 3 is the Endurance Maximizer, an athletic diet of complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and lower fat, with the emphasis on more carbohydrates. You’ll need this combination of foods as fuel to get the most out of your final few weeks and truly be in the best shape of your life.

Tools to Keep You Motivated

• P90X Calendar to set your workout goals, track your progress, and stay motivated.
• Free Online Support Tools for access to fitness experts, peer support, and motivation.

What’s in the Box?
12 DVD workouts, nutrition plan, fitness guide How to Bring It DVD, a calendar to track your progress

List Price: $ 150.00

Price: $ 139.80

P90X Plus: The Next Level for P90X Grads-5 New Extreme Workouts on 4 DVDs

• 5 Workouts on 4 DVDs: (1) Interval X Plus; (2) Kenpo Cardio Plus; (3) Upper Plus; (4) Total Body Plus; (5) Abs/Core Plus.
• P90X Plus workouts are for YOU, if you have achieved a respectable level of fitness and YOU HAVE COMPLETED P90X.
• Fitness Guide with fully customized workout schedules showing you how to incorporate your new P90X Plus workouts into your complete system.

If you love P90X® and you’re saying, “Give me more,” or, “I need a challenge”-then here it is, the P90X Plus Series. Tony amps up the Muscle Confusion with BRAND-NEW MOVES and never-before-seen workouts all set to hot music created exclusively for P90X Plus by Jason Scheff, lead singer of the band Chicago! The NEW P90X Plus will break through plateaus with intense new cardio, muscle chiseling, and ab/core-ripping moves to ramp up your results. Adding these new advanced workouts into your P90X rotation will literally TAKE YOUR WORKOUT TO THE NEXT LEVEL and create workout combinations beyond your imagination. Trust me, it doesn’t get better than this . . .If you love P90X and you’re looking for a new challenge, the P90X Plus Series is for you. Professional trainer Tony Horton amps up the Muscle Confusion with brand new moves and never-before-seen workouts–all set to hot music created exclusively for P90X. The P90X Plus will break through plateaus with intense new cardio, muscle chiseling, and ab/core-ripping moves to ramp up your results.

The P90X Plus Series is for you, if you have achieved a respectable level of fitness and you have completed P90X. It will enhance any athletic performance and is the perfect tool to quickly build on your fitness accomplishments while getting you ripped beyond belief.

Five Extreme Workouts on Four DVDs:

• Interval X Plus: A lot more effective than standard cardio, Interval X Plus propels your heart rate up and down with 3 speeds: recovery, medium, and full-out, creating the most dramatic change in the shortest period of time. (40 minutes)

• Kenpo Cardio Plus: This advanced-level Kenpo, with new moves, will shred the most stubborn layer of fat with an all-out self-defense workout that builds stamina, balance, and agility.



• Upper Plus: This monster upper-body workout will defy the plateau phenomenon by blasting all the muscles from the hips on up: chest, back, biceps, triceps, and shoulders, in a complete synergistic P90X way. After this one, you won’t be able to pick up a ping pong paddle for a couple hours. (45 minutes)

• Total Body Plus: By adding new synergistic moves, your muscles get pumped, then recuperate in stages until you’ve got nothing left. An unprecedented total-body phenomenon. (45 minutes)

• Abs/Core Plus: This advanced new ab/core workout adds 4 different positions (hanging, sitting, standing, and plank positions) to intensify your ab work and shred your midsection even faster. Is a ten-pack even possible? You’ll find out. (20 minutes)

Bonus Materials Include:

• Fitness Guide with fully customized workout schedules showing you how to incorporate your new P90X Plus workouts into your complete P90X training system

• Downloadable worksheets to record your reps and sets and track your progress.

• 24/7 online access to chats with Tony Horton and an amazing online community that will cheer you on.

• DVD extras–Tony’s Trainer Tracks with detailed professional tips on every move to help you achieve perfect form and even better results.

List Price: $ 55.00

Price: $ 69.79

Related posts:

1. Review of P90X Fitness Program
2. Top 10 Exercise Mistakes: Number 6
3. Let’s Get Serious

Then right after the first of the year, Teri and I took a great winter vacation to Jackson Hole, WY.  We had a blast playing in the snow.  No time for exercise – having too much fun.

