Do you feel like a hamster . . .or a gerbil. . .run, run, run . . .
. . .rush, rush, rush. . .
. . .hurry, hurry, hurry. . .
. . .and in the end you've accomplished little?
I do.
We try to pack so much into our days that sometimes. . . we think . . . that that's the way it has to be or it won't get done.
Take for instance, exercising . . .yes, I know many will say please just take it away . . .I don't have time to spend hours at the gym trying to get that toned body the media says we should have. We have to do cardio, we have to lift weights, we have. . .we have . . .we have. . . In order to do everything they say we should do we would get nothing else done - or very little. Well, I've got good news for you . . .besides cardio being boooooring . . .I've discovered that it is the worst workout you can do. So everyone . . .shed that guilt!!
Now you are going to ask . . .how am I going to shed those extra pounds or use up those extra calories that I ate during the holidays? Many studies have been done on this and at the end of a year study, people who performed aerobic exercise for 60 minutes a day lost only 3.5 pounds on average. This study was written: McTierman et al. Exercise Effect on Weight and Body Fat in Men and Women. Obesity 2007 June - 15:1496-1512.
What is the alternative? It is short, intense bouts of exercise. A recent study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that 15 minutes of a circuit-style resistance training workout elevated the metabolism much more than that long cardio session. Dr. Oz has had several programs addressing this same issue. Other studies have found that interval style workouts as short as 4 minutes can produce more fatloss than long bouts of cardio. Here is a sample of a bodyweight short-burst routine that you can try:
30 seconds of bodyweight squats
30 seconds of push ups
30 second jumping jacks
Repeat 4 times
That workout takes only six minutes. How simple is that? You can take a break throughout your busy schedule and get this workout in. There are many more variations that you can find so there is no chance of boredom. I will be doing this and I will write about how it is working.
What is important to remember is that no workout will ever work in weight loss unless you get your nutrition in order. I don't mean a formal diet . . .just eating healthful foods with the occasional treat. I will write on this later on.
So lets give ourselves a break . . .park the vehicle far from the store entrance and power walk to the store and back. Find a few exercise routines you can do in between what needs to be done in everyday life. But most important of all . . .
. . .stop. . .
. . . and enjoy life.
In another post I will write how to not only save time in the grocery store but make sure you purchase the foods that are good for you.
