Is exercising enough to lose weight?

Not according to the majority of exercise studies. The general conclusion from many, including the most recent studies on exercise and weight loss, is that exercise alone is not a weight loss program for anyone. Diet is simply far more effective and easier in producing weight loss, but exercise is just as important in maintaining the loss and in delivering unique long-term health benefits that diet alone cannot.

Here are the latest facts:

The latest exercise and weight study published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) completed in March 2010 followed 34,000 chronic exercisers for 13 years and the average weight GAIN was 6lbs; 13.3% of those who gained slightly less but still GAINED, performed 60min/day of moderate to vigorous exercise and were normal weight at the start.

Conclusion from study:

• Exercise alone is not a weight loss program for anyone

• If overweight, it’s too late to reverse it with exercise alone, you must restrict calories

Earlier short-term studies comparing diet alone and exercise alone were even more dramatic:

Diet alone groups lost an average of 19.8LBS in 6 months, while exercise alone groups lost less than 2LBS in the same period.

Keep in mind that one single fact determines the rate of weight/fat loss: the average daily calorie deficit. This is defined as the difference between how many calories you burn and how many calories you consume. Therefore it’s easier to remove 500 calories of food from your daily diet to produce a 1LB/wk loss of weight than it is to perform 1.5hrs/day of vigorous exercise to accomplish the same result. That said, exercise is needed to improve your body structure, function/performance, longevity, visual appearance, etc. Exercise also increases daily calorie burn and helps you maintain your desired weight. So participating in both proper diet and exercise, you get faster, healthier and longer-term weight loss.

Top 5 Tips to Build Muscle Fast

Some people find it almost impossible to gain muscle or just get toned.  They waste time and money going to gym’s and trying strategies that do not work.  It is in reach for everyone to get in shape. You just need to know some key things to get you there.  Whether you just want to bulk up, build up you biceps, or achieve any other muscle building goal, follow these 5 tips to get you to build muscle fast.

Muscle Building Tip #1: Hit Mutliple Joints
Building muscle quickly will not work doing single joint movements like bicep curls or tricep extensions unless you are already very muscular. Multi-joint exercises like pull-ups, squats, bench pressing, or deadlifts will do the job. These exercises will not only work muscles in less time, but will also allow you to use much heavier weight than you would with single-joint exercises.

Muscle Building Tip #2: Get Heavy
A lot of people that try to build muscle do not use heavy enough weight. Pick heavy weights and go to failure for each set.

Failure=until you can’t do anymore even if I put a gun to your head! One of the reasons bodybuilders have a partner is so there is someone there to help them when the weight gets too heavyto lift with good form. If you don’t have a workout partner, just stop when you get too tired to lift with good form, rest a few seconds, then keep lifting to complete the set.
This is much better than using a weight that allows you to comfortably complete a set without muscle failure.

Muscle Building Tip #3: Do Less Cardio
Your body needs calories in order to build muscle so if your doing a significant amount of cardio like bicycling or running, your burning calories that your body could otherwise use for muscle building. If you want to build muscle as fast as possible, limit your cardio to a brief 2-3 sessions of H.I.I.T. CARDIO

Muscle Building Tip #4: Eat
To put on  muscle you have to consume more calories than you burn. Instead of shoving anything down your throat, try to grab calories from healthy protein sources like grass-fed beef, healthy fat sources like coconut milk, avocadoes, and healthy carbohydrate sources like potatoes and yams. you should be eating 6-7 meals a day!

Muscle Building Tip #5: Rest
To build muscle quickly, you need to fatigue a muscle group, but then give it time to rest. If you work a muscle too hard, too many days in a row, those muscle fibers will become too damaged to properly repair and grow. Typically, a muscle needs at least 72 hours to properly repair from a muscle-building, weight training session. A good rule to follow is to wait until you are no longer sore in a muscle before working it again. For example, do a shoulders and chest workout on Wednesday and Saturday, a leg workout on Tuesday and Friday, and a back, arms and abs workout on Monday and Thursday.

Also, MAKE SURE YOU GET ENOUGH SLEEP!!

Fitness Tip

Fitness is constantly evolving and I enjoy trying different things. I may not be the best but its a new and exciting challenge. I see many people just going through their long-standing routines, not getting as much out of their exercise workout as they could, and they look the same year after year! Begin throwing your body curveballs and explore other programs. Don't let fear hold you back. If you never confront fear, you’re missing the essence of the challenge. Without pain, there’s no adversity. Without adversity, no challenge. Without challenge, no improvement and when there is no improvement there is no sense of accomplishment and no deep-down joy.

