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The relationship between exercise and weight control is simple, you have to exercise to lose weight permanently. Your muscles are the only part of your body which can use fat as a fuel..........so if you've got fat you'd like to lose, you've got to move your muscles.
Basically there are three different ways to use your muscles and they all have different purposes. Each type of exercise also has its own "exercise prescription” or instructions for how hard, how often, and how long you should do the exercise to get the benefit. Of course, a well-rounded exercise program includes all three types, but you may want to emphasize one type of exercise over another depending on the results you want.
First, there is strength or resistance training. Resistance exercise can be done with free weights, weight machines, dumbbells (this is a type of equipment, not the PERSON you are working out with), elastic resistance, or even your own body weight (calisthenics). The idea is to do slightly more than you usually do and your body will be forced to adapt and become stronger. The major benefits of resistance training are added muscular strength, a faster metabolism, more muscle definition, and a decreased chance of injury.
Muscles are incredibly biologically active (a fancy way to say they need a lot of calories each day). The more muscle mass you have and more toned it is, the more calories you will need every minute of every day. The natural aging process causes you to lose muscle tissue and therefore, you get a

progressively slower metabolism as you get older. The key to speeding up
2 metabolism at any age is regular resistance training activities.
In addition, if you add muscular strength, you'll be able to get through each day with more energy. For example, if the most you can lift is 20 pounds and you're asked to pick up an 18 pound bag of groceries....your working at 90% of the most you can do. However, if you can lift 100 pounds and you're asked to pick up the same bag...that's only 18% of the most you can do. See the difference?! Adding muscular strength will definitely make your life easier.
Finally, strong muscles support and stabilize the joints. This will decrease your chance of injury and/or reduce the extent of the trauma should you get injured.
Whether you choose to use weights, elastic bands, or calisthenics, the recommendation for creating stronger more biologically active muscles is to use a resistance you can only do 8-12 times before fatigue/failure. If your weight/resistance isn't heavy enough you may have to perform more repetitions before your muscle will fatigue. It's a bizarre concept for most of us, but your goal with strength training is to fail! Strength training exercises should only be done every other day so the muscle has time to repair and become stronger. (You can refer to the Resistance Exercise
Format at the end of this chapter for more details.)

The second type of exercise, and the one most commonly associated
3 with weight loss, is cardiovascular or aerobic exercise. This is the type of exercise which most effectively utilizes fat as a fuel and increases the health of your heart. You already know the only part of your body that can use fat as a fuel is your muscles, so here's the kicker.......your muscles will only use fat as fuel in the presence of oxygen (hence the word "aerobics" meaning with oxygen). This simply means whenever you are taking in oxygen and expending energy at the same rate your muscles will choose to use fat as a fuel. Even at rest your muscles use fat - the problem is resting muscles doesn't use lots of fat because resting doesn't require a lot of total energy.
The goal with cardiovascular exercise is to continue to take in oxygen and expend energy at the same rate but to use a lot of energy. In order to do this, you must move large muscles groups (hips, thighs, buttocks), rhythmically for long periods of time. Activities like biking, walking, and stair climbing are all aerobic exercises and therefore very good calorie and fat burners. The exercise field has established an exercise prescription that will maximize your results. In general, aerobic exercise should be done at moderate intensities, for long periods of time, several times per week.
What does moderate intensity mean? The most common way to measure exercise intensity is heart rate monitoring and physiologists have spent a lot of time researching the relationship between heart rate and aerobic intensity. Heart rate monitoring is certainly a viable way to measure intensity, however, the way you feel about your exercise session is far more important. This is known as "perceived exertion". You want to exercise at

an intensity that feels somewhat hard but not incredibly difficult. You
4 should feel a little breathy, but you should always able to carry on a conversation. You do not want to be winded. If you can't talk during your workout, slow down the pace! In addition, your workout should leave you feeling energized and not exhausted. The purpose of exercise is to prepare you for life, to make you better at whatever it is you do; if your workout leaves you feeling exhausted, that's counter productive and it lets you know you are doing something wrong. Your body will make it's best physiological improvements when you put a mild stress on it, let it rest and improve, and then put another mild stress on it. If you put lots of stress on it at once, it must spend lots of time repairing and doesn't get to make improvements.
How long is long? The recommendation for time for aerobic exercise is a bare minimum of 20 minutes at the moderate intensity. But don't think that you won't get any benefit if you exercise for less time. Fifteen minutes is better than ten minutes and ten minutes is better than five minutes, and five minutes is better than sitting on the couch thinking about doing something. The benefits of exercise are cumulative. Also the 20 minute recommendation does not include warm-up and cool-down....so ideally your exercise session would be at least 30 minutes.
How often do I have to do this? The recommendation is at least 3 to 4 times per week, but aerobic exercise can be done every day if you want results faster.

