In a Nutshell
---Did you know that telephone-supervised programs are as effective as group- or facility-based programs in terms of increased functional capacity and adherence.---- Click here to learn more----
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In my article “Why Time Magazine Has It Wrong”, I touched on the basic recommendations for cardiovascular, and resistance exercise. However, that does not actually answer the question of how much you (specifically) should exercise. A good trainer will use your health status, goals, and any other contributing information to determine the program frequency, intensity, time, and type of activity, or more easily remembered as F.I.T.T. ---Castro and King's study (2002) concluded that home-based, telephone-supervised programs were as effective as group- or facility-based programs in terms of increased functional capacity and adherence.---- Click here to learn more--------- Given you are healthy (no chronic conditions, free of injury), think about your goal(s). The goal will either fall into the avoidance of disease, fitness, or performance category. So here is a general breakdown: (click below to read more) IN A NUTSHELL
Ever feel like you are hearing conflicting information about exercise and nutrition? The news says one thing, you read a completely different thing, and ultimately you’re still left confused? Here’s the simple answer. Science does not have all the answers, so there are times when some information becomes outdated by newer information. However, the larger issue is based on who is reporting this information. Let’s look at one example…. Time magazine’s article “Why You Don’t Have To Exercise Everyday” http://time.com/4626519/exercise-every-day-health-benefits/ , leads the reader to believe that doing your cardio on the weekends is all you need. They reference a study, and conclude that there’s no statistical difference in the contracting of chronic diseases and mortality between those who go throughout the week and those who go only on the weekends. ->Using an Interactive App with Embedded Exercise Demonstration Videos Can Keep Your Workouts Safe and Effective Find Out How<-------------------- Here’s the problem with that assessment. The study takes into consideration only the “cardio” element of exercise, however exercise falls into, two buckets. There’s the cardio bucket, and the resistance training bucket. This study makes no reference to resistance training. So does this mean there’s no health benefit to resistance training? No! What it means is the study was designed to look at mortality associated with activity (cardiovascular only). However, what they didn't look at was impact of resistance training and quality of life. This is a big deal! Here's why: If done properly resistance exercise is beneficial in that it:
In fact when they speak of the “150 minutes of moderate activity” recommended, they do not mention that Americans are recommended to perform a minimum of two sessions of resistance exercise for each major muscle group per week. The study most likely does not mention it, because studies need to be very specific in order to control the variables. The writer does not mention it most likely because the writer has no background in exercise and does not know there’s a national recommendation/benefits for resistance exercise. In a Nutshell: Yes you reduce your mortality if you do 150 minutes of moderate cardio activity just on the weekends. However remember:
Reference: American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), retrieved from: https://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/resistance-training.pdf The simple answer is this... whichever exercise/workout you're going to do. There's no point in identifying the most intense exercises and workouts if you despise them because the likely hood of sticking with such a routine is very small. When we talk about weight loss, or fat loss, what we are really talking about is energy expenditure. The scientific community communicates this in terms of METS (metabolic equivalents). A MET is a measurement of oxygen consumed. Think of your energy system like a camp fire. In order to have a successful camp fire you need oxygen. Your body is the same way, calories need oxygen to "burn". At rest the we consume approximately 3.5mL of oxygen per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight per minute. This is considered 1 MET. The more MET's required to perform an exercise the more intense the exercise is. Vigorous intensity exercise is 6-9 METs, and High Intensity is anything over 9 METs. The higher the METs the more calories being consumed. While these are beneficial to weight loss they will make you breathless and can be performed only in short bursts. Finding a HIIT (High, Intensity, Interval, Training) program that works for you can be an excellent part of a weight loss program. --->LOOKING TO DEEPEN YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF EXERCISE, AND FITNESS? <---- A few exercise examples are: battles ropes (pictured above), jumping jacks, jumping rope, and bench hops. However, at the end of the day the best exercise or exercises are the one's you can do safely, and that you can commit to. |