Each of us have to earn our bragging rights so what are you waiting for?

Keeping it simple

GymPact! Doh!

There are a plethora of fitness apps and gadgets out there to help you track distance, heartbeat or total time. Now, there's an app that makes you pay cash every time you miss a visit to the gym. Ouch!

Developed by two 2010 Harvard graduates, GymPact is an iPhone app that offers cash incentives. You lose $5 (you can choose to pay more) if you miss a scheduled gym visit and make money if you stick to the pact you set at the beginning of each week.

If you're the competitive type, feel better knowing that the money you make is an equal portion of a pool collected from your lazier peers who sat on the couch.

Why cash incentives?

Users have to commit to at least one 30-minute workout per week and the app knows if you're really at the gym because it will confirm your location whenever you check in for a workout. And yes, you really do have to pay $5 because it deducts the fine from your credit card on file.

Do you think this app would help you stick to your weekly gym schedule, too? Is cash really a strong motivator?

Your go to workout

15 squats, 10 push-ups and :30 of planks. Do as many rounds in a circuit as you can. Cool down with a quick walk around the block. 


You can do this anywhere and instead of making excuses why you don't have time to get to the gym, you can be done with a full body workout, fully anaerobic and stimulate muscle growth in 10-20 minutes!

Do Less Cardio...Get Better Results

Don't waste time doing the same old thing that's not getting you results. Ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. Are you happy with what you see in the mirror?
2. Do you have too much free time on a daily basis?
3. Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Now, if you answered "yes" to any of these questions then this post is not for you. However, if you answered "no" to these questions, then please stop doing the same old routine and getting less than exciting results. You can get the body you want in less time than you can possibly imagine.

Let me be plain and clear --

I am asking you to stop doing steady state cardio since you already know it will not give you the results you want. I read on people's Facebook all the time, bragging about how they do SPINNING six times a week if not more. SERIOUSLY?!?! That's what you call an obsessive spinner.
 

Try spending less time doing cardio and put more effort in getting your nutrition in order. Be willing to challenge yourself to do something different or go out on a limb and try another instructor. Remember you can always go back to your favorite one. Impress yourself.

New Year. New Start. New You.

You've got a clean slate to start from.  Pretty much no matter how the year before turned out, you have a fresh new year to start off right and achieve the things that you didn't have a chance to get to last year. 

It's a prime opportunity to get clear on what it is you want out of this year and create a plan to achieve it.  A chance to review the things that are adding to the quality of your life (friends, positive habits, personal and professional groups that keep you on track, etc) and those that are distracting (the judgmental friends, associates that when in their presence always seem to drag you down, and bad habits that sabotage your progress).  It truly is an excellent time to really get dialed in on how to make this year better than the last.  As well as an opportunity to clear out that which is distracting or not serving you.

Yet even with all of the opportunity provided by a new year and a fresh clean slate, there are still those that complain about how they can't accomplish their goals because of such and such: they're too busy, don't have time, work long hours, have to take the kids to their events, they don't like the gym, etc.  And for every excuse I can, in most cases, show you a person that has as much or more on their plate and still is able to get it all done.  

Sure this week I could have blogged about things that you and I both know you need to be doing. Now you have something you can read, print out, and re-read when you find yourself getting off track.

You see it's not a matter of your circumstances.  It's a matter of your commitment to success.  You achieving your best is going to take time.  That's not the issue. Question is, are you committed to getting it done?

Bodyweight Training

Use your body for resistance and get a full-body workout. Try pushups, sit-ups, lunges, and jumping jacks for a mixture of strength training and cardio.

What makes a Spinning class awesome?

I often ask people to tell me what they like about their favorite class or instructor. There seems to be certain qualities that pop up every time. People say things like: great music, encouraging instructor, well planned class, the instructor knows everyone by name, my instructor challenges me... I have to agree with all of these ideas, but there is more to it than that.  A great class is also about what the participants bring to the plate. An instructor provides the "ingredients", and whoever shows up has to be willing to create a "gourmet meal".

I have been on both sides of this fence as a rider and as an instructor and when the participants come to class and tune out the instructor or carry on their own conversations, it really detracts from atmosphere.  I think an awesome class happens when the participants and the instructor work together to create it. I don't think that the instructors can do it all by themselves.

Next time you go to a Spinning class, look around the room and see how much the participants are bringing to the table. Are they engaged, are they listening and following instructions. Do the participants keep those who would threaten the positive atmosphere in check via peer pressure? Is your favorite class your favorite solely because of the instructor, or is it the combination of who is in the room riding together that creates that magic? Think about what you bring to the table!