The Four Minute Workout of Death

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That's right in only 4 minutes, you can do an effective, proven fat-burning workout. It's called the Tabata protocol, named for the Japanese researcher who "discovered" it. It is a very specific, precisely timed, interval technique. Now to be totally accurate, including the 5 minute warm-up and cool-down, it would be a 13:50 workout. DO NOT SKIP THE WARM UP AND COOL DOWN if you are going to try this. You are going to need them.

Tabata, the researcher, studied the effects of this protocol versus a more typical, moderate exercise program and this protocol increased aerobic capacity even more than the moderate program while at the same time increasing anaerobic capacity. Yeah, yeah, but what about fat loss, you ask? Well, it turns out that the participants in the study burned more fat using the interval protocol than the moderate cardio protocol, even though the moderate cardio group burned more calories during the exercise sessions. How is this possible? The interval protocol was so taxing that the participants using it had an increase in metabolic rate that lasted for many hours following the actual interval sessions, leading to a total calorie burn exceeding the moderate cardio group. What this technique lacks in terms of time spent exercising, it makes up for, and then some, in intensity.

Protocol Specifics

• 5 minute warm-up
• 20 seconds - hard
• 10 seconds - easy
• 20 seconds - hard
• 10 seconds - easy
• 20 seconds - hard
• 10 seconds - easy
• 20 seconds - hard
• 10 seconds - easy
• 20 seconds - hard
• 10 seconds - easy
• 20 seconds - hard
• 10 seconds - easy
• 20 seconds - hard
• 10 seconds - easy
• 20 seconds - hard
• 5 minute cool-down

That is basically 8 "bouts" of 20 second intervals of real work separated by short, 10 second rest periods. Now that doesn't sound too bad, but more explaining is required. The only times that you are really working is during the 20 second intervals marked "hard". When I say hard, I mean HARD. This doesn't mean pick up the pace a little. This doesn't mean reading a magazine while doing your intervals. I mean, ALL OUT, Dorothy, we are definitely NOT in Kansas anymore - HARD! Those 10 second rests between the hard bouts will be the shortest 10 seconds of your life.

Exercise Choice

What I haven't mentioned so far is anything about what exercises to do. The great thing about this protocol is that the actual exercise doesn't really matter. You can sprint the hard parts and jog the easy parts. Pedal hard on a bike then back off for the easy parts. Treadmills don't work very well because they take too long to ramp up to top speed, but stationary bikes and elliptical machines should work fine. You can also do body weight exercises like mountain climbers, squats, jump squats, etc. The possibilities are limited only my your imagination. Again, in choosing an exercise, follow these two criteria:

• You must be able to quickly increase to maximum intensity. Sprints outside work great...treadmills do not.
• The exercise should be include as many muscle groups as possible. Squats are great...bicep curls are not.

This is a program that you should ease into. I don't recommend you switch your 3 cardio sessions a week all to Tabata sessions. Try doing it one day a week to start, then gradually do more.

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Intervals for Increased Fat Loss

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If you enjoy hour upon hour of running, like I do, than getting in your cardio for the day is never a problem. I get the distinct feeling that I'm in the minority, though, and most people would rather not exercise, or they exercise grudgingly because they know it helps keep excess weight off. For these people, getting the biggest fat loss bang for their buck is essential. The key to losing the most fat with the shortest investment in workout time is with intervals.

Technique

Intervals are simply high intensity periods of exercise intermixed with short rest periods. You can get a great interval workout in 20 minutes, but you must remember that the intensity level must remain high during the intervals. This is not an easy workout. The exercise choice is up to you. You can run sprints, cycle faster during the intervals, jump rope, or if you don't have any equipment, air squats or jump squats are a real butt kicker. Start by warming up for 5 minutes by doing your exercise at a low intensity. Then begin the intervals by increasing the intensity to a hard level for one minute and thirty seconds. Then decrease the intensity to a low level and rest for 30 seconds. Repeat the hard/easy cycle for 4 more times and finish up with a five minute, low intensity cool down. That's all there is to it...a superb fat-blasting workout in only 20 minutes. As your fitness increases, try to add more intervals or try to increase the length of the intervals.

