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This is my final installment, in a series of 5 articles, that argues against some recent sensationalist media headlines suggesting that exercise leads to weight gain! Don’t believe the hype! Regular exercise, together with a healthy eating programme, will lead to weight loss, and will help you to maintain this weight loss for life.
So what type of exercise will lead to weight loss? It is true that all forms of exercise will help with weight loss, but if you want results fast, then it is a special combination of exercise you need.
Cardiovascular exercise works the function of your heart and lungs and raises your heart rate. Your metabolism is raised during, and for several hours after, your workout, depending on the duration and intensity of your workout. So if you walk, swim, run or use the Crosstrainer you are burning calories for many hours after you’ve kicked off your trainers!
If you want to make the most of your cardiovascular session, Interval Training is the way to go. Moving through phases of intense work followed by a rest period, and then repeating this sequence several times, creates an interval-training programme. The following sequence can be used with any form of cardiovascular exercise:
1 min easy
2 mins hard
1 min easy
2 mins hard
1 min easy
3 mins hard
That makes a 10-minute interval programme, where ‘easy’ means you work at a moderate pace (recovery phase), and ‘hard’ means you push yourself as hard as you can (work phase). You can repeat the 10-minute interval as many times as you like. The result will be a higher heart rate, a greater calorie burn and an elevation of your metabolism for a longer period of time once your exercise session has finished.
Unlike cardiovascular training, which lifts your metabolism for only several hours after training has ended, muscular weight training will elevate your metabolism for good. When you train your muscles, you develop lean muscle tissue in your body, as the muscle fibres grow and swell. This results in your body being made of more metabolically active tissue, because the bigger muscles need more calories to function. This means that even when you are sleeping days after your weights workout, your body will be burning more calories as you sleep, simply because you have more metabolically active lean muscle tissue.
When you do a muscular strength programme, you want to train all the major muscle groups in the body. The following programme will only take you 10-15 minutes; the idea is that you move quickly between exercises, which will maximise your heart rate during the workout. If you want to work harder, either do a second set of all the exercises, or add a little more weight to the one set that you have time for:
Squats – 20 reps
Push-ups – 20 reps
Lat Pulldown – 20 reps
Alternating forward lunges – 30 reps
Shoulder Press – 20 reps
Abdominal plank – 1 minute
Tricep pushdowns – 20 reps
Glute raises – 20 reps
Bicep curls – 20 reps
Side plank – 30 seconds each side
There are many variations of the above exercises, which you can do both at the gym and at home. If you sign up for the WeightMatters Newsletter we will put you on our mailing list, and in 2010 we will give you free access to the new membership area of our website where you will be able to download workout videos and special articles for members.
So to maximise weight loss with exercise, here is a summary of the principles:
- Combine cardiovascular interval training with a fast-moving total body muscular weight training regime
- Progressively increase the duration, intensity and frequency of the exercise that you do in a week
- Plan when you will do your workouts and get motivated by having a clear goal to aim for
- Combine your exercise programme with a healthy eating plan
- Enjoy your new fitness levels, your weight loss, your improved body image, greater levels of self-esteem and your new positive outlook on life
Anyone can apply these ideas to their life. At the WeightMatters Clinic we work as project managers to help you fine-tune your eating, exercise and psychology to create lasting weight loss. Start today and apply the information I have shared with you from these 5 articles, and you will become your own project manager for weight loss success!
Posted on December 17, 2009 at 3:55 pm
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Today’s story is part 4 of 5 explaining, against some recent sensationalist headlines, why exercise does lead to weight loss.
I have already described that there are various physiological and psychological adaptations to exercise, which vary from person to person, but can actually lead to weight gain after exercise. These compensatory responses to exercise include metabolic adaptations, changes in appetite, reward and compliance.
I then described 3 principles, which when mastered by my weight loss clients, will lead to weight loss; exercise duration, intensity and frequency. But why do some people learn this mastery, while others flounder? Let’s have a look at some of the psychological factors that will help you to exercise, which in turn will lead to weight loss.
Motivation is a major player here. It is the inner drive that will get someone to wake from a blissful sleep at 6am, so that they get a gym workout in before getting to work. Motivation is also the key that will make someone buy an exercise DVD, and use it 3 times a week.
Motivation is based on the pleasure principle. It is the thing that drives you away from something painful, like feeling fat, clothes that are too tight or the belief that your size stops you from meeting people. Motivation is also about moving towards something pleasurable, like a more toned body, running your first 10Km race or feeling that you are thin and attractive. For some of us motivation will be a drive away from pain, while for others motivation is a drive towards something pleasurable. Take a moment now and ask yourself, what would drive and motivate me to exercise?