Lastly, as we flew home from vacation, I started getting a tickle at the back of my throat.  You guessed it, I got home with a royal case of the flu.  Definitely no exercising now.

For the next 2 and a half weeks, I battled the flu.  Every time I started to feel better, I’d make plans to start exercising again and sure enough, I’d wake up the next day feeling like crap all over again.

Finally, I’d had enough.  I wasn’t feeling 100% but well enough to get out and take a brisk walk.  I figured that if I waited until I felt completely recovered, we’d be well into July.  It took effort but I got up off the couch and started moving.

You know what?  The more I moved, the easier it was to move some more.  Getting my cardio up to the point where I was breathing hard seemed to open up my chest and break up some of the congestion.

I felt I was finally able to start my New Year’s Resolution – yep, in February.  What is my resolution?  It’s to “get serious.”

What do I mean by that?  Easy.  2011 is the year to get serious.  It’s time to get serious about:

• Getting into shape
• Eating healthier foods
• Losing weight
• Getting fit

I also included some financial goals as well (“it’s time to get serious about getting my company back on the growth path”, etc).  The point is that you can “play at” getting into shape, you can “play at” trying to lose weight.  Or you can get serious and actually do it.

How many times have you told yourself, “I really need to start working out” and then immediately said, “tomorrow.”  See, that’s “playing at” getting into shape because we all know that “tomorrow never comes.”

How many times have you told yourself “I’m going to cut out junk food” immediately followed by the thought, “right after I finish this piece of cake?”  That’s “playing at” losing weight and I used to fall into the same trap.  I was always going to do something to improve my health or fitness tomorrow, or down the road, or right after this bowl of ice cream.

If  you’re serious about change, you don’t play those games. If you’re tired about being weak, or overweight, or broke, or whatever, then get serious about changing it.  Get serious about doing what it takes to get yourself from where you are now to where you really want to be.  And then get serious about staying there.

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S. Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.” This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – for a limited time.  Just click on the title to be taken to the download page.  Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: fitness, exercise, vacation, seriousness, determination, goals, diet, weight loss, nutrition

Related posts:

1. Big Fat Lies
2. The REAL Secret to Losing Weight
3. Why It’s So Hard to Lose Weight

Well, I’ve got the answer and as it turns out, the cure to this problem is pretty simple.  If you pay attention to this one principle, your workouts will be much more effective and you’ll begin to notice significant changes in your physique within 3-4 weeks.

Anyone in the medical profession can tell you that the human body is extremely adaptable.  It will usually respond to any kind of physical demand or stress, like a warehouse worker lifting heavy crates for example, by building additional muscle as well as by learning how to use those muscles more efficiently.  Eventually, the warehouse worker can lift heavy crates all day long without tiring – and develops an impressive set of biceps to prove it.

However, when we try to get those same “warehouse worker arms” in the gym, the results are usually not the same, even with all the fancy machines.  Why not?  Well, the human body can adapt pretty quickly to any change in demand placed upon it but once it has adapted, it kind of takes it easy expending only enough energy to meet the new demand.  It’s like taking your car out on the highway.  When you’re just starting out and accelerating, your engine is working really hard.  But once you’ve reached highway speeds, the engine settles down to a more constant level.

So why can the warehouse worker build massive muscle just by doing his or her job (hope you appreciate the gender neutrality )and we can’t seem to do the same in the gym?  Mainly because of the way the warehouse worker’s job is structured, which in turn is related to how often and when their body is subjected to increased physical activity.  For example, they may be sweeping the warehouse first thing in the morning until the first truck comes in to be unloaded.  Then they’re working hard for a solid hour unloading the truck before going back to the office to complete the paperwork.  An hour later, another truck comes in, only this time, the crates are different sizes and weights.

The point is that a warehouse worker’s body does not know when it will be subjected to increased demands since the trucks come in at different times.    It also gets subjected to different loads since some trucks contain crates of breakfast cereal and others contain crates of auto brake pads.  Their body is being subjected to a variety of physical demands and therefore, has to build a “strength reserve” (in other words, more muscle) in order to be able to meet the wide range of demands.

