valshealthblog.com

Hi,

So just how often should your exercise?

There have been many exercise gurus that say you should exercise every day for over an hour a day. 

That is way too much for the average person and it is not necessary to build and maintain your fitness levels.

On the other hand, how long can you go without having to exercise?

Should you do something every day or every other day?  Can you skip a week or even a month?

Turns out this wasn’t really studied too much.  That is until some researchers got together and decided to figure this out.

If someone is on bed rest, how long would it take for the muscles to start losing size and strength? 

These researchers put 8 men on complete bed rest and put one leg in suspended traction. 

Every one of them had a significant amount of muscle loss and strength in just 3 days. 

Just one holiday weekend without any activity and now you have to work twice as hard just to get back to where you were. 

This signicant loss of size and strength did not all of a sudden happen on the third day.  There was a small but measurable loss happening almost from the beginning of the bed rest. 

Of course absolute bed rest is something you probably don’t do and any activity is better than nothing.

Based on these finding though you might want to consider doing some exercise at least every other day. 

It doesn’t have to be the 60-90 minute exercise sessions that are so popular. 

In fact just a few seconds several times a day will help you more than those long unproductive sessions. 

We’ll get more into this in later posts.  Stay tuned.

Thanks,

Mike Val

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Hi,

Just how long should you exercise?  It used to be that most exercise gurus told you that you had to exercise for at least an hour to 90 minutes every day.

I remember one specifically saying your should weight train for 90 minutes to 2 hours every day.  And on top of that you should do aerobics for at least 2 hours 3 times a week.

Geez dude, if I had that much free time, even I wouldn’t spend it in the gym.

On the other hand you have people that say you only need to exercise for 20 minutes 2-3 times a week. 

So who is right?  Neither. 

Instead of thinking of exercising for a certain period of time, think about what you are trying to accomplish and how you can accomplish it. 

Someone that is in pretty good shape and not overweight can get by with a minimal amount of time if all they want to do is maintain. 

However, they do have to actually do something.  Your body adapts pretty quickly at any task it does.  That is why it is important to always challenge yourself. 

If all you do is arm curls for 20 pounds you will not maintain your arm strength fo a long period of time.  That is because your body will perceive 20 pounds as not stressful enough to build muscle or even to maintain it. 

Your body wants to be pushed. 

On the other hand doing 2-3 hour workouts 5-6 times a week is too much.  There is evidence that doing a vigorous workout for more than an hour does not provide any more benefits – from a health standpoint – than regular moderate exercise. 

The key word is regular. 

If you are consistent in exercising you will get the benefits of exercise. 

If you wish to build some muscle size or muscle strength then add some intensity, but only for a short period of time.

The same goes for burning fat.  Short intense exercise sessions will be more beneficial at burning fat.   Add in some moderate walking a couple of times a week for around 30 minutes and you have a pretty good exercise program. 

We will get into more about intensity when exercising in later posts.

Stay tuned form more about how long you should exercise.

Thanks,

Mike Val

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Hi,

You may be wondering what the brain of Frankenstein’s monster has to do with exercise.  Or any brain for that matter. 

Well, it all has to do with Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor or BDNF.  

If you recall Frankenstein’s monster was not the happiest creature in the world.   But, he was pretty smart – even though he wasn’t always protrayed that way in the movies.

But, the odds are he had very little BDNF.  The less BDNF that a person, or creature has the more prone they can become to depression.  Anti depressant treatment increases the levels of BDNF.

And so does exercise.  This was found in a study from the Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia, University of California, Irvine, California, USA back in 2000. 

You have probably heard of the runner’s high and the positive mental aspects of exercise before.  This makes sense. 

But, now, even more amazingly, it has been found that BDNF plays a role in obesity.  A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people with low levels of BDNF have a higher risk of being overweight. 

Another study actually took out the BDNF genes in the appetite regulating areas of the brain (this was done in rats, not humans).  These rats became fat very quickly.

It was found however, that with a very strict calorie restriction the weight could be lost.

However, most of us humans don’t live in a cage where the doctors can totally control our diets. 

It is thought that possibly giving more BDNF will help humans control their appetites.  So I am sure there will be a drug developed in the near future to do just this. 

But, since we already know that exercise can raise BDNF naturally, it seems to me it makes more sense to start an exercise program now. 

Just maybe, it would have helped Frankenstein’s monster become happier and lose a little weight at the same time.

Thanks,

Mike Val

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Hi,

I saw a headline in Health World a while back that caught my eye.  It said you could double the calories you burn when you exercise. 

As with most claims in the exercise and fitness worlds it doesn’t give you the whole truth. 

The article went on to mention that it was possible to double the amount of calories you burn when you exercise by adding aerobic exercise to your routine. 

It claimed that regular aerobic exercise will burn calories after you stop exercising by up to 8 hours afterwards. 

Somehow they interpreted that “fact” to mean that if you do aerobic exercise and burn 100 calories you will then burn an additional 100 calories after you stop doing the exercise. 

