Advanced Fitness Newsletter
Information for a Healthy Life
http://www.advancedfitness.com
July 5 2000, Issue 12
IN THIS ISSUE:
- 10 Exercise Myths
- Muscles: Do We Really Need Them?
- Body fat Blitz!
10 Exercise Myths
Although some old fitness fictions, such as
"no pain, no gain" and "spot reducing"
are fading fast, plenty of popular exercise misconceptions
still exist. Here are some of the most common myths as well
as the not-so-common facts based on current exercise research.
1. You Will Burn More Fat If You Exercise Longer
at a Lower Intensity.
The most important focus in exercise and fat
weight control is not the percentage of exercise energy coming
from fat but the total energy cost, or how many calories are
burned during the activity. The faster you walk, step or run,
for example, the more calories you use per minute. However,
high-intensity exercise is difficult to sustain if you are
just beginning or returning to exercise, so you may not exercise
very long at this level. It is safer, and more practical,
to start out at a lower intensity and work your way up gradually.
2. If You're Not Going to Work Out Hard and
Often, Exercise Is a Waste of Time.
This kind of thinking keeps a lot of people
from maintaining or even starting an exercise program. Research
continues to show that any exercise is better than none. For
example, regular walking or gardening for as little as an
hour a week has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.
3. Yoga Is a Completely Gentle and Safe Exercise.
Yoga is an excellent form of exercise, but some
styles are quite rigorous and demanding both physically and
mentally. As with any form of exercise, qualified, careful
instruction is necessary for a safe, effective workout.
4. If You Exercise Long and Hard Enough, You
Will Always Get the Results You Want.
In reality, genetics plays an important role
in how people respond to exercise. Studies have shown a wide
variation in how different exercisers respond to the same
training program. Your development of strength, speed and
endurance may be very different from that of other people
you know.
5. Exercise Is One Sure Way to Lose All the
Weight You Desire.
As with all responses to exercise, weight gain
or loss is impacted by many factors, including dietary intake
and genetics. All individuals will not lose the same amount
of weight on the same exercise program. It is possible to
be active and overweight. However, although exercise alone
cannot guarantee your ideal weight, regular physical activity
is one of the most important factors for successful long-term
weight management.
6. If You Want to Lose Weight, Stay Away From
Strength Training Because You Will Bulk Up.
Most exercise experts believe that cardiovascular
exercise and strength training are both valuable for maintaining
a healthy weight. Strength training helps maintain muscle
mass and decrease body fat percentage.
7. Water Fitness Programs Are Primarily for
Older People or Exercisers With Injuries.
Recent research has shown that water fitness
programs can be highly challenging and effective for both
improving fitness and losing weight. Even top athletes integrate
water fitness workouts into their training programs.
8. The Health and Fitness Benefits of Mind-Body
Exercise Like Tai Chi and Yoga Are Questionable.
In fact, research showing the benefits of these
exercises continues to grow. Tai chi, for example, has been
shown to help treat low-back pain and fibromyalgia. Improved
flexibility, balance, coordination, posture, strength and
stress management are just some of the potential results of
mind-body exercise.
9. Overweight People Are Unlikely to Benefit
Much From Exercise.
Studies show that obese people who participate
in regular exercise programs have a lower risk of all-cause
mortality than sedentary individuals, regardless of weight.
Both men and women of all sizes and fitness levels can improve
their health with modest increases in activity.
10. Home Workouts Are Fine, But Going to a Gym
Is the Best Way to Get Fit.
Research has shown that some people find it
easier to stick to a home-based fitness program. In spite
of all the hype on trendy exercise programs and facilities,
the "best" program for you is the one you will participate
in consistently.
Reproduced with permission of IDEA (http://www.ideafit.com/),
The Health and Fitness Source, (800) 999-IDEA or (619) 535-8979.
************************************************************
Muscles: Do We Really Need Them?
By Amy Banks
Yes. Definitely - yes, for some very important
reasons.
Look Thinner
Muscles will make you look and fell thinner.
It's true! Muscle takes up less space than fat does, so pound
for pound, if you have more muscle than someone who weighs
the same as you, you can be at least two clothing sizes smaller.
Eat More Without Getting Fat
Muscle allows you to eat more food without getting
fat because muscle is the only body material that is active.
Muscle actually "scintillates"(the muscle fibers
vibrate ever so slightly, rather than lie stagnant like bone
and fat), and it does so twenty-four hours a day - even when
you're sitting in a chair or sleeping in your bed.
The fact is, once you put muscle on your body,
you will burn an additional 20 to 30 calories an hour!
Beat The Aging Process
Every year after the age of thirty, muscles
atrophy a small amount. No one knows exactly how much - but
experts say it is about 5 percent a year. If you do nothing
to prevent this normal muscle attrition, by the time you are
forty, your body shape will have significantly changed. By
working with weights, you can put back the muscle that you
lost every year after thirty - and then some!
Strong Bones
When you work with weights, you're not only
putting stress on the muscle, you're putting stress on the
bone as well, and you're making the bone stronger and thicker
as you make the muscle stronger and bigger. This should be
great news to everyone over thirty, especially women, who
are losing bone tissue to the point of danger and possibly
osteoporosis.
Be Strong and Sexy!
Finally, muscle is sexy! It makes you feel sensual
and sexy. It puts curves and definition in all the right places.
And for women, don't worry - you won't end up looking like
the female "Arnold". You can have a firm, toned
and feminine body - all at the same time!
Amy Banks is President of Genuine Nutrition
(http://www.genuinenutrition.com)
offering the highest quality vitamins and supplements along
with superior customer service and support.
*********************************************************
Body fat Blitz!
By Amy Banks
Winter's gone and it's now time to parade ourselves
on the beach or around the pool. Scary…I know, but if
you can follow some simple but effective tips you can be looking
lean and feeling good in just a matter of weeks.
I'm not talking anything drastic, just daily
adjustments you can integrate periodically to help you reach
your goals.
1) Shake Things Up!
Have you been following the same exercise and
nutritional program for months? Simple changes to your program
can help you bust through a plateau and achieve new heights.
· Try a pre-set program of hills on your
treadmill
· Move faster between strength exercises
· Use a heart rate monitor to get the most from your
workout
and to gauge your progress. · Try a fat-burning supplement
to increase your calorie burn
2. Keep a Journal
Keep a detailed training journal and nutrition
log, noting as best as possible how each element affects your
physique, workouts, energy level, mood, etc. Having such a
personalized, proven road map to follow means you'll never
have to depend on guesswork or trial and error again.
3. Count Calories
Yes, it's a pain, but I'll bet you don't know
within 200 calories exactly how many you eat in a single day.
In this case, what you don't know can definitely hurt you!
The theory behind energy balance is simple enough:
Burn more calories than you ingest and you'll lose weight.
On the flip side, ingest more than you burn and you'll gain
weight.
The following is a fairly accurate measurement
tool: Multiply your current bodyweight by 13, 14 or 15 (choose
13 if your metabolism is fairly slow, 14 if it's average and
15 if it's fast) to get the appropriate number of calories
you should eat daily. Use this number as a starting point;
after several weeks, you may have to adjust your caloric intake
up or down by 100-200 if you aren't reaching your goals.
Amy Banks is President of Genuine Nutrition
(http://www.genuinenutrition.com)
offering the highest quality vitamins and supplements along
with superior customer service and support.
**************************************************************
Copyright 2000, InternetFitness.com. All rights reserved.