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The third type of exercise is stretching or flexibility training.
Stretches maintain or increase range of motion and help prevent injury. A sequence of stretches can also relieve tension in the muscles and be a great stress reduction technique. Stretches should be held statically (without bouncing) for 15-60 seconds each and should be performed daily.
In addition to all the physical benefits from exercise there are numerous psychological ones. First, exercise is do oriented - it is something positive you can add to your life as opposed to the "dieting" concept of focusing on what you "can't have" or what you must subtract from your life. Exercise gives you the feeling of taking control and when you're in control you will feel better about yourself. Exercise is also a great stress reducer. It utilizes the hormones secreted into the blood stream during stressful situations, enhances muscle relaxation, and improves your mood. Combine all these factors and you're much less likely to overeat.
So if exercise is so great and will make weight loss permanent, what the catch? You have to DO IT to reap the rewards. You must understand that the decision not to exercise is just as active of a decision as the decision to
exercise. Simply weigh the end of the benefits versus your excuses and commit yourself to reaping all the rewards of regular exercise. The next time you are feeling despondent, frustrated, or anxious and want to know what you can do to lose weight faster.....the only answer at that particular moment is to exercise.

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The purpose of the warm-up is to prepare your body for work by increasing blood flow to the muscles and lubricating the joints. Any cardiovascular activity such as walking, biking, stair-stepping, etc would be an effective warm-up. Or the warmup could be rhythmic movements such as marching in place, easy lunges, arm swings, and arm circles.
Frequency (How Often?)
2-4 times per week
(no more than every 48 hours)
Intensity (How Hard?)
50-80% of the most weight you can lift once
The goal is to fatigue the muscle quickly. If you can do more than 16 repetitions, add more weight or increase the resistance. All repetitions should be slow and controlled with rhythmic breathing.
NOTE: Pain is your body's signal you're doing something wrong. If any
exercise causes pain or discomfort beyond muscular fatigue
......STOP.... adjust the resistance or pick another exercise.
Time (How Many Repetitions?)
8-16 repetitions
Ideally the muscle should be fatigued after 8-16 repetitions, however, there may be times when you will have to do more repetitions to fatigue the muscle. When this happens, it is time to consider using a heavier weight or adding more resistance to the exercise. Keep in mind your goal is muscular fatigue, don't be afraid to get to the point where you cannot do the exercise another time. For a balanced workout include exercises for all major muscle groups.
Stretching is an excellent cool down for resistance training

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The purpose of the warm-up is to prepare your body for work by increasing blood flow to the muscles and lubricating the joints. The best warm-up for any aerobic or cardiovascular activity is to do the activity slower at first. This way you'll warm-up the exact joints and muscles you will be using during the workout!
Frequency (How Often?) a minimum of 3-4 times per week
Intensity (How Hard?)
There are two ways to monitor intensity use either one or a combination of both.
Heart Rate Monitoring
Target Heart Rate (60-90% of maximal heart rate)
(see chart on the next page)
Perceived Exertion
A little breathy but still able to carry on a conversation
Time (How Long?)
20-60 minutes
The cooldown should start by lowering the intensity of the chosen activity for approximately five minutes. Stretches should follow.

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A good core warm-up (2-5 minutes) should precede stretching exercises. This will increase blood flow to the muscles and lubricate the joints. Appropriate warm-up activities include walking, marching in place, and light calisthenics.
Frequency (How Often?)
Daily
Intensity (How Hard?)
Stretch to the point of mild to moderate tension, but not to the point of pain.
Pain indicates trouble.
Time (How Long?)
Each stretch needs to be held statically for 15 to 60 seconds.
Stretches are a part of every good cool down. The increase in core temperature of the muscles and connective tissue from the workout can increase flexibility up to twenty percent.