My job as a weight loss coach and mentor is to help people acknowledge their pain, which is the easy part, because most people come in to see me and tell me ‘I’m fat and I need to lose weight,’ and then to slowly shift their thinking style to a more positive perspective where they choose to exercise because of the healthy benefits it will give them. This means a shift towards the positive goals of exercise that will give them pleasure, like improved health, more energy, improved self-esteem and of course reaching their target weight.
Planning is the next skill that all successful exercisers use to their benefit. How many times have you had the intention of going to the gym tomorrow, and when tomorrow came you were too busy or you just simply didn’t feel like it? Planning, or the art of writing down a small objective within a specific timeframe, will help you achieve your exercise goals. I get my clients to list look at the week ahead and tell me to list the days and times that they intend to exercise, and what sort of exercise they will do at this given time, like a run from home, a gym class, or a lunchtime weights workout. Next I ask them to tell me what could possibly get in the way of them actually doing what they have planned to do. Common problems are I didn’t have enough time, something came up and that they were simply too tired. I then work with them to create new ways of thinking if these excuse triggers come up. Ina way, I help them plan to think differently, which allows them to do the exercise they have also planned. The benefits compound into a positive spiral, as the endorphins from exercise make you feel good, self-esteem has lifted for having achieved a planned activity and that strange thing of ‘feeling thinner’ kicks in and works magically at many different levels.
So learning new psychological skills will help you exercise regularly. Asking yourself what motivates you to exercise is the start point, and frame your answers in the positive pleasurable benefits that exercise will give you. The next step is planning how and when you will exercise, and think through how you will overcome any excuses that may get in the way. Once you are using these skills, then the mastery of the 3 principles of exercise – duration, intensity and frequency – will flow. For sure, your exercise will lead to weight loss.
In the final part of this series of articles about exercise and weight loss I will look at what specific exercise will help you lose weight faster, and keep it off for life.
Posted on December 15, 2009 at 10:20 am
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On Tuesday I talked about the physical compensatory responses to exercise, metabolic adaptations and changes in appetite, and yesterday I discussed the compensatory behavioural changes, such as reward and compliance. Bottom line, exercise can produce different responses in all of us.
These factors shout in favour of exercise not leading to weight loss, in fact the opposite, they suggest that exercise will produce weight gain. But this is not the whole picture. There are many people that exercise on a regular basis and do lose weight, and keep it off. So why do some people lose weight after exercise and some not?
It has to do with 3 simple principles that, when combined to create a negative energy balance, lead to weight loss – duration, intensity and frequency. When I coach my clients on their weight loss journey, it is vital that they embrace and fully understand these principles, because as their body becomes lighter as they move towards their target weight, it is increasingly harder to create a negative energy balance.
The duration of exercise is pretty simple to comprehend. How long do you exercise for? Is it a 30-minute walk around the block, or 60 minutes in the gym? Duration is all about increasing the time that you are exercising. By simply increasing exercise sessions by 5 minutes each week will compensate for a lighter body that is expending less calories.
Exercise intensity is all about how hard you are exercising. Do you choose a gentle breaststroke with your head permanently above the water, or do you choose a spin class where you are pushing yourself to the limits? As we get fitter during a weight loss programme, it is a natural progression to increase exercise intensity – it certainly means we are making a smart use of our time. Using heart rate monitors whilst running or timing yourself to reach a certain distance on the rowing machine are great measures of exercise intensity.
Frequency simply means doing exercise more frequently. Instead of walking to work once a week, it become 3 times a week Or perhaps a gym workout once week becomes 4 times a week. Exercising more often will help us make our metabolisms soar.
So despite both physiological and behavioural compensatory changes to exercise that can occur in any of us, if we master the principles of exercise duration, intensity and frequency, we can overcome the threats of weight gain by creating a negative energy balance and sustainable weight loss.
Individual variability comes screaming out at me again. Some of us find the discipline to maximise these 3 principles, while others fall at the first hurdle. The psychological skills required to conquer them is tomorrow’s story.
Think about your next workout – what will you do differently?
James
Posted on December 11, 2009 at 12:17 am
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Yesterday I talked about reading an article by Dan Roberts in the Telegraph titled ‘Why your workout isn’t and the flaws in it’s argument in relation to the Physiological Adaptations which are Compensatory Responses to Exercise. I pointed out that there is individual variability in every piece of research conducted, and for this reason any expectation of Weight Loss following exercise must be valued against an individual’s physiology and psychology – one size doesn’t fit all!