Superb Fat Burning

I've talked about the myth of the "fat burning zone" in the past. While doing lots of easy, steady state cardio may burn a higher percentage of fat, more vigorous exercise burns many more calories, and burning calories counts more for weight loss. In addition to burning more calories during the actual exercise period, high intensity interval training has been shown to increase metabolism for up to 40 hours after the completion of the exercise, burning even more calories. If you are short on time and want a great workout, give intervals a shot.

Have you ever tried high-intensity cardio, or do you prefer the slow and steady method?

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Beat the Autumn Blues

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The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. On my Saturday morning run, this was the first time that I had to dig up my cold weather gear. Granted it was only about 42 degrees, here in Albuquerque, but with a little wind, and 15 miles to go, it was long sleeves and running tights for me. Those of you in the Great White North can point and laugh now, if you must. This is the time of year where people who have started to get in the habit of exercise, begin to second guess themselves. Excuses are much easier to justify and it gets much more difficult to get outside when the temperatures are south of freezing, sometimes far south of freezing.

Upper body clothing

Get the right gear for the temperature. Layer where possible so that you can remove layers of clothing as your body warms up. You don't want to find yourself dripping with sweat when its 25 degrees outside. Those old cotton sweats and that beat-up sweatshirt that you've had since college will work, but cotton has been known to cause some misery. Cotton if heavy, bulky, and will absorb and hold moisture close to your body. It's better than nothing, but only slightly better, and we both know that any small excuse to not exercise will stop you from getting out.

Start with a base layer of any material except cotton. Most athletic wear consists of polyester blends that wick moisture away from the skin. A good long sleeved dry tech shirt is a great item to own and you should be able to find one for around $20 at your local sporting goods store, perhaps even less, if you scour the clearance racks.

The next item that you will need is an insulation layer. These garments are usually fleecy and provide an additional layer of insulation to keep you warm on the coldest of days. Depending on the severity of conditions, many thicknesses are available to provide as much comfort as possible when it's very cold outside.

Finally, the last layer is a wind/rain shell. Depending on the conditions, this layer can be worn with either the base layer, the insulation layer, or with both. These items tend to be made with a thin nylon material that has been treated to be water resistant or water proof. These tend to be the more expensive items because of the high tech nature of these items which are designed to repel water but allow water vapor to evaporate. Be honest with yourself before you part with too much of your hard-earned money to buy the latest, greatest shell. If you know you will never exercise outdoors in rain or snow, save a bundle and only buy a cheap, wind shell.
Do you continue exercising through the autumn/winter months or do you hibernate for the winter?

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Fuel up before you head out

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Don't underestimate the importance of fueling up before you head out. About 45-60 minutes before you head out for a run or other type of execise, you should consume a high carbohydrate snack of about 150-200 calories. You want to choose a quick digesting carb consisting of simple sugars to get the calories into your system so that your body can utilize them. A piece of fruit, or a quick yogurt are great choices.

Things to look for in a pre-workout snack:

• High carbohydrate
• Quick digesting, simple sugars
• 150-200 calories
• Eat 45-60 minutes before your workout
  

Things to stay away from in a pre-workout snack:

• High fat
• High fiber
• Large meal
• Foods that upset your stomach
  

If weight loss is your goal, you should consume fewer calories, maybe 100, but you should still eat a snack to keep your energy level up for your exercise. Remember the "fat burning zone" is a myth. You should aim to do your exercise with as much intensity as you can muster and a pre-workout snack will help you in that regard.

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Progressive Improvements Require Consistency

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"I just don't get this exercise thing. The more miles I put on my car, the more likely it is to break down. Why would I actively try to 'put more miles' on my body? Wouldn't it just break down faster?"

This is a very common misconception. The problem with the analogy between your car and your body is that the two are not the same. There is a very important distinction.

Your body has the ability to repair itself; your car does not.

You body is a fantastic machine that has the ability to repair minor "damage". The soreness you experience from a particularly tough workout is actually the result of microscopic muscle tears that occur when you ask your body to do something that it isn't accustomed to doing. The fancy- schmancy term for this is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS. The discomfort associated with DOMS typically peaks 48 hours after the incident that caused it. These tears are not dangerous, or considered an injury, but they are the key to improvement.