On the other hand, when we go to the gym to do our “usual” workout, our body “knows” that we’re going to do 3 sets of 10 reps using 30 pound weights.  How predictable.  So of course the body only develops enough muscle to handle exactly 3 sets of 10 reps with 30 pounds.  Once it’s done that, there’s no reason to develop any more muscle.

Changing up your routine and subjecting your body to a variety of activities so that it continues to develop is the whole idea of the “FITT principle.”  Developed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), FITT stands for:

• Frequency – how often you exercise, which includes how often you rest between exercise sessions.
• Intensity – how hard you exercise.
• Time – how long you exercise.
• Type – the type of exercise you choose to do.

If you consider a typical workout routine, most of us have unconsciously kept most, if not all, of these variables constant.  We tend to go through our workout without thinking – and that means we do exactly 10 minutes on the treadmill followed by exactly 10 reps on the leg curl machine set at the exact same weight we did the last time, followed by exactly … (yawn!)

So even though we finish our workout really tired, we really didn’t build any muscle or drop any fat.  Sure, we worked some cardio so the heart and lungs might have improved, but little else.  The real key to success is to change your “routine” so that it’s anything but routine.

You do that by taking any of the FITT variables and changing them from one routine to the next.  For example:

• Frequency – instead of doing 2 hard workouts a week, do 4 easy or medium ones; or instead of going in the evening, go in the morning.
• Intensity – vary the weight or resistance from one workout to another.
• Time – slow or increase your tempo when you workout.
• Type – change the type of exercises from one workout to another.  If you always do shoulders followed by arms, switch the order.

In other words, keep your body guessing as to what kind of activity you’re going to ask it to do on every workout.  Not only will you feel like you got a more intense workout (because you did), but your body will begin to change in exactly the way you want it to change:  more tone and muscle mass in the arms and legs in addition to dropping fat around the waist and thighs.

Although you can change any of the FITT variables from workout to workout, I’d recommend changing them from week to week.  For example, focus one week on strength with heavy weights, low reps, slow concentration tempo, and using compound exercises.  The following week, focus on power with lighter weights, high reps, faster tempo, and using isolation exercises.  The next week, focus on endurance.  After 4-6 weeks of this, increase the amount of weight on each exercise by 5-10 pounds and then repeat the entire cycle.

Just as your body starts getting used to one type of routine, bam!  Hit it with a different one!  Before long, you’ll not only have the body you want, you’ll have the gym “regulars” coming by asking how in the world you did it!

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy
Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Coach (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: FITT, FITTR, ACSM, NESTA, exercise, weight lifting, weights, gym, routine, workout, physical, cardio

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The Study.

From October 2004 to December 2007, a total of 811 overweight adults in Baton Rouge and Boston participated in a study designed to evaluate the effectiveness of diets consisting of varying amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.  In other words, they were trying to determine whether people on high protein/low carb diets (like the Atkins Diet) lost any more or less weight than people on high carb/low protein diets (like the Mediterranean Diet).

Most of the studies that had been done in the past were either, (1) relatively short term in duration (1 year or less), or (2) underrepresented a specific population group (usually men), or (3) were funded by a company with a direct financial stake in the outcome.  These are usually the reasons that the conclusions of past studies tend to contradict each other.  This new study attempts to address the shortcomings of past research.

The Harvard study was performed over a more than 2 year time span at the Harvard School of Public Health/Brigham and Woman’s Hospital in Boston and at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center of the Louisiana State University System in Baton Rouge.  The group of adults were between 30 and 70 years of age and had a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 20 to 40.  Approximately 40% of the study group were men.

The subjects were divided into 4 groups and each given a diet with different levels of carbohydrates, protein, and fats.  The diets ranged from low fat/low protein, to high fat/high protein.  Besides the composition of the diet, each diet represented a decrease of about 750 calories from the average daily intake of the participants.  During the study, the participants also had a weekly goal of 90 minutes of moderate exercise and they attended group counseling sessions.

The Results.

After about 6 months, it was found that the participants assigned to each group had lost an average of about 13 pounds (6 kg), which represented approximately 7% of their initial body weight.  However, after about a year, it was found that they had regained some of the weight.  By the end of 2 years, the weight loss had stabilized and remained similar across all of the diets.  Among the 80% of participants who completed the study, the average weight loss, regardless of the type of diet, was about 9 pounds (4 kg).  It was also found that all of the diets improved health risk factors and insulin levels equally.

