Any form of exercise which requires you to use your muscles will cause your body to burn fat and benefit from all the positive changes associated with exercise. There are, however, several guidelines you should follow to help you maximize becoming more fit and less fat.

Time: The correct exercise intensity for burning fat is whatever is a moderate, comfortable pace for you. Although monitoring your heart rate (pulse) is a common method of checking to see if you're at the right pace, a simpler method is the "talk test". This involves exercising at a pace where you can carry on a limited conversation without gasping for air at every word. Another method is to simply ask yourself "Can I keep exercising at this intensity for at least 20 minutes?" If the answer is "no," slow down to a point where you can continue the pace for at least 20 minutes.

Duration: This refers to how long you exercise. Twenty minutes is generally considered the minimum amount of time you need to exercise for adequate fat-burning benefit and to increase the growth of fat burning enzymes in your muscles. While it's true that the longer you exercise, the more fat you'll burn, keep in mind that exercise which uses more muscle takes less time to burn the same amount of fat as exercise which uses fewer muscles. Don't worry about the distance you travel while exercising; the time you exercise is what's important, not the distance.

Frequency: This refers to how often you exercise. Shoot for a minimum of 3 times per week with no more than 2 days of rest between exercise sessions. If you want to exercise more frequently, by all means do it; but this depends on how fit you are. It may be just as effective for you to increase your intensity slightly or your duration on the days you do exercise rather than to add another day. Even the most highly trained athletes need a day off now and then.

Intensity: This refers to your level of exertion or "pace" during exercise. Although some people still believe that if an exercise doesn't hurt, it isn't doing them any good, the "no pain, no gain" theory doesn't apply to fat-burning. Remember to think longer as opposed to harder when exercising to lose body fat.

Type of activity: This refers to the type of exercise you do. The best exercises for burning fat are those which can be done continuously and involve the most muscle groups (especially the large muscles of the hips and legs). Although some exercises are more efficient for burning fat than others, there is no one "best" exercise for burning fat; anyone who says there is, is probably trying to sell you something.

In the simplest terms, exercise simply means increased activity. For beginners, that may mean something as simple as mowing the lawn or vacuuming the house – they both burn calories. The key is movement! To burn fat, you have to use your muscles; and to use your muscles you have to move. In fact, the landmark Framingham Heart Study which monitored 5,000 people for 25 years found that the best results from exercise occurred when people just started moving. Just remember, any exercise is good for you. But, the more muscles you use and the more continuous you use them, the more fat you'll burn.

Remember that as you become less fat and more fit, you will need to exercise at a faster pace to continue to reach the right intensity level (i.e. from walking to jogging). This is a result of your body getting "in shape". For you to continue to progress, your exercise needs to progress also.

These guidelines should always be used at a level that's right for you. Ideally, you should try to vary the type of activity, duration, intensity, and frequency of your exercise to add some variety and prevent boredom. This will also help you work different muscles in different ways which will increase your overall progress and prevent your body from becoming accustomed to the same activity each time.

Sharm
MSc*

Copyright Fitness Guru Private Limited

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It’s been some time since your last workout.. Here’s some things to consider when you want to start exercising again.

1) If you’ve stopped exercising after a week, it is generally alright to start working out at the same level and intensity as you last had your workout. For all exercises, remember to warm up and stretch properly proper to working out.

2) ‘Delayed onset of muscle soreness’, or DOMs occur when you start exercising again after a long time – the amount of soreness and time (can be 1 or 2 weeks, or even 3 days for some people) differs from person to person. DOMs is when lactic acid gets into your muscles and your system take a longer time to flush it out as compared to when you were exercising. So start light and do more calisthenics and light resistance (10-12 repetitions with weights that you can carry for 15 reps (15 rep max). As you start exercising again, your system will be more efficient to flush off the lactate from your body.

3) If you have stopped exercising for 6 months, start slow – once or twice a week of exercise. Your body needs more rest, the longer you stopped exercising. You may want to consider incorporating Yoga or Pilates into your workouts to ease you into your fitness journey again.

4) For resistance training, do 10 compound exercises such as push ups, lunges, squats, lat pull down, shoulder press exercises. Also remember your core exercises such as crunches and lower back exercises. Do 10 to 12 repetitions with weights of 15RM. Gradually build that up.

5) For cardio, you can start with 4-5 times a week if you’ve stopped running for a week. If it’s more than a month, start with twice a week of slow jog and build that up. If it’s more than 6 month, start by doing a power walk for the first few sessions, then progressively up it to jogging for 10 minutes and more.

6) Join group exercises or fitness boot camps! This will improve your motivation levels!

7) Get doctor’s clearance – if you have been since your last exercise, especially if it’s a 6 month break.

Do a SWOT analysis (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) to see the areas of what went wrong (why the long break) and what can be done better.

9) If you rush into your workout, you will burn out quickly, both psychologically and physiologically.

10) Use rate of perceived exertion – 1 being the easiest and 10 toughest, ask yourself – how tough am I exercising? You should be in the range of 5-7 if you have laid off working out for a week. If you’ve been sedentary for over a month, start with an RPE of 4 and gradually work it up to 8 or 9 over a 4-6 month period.

11) Plan your workouts properly – check your schedule and plan your workouts ahead!

12) Get a buddy – working out with a friend is always fun and takes away the boredom. Remember, your ipod can be a friend too.

13) Create a ritual – especially if you have stopped after 6 months! By planning and creating habits (that are fun), there’s a higher chance of you sticking to your exercise regime this time round!

14) If your body is too tired prior to a workout, you may lack rest or sleep. Don’t workout if your energy levels are too low, catch up on rest instead. Remember, exercising lowers our immune system temporarily, so if you’re too tired, rest and bring that up first!

15) Don’t rush it, start small – don’t jump into the same program that you last had. Drop it down many notches and ease into it your new program. If you overdo it, you may injure yourself.

16) Your muscles start to atrophy (grow smaller in size) after a week of not exercising, so lower the intensity when you start getting back to exercising as you won’t be able to carry the same load you had with your last workout.

17) Track your progress – by knowing where you’ve been, what you achieved and where you’re going – it creates a great motivational tool to push you to working out harder.

Sharm, MSc
www.Fitnessbootcamp.sg

Copyright Fitness Guru Private Limited

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