You can also get Compensatory Responses to Exercise, which are Behavioural. Changes in behaviour, which arise as a result of exercise, may be automatic, resulting from physical changes such as metabolic adaptations and changes to the appetite system.
For example if metabolism slows down a person may go to sleep earlier, be more tired and less likely to move around when they are not exercising. A decrease in normal lifestyle activity resulting from fatigue or metabolic slowdown can deprive the system of a valuable source of energy expenditure.
When there are changes to the appetite system, this can lead to eating that is faster, more frequent or high in energy dense food.
Other behavioural changes, which result from exercise, are volitional and purposeful.
Some people reward themselves for exercising by having a glass of wine and a pub lunch after a walk, or a coffee and a cereal bar after a swim. Misjudgement here means people eat more calories than they have expended. It may take an hour to expend only 200 calories with the most vigorous activity, while they can eat 600 calories in a slice of cake in a mater of minutes. So people who reward themselves for exercise are likely to gain weight.
A final behavioural response to activity is compliance, with the amount and intensity of activity reducing over time as a result of many complex motivational factors. We all start off with good intentions, but stuff just gets in the way.
So once again there are various behavioural reasons why research data will give mixed or sometimes inconclusive results. We are all different and will react to different life factors in different ways. Our lifestyle, physiology and psychology all collude to either help us maintain weight, gain weight or lose weight. How are your life factors balancing at the moment?
In the New Year, starting 1st January 2010, I will be starting a daily video blog of my attempt to lose weight leading to my 40th birthday on May 12th 2010. I want to share my personal experiences; feelings and insights into a diary to share with my readers, and at the same time combine it with the education that I give my clients here at the WeightMatters Clinic. Stay tuned and spread the word – it will be an interesting experiment!
James
Posted on December 9, 2009 at 8:42 pm
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Reading the article by Dan Roberts in the Telegraph today ‘Why your workout isn’t working’ is pretty lame and only shows a sensationalist view backed by poor understanding of the subject matter.
Fact: Exercise combined with healthy eating does lead to successful weight loss and weight maintenance – let me explain.
The NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) 2006 Obesity Guidelines recommend Diet and Lifestyle Interventions combined with Behavioural Therapy as the ‘best’ way to help people lose weight and maintain it. There is a wealth of studies that show, on average, high levels of activity predict successful weight loss.
Roberts uses the Queensland data to start his argument. He focuses on the fact that half of the research participants did not reach their predicted weight loss – he fails to highlight that half of them did! Surely this proves that regular exercise can help SOME people lose weight. Why not others? Well if he bothered to ask an Eating Therapist he would know that this variability in results could be down to Compliance – this is where people say they have followed the instructions, but really they have fallen short along the way. Supervised exercise for 12 weeks is great, but no change to their diet – does this mean that people could eat whatever they wanted. Exercise can affect our physiology in various ways.
Our bodies also have Compensatory Responses to Exercise, which undermine the calorie deficit of exercise within the energy systems of the body. This comes down to individual variability, which is one reason why half the people lost weight in the Queensland research and half did not.
Some people may experience Metabolic Adaptations to energy loss, which means their metabolic rate slows down. When people go on a diet and exercise, this would be a natural phenomenon as people are producing a calorie deficit, with poor eating quality and timing and exercise induced calorie burn. The body will slow its metabolism for protection and will be unwilling to give up its fat stores, with fear that it may be starving.
There are also changes to the appetite system that lead to changes in energy intake. Some people will experience increases in appetite, which will affect eating frequency and portion size. Other people will change their food (macronutrient) preference in favour of high energy density foods such as fats and sugars, which are automatic and unconscious.
The study also fails to mention the degree of Obesity each participant was classified at (there are Obesity levels 1-3) and whether they had full blood screens to determine whether they suffer from Insulin Resistance, which can also be described as being pre-diabetic. These individuals are unable to metabolise carbohydrate very well, and actually require exercise to change the ‘shimmer’ of the muscle cells to allow efficient glucose transport. The research does not seem to consider this as a reason for the data split.
My point here is to make sense of weigh loss research that is taken out of context and sensationalised by headline grabbing articles.
Exercise can and will lead to weight loss, but everyone is different, so one prescription will not be right for everyone. Effective weight loss will come from experts who are trained in understanding the ‘big picture’ of metabolism, the psychology of eating, healthy nutrition and the correct balance of exercise.