Conclusions.

So what can we conclude from this study?  Despite all of the scientific jargon, what can we take away from this and use in our daily lives?  Here are a couple of conclusions that I have come up with based on what I read in the study as well as my own experience (note:  these are my conclusions – not necessarily those listed in the study):

1. One of the conclusions noted in the study is that “Reduced-calorie diets result in clinically meaningful weight loss regardless of which macronutrients they emphasize.” Amen to that.  The key to weight loss is to reduce the total number of calories you consume. Let me say that again.  If you want to lose weight, eat less. This study shows that it really doesn’t matter what you eat, just that you eat less of it.
2. Weight loss begins at the kitchen or restaurant table. I see people headed to the gym in order to “lose weight” all the time.  Sorry, but you don’t lose weight at the gym.  You can lift weights or ride the exercise bike all day long — and exercise is definitely an important part of any health plan — but you’ll never lose any weight unless you learn how to limit your serving sizes and push yourself away from the kitchen or restaurant table while there’s still food on your plate.  Weight loss happens at the table, not at the gym.
3. The body can adapt to just about any kind of diet. This study proves that it really doesn’t matter what kind of food you eat.  Whether you eat mostly salads or Twinkies, organic health foods or junk, if you reduce the number of total calories you normally consume, you will lose weight.
4. The study included having the participates attend regular counseling and group sessions.  They found that there was a direct correlation between attendance and weight loss.  What does this prove?  It proves that your chances of losing weight go way up if you have a friend or support group to help keep you on track.
5. Exercise is a critical part of any weight loss program. Why?  I think it’s because when you’re exercising, you’re not snacking or being tempted to snack.  It really doesn’t seem to matter what kind of exercise you do.  Whether it’s a hard-core cardio routine or a leisurely walk around the block, the point is to get up off the couch, get away from that bag of potato chips that’s been calling your name, and get out and do something that gets you physically active.
6. Ya gotta want to. The study found that the people that lost the most weight were the most motivated.  Big surprise, right?  But it still brings up a valid point.  To fix any problem, you first have to admit it exits – and then commit to doing something about it.
7. Permanent weight loss is a long term process. Sorry, but there is no “overnight” solution.  There is no “lose weight fast” answer.  PERMANENT weight loss is a 1-2 year process.  In other words, “dieting” or making the right choices about what and how much you eat, should be a permanent part of your lifestyle, not an event that you undertake once or twice a year.
8. If they can do it, you can do it. Of the 811 people that participated in the study, 80% of them completed the study.  That’s about 650 people.  80% is a fantastic success rate and it shows that if they can do it, you can do it.  All it takes is reducing your total daily calories by around 750 calories.  That’s cutting out 1 bag of potato chips (150 cal), a soft drink (155 cal), 1 donut (200 cal), and a bowl of chocolate ice cream (225 cal) from your diet.  Besides cutting down on snacks, you can find lots of areas where you can painlessly reduce calories such as getting a smaller portion size, leaving off the gravy, choosing baked instead of fried foods, and so on.  Remember, if they can do it, you can.

So there it is.  Nothing really earth shattering or surprising.  If you want to lose weight, forget the fad diets.  All you have to do is simply consume fewer calories.

You can read the full details of the study here:  “Comparison of Weight-Loss Diets with Different Compositions of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates”

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy

Technorati Tags: diet, health, atkins, Mediterranean, weight loss, harvard, overweight, obese, BMI, exercise, carbohydrates, fats, protein, cardio

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Many people think that weight training — either with free weights or on weight machines — is going to help them lose weight. In fact, when you go into a typical gym, that’s all you see people doing. Weight training is great for toning muscle and for building strength but it’s not the best routine for weight loss.

To lose weight, you need a cardio routine, something that gets your heart up to around 60-70% of it’s maximum rate for at least 15 minutes. Keeping your rate at this level assures that the majority of calories that you burn will be from fat, not from muscle.

It’s counter intuitive but it’s true. Choosing a low impact cardio exercise like taking a brisk walk will actually burn more fat calories than trying to bench press your body weight.

Hiram

Technorati Tags: balanced health, exercise, cardio, weight loss

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