Unfortunately, they gave no proof of this.  Nor did they cite any research proving this. 

And there is a reason for this.  It just isn’t true. 

Pretty much the research shows that regular aerobic exercise does burn calories while you are doing it. 

And you will actually get into a fat burning stage after approximately 20 minutes. 

But, as soon as you stop the aerobic exercise that is pretty much it.  You get no or very little EPOC or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.   And certainly not 8 hours worth. 

You might have heard it called oxygen debt.   This is the debt that has to be repaid after intense exercise.  Note the term intense. 

That is the key.  Most people do not do intense aerobics. 

Go to any gym in the country and watch the people doing aerobics on all the different kinds of aerobic machines.  Watch people walking or jogging along the street.

That is what aerobics are for most.  A slow to medium paced workout. 

Very seldom to you see anyone doing sprints or running as hard as they can up 10 flights of stairs. 

I see people looking at me when I am on an exercise bike.  I pedal like a madman for 20, 30, 45 or even up to 75 seconds.  Then I relax and pedal slowly for 10 to 20 seconds. 

I keep doing that for 7 to 20 minutes depending on whether I have done a weight training workout prior to the “aerobics”.

But, you should see the looks I get.  It is almost funny.  I can just see their minds going, what in the hell is that guy doing. 

Well, I am burning fat. 

So in this case  adding high intensity exercise does indeed increase the after burn effect for up to 48 hours afterwards. 

Why is this?  Because low intensity to medium intensity exercise influences your hormones to burn sugars. 

High intensity exercise – even if you burn much less calories during the exercise time – influences your hormones to burn body fat. 

Big, big difference in your appearance.

So yes you can actually more than double the calories you burn over the long term.  But, you won’t be able to do it with low to moderate intensity aerobics.

We’ll talk more about hormones and how they influence your physique in coming posts.  Stay tuned. 

Thanks,

Mike Val

http://www.valshealthsite.com

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Hi,

Last post we talked about the guy who exercised like crazy versus the woman (trainer) who did the slowest workout in the world.  Which one had the most productive exercise time?

Now sometimes I and others see someone working out like that and wonder why do they even bother.  It is “obvious” that they are not getting anything out of it. 

But, the real answer is they are getting something out of it.  Any exercise is better than no exercise. 

Maybe the woman trainer was coming off an injury or maybe she was trying as hard as she could.  There is no way that I or anyone could know what her motives were without asking her. 

So I don’t have a problem with people not pushing themselves like I do.  Oh, and I was the guy used in the example, but I am sure most of you figured that out. 

Let me tell you a story about a time when I couldn’t do much either. 

I was born with a deformity in my back.  It is a minor one, but it did bother me off and on throughout my life. 

However, it finally did give out and I had to get surgery.  It was a simple ruptured disc and I could have lived with it, but it affected my leg and my walking.  So I had the surgery and everything was okay.

However, when I went back to the gym, I was lifting 5 pound weights.  And it took a long time before I felt comfortable lifting heavier. 

So I am sure that those people who didn’t know me, were wondering why I bothered.  After all lifting 5 pound weights wasn’t helping me they thought.

But, it was.  All exercise helps.  Now mine was mostly rehabilitative.  And it worked.  Today, I can do the kind of exercise routine shown in the last post. 

Getting back to the woman trainer.  If that is the way she wants to workout, then fine.  My only concern is she teaches her students or clients the same way. 

And this happens a lot with trainers.  I remember one of my buddies was talking about this woman who came in and trained for over 3 years and never changed her appearance at all. 

He said, if he had a trainer that didn’t help, then he would shoot that trainer.  Now he was joking, but he brought up a valid point. 

Whether you have a trainer or not if you are not making progress – by looking better, by becoming more fit, by losing body fat, by getting stronger, etc – then you need to change something. 

If you don’t know what to change and your trainer or coach isn’t helping you, then you have to find a way to make your exercise time more productive. 

That is why I write these posts.  That is why I have been a fitness instructor and coach for years. 

If you are interested in personal coaching to ramp up your exercise time, then just contact me at: mike@valshealthblog.com

Thanks,

Mike Val

http://www.valshealthsite.com

Hi,

Last post about exercise time, we talked about the myth of toning muscles. 

But, that was a little bit off track of our discussion of effective exercise time with cardio. 

You know that the long slow cardio is not efficient.  Especially if you are trying to burn fat. 

While it will help you burn fat (after 20-30 minutes) during the exercise, as soon as you stop you will stop burning calories.

In order to get an after burn effect or burn calories after the exercise stops, then you have to do something else.

You have to increase the intensity of the exercise session.  That means you will move faster for a period of time and then slower. 

You keep alternating these two methods and you will do 2 things.  You will burn more calories while doing the exercise and you will burn more calories after the exercise stops.

So let’s look at this.  If you use a bike at the gym, here is what you would do.

Warm up at a moderate pace for 1 minute.  Then pedal as fast as you can for 10 seconds.  Pedal at a leisurely pace for 50 seconds.  Repeat this pattern for 5 or 6 times. 

