by IcennaEmach | May 15, 2009 | Burn Baby Burn, Uncategorized
There’s no doubt, our metabolism slows as we age. Before reading on, ask yourself this question, “ Do I want to accept the fact of a slowing metabolism, or do I want to implement a strategy to counter the effects of a decreased metabolic rate?
This is a difficult question and some people may believe that the intent of the question is to challenge the reader into seeing it my way. After all, wouldn’t we seem weak willed if we announced, “I’m going to accept my slowing metabolism and let my life’s energy do as it may!” The intent of the question however is not to influence the reader into my way of thinking, but to highlight the difficulty we face in deciding at what juncture in life we abandon certain time consuming and energy expending health practices that are difficult to maintain in favor of a less physically arduous lifestyle that may offer more daily time, balance, and life enjoyment.
This will be a topic for another issue. The question of exercise intensity and exercise duration as it corresponds to balancing life enjoyment is raised in this issue because the most effective way to supercharge metabolism requires much effort! And this effort, if you remember, is in the form of high intensity anaerobic intervals! Are you ready? First a review of EPOC.
Excess Post Oxygen Consumption
When you exercise using the high intensity interval system, your body consumes considerably more oxygen. And the more oxygen you expend, the more calories you burn. However this increased oxygen during exercise is not really what fuels what we all desire, a higher metabolic rate; it’s the after-burn, or what is called EPOC, and more descriptively, excess post exercise oxygen consumption that fuels our metabolism. It works like this. The more energy your body uses during training, the higher EPOC. EPOC works in increasing metabolism by telling our body to get back to balance or what is referred to as homeostasis.
Getting back to homeostasis takes energy though, and this energy burns calories for several hours if not days afterward. That’s why hard working athletes who consume thousands of calories still find it difficult to sustain their weights. Their bodies are calorie burning machines even when they are at rest. How would you like to have even a fraction of their speedy metabolisms? Read on for examples of this high intensity interval system designed to put you in EPOC and burn hundreds of calories even while you are sleeping!
There are thousands of ways that intervals may be designed. You’ll need to try out a few to see what it feels like. The following are good examples of interval training that will put you in EPOC and intensify your ability to burn fat. The following is directly from Men’s Health Magazine. It should give you a better understanding of interval variations. Keep in mind that trying a few will give you a different feel than long and steady cardiovascular training. Go ahead and try a few of these variations and let me know how they go. I’m always available for questions and I’d be happy to hear how the increased intensity is working for you.
Getting Up to Speed
They say that slow and steady wins the race. But the cardiovascular key to fat burning is using interval training workouts – workouts that alternate high-intensity levels with lower-intensity effort. This formula keeps your body burning calories long after you’ve stopped working out.
Interval training mimics sports – start-and-stop motions with periods of sprinting or close-to-sprinting speeds followed by light jogging or rest. You can use interval training workouts any way you want – running, cycling, swimming, on elliptical trainers, even walking if you alternate a speed walk and slow walk.
You can also vary the intensity levels in different combinations. To start, here are three options for setting your workout. (If you use exercise machines, don’t choose the interval workout; choose the manual one, and create your own intensities by adjusting it yourself. It’ll give you greater control over the speeds and will help you burn fat faster.) You’ll derive benefits in as little as a 20-minute interval workout. As you build up endurance and strength, you can add time to your workout.
Interval Variation I: Standard
The following is a typical interval workout. You alternate the same period of low intensity with the same period of higher intensity.
a. 3 – 5 minutes warm-up (light jog, low intensity, gradually increasing at the end of the warm up period)
b. A 1 minute moderate or high intensity followed by 1 minute low intensity (repeat 6 – 8 times)
c. 3 – 5 minutes cool-down (light jog, low intensity, gradually decreasing by the end of the cool-down period)
Interval Variation II: Pyramid
This pyramid structure allows you to start with short bursts of speed, and then you’ll peak at the longest surge of energy in the middle of your workout before coming back down.
