Well, we’re a few weeks into the New Year… and a few weeks into new workout programs. Throughout the course of my day, both in and out of the practice, I like to chat with my fellow females about their health concerns and challenges.
I’ve talked with countless women who have started feverishly working out since the new year, all with the same goals in mind – shed fat, inches and weight, boost metabolism, get toned up, tighten up some ‘droopy’ areas and drop a few sizes - and they want it all NOW! Is this you, too?!
Unfortunately, what I’m also hearing is that these women, and most others beginning a new program, are not getting accurate or current information to get them headed in the right direction. In fact, there are a handful of common mistakes that most are making that can destroy your metabolism, zap your energy and actually keep your body soft and flabby.
If your intention is in fact to burn fat, lose weight and get toned, then there’s a basic underlying principle to get straight – your workouts will need to be intense in order to create the change you want. Not “killer” intense, but not slacker-lazy workouts either! The overall effect you’re trying to create is an increased Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). Once you’ve achieved this, your body burns fat and sheds pounds for you 24/7.
Mistake #1
When you walk into a gym, especially at this time of year, where do you see the most people exercising? That’s right – the cardio machines. There is a long-held misconception that the more endurance-type cardio you do, the more calories you’ll burn, therefore the more fat you’ll burn &/or weight you’ll lose.
Remember our goal? Fat loss, getting toned and lean, increasing metabolism… right? Steady-paced, low to medium intensity cardio doesn’t cut the mustard! Yes, you may expend many calories during your workout and increase your metabolism, but only for a very short time – maybe an hour or two following your workout. This ‘old school’ type of cardio can actually result in fat storage and muscle loss… the exact opposite of what we want. If we lose muscle, we lose our built-in fat burners.
The key to achieving the results you want with cardio is to work harder, not longer. This could mean several different things. First, think of short bursts of intensity. Sprints come to mind! Other examples may be increasing the incline on your treadmill for part of your routine, or adding some jogging/running/sprinting to whatever program you’re currently doing. Just step it up for part of your workout and you’ll see better results. Challenge yourself.
If you wear a heart rate monitor, during this type of cardio workout you should see your heart rate increase, then come down, then up again… this creates a great challenge for your cardiovascular system… creates more workload… increases your RMR. In fact, when you add intense workouts to your repertoire, you can increase your RMR for 1-2 DAYS afterward! Nice! We need to shift our thinking from “How many calories is this exercise burning?” to “How many calories am I burning in a given 24 hour period?” (ie. “How efficient is my RMR?”)
Another thing to keep in mind with your cardio workouts is to add variability… mix it up. Once again, your body sees this as a challenge – it never gets lazy and accustomed to the same ‘ol routine. This could be as simple as doing different ‘programs’ on the treadmill or elliptical. It could be as widely varied as sprinting one day, jumping rope another, cycling another, kick boxing another, etc. Interval training is another way to add variability. If you’re a walker, try adding some jogging or running for a few minutes in your walk, or jumping jacks or squats or jump rope… you get the picture! If you're already a jogger or runner, add hill sprints for a few minutes, or anything else that really makes you work hard for a short period.
When your body is challenged like this with increased intensity and variety, it will rise to the occasion by shedding more fat for you! So, when it comes to fat burning and weight loss, you can toss the notion of long, boring bouts of cardio out the window! Intensity is the key to getting the most out of your cardio in the least amount of time. 60 minutes of walking on the treadmill can be traded in for 10-20 minutes of hill running... and you're guaranteed to see fabulous results very quickly!
Next time we’ll tackle Mistake #2… Targeting Your Trouble Spots.
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