To lose weight
effectively, we cannot just bluntly do any workout routine without getting our
body used to it first, otherwise you might only overwork yourself but none of
your fat being shed. So, there are some useful tips for beginners that we found
from Fitness Magazine.
Rule #1: Be an early bird to get the workout.
Lace up
first thing and you'll increase your odds of exercising today threefold. A
study of 500 people at the Mollen Clinic, a preventive medicine and wellness
center in Scottsdale, Arizona, found that 75 percent of those who worked out in
the morning did so regularly, compared with just half the afternoon exercisers and
a quarter of the post-work crowd. "At the beginning of the day, you have
the fewest excuses for skipping exercise," says clinic founder Arthur
Mollen, DO. Not waking up early enough, of course, is the main one. "Limit
using the snooze button to only five minutes so that you don't fall into a deep
sleep again," Dr. Mollen advises. Bonus! You'll go to work feeling
focused: A recent study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found
that 20 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise improved concentration, reading
comprehension, and cognitive function.
Rule #2: Hit the metal before the pedal.
Instead
of going from zero to 60 to sweat off the calories, consider this: Doing a
quick sculpting routine pre-cardio could increase the amount of fat you melt.
Exercisers in a study at the University of Tokyo who biked within 20 minutes of
lifting weights tapped more of their fat stores than those who rested longer or
didn't tone at all.
The
firm-then-burn order is also good for your heart: Arteries stiffen during
resistance training, increasing blood pressure, but a cardio chaser such as a
20-minute run counteracts these effects and expedites your arteries' return to
normal, explains Rohit Arora, MD, chairman of cardiology at the Chicago Medical
School. Plus, strength training "takes coordination and good technique, so
you get more out of it if you come to it fresh," says Kent Adams, PhD,
director of the Exercise Physiology Lab at California State University,
Monterey Bay. "Meanwhile, cardio is a rhythmic, low-skill activity that's
the easier of the two to do in a fatigued state," Adams says.
Rule #3: Push your pace, rev your metabolism.
Finished
toning and ready to get sweaty? Gun it a bit for a bigger afterburn.
"High-intensity exercise increases the release of growth hormones, which
mobilize fat to be used as fuel, plus it causes your metabolism to stay
elevated about 10 to 15 percent above its baseline, so you're burning more fat
for several hours post-workout," says Arthur Weltman, PhD, director of the
Exercise Physiology Laboratory at the University of Virginia in
Charlottesville. In other words, if you worked off 300 calories during your
session, you'll get a bonus burn of about 45 calories even after you've toweled
off.
To net
the effect, stick to a speed you consider challenging: In a 16-week study that
Weltman conducted with obese women, those who worked out at what they felt was
high intensity (a brisk walk or jog in most cases) three days a week and at low
intensity for two whittled an inch and a half more from their waists than the
low-intensity-only group. Or try alternating between sprinting (racewalking,
pedaling fast, swimming at top speed) for one minute and slowing down enough to
recover for the next minute.
Rule #4: Give up your seat to trim your bottom
line.
Even
regular exercisers could benefit from extra toning of their tush, the largest
muscle group in the body, which dozes all day at your desk job. "When
you're walking or running, it's your hamstrings, hip flexors, and calf muscles
that get the most work," says FITNESS advisory board member Vonda Wright,
MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
"Unless you're going uphill, your glutes don't play a major role."
The good news? If you bailed on doing those butt-firming squats during your
workout, you can easily sneak them in when your cube mate isn't looking. Stand
up from your chair, feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your bottom to the seat as
though you're going to sit, touch down, and then spring up, squeezing your
glutes as you straighten. Do three sets of 10 to 15 reps two or even three
times throughout the day.
Rule #5: Take a power walk to beat a midday slump.
Call it
the 20-20 rule: As little as 20 minutes of low-intensity aerobic activity such
as walking can give you a 20 percent surge in energy, research at the
University of Georgia in Athens finds. "It's paradoxical: Many people
assume that they'll get tired from exercise. But the opposite actually
happens," says study author Patrick O'Connor, PhD, a professor of
kinesiology. "We're not certain what the biological mechanism is," he
says, "but indirect evidence suggests that brain chemicals such as
dopamine and serotonin are altered and cause the improved energy." Besides,
that quick recharge just burned about 75 calories. Sure beats adding 250
spike-then-slump calories' worth of Skittles.
Rule #6: Do the two-step.
When you
opt for the stairs, go at them two at a time — as long as you're not wearing
heels. The quick bursts of power activate your legs' fast-twitch muscle fibers,
which burn more calories than slow-twitch fibers. Plus, you'll be using a part
of your muscles that commonly doesn't get enough action. "Fast muscle
cells are designed so you can jump far, kick hard, punch fast — moves that you
call on less and less in modern society," says Scott Mazzetti, PhD, a
professor of exercise science at Salisbury University in Maryland. "But
unfortunately it's a use-them-or-lose-them situation, so it's good to activate
them regularly."
Rule #7: Go like Gumby.
Consistent
stretching significantly decreases muscle soreness, according to a study at the
Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services in Oslo. Skipped your stretches
postexercise? Wind down with this 17-minute allover loosener from Jennifer
Huberty, PhD, an exercise physiologist at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
- Warm up first with 5 minutes
of brisk high-knee marching.
- Toe-reach stretch (targets
hamstrings, which remain shortened all day as you're seated): Sit on the
floor with your left leg straight in front of you, knee slightly bent,
right leg bent out to the side and resting on the floor. Reach for your
toes without bouncing and hold for 30 seconds; relax. Do 3 stretches, then
switch legs and repeat.
- Hip-flexor stretch (targets
hips, which also are tight in desk jockeys): Lie faceup on the floor with
your left leg bent, left foot flat, and bend your right knee out to the
side so your right ankle is crossed over and resting on the lower left
thigh. Grasp your left thigh with both hands and pull it toward you until
you feel a comfortable stretch in your right hip, glutes, and outer thigh.
Hold for 30 seconds; switch legs and repeat. Do 3 stretches per side.
- Side stretch (targets upper
back and waistline): Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Raise arms
overhead and interlock fingers with palms facing up. Keeping your middle
centered, hinge at the waist to the right; hold for 30 seconds. Return to
center and reach up; hold for 30 seconds.
- Switch sides; repeat. Do 3
stretches on each side.
Rule #8: Set out your sneakers.
A recent
FITNESS poll found that sneakers — with sports bras being a close second — are
the piece of gear that is forgotten most often, foiling women's workout plans.
Clear that obstacle by, well, making them an obstacle in front of the door you
exit in the a.m., suggests Diane Klein, PhD, chair of exercise and sports
sciences at Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens. "Seeing them will remind
you that you planned to exercise," Klein says. For motivation to move,
kicks are worth a thousand words.
