Exercise Program

I don't like to create another weight loss program because what I am promoting is an understanding from a lot of different sources with sound medical and scientific background. I will give this a generic name, weight loss program, which has two parts; the exercise program and the diet program, and both are very important. Without dieting exercise alone will be very difficult to lose weight. It has been calculated that 1 pound of body fat is equal to 3500 calories. This means that in order to lose 1 pound in a week we have to walk (3 mph) for about 12.5 hours i.e. 2.5 hours a day, 5 days a week. To lose one pound of fat a week by dieting alone you have to reduce 500 calories intake a day, about 20-25% of daily requirement. That is why both dieting and exercise are necessary.

I used to think diet is more important than exercise if someone wants to lose weight, later I thought they are equally important. Now I think exercise is more important especially for long lasting weight loss. Independently, exercise without dieting is much healthier and more effective for weight loss than dieting alone. Exercise increases metabolism and muscle mass, and both will burn more calories. Exercise will improve physical and mental health, cardiovascular risk factors, insulin sensitivity and the chance of preventing diabetes. These benefits occur independently of weight loss.

Some expert said the best time to exercise is one to two hours after meal (higher blood sugar and least glycogen depletion), but actually anytime is a good time. Actually, in low glycemic state exercise mainly burns fat, so it should be done first thing in the morning before breakfast when the glycogen is depleted and fat will be burned. The benefit of after burn continues to burn fat at an accelerated rate after the workout because of elevated metabolism for hours afterwards. Exercise is a healthier way to reduce body fat than dieting which burns both fat and protein (including muscles).

If you can find a buddy, like spouse or friend, to participate, it can help you to adhere to the routine. Don't overeat before or after exercise and think you need it or can afford it. Some people load up carbohydrates before, during and after golfing. They actually are taking in more calories than the exercise can burn. Whenever you feel like the diet just won't be able to get rid of that last few pounds, adding few more minutes of exercise everyday will do the trick. I lost my last 5 pounds in 3 weeks by increasing to more than one hour of daily exercise from 45 minutes and eating more vegetables. Actually, I can always lose a pound very quickly by running up and down stairs for about 15 minutes a day for a few days. If you like to try it, just make sure you don’t have knee problem. I am back to my regular exercise time now, but very often I have a strong urge to do more.

My Exercise Routine
I like to stress here again the important of exercise. I would advise to establish daily exercise routine with 45 minutes of moderate degree of exercise a day for at least one week before starting diet program. The best exercise program for me is the one I can do it anytime and anywhere. I do all the following 6 exercise routines at home and the only equipment is one 25 pounds dumbbell.

1) Warm-up and stretching everyday: Neck press and turn head in different directions. Rotate the head 15 times clockwise and counterclockwise. Rotate and stretch both arms in different positions. Bent forwards, backwards, sideways and obliquely to stretch the back.
2) 100-200 abdominal crunches or sit-ups a day for abdominal muscles.
3) 100-200 push-ups against the back or sides of a sofa a day or 20 to 30 floor push-ups for triceps, shoulder, chest and back muscles (knee push-ups for women).
4) For biceps, 10 pounds dumbbell arm row 100-200 times a day for both arms (increase to 25 pounds slowly), 3 or 5 lbs. for women.
5) Squatting 100-200 times a day for leg and hip muscles with or without dumbbells.
6) For cardio exercise, I do use either treadmill (or elliptical trainer), stationary bike, brisk walking, stair climbing or moderate-intensity aerobics for 30 minutes 5 times a week.

Except warm-up and stretching, which I do everyday, strength exercises (weight-bearing and resistance exercises) should be done every other day because of micro-trauma of the muscles, which will require time to repair and grow. As I am getting stronger, the number of abdominal crunches, push-ups and dumbbell rows has been increasing. The exercise can be divided into 8-10 repetitions and try to do it in an interval exercise pattern to burn more calories (few seconds to few minutes of rest or slow down between intense or fast exercises). High-intensity interval training is twice as effective as normal exercise, and intense bursts of activity are precisely what the body needs to build stronger muscles. I usually exercise 30 to 40 minutes before breakfast and 5 to 15 minutes in the evening. All these can be done at home and inexpensive. I also like to do short bursts of strenuous exercises few times a day to increase metabolism, like running upstairs, 25 pounds dumbbell arm rows, push ups or really stepping on stationary bike. Don't sit in one place for too long, like sit behind desk, in front of TV or computer for 3-4 hours continuously. Because it will harm your heart and your health, even you do regular exercise everyday. Do take a break, stretch, get up and move around often.

Most of the exercises mentioned above are strength exercises, and they can build and firm up the whole body muscles and prevent osteoporosis. There are a lot of different ways to exercise, and you should find your own way that is sustainable and also fun for you. My favorite routine includes dumbbell rows, abdominal crunches, push-ups, squatting, low impact high energy aerobics, climbing stairs and stretching. Walking briskly for 30 minutes a day has been the choice of most programs. Workout in a gym is a good way to exercise if you can stick with it, but for me do it home is the best and easiest way. You can even set up a simple gym at home if you can afford it. Step aerobics, dancing, swimming, bicycling, golfing, elastic band stretching, Pilates and yoga are some of the other examples. They should include stretching, strength training and cardio exercises, and should involve all major upper and lower extremities, chest, back and abdominal muscle groups.

In general, you should do moderate-intensity cardio exercises 5 times a week and strength exercises every other day or everyday if different muscle groups were used alternately. Depending upon the intensity, from mild to vigorous, the cardio exercise should be limited to 20 to 60 minutes each time, because cortisol released during exercise can cause catabolic effect of muscle if glycogen storage is overly depleted. Instead, strength exercises build muscles and increase basic metabolic rate, thus promoting more weight loss.