You see, your body does not only repair the muscle tissue back to its original state, it adapts by rebuilding to be stronger. This protective feature of our biology is called supercompensation. Supercompensation is the key to progressive improvements. By consistently overreaching, allowing yourself to recover, and repeating, you get faster, or stronger, or gain endurance, depending on your training. Consistency is important, though, because the supercompensation effect is temporary and will be lost if the additional capacity is not used again soon. Your body won't support additional capacity if it isn't needed.

So what does all this mean? For one, there is some truth to the old adage, use it or lose it. If you sit around all day and don't make an attempt to move more, your body will transform into a body that is very well suited to doing nothing. If you want the body of an athlete, consistently do the things that athletes do, and your body will respond by performing those actions better. It may be counter-intuitive but more use of your body will make you stronger, unlike you car, not more likely to "break down".

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How many calories can you burn?

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Want to know how many calories you are burning in 30 minutes doing your favorite activity? I've listed some of the more popular exercise activities and the number of calories that they burn. All of the calorie calculations assume a 150 pound person doing the activity for 30 minutes. If you weigh more, you will burn more calories. If you weigh less, you will burn fewer calories.

Bicycling

• >20 mph - 545.5 calories
• 16-19mph, no drafting - 409 calories
• 14-15.9 mph, no drafting - 340.9 calories
• 12-13.9 mph, no drafting - 272.7 calories
  
• Mountain biking - 289.7 calories
• Stationary: moderate, 150 watts - 238.6 calories
• Stationary: vigorous, 200 watts - 357.9 calories

Running

• 6 min/mile - 545.4 calories
• 7 min/mile - 477.2 calories
• 8.5 min/mile - 392 calories
• 9 min/mile - 374.9 calories
• 10 min/mile - 340.9 calories
• 11.5 min/mile - 306.8 calories
• 12 min/mile - 272.7 calories
• up stairs - 511 calories

Walking

• 12 min/mile - 272.7 calories
• 13 min/mile - 214.7 calories
• 15 min/mile - 170.4 calories
• 17 min/mile - 129.5 calories
• 20 min/mile - 112.5 calories
• 30 min/mile - 85.2 calories

Gym Activities

• Aerobics, low impact - 170.4 calories
• Aerobics, high impact - 238.6 calories
• Step Aerobics, 10" - 12" step - 340.9 calories
• Step Aerobics, 6" - 8" step - 289.7 calories
• Elliptical Machine - 245.4 calories

Click here for a great online calorie calculator to find out the number of calories burned during your favorite activity. It not only includes "exercise" activities, but lots of "around the house" activities, as well. Enjoy.

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20 Ways to Find Time to Exercise

photo by Willem Tjerkstra

"Those who do not find time to exercise, sooner or later, will have to find time for illness."
-Earl of Derby

• Watch less television - Americans watch 14 hours of television per week. Cut that down to 10 and get 30 minutes of exercise a day.
• Get up 30 minutes earlier - I know, I know, you already get up at the butt crack of dawn, you're not a morning person, yada, yada, yada. Going out for a morning walk or jog will do more to energize you for the day than any cup of coffee.
• During lunchtime - Go for a 30 minute walk and use the remaining time for a quick lunch.
• After work - This works for some people, but it's very easy to get sidetracked and not take the time. If it works for you, exercise after work. If it doesn't, there are lots of other options.
• Ride your bike to work - Obviously, this isn't an option for some people depending on the length of your commute, but there are some of you who could ride your bike to work or even walk to work.
• Have a walking meeting - if you need to have a meeting with someone why not do it while walking around the building or around the block.
• Walk your kids to school instead of driving - this is probably an option for lots of people, but getting in the car is just a habit.
• If you live and die by your planner, plan your exercise time - make your 30 minutes a day a priority and schedule it in your day planner.
• Always carry work out clothes and shoes - only have a few minutes to go for a walk? Be a good Boy Scout and always be prepared. Bring a gym bag without workout clothes and shoes with you everywhere you go.
• Walk to lunch - try walking to lunch instead of jumping in your car and driving a mile.
• Find a friend to walk with - people are more likely to make an "appointment" with a friend a priority since someone else will be waiting for you to arrive.
• Let the dog take you for a walk - Rover loves to go for a walk. All I have to do is say the word, "Walk", and my dog gets her leash and brings it to me. Don't have a dog? Go for a walk anyway.
• After dinner, make an evening walk with the family a tradition - instead of crashing on the couch in front of the television after dinner, gather up the kids and go for a walk around the neighborhood. Everyone will feel better for it.
• Don't sit while your kids are playing sports, walk around the field - can't exercise because you need to take your kids to soccer? Not so fast. Instead of sitting around waiting, go for a walk around the neighborhood, or around the field during practice or the game.
• Get a stationary bike for your desk - if you own one of these, and use it, you don't need to be reading this. You are THE MAN!
• Go out for 10 minutes at a time - if you can't find 30 minutes, what about getting up and walking around the block or your building for 10 minutes a few times a day.
• Do situp, crunches, or pushups during commercials - Squeeze in a little exercise when you would normally be sitting around.
• Write down how you spend your time each day - You probably have more extra time in the day than you realize. Keep a log for a few days and find out if there is a good time each day to get in your 30 minutes.
• Park as far away as possible - on a good day you can probably get in 2 miles of extra walking by parking as far as possible from stores or the mall.
• Instead of emailing or calling a colleague, walk to their office to give them the message - maybe this isn't the fastest, most hi-tech way to deliver a message, but it's a way to get you up and walking more.