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All you need to begin and continue with an exercise program is one reason that is important and relevant to you. No matter what benefit you are looking for as a result of exercise the really cool thing is that
all the benefits occur. Below is a list of some of the pros and con of exercise. See if you can find one (or more) that you can focus on and weigh it against the reason not to.
 Reduces risk of heart disease o By exercising you are reducing the clotting of the blood, thus reducing the risk of heart disease. Those that do not exercise they are risk is twice as likely to develop heart disease.
 Lowers heart rate o Aerobic exercise strengthens the heart, so that your heart pumps blood more efficiently by pumping more blood with each beat.
 Reduces the risk of colon cancer o Regular exercise helps regulate the digestive system.
 Lowers blood pressure
 Reduces risk of stroke
 Stronger circulatory system and lungs
 Promotes strong and healthy bones o
Exercise increases circulation flow of nutrients to the bones, which helps reduce risk of fracture.

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 Weigh loss maintenance o Exercise increases the body’s metabolism as well as increase muscles, which helps burn fat.
 Controls blood sugar o
By increasing physical activity in your life you will be able to maintain your body’s blood glucose levels. (this is point is very important for diabetics and those at risk of diabetes)
 Controls cholesterol o
One great pointer about exercise is that is increases your ratio of good cholesterol (HDL) to bad cholesterol (LDL) and it also lowers triglycerides.
 Helps with pain tolerance
 Helps cope with stress o Actually consumes the hormones that are released as a response to the events in your life o Causes the body to go into a rest period following exercise that is a normal and important after the release of the stress hormones o Allows the brain to relax during and after the exercise
(especially with rhythmic and aerobic types)
 Makes for easier pregnancy and childbirth
 Promotes a younger and healthier body o Helps slow down the aging process, isn’t that great.
 Control physical and emotional stress

12 o Physical activity helps alleviate anxiety and depression.
Another great thing is that exercise reduces physical and emotional stress tremendously.
 Promotes flexibility o Increases elasticity
 Reduces back aches o Stretching exercises reduce backaches.
 Strengthens immune system over the long term (les likely to get sick).
 Prolongs independence for the older person
 Gives you more energy
 Better health overall o Exercise boosts your self-esteem by improving your strength and self-control.
 Gives an overall sense of well being
 Regulates your body’s waste system o Relives constipation by increasing intestinal activity and curbs bloating by increasing perspiration.
 Improves intellectual capacity
 Improves your sleep o
You fall asleep faster since your muscles are less tense so you are more relaxed.
 Decreases risk of diabetes (regardless of weight loss)
 Decreases risk of premature death

Minuses (-):
 Modifications required for specific health conditions
 Increased risk of sports injuries
 Lose reputation of being “Couch Potato”
 Must shower more often.
Will actually lose weight or is not that a positive.
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If you're waiting to be motivated to exercise by someone or something outside yourself, you've got a long wait. Regular exercisers are great at talking themselves into exercise. Unfortunately, this is a never ending process, but it does get easier. There are two important steps. First, you must identify the excuse you are using for not exercising. Then tell yourself something that won't allow you to use it as an excuse. Second, you need to focus your attention and tell yourself the benefits you wish to gain from exercise. When you have talked yourself out of your excuse and realize the benefit is worth the effort, you'll be looking forward to your exercise session rather than dreading it.

Below are some of the common reasons people use for not exercising and
15 things you can tell yourself that gets rid of that tired excuse.
EXCUSE
It's too great a sacrifice
I'm not sure I'll get the results I want
I don't have enough time.
I'm in pretty good shape without exercising.
I'm on a diet. I can't exercise and diet at the same time
It costs too much
I don't like to exert myself too much
It's painful/it hurts
DEBATE
By not exercising, I'm sacrificing more. My physical and mental health.
I'm sure I'll never get the results I want if I don't exercise.
I'll get professional advice to make sure that what I'm doing will help me to achieve the results I want.
I always have time to do the things that are important to me.
Since my health is a high priority, I will make the time to exercise.
It doesn't require all that much time to get fit. 30-45 minutes every other day would be enough.
Not finding the time is a conscious decision on my part not to get in shape.
Not being overweight or sick does not mean that I'm healthy.
Exercise will help me to maintain and improve my current fitness level.
The best way to lose weight as body fat is to combine healthy eating with exercise. l'll see the results I want faster.
Getting sick costs more. Am I willing to take that chance?
There are lots of low cost ways to exercise.
What a limiting way to lead my life. I need to explore all the things I may be missing with this attitude.
What if I were ever in a situation where I needed to exert myself....being fit could save my life.
Exercise should never be painful. My body can improve by just doing a little more than normal each exercise session.