a. 3 – 5 minutes warm-up
b. 30 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
c. 45 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
d. 60 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
e. 90 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
f. 60 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
g. 45 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
h. 30 seconds high intensity
i. 3 – 5 minutes cool-down
Interval Variation III: Sports Conditioning
Sports are unpredictable. This interval simulates some of that unpredictability by having you doing different times and different intensities. You can mix and match the orders and repetitions as much as you want. Rest longer after the periods in which you use the most energy.
a. 3 – 5 minutes warm-up
b. 2 minutes moderate or high intensity followed by 2 minutes low intensity (repeat once
c. 30 seconds high intensity followed by 30 seconds low intensity (repeat four times)
c. 60-yard sprints (or 10 seconds if not running) followed by 90 seconds rest (repeat 6 – 10 times)
d. 3 – 5 minutes cooldown
In following articles, look for perspectives in how we may decide at what juncture in life we alter certain time consuming and energy expending health practices. The key for all of us lies in knowing when to change certain practices that may offer more balance and enjoyable yet healthy lifestyle. None of us want to feel like we are “giving into aging prematurely,” but having a flexible mind and healthy alternatives are central to growing well.
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by IcennaEmach | May 14, 2009 | Burn Baby Burn, Uncategorized
How can we burn a maximum amount of calories in a minimum amount of time?
Last week’s article answered this question for the “newbie” calorie burner and this week we’ll look at what the intermediate level fitness calorie burner can do to more rapidly enhance his fat burning capacity.
First, a comment from a reader who writes, “You should check the latest research on fat burning. You suggest that LSD is the way to go for newbies. But that’s not what the new information says.” Well, the reader is correct, but….. read on.
Why Not Skip LSD Training and Get Right to the Best Calorie Burns?
If you are new to fitness, or have not been doing cardiovascular exercises such as walking, swimming, jogging, elliptical training, biking etc., then the suggested long slow distance training with minimal emphasis on heart rate intensity is used to build a base of endurance for furthering harder intensity calorie burning zones. Think of this slow long training as a necessary “evil” for furthering fat burning ability. A long slow distance base of training aids in the formation of new life changing habits, primes the muscles, ligaments, and tendons, as well as the cardiovascular system for a lifetime of increased fat burning ability and a speedier anti aging higher metabolism by reducing the occurrence of injuries, as well as the occurrence of premature overzealous training which often leads to failure.
Fat Burning Zone Explained in Brief
In order for a muscle to function it needs energy. There are three options that a muscle has to use fuel:
1 Carbohydrates
2. Fat
3. Protein- only used by muscles under depleted circumstances. Consider carbohydrates and fats as the two main sources.
When using energy our muscles use a mix of carbohydrates and fats, this is based on a number of factors, one of them being intensity and duration of activity. Fats require more oxygen than carbohydrates to burn. As a result, as exercise intensity increases and less oxygen is available, the body shifts form a fat burning zone to using carbohydrates for energy in order to maintain the activity. This doesn’t however mean that less fat is burned. In low intensity exercise the fat being used is coming from the blood stream and this was traditionally called the fat burning zone. In order to understand the whole picture though, we must look at where the source of the fat being used is coming from.
Energy Source Paramount in Increasing Fat Burn Ability
With increased intensity and duration of an activity, the muscles need more oxygen and energy, so our hearts beat faster to get blood to the muscles quicker. In medium intensity long duration activities the blood stream gets overloaded with work, including the job of providing an energy source to the working muscles. When looking to increase our fat metabolism, it’s necessary to get to this point of overloading our bloodstream’s energy sources. By doing this, the overloaded blood stream must turn to its own body’s muscle fat – namely the primary muscle mover’s fat (triglycerides) and glycogen (sugar) stores- which provide energy to the working body. Obtaining a state of moderate intensity training, where the body is working harder and the heart rate is being taxed at a perceived exertion of 6 out of a 10 point scale is when fat burning is amplified beyond just a simple calorie burn. To translate this into a target heart rate, achieve a heart rate of approximately 80% of your maximum heart rate and continue for duration of 20 minutes and preferably 30 – 60 minutes continuously.
