shorter workouts for better weight loss
You're ready to lose weight, and you're working up the details of an ambitious exercise plan to help you do it. I'd recommend to slow down, take a step back, and look at the overall picture before you set yourself up for failure.
Diet beats Exercise
I've presented in both my Daily Diet series and my Fit-20 series that exercise, while highly recommended and very important, plays a smaller role in weight loss than your diet. Losing weight by exercise alone is like writing a novel by hand, in ink. It can be done, but it's going to take a lot more time and effort than you're probably willing to commit.
Worst Option - No Exercise
You can lose weight without exercise; you just need to eat fewer calories than your body uses for its sedentary lifestyle. However, exercise (and movement throughout the day) will not only help you accelerate your weight loss, but your goal for losing weight probably includes some component of "being healthy", and exercise/movement go a long way towards making you more healthy.
Good Option: Long Workouts, an hour or so at a time
Obviously you'll burn more calories in a 60-minute workout than a 20-minute workout, right? Not so fast my friends!, as Lee Corso would say. Longer workouts have a couple hidden pitfalls to watch out for:
1.) Intensity Level. 60 minutes may be 3 times as long as 20 minutes, but you can't workout at your highest intensity for 60 minutes (at least not until you're already in great shape.) You'll either need to slow your pace down, or you'll need to take lots of breaks, just to survive your 60 minute workout. On the other hand, you can push hard-core, high-intensity, for a 20-minute workout.
2.) I deserve it. 60 minutes is a long workout, and many people have a tendency to eat back the calories they burn, plus some! 60 minutes makes you hungry, and you end up fighting that "I deserve it" feeling the rest of the day. In addition, protein shakes and sports drinks can contain big calories.
3.) The numbers. All that extra time on the treadmill helps you burn about 300-400 calories, depending on lots of variables. These can easily be wiped out by one snack. Add in an order of fries and you're actually going backwards!
Better Option: Shorter Workouts - 20 minutes at a time, 3-4 times a week, along with more mobility during the day, everyday.
High Intensity Interval Training. Cross-Fit. Combining strength training with cardio. Doesn't matter what you call it, these workouts are very effective.
- Gets your body moving
- Increases your overall activity levels
- Builds muscle mass
- Builds body "shape"
- Builds cardio endurance
- Provides gains in strength, performance, speed, and endurance.
- Moves your average daily calorie burn rate up by about 20%
Another Better Option: Playing Sports
The mental aspects of playing sports are a lot different from running on a treadmill - sports are fun. Go play an hour of tennis, basketball, or soccer with your friends, and you'll get a great workout disguised as a game. You won't have that same "reward yourself" feelings, because you don't need to be rewarded for having fun!
If you have the time available and the opportunity to play sports, either with friends or in a league, it can be a terrific part of your weight loss regimen.
Best Option: Really long, intense workouts - like Michael Phelps!
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| AP Photo |
Michael Phelps eats 12,000 calories PER DAY during the peak of his training. Michael Phelps also trains, at a higher intensity level than most of us have ever achieved, for 6 hours per day.
Go ahead and try it. Swim for an hour or two in the morning. Then hit the gym, or go run about 10 miles, after lunch. Then get back in the pool for another couple hours in the evening. You'll be able to eat whatever you want and still lose weight!
Bottom Line
You'll lose weight as long as you eat fewer calories than your burn. And exercise will help. You have lots of options available - just pick the one that matches your lifestyle / desire / ability / plan / whatever, and go do it!
-Chris Butterworth
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It was a hard, hard thing to admit I had to change my diet. I could not lose weight no matter how hard I worked out if I was eating 3K calories a day.
ReplyDeleteI need to start doing the short intese workouts on my non swim or bike days. I don't know why, but a 20 minute workout is harder to get myself to do than a 90 minute bike ride (no snacks but water and maybe a banana). Maybe it's because the 90 minute workout doesn't make me feel like I am going to die. :)
@Leauxra - excellent points, both of them - thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI know that feeling about "going to die". The good news is I'm usually 7 minutes in before I feel that way, and the last 5-7 minutes aren't quite as bad because you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. But those middle 7 minutes can be TOUGH! :)
I don't track my heartrate when I exercise, (I use gut feeling, breathing, and sweating as my guides), but I do know that I can ride for 90 minutes and/or run for 60 minutes, and I'm not wiped out and soaking wet. But after 20 minutes of intense cross-fit I am - it's all I can do to find a chair to sit down in.
Other options, if 20 minutes is too long, are to either start out shorter (10 minutes) and work your way up, or to take a few breaks during your 20 minutes. Push yourself, then rest for 30-60 seconds. Repeat throughout the 20 minutes.
Hey, we all suffer. Sanya Richards-Ross, who is an Olympic gold medalist, admitted that because she is a woman, that she cant eat whatever she wants. She restricts her caloric intake EVERYDAY, and she doesnt even have cheat days, (but a cheat meal!). She admits to having "fat days" when she is unable to get 1000 sit ups in a day.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard these words coming out of her mouth, I realized that I didnt work hard enough. Since then, I've added additional intervals of jumping rope, even if it is a little as 10 minutes. Hey, 10 minutes is 100 calories.