I got the balance right for Gary Barlow, and well, he’s looking great!
Over the next few days I will explain the Behavioural Change Compensatory Responses to Exercise, as well as describing the ideal exercise regime and optimal diet for Weight Loss. So please stay tuned and tell me what you think to my argument.
James
JAMES LAMPER
FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR
WEIGHTMATTERS HEALTH CLINIC
2d WIMPOLE STREET
LONDON W1G 0EB
W www.weightmatters.co.uk
E info@weightmatters.co.uk
T 020 7499 8922
Posted on December 8, 2009 at 4:26 pm
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How does your thinking change as you head towards the Holiday Season?
Some people will be thinking ‘oh no, it’s the party season, this is time for fun, weight loss forget it, I’ll pay the price in the New Year.’
Other people will be thinking ‘oh no, it’s that time of year again, and I don’t want to lose control like I did last year – it made me feel lousy about myself. So this year I’m going to start a healthy eating and exercise programme now!’
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year all loom so close to each other on the Calendar, it is a nightmare for our waistlines! But what motivates you to think in a certain way?
If the pain of missing out on ‘having fun and letting your hair down’ is greater than ‘starting the new year with a fat and bloated tummy’ chances are you will hit December with guns blazing!
If the pain of ‘feeling self-loathing, again, that you are fat, unattractive and weak’ is greater than the two scenarios above, you will probably do what lots of people are doing now – they hit December with a recovery and survival plan. They want a different outcome this Holiday Season.
You might be surprised to know that December is a busy month in the WeightMatters Clinic – not as busy as January granted – but more and more people get so stressed with the idea of being out of their controlled environment, usually with family members that can trigger them to eat badly.
So how to you look at the Holiday Season? What’s your pain? How do you want get through to 2010? Same old, same old – or do you want a new positive experience?
Call us now on 020 7499 or email info@weightmatters.co.uk and we will design a support plan – Face / Skype / Phone – so that you hit 2010 feeling alive and amazing!
Posted on November 30, 2009 at 10:40 am
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So there I was last week, I finish work early for once, I have no social plans with friends and I go home excited about spending a night with my feet up on the sofa watching the TV (it’s hard work building a weight management empire you know!).
Flicking through the channels, and not being particularly inspired by what I see, I end up on BBC3 watching a programme about difficult teenagers being shipped from the UK to stay with, as the programme tells us, ‘The Strictest Parents in the World.’
This programme showed a boy and girl from England staying with an Orthodox Jewish family in a Jewish community in Israel. It was fascinating watching the tantrums of the teenage girl as she clashed with the values, rules and concepts of her new makeshift home. Several times she struck out against the new way of seeing, perceiving and living life – understandably it was very different to the way she was brought up.
Eventually, after being told to leave the Jewish home and community because of her refusal to respect the acceptable behavioural boundaries of her temporary home, she apologises and understands that by behaving in a different way she gets a different outcome. It really was tear-jerking stuff! (OK, I need to get out more!)
On being interviewed at the end of the show, this teenage girl explains that if the Israeli girls had been brought up in her home, they would have a different outlook on life – they would have been brought up with different values and beliefs on the way to live life.
Upbringing is a major factor in the way we develop eating behaviours. The culture of our family, culture and community all play a big part in how we learn to eat food, perceive weight and shape and how we use food to dampen the emotional rollercoaster of life.
As a child we have no choice, we do as our parents tell us. However, as an adult we do have a choice. Our eating behaviours become our own – we can choose what and how we eat.
Sadly for many of us, the behaviours and habits of our childhood are so ingrained in our psyche they are difficult to change. We have invested much time in reinforcing their patterns in the way we think, what we believe and how we perceive our body image.
I see many clients who have been brought up in one ‘community’, which has caused them to have issues with their weight and body. Like the teenage girl in the TV programme, my clients eventually stop fighting the ‘community’ of their adult life and they do something different that gives them a new outcome. The first seed of change has been sown, and the first shaft of healing light is doing it’s magic.
So if you were brought up in a different family, culture or country would you have a different outlook on life? Can you relate to this story? Tell us your experiences of how upbringing has affected your eating habits.
The Eating Therapists at WeightMatters help you change the way you perceive the world, how you behave around food and eating, and how you feel about life. It’s a journey of transformation!
James
Posted on November 19, 2009 at 9:35 am
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Deciding to lose weight, or to reduce the risk of disease, are big life decisions. They take time, effort and thought. It means change from the comfort of what you are already doing to the unknown of something different. Have I already put you off?