Finally,

• Stop making excuses - Someone much busier than you is exercising right now!

Think you've got a busy schedule...Condi Rice, I call her Condi since we're close friends, gets up at 4:30am every morning and either does 40 minutes of cardio or strength training. So what's your excuse again?

What's your favorite excuse for not exercising? Post a comment and let me know.

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Exercise? No way, that stuff will kill you!

Photo by A-Wix

I've recently read several articles indicating that in certain circumstances being overweight seems to have life-extending qualities. In cases where people have had heart attacks, some cancers, and various forms of cardiovascular disease, the overweight patients simply lived longer. Huh? Doesn't this fly in the face of everything we've ever seen, read, or heard?

These studies are real studies and I've added links at the end of this post if anyone is interested in reading more about them. Even the studies that suggest being overweight has some protective effects in this population of patients are quick to point out that being overweight is a proven risk factor in developing these diseases in the first place. The best thing to do is not end up in one of these studies by having cardiovascular disease. Whew! Looks like all of that running isn't going to kill me, after all.

Is exercise really necessary?

Why bother with this whole exercise thing? It is possible to lose weight by dieting alone. People do it all the time. The real question, though, is how many of those people keep that weight off? The answer is not many. As mentioned in a previous post, the National Weight Control Registry is a study following people who have kept off more than 30 pounds for more than 5 years. How many of these successful, long term, weight loss, veterans turned to exercise? 94% used increased physical activity as a technique to keep the weight off. I'm always second guessing numbers and statistics, but to me, that is a powerful statistic.

What motivates people who frequently exercise to continue?

Few people would argue that exercise has lots of benefits. Here are some of those benefits for the readers out there who have lived under a rock for the last 30 years, or so.

• Decreased risk of cardiovascular disease - The American Heart Association, American College of Sports Medicine, Center for Disease Control and the Surgeon Generals Office all consider a sedentary lifestyle a major risk factor in developing cardiovascular disease.
  
• Increased energy - It is counter-intuitive to think that you will feel more energetic by being more active, but increased activity increases your metabolism and this effect lasts for longer than the time you exercise. The result...you feel more energetic after you exercise.
  
• Exercise lowers LDL cholesterol - Exercise reduces the "bad" cholesterol in the blood. 'Nuff said.
• Reduces stress - Stress causes a release of hormones in our body activating the "fight or flight" response. Exercise is a positive way to put those hormones to use, rather than allow them build up. Over the long term stress hormones, like cortisol, can do damage to your body.

That's all fine and dandy, and there are many more benefits to exercise, but are those reasons really why people do it? I can tell you, nothing, and I mean nothing makes me want to go out, spend hours on a Saturday morning running 30 miles, or so, than knowing that my LDL cholesterol might be a point or two lower as a result. As a matter of fact, I'm getting all worked up right now just thinking about how much I've decreased my risk of cardiovascular disease.