EXCUSE
Something else always comes up
I already drink, smoke, and eat too much
I'll feel self-conscious
I've tried it before but never stuck with it
I'm not sure I'm motivated enough
I'm too tired after a hard days work
I hate to structure and plan out my life
I'm lazy
I've missed several workouts.
I've failed again.
DEBATE
I must take total responsibility for setting my priorities and
16 allowing other things to interfere. Are they really more important than my health.
Exercise is something I can add to my life without feeling deprived. Slowly I'll chip away at some of my other bad habits.
I can start improving my fitness level regardless of how old or out of shape I am now......I’ll always be out of shape unless I start.
I'm not doing it for them. I'm doing it for me.
Because I quit before has nothing to do with what happens now.
This is a new opportunity.
Each time I tried before I learned something that will help me be successful this time.
Saying I'm not motivated enough is predicting I'll fail before I even try. I have just as much chance of succeeding.
Let my actions be proof of my motivation. Just do it.
Exercise will give me energy and will make future work days less exhausting
Being inactive/doing other things after work has become a habit, but I can replace the old habits with the new one of exercise.
If I don't schedule my workouts, it'll just be another excuse not to do it. I can plan time for exercise.
Planning exercise into my daily schedule will make me more responsible for sticking with it.
If I keep telling myself I'm lazy, it's bound to be reality. I can start thinking of myself as an active person
I always have the energy to do the things I want to do. I want the results I'll get from exercising.
So what. I'll just start again tomorrow. Missing a few sessions doesn't mean I've given up on my whole exercise program

EXCUSE
Exercise reminds me how out of shape I am.
Exercise is boring
DEBATE
I need that reminder.
The reason I'm so out of shape is because I've been avoiding exercise.
Being bored is an insult to my intelligence. There are ways to make it more interesting....headphones, friends, seeking out exercise I enjoy.
Who says my life has to be exciting every minute? It's inevitable sometimes I'll be bored, but at least I'll be getting the benefits I want.
The rhythm of exercise can be very relaxing, I can use that to clear my mind and get in touch with my own creativity during exercise.
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Below is a list of exercise activities which can help you reach your fitness goals. Cross out those activities you cannot do....then go back and cross out those you will not do. What is left is your personalized exercise program.
Aerobic Exercise
___walk briskly
___swim laps
___climb stairs
___aerobic dance
___stationary cycling
___kickboard in pool
___hike in country
___row on a rowing machine
___jump on a mini-tramp
___bicycle
___treadmill walking
___arm chair aerobics
___mall walking program
___jog\run
___roller blading
___water aerobics
___nordic track skiing
___arm ergometer work
___stair machine climbing
___jog/walk in pool
___cross country ski
___step aerobics
___canoe/skull/row
___disco/folk/square/tap dance
___roller skate/ice skate
Resistance/Strength Training
_
__calisthenics
___resistive water exercise
___free weight training
___dance exercise floorwork
___elastic resistance
___cable pulley system exercise
___lifelines
___weight training machines
___isometric exercise
___yoga
___static stretching
Flexibility Activities
___active stretching (warm-up type)
___ballet/dance (bar work)
Entertainment Exercise
Remember: You don’t necessarily get fit by playing sports, you should be fit to safely play sports. Once you gain enough strength/endurance etc. to participate, these activities can help you maintain that fitness level, however, sport activities always have a greater risk of injury than do fitness activities
.
___tennis
___basketball
___gardening
___bowling
___sailing/surfing
___dancing
___racquetball
___golf
___table tennis
___downhill skiing
___water skiing
___horseback riding
___squash/handball
___other

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