Buying a home, entering a relationship and choosing a holiday are also big life decisions that deserve careful consideration. You know that there is a price to pay – money, a new environment, your heart – so why wouldn’t you be careful about the choice you make.
If you are looking at the WeightMatters website, there is a good chance you are here for a reason. The pain of your reality has driven you to search for solutions to create change. You may be feeling fat, which makes you unhappy. Perhaps your eating behaviour is out of control, and this scares you. Maybe you have a health risk, and your weight is a factor in this. Whatever your pain, you are searching for a solution. We can help.
People hesitate before signing up with WeightMatters, or any other programme, because they are overwhelmed by the thought of change. They are afraid of changing their habits and lifestyle they enjoy. Some people use the excuse of being too busy to make changes to their lifestyle. Others believe they will fail because of the failed diet attempts from their past. Of course, cost and value for money plays into the equation too. If I haven’t mentioned your concern, please let me know!
I know that WeightMatters can deal with any and all of these concerns. We have 4 years of experience and hundreds of happy and healthy clients to vouch for us! The reason the WeightMatters approach works is our ability to listen to your needs, look at the big picture and create a tailored approach and programme designed around you – the individual person. Bottom line, we use our holistic approach to match your needs. Each and everyone of our clients is different, so the way we work with them and the recovery programme we create for them is unique. We are the project managers of your health! Ok, I’m getting carried away here.
When I set the company up, after recovering from my own Binge Eating issues, I wanted to give people a place where we can answer all their questions and provide a 5-star service in our efficient treatment of their problems. And that’s what I have created.
We really can help you achieve the results you desire in the shortest time frame possible, with the least amount of pain and effort. So before you go hunting around for another solution, please pick up the phone or send us an email and ask us how we can specifically help you.
WeightMatters is about helping you change the way you feel about your body.
Cal us today on 020 7499 8922 or email info@weightmatters.co.uk – and let’s take the first step to lasting change.
James
Posted on November 13, 2009 at 3:00 pm
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This weekend I am staying with my sister, just outside of Swindon. I know, 2 weekends in a row visiting family. I’m either a good family man or I have a desire to escape London at the moment!
I have noticed that my eating behaviour changes when I visit my family. Sometimes it feels that I am being dragged back to the eating rituals of my youth, and at other times I am faced with totally different eating mentality compared to the one I have proudly worked so hard to achieve.
Yesterday I ate my evening meal at 6pm! A snack would have done before my usual dinner time of 8.30-9.00pm. It was no big deal, as I enjoyed a light snack later in the evening. But I was aware of that moment of ‘ooh, that’s not how I do it.’
For many of the clients I see, it is their lack of mental flexibility that snags them at moments like this. Instead of allowing a change to their routine, it will cause heightened levels of stress, which may trigger habitual negative thinking about ‘being out of control’, which in turn may lead to overeating to reduce the overwhelming feelings of stress and uncertainty.
There are times when we all travel to visit family and friends, especially with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner. For people who struggle with their weight and eating, this can be a time of panic and great anxiety. ‘How will I cope’ and ‘there are too many temptations’ are what my clients cry.
The solution is to plan ahead. Family dinners and celebrations are not going to disappear, so you must learn knew ways of dealing with the situation. What things will be different in your new environment compared to your normal daily routine? How can you be relaxed so you can enjoy the dinner, but still keep a watchful eye on weight maintenance during this period?
As I leave for London later this evening. Sure I ate some things that I wouldn’t normally eat, but is it a big deal? The answer is no. Tomorrow I will go for a run and enjoy eating in the way I choose to eat. And for sure, I’ve had a great time with my family.
Get things in perspective. Get the right balance with your thoughts and behaviours. Food is a social thing – enjoy!
James
Posted on November 9, 2009 at 9:27 am
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Well it’s been 6 months in the making, and finally here it is, just like a shiny new present on Christmas morning. Lots of people have worked very hard to make this happen, so a huge THANK YOU to you all.
I wanted to make sure we give you, our customers and clients, all the information you need to make an informed choice about the treatment options available for your condition. Of course, it would be great if you then decided to choose WeightMatters to deliver you the result you want.
We still have some bits and pieces to polish off and dust down before the website is completely finished, so please blog back and tell us what we have done well, what could be better and what you want more of – think about, this website is for you.
I hope you will become a regular reader of my thoughts, mutterings and insights. I promise to keep things short and sweet, and not too serious!
Talk to us – what do you think of the new website?
James
Posted on October 31, 2009 at 8:37 am
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