Umm...I don't think so. Those things are all so...abstract. If I get those benefits, then great. They sound like they are good improvements in my life, but that doesn't get me out the door at 4:30am on Saturday morning. So what does? Simple...it makes me feel good.

Feel good? I've been on a treadmill before and the last comment that I would make about it was that it "felt good".

I'm not going to lie to you, after I've been out running for hours, I'm definitely not feeling good. I just want it all to be over with. But when it's all over, that's when the magic happens. Mentally, I feel better having accomplished something for the day. Physically, I feel tired, but very calm and at ease. I consider the time spent exercising an investment in feeling good for days. It's a "no-brainer".

I'm not suggesting that someone has to do as much exercise as I do to get those same benefits, but the more fit you become, the greater the benefit from a "feel good" perspective. If you are very unfit then your body is not working efficiently, but you don't know any better. For you, feeling sub-optimal is the norm. By increasing your fitness level, you start to feel better and you realize that what you thought was normal was really feeling crappy. If you increase your fitness level by 20%, that's 20% more enjoyment out of each day that you were missing. The reason that people continue exercising is that they never want to go back to the point in their lives where feeling bad everyday was normal.

Your body is an amazing machine that has the ability to adapt and improve. By becoming more fit and healthy, your body will work much more efficiently throughout the day. The number one reason to stick with exercise for the long term is not because of how it makes you feel during exercise, but how it makes you feel the other 23 hours a day.

What are your reasons for continuing to exercise? If you don't exercise regularly, why don't you?

Study/Article links:

Body Mass, Fitness and Survival in Veteran Patients: Another Obesity Paradox?
Obese Heart Attack Patients Are More Likely To Survive After Treatment Than Normal Weight Patients

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National Weight Control Registry

The National Weight Control Registry is a joint research study conducted by professors at Brown University and the University of Colorado. It has tracked the lifestyle and habits of over 5000 people who have lost at least 30 pounds and successfully kept it off for at least 18 months. The average amount of weight lost by the research participants is 66 pounds and they have kept it off for an average of 5.5 years. The purpose of the study is not to track how much weight is lost, but how did the participants lose the weight and keep it off long-term. Here are some of the results from the study:

98% of Registry participants report that they modified their food intake in some way to lose weight.

Look at it this way, your current weight is the net result of your current food intake and activity levels. If you want to control your weight, you must change something. You can either eat smaller portions (less calories) of the same foods, or you can eat foods with fewer calories (less calorie dense foods), but to make a positive change your food intake "must be modified in some way".

94% increased their physical activity, with the most frequently reported form of activity being walking.
90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.

The often heard recommendation from the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association and the CDC is 30 minutes of moderate exercise, most days of the week. This is to improve health, but other studies have shown that more is required to lose weight and maintain a lower weight. If these successful weight losers are any indication, a lot more than the "health" recommendation is needed for weight loss.

78% eat breakfast every day.

Skipping any meal, especially breakfast is a bad idea. You will eat even more calories than are saved by not eating the meal at some later time. You can't starve you body into weight loss submission.

75% weigh them self at least once a week.

The rationale behind this is simple...you need feedback to know where you stand. Due to food intake, dehydration, etc. weighing daily can result in +/- 3 pounds of weight difference. This is normal. A sustained increase of a pound or two over a 1-2 week period is what you are looking for to indicate a weight gain. If you see this, then tighten up your eating and exercise more to get a grip on the gain before it gets worse. It's much easier to lose 1 or 2 pounds than 10, 15, or more.

62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.

The national average is over 28 hours per week of television watching. If you "don't have time" to exercise and you are watching 4 hours a night of television, you need to reconsider your priorities and turn off the TV and get moving.

42% of the sample reported that maintaining their weight loss was less difficult than losing weight.

Making the lifestyle changes necessary to lose weight is much more difficult than continuing those habits once you've incorporated. Another aspect of this is that losing weight requires a calorie deficit...you eat less than you need/want. Maintaining your weight just requires that you not overeat.

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Fitness/Health/Nutrition Myths, Part Deux

Of the tips sent out so far, the fitness myth tip got the most positive response, so I've decided to do another one. Besides these are very easy to put together due to an enormous amount of misinformation out there in the areas of health and fitness.