As you get better then increase the amount of time you are pedaling fast and decrease the time you are pedaling at a leisurely pace. 

A good target to shoot for is pedal fast for 20 seconds and leisurely for 10 seconds. 

You can do the same on a treadmill or elipitical machine.  You can also do the same outdoors. 

If you are starting out, start by walking and then jog for 10-15 seconds.  Repeat for 5-6 minutes. 

You can also play with the numbers any way you see fit. 

Some days your can do the 20 fast, 10 slow routine.    Then you might change it the next workout to 60 seconds fast and 60 seconds slow. 

All of these ways will burn more fat and they will help you keep your muscle as you burn the fat.

Now you will not burn as much fat for a 5-6 minute exercise session as you will with a 2 hour slow cardio session during the exercise time.

But, every study that has measured the fat burn and weight loss shows the short sessions are much more productive over the long term.

And this is all because of the after burn.  Remember after your long term cardio, the fat burn stops immediately.

After the higher intensity session, the fat burn continues for up to 48 hours afterwards.  And this burns much more fat and calories than the long term cardio by far.

Next post we will ramp this up so that your exercise time is even more productive. 

Thanks,

Mike Val

http://www.valshealthsite.com

Hi,

Last post talked about exercise time and how low intensity cardio really wasn’t the way to go. 

Before going any further I want to clarify something.  There is nothing wrong with taking a long walk or jog.

In fact, doing that does have several benefits.  This is especially true if you can take your long walk (30 minutes or so) in a park or natural surroundings. 

Taking a walk downtown during rush hour is not going to give you the benefits you need.  And breathing all that polluted air is sort of counter productive to good health. 

The other thing is, if you are just starting out on an exercise program, then starting with even short walks, is a good way to get your body acclimated to moving. 

Just build up from there. 

The same holds true for using weights in your exercise program. 

When you are starting out, use lighter weights and do less reps and sets. 

Build up from there.  You will need to get your joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles used to doing certain exercises. 

However to make real progress and get the full benefits of any weight training you will not be helping your self by using light weights.

A lot of people think you can tone your muscles with light weights and high reps.  Again, this is a fallocy. 

Your body is very good at adapting.  Once it gets used to a certain weight and rep amount, then doing the same will not help you. 

It will not even help you maintain what you have.  This is because your body adapts to the stress that lifting weights puts on it.

If you are lifting 5 pounds for 20 reps in the bicep curl, the body will adapt to that level.  If you continue doing the same weight and the same reps, pretty soon your body adapts and doesn’t use the same amount of energy to do the exercise. 

If you don’t do something to adapt to your body adapting to that level, pretty soon your body will actually get weaker. 

It doesn’t need the same amount of energy, so you are burning less calories to get the exercise done.  You are using less muscle to get the same exercise done.  You are using less mitochondria to get the exercise done. 

The list goes on and on, while you are getting heavier and weaker.

That is why you can go to the gym and exercise and not get any stronger.  That is why you can go to the gym and exercise and not lose any weight.  That is why you can go to they gym and exercise and not change your body.

Yet, people do make progress.   Some make tremendous progress with the exercise time they have. 

Stay tuned to find out how. 

Mike Val

http://www.valshealthsite.com

Hi,

Just how long should your exercise time be? 

Well, that depends upon what you are trying to do.  Are you trying to build muscle or to burn fat?

Are you trying to get in better shape or just maintain what you have?

As with most things in life, everything starts with a goal in mind.  It is no different with your fitness life. 

Most people think long term, moderate pace aerobics are the best for fat loss.  Everyone “knows” you have to walk or jog for at least 20-30 minutes to reach the fat burning zone. 

Problem is, that what everyone “knows” is wrong. 

Yes, you can burn some body fat if you walk or jog for 20-30 minutes or more.   The problem is that you will only burn fat during the last few minutes of those 20-30 minutes. 

And your fat burning will stop as soon as you stop exercising. 

So if your goal is to burn body fat, then you have to walk or jog for way longer than 20-30 minutes or you have to do something different. 

You could increase your pace so that you are running and this will help you burn more fat than a walk.  But, still it isn’t very efficient. 

And it isn’t the healthiest way to lose body fat.  Now, if you do run long distances – like a marathon runner – you will lose fat and weight over a period of time.  

This will also increase your risk of developing all kinds of runner’s problems.  Like shin splints, sore ankles, sore knees, sore hips and back pain. 

If you are older, this is not the way to go. 

Not only that but there are other adverse health problems that people develop with long distant running.  That is another story though.

For now we are still concerned with fat loss. 

If you do stop this long term running, or jogging or walking, you will be more inclined to regain the weight you lost faster. 

The reason is that this type of aerobics does nothing for your muscles.  So the weight loss is not only body fat, but also muscle loss. 

You will be just a smaller image of yourself. 

Tommorrow we well talk about how to cut your exercise time way down, develop muscles and fuel your fat burning furnace 24-7. 

Stay tuned,

Mike Val