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Here's The First Way
Wake Up Earlier For Cardio.
Why?
1. Waking up in the morning after an overnight 8-12 hour fast, your body's stores of glycogen are almost completely gone. When you do cardio like this it makes your body burn more fat because the glycogen is almost gone.
2. When you eat