Weight gain with age is inevitable

As we age, certain physiological changes do take place, but weight gain doesn't need to be one of them. Weight gain with age is common, but it's a result of a decrease in activity, not an increase in age. This decrease in activity leads to a decrease in muscle mass and a resulting decrease in metabolism. What can you do to avoid this? The best thing to do is to strength train. By doing resistance exercise, you can maintain or build muscle mass and keep your metabolism from slowly decreasing. If you do 30 minutes of cardio at least 4 days per week, you can offset the metabolic decrease by burning more "activity" calories. If exercise just isn't your bag, then to keep the scale from creeping upwards, you must eat less food. I hope you are beginning to see a pattern in each of these tips as far as what behaviors will aid you in maintaining your weight.

Eating at night will make you fat

Occasionally a "diet" will come out that touts some variation of meal timing as a main component. Not eating after some arbitrary time at night is a very popular anecdotal weight loss strategy. Pure bunk. If you consume more calories than you burn, you'll get fat...it doesn't matter when you consume those calories. I've said this a few times...but there is one exception that I haven't mentioned. Post-workout calories. Carbohydrates consumed within about 2-4 hours of performing moderate to intense repetitious exercise (i.e. cardio or very intense strength training) are more likely to be stored as glycogen in muscles and the liver, than as fat. If you are a competitive athlete at any level, you should use this "window of opportunity" to reload your glycogen stores so that you can be optimally recovered for your next workout. If you've got to be seen with the latest, greatest, coolest recovery drink, Endurox works great. If you value price over coolness, chocolate milk has been shown to have the right protein-to-carbohydrate ratio to be optimally effective and doesn't taste like crap.

No pain, no gain

Pain is never a good thing. This myth does acknowledge that improving is not easy, but pain is never a requirement of success. If you are just beginning an exercise program of any type, then discomfort is a part of the process. If you push your body a little bit beyond its current abilities, you will create small muscle tears that we perceive as soreness. The aching typically peaks 48 hours after the activity that caused the micro tears. After this time period your body begins the process of healing, but it doesn't heal back to its original state...it overcompensates by becoming stronger to better prepare in the event that you need to perform the task again. This "overcompensation" is the key to improvement. On the other hand, if you push yourself too hard you can become injured by causing acute and/or long-lasting injuries to muscles, tendons, or even bones. How do you know the difference? Most injuries cause sharp, acute pain. If the pain causes you to yelp, then you need to cut back or stop the activity until you can resume the activity with no pain, or if the injury is severe you may need to see your doctor. If you have a localized, dull, aching more than likely its delayed onset muscle soreness and a normal part of progressing.

Exercise burns lots of calories

Unfortunately, it doesn't. It is much easier to consume lots of calories than burn them. I always talk about calories this and that, but what exactly is a calorie. It is simply a unit of measurement of energy. Here are a few foods whose calorie content is restated in terms of the amount of exercise required to burn them off:

• Subway 6" Turkey Breast Sandwich (280) calories = 2.35 miles of running

• White Chocolate Frappuccino (610 calories) = 5.12 miles of running

• P.F. Changs Mongolian Beef (no rice) (1180 calories) = 9.92 miles of running

• McDonalds Big Mac Value Meal w/soft drink (1420 calories) = 11.93 miles of running

• P.F. Changs Great Wall of Chocolate (2240 calories OH ... MY ... GOD) = 18.82 miles of running

By the way, the above calculations assume a 150 pound person. Lighter people would require more running, heavier people would require less running, but only about +/- 10%.

Bonus Factoid

OK, just a little trivia for you. Assuming that we could consume gasoline for fuel, how many miles could a 150 pound person run on a gallon of gasoline? Well, a gallon of gasoline contains about 31,000 calories of energy, approximately the same as is contained in about 8.85 pounds of fat. Someone who weighs 150 pounds requires 119 calories per mile. A 150 pound person could run 260.5 miles on a gallon of gasoline. What does that prove? Well, gasoline is an extremely cheap source of energy even at $4.00/gallon. It also demonstrates that humans are VERY efficient at storing and utilizing energy. We are engineered to aggressively store energy to survive when food sources run low, but for better or worse, in our society, the lean times never come.

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