CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Aerobic Exercise
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Health care professionals advise people who want to lose fat to do aerobics for a minimum of twenty minutes per day. You can accomplish this by jogging, walking fast, bicycling, swimming, dancing, or playing certain sports.
The longer you participate in the exercise activity, the more body fat your body will burn. If you can exercise for twenty minutes, three times within a few hours, your body will burn mostly fat during the entire time period. Then it will continue to process and use stored fat long after the exercise has stopped.
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When you go to sleep at night, your body will draw on your stored fat and place it in your muscles to be used as fuel the next day. If you continue to increase the amount of exercise you do each day, your body will draw enough fat from storage so that you will be able to exercise more than you did the day before. If you increase the intensity a little each day, your body will make more fat available for your muscles each day. This process can cause you to lose weight. It is also the process that can cause you to gain weight if you do not skip a day of exercise. The body will lose weight on the day you skip exercise and gain weight on the day you have a good workout. Also, overweight people should skip a day of exercise just to prevent injury and exhaustion.
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Slow to moderate intensity exercise is also better for overweight people because it is less stressful. Slower paced exercises with less stress will allow the person to exercise longer without injury.
People who exercise for extended periods of time as opposed to those who use fast paced and very high intensity exercises are less likely to injure themselves. This is important because even slight injuries can cause big problems in a weight loss program. Muscle soreness, pulls, and strains can cause you to slow down or quit an exercise program.
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When your goal is to exercise for the purpose of burning calories, moderate intensity exercises will give better results than very high intensity exercises. It does not matter if you run for twenty-five minutes at a very high intensity or jog for fifty minutes at moderate intensity. You may still burn about the same amount of calories.
As stated earlier, the intensity of your exercise makes a big difference in whether you burn sugar or fat. If you exercise at a very high intensity for a short period of time, you will burn mostly sugar. If you go from slow to moderate, to high intensity exercise over a period of one hour, you will burn mostly fat. It makes a difference because the calories you burn in sugar will be replaced by your next meal. The calories you burn in fat will not be replaced as long as you eat balanced meals without added fat and continue to exercise. When you burn fat this way, it will be gone forever.
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Your present fitness level will determine your exercise intensity level. While doing a sustained exercise activity, never run, walk, or exercise so fast that you have to stop and rest because of shortness of breath. When you have to stop exercising to catch your breath, you will be burning sugar. Your pace will be too fast. Just remember to pace yourself. However, you might be forced to stop exercising from the pain caused by lactic acid buildup before you get tired.
You can keep your pace at a level so that a few beads of sweat form and remain on your forehead. If you exercise inside a building that has air conditioning, you may not sweat at all. During a sustained exercise activity, your pace and intensity should be low enough so that you can carry on a conversation with a partner.
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Keep in mind that you should exercise more than twenty minutes each session. Always try to plan your exercise periods for thirty minutes or more so that you will be sure to burn a considerable amount of fat.
===========================================
The longer you participate in the exercise activity, the more body fat your body will burn. If you can exercise for twenty minutes, three times within a few hours, your body will burn mostly fat during the entire time period. Then it will continue to process and use stored fat long after the exercise has stopped.
===========================================
When you go to sleep at night, your body will draw on your stored fat and place it in your muscles to be used as fuel the next day. If you continue to increase the amount of exercise you do each day, your body will draw enough fat from storage so that you will be able to exercise more than you did the day before. If you increase the intensity a little each day, your body will make more fat available for your muscles each day. This process can cause you to lose weight. It is also the process that can cause you to gain weight if you do not skip a day of exercise. The body will lose weight on the day you skip exercise and gain weight on the day you have a good workout. Also, overweight people should skip a day of exercise just to prevent injury and exhaustion.
===========================================
Slow to moderate intensity exercise is also better for overweight people because it is less stressful. Slower paced exercises with less stress will allow the person to exercise longer without injury.
People who exercise for extended periods of time as opposed to those who use fast paced and very high intensity exercises are less likely to injure themselves. This is important because even slight injuries can cause big problems in a weight loss program. Muscle soreness, pulls, and strains can cause you to slow down or quit an exercise program.
===========================================
When your goal is to exercise for the purpose of burning calories, moderate intensity exercises will give better results than very high intensity exercises. It does not matter if you run for twenty-five minutes at a very high intensity or jog for fifty minutes at moderate intensity. You may still burn about the same amount of calories.
As stated earlier, the intensity of your exercise makes a big difference in whether you burn sugar or fat. If you exercise at a very high intensity for a short period of time, you will burn mostly sugar. If you go from slow to moderate, to high intensity exercise over a period of one hour, you will burn mostly fat. It makes a difference because the calories you burn in sugar will be replaced by your next meal. The calories you burn in fat will not be replaced as long as you eat balanced meals without added fat and continue to exercise. When you burn fat this way, it will be gone forever.
===========================================
Your present fitness level will determine your exercise intensity level. While doing a sustained exercise activity, never run, walk, or exercise so fast that you have to stop and rest because of shortness of breath. When you have to stop exercising to catch your breath, you will be burning sugar. Your pace will be too fast. Just remember to pace yourself. However, you might be forced to stop exercising from the pain caused by lactic acid buildup before you get tired.
You can keep your pace at a level so that a few beads of sweat form and remain on your forehead. If you exercise inside a building that has air conditioning, you may not sweat at all. During a sustained exercise activity, your pace and intensity should be low enough so that you can carry on a conversation with a partner.
===========================================
Keep in mind that you should exercise more than twenty minutes each session. Always try to plan your exercise periods for thirty minutes or more so that you will be sure to burn a considerable amount of fat.
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