How to Figure Target Heart Rate at 80 Percent
-Take 220 minus your age.
-Multiply this number by .80.
-Your number is your THR for an increased and more efficient fat burning zone
-Maintain heart rate range for 20 – 60 minutes in an activity that uses the muscles of the legs such as biking, jogging, skating etc.
Next week, you’ll be surprised at how fat burning can be optimized further. It has to do with high intensity interval training and it’s what all the fitness magazines are writing about. You’ll learn how to use it correctly, as the secret lies in what is called the after-burn. It breaks all the rules applied here, but you’ll see why it’s absolutely necessary in obtaining a lean more muscular look that includes the difficult to diminish waistline. You can do it! Stayed tuned and I’ll help you out. It’s what I love to do!
by IcennaEmach | May 14, 2009 | Burn Baby Burn, Uncategorized
A reader writes, “How can I make the most of a cardiovascular workout?” Because of our busy lives, this is a common, yet important question. And depending on who asks it, can have several meanings. I know from talking with this reader that his question had two major intents:
1. How can he burn the maximum amount of calories in the time available?
2. How can he make the most use of his limited exercise time, while improving his current physical conditioning, and increasing his chance for a high quality lifestyle in years to come?
This is the first of a five part article series. Like all Fitness Through the Ages articles, the broader goal is to bring full awareness that we can be healthy and fit as we age. Fitness Through the Ages,” reflects our desire and innate capacity to live a more energetic, disease free, and continuously independent lifestyle.
Today’s article answers question number one for the “newbie” fitness person. “How can we burn a maximum amount of calories in a given amount of time?” If you are not a newbie, read on anyways, as even the most experienced calorie burners will benefit from this long slow distance training also called LSD. You’ll see in upcoming articles how LSD training has a very useful purpose to even the most conditioned athletes.
Burn Baby Burn
No doubt, burning calories is what is on everyone’s minds. It takes 3500 burned calories or a caloric deficit of 3500 calories, or a combination of both to equal one fat pound loss. Follow these guidelines for increasing your calorie burn:
1. Engage in an activity that is continuous.
2. Engage in an activity that uses muscles of the legs.
3. Engage in an activity that keeps your heart rate elevated.
These three key ingredients add up to what is called a cardiovascular activity, great for the heart indeed, but prime time ingredients for shedding layers of fat as well! Examples include: walking, biking, elliptical training, cross country skiing, hiking, swimming, rollerblading, running, and stair-climbing.
Newbie LSD Plan
Keep moving in one of these activities and don’t worry about anything but time. Aim for 15- 60 minutes, 5-7 days a week, at a continuous long slow distance pace ( LSD) in your chosen activity. Panting and breathing heavy is not the intent in these first few weeks. Rather, the goal is forming new life changing habits, priming muscles, ligaments, tendons, and the cardiovascular system for a lifetime of increased fat burning ability and a speedier anti aging high metabolism.
Advice for the Wise from the Wise
Your primary goal may be to burn calories, but injury occurrences during these opening weeks is common and setting the stage for the ultimate calorie burn takes patience, so go easy on yourself, listen to your body’s aches and pains, and adjust accordingly. Aim for consistency and stay on this plan for 4 to 12 weeks depending on your previous physical conditioning. This is basic training but there’s nothing basic about it. You’ll burn 70 – 100 calories per mile!
And Yet More Advice
Get on a consistent stretching program to stretch these muscles commonly used in endurance activities: Lower lumbar back, hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, adductors, abductors, groin, and calves. Now may be the time to get the expertise of a personal trainer. And no, not to watch you walk, run swim or whatever you choose, but to structure a plan – keep a smart eye out for the wrong kind of pain – stretch your aching body – and or assist with accountability, more traditionally known by trainers as “make you do the work that you said you would do!” New exercisers stop for one of two reasons, lack of motivation/support, and two, unnecessary injuries due to lack of knowledge. Don’t let this be you! If it is so easy to get motivated and stay injury free then everyone would be lean mean disease free calorie burning machines. Well maybe not mean! You can do it though. Stay tuned and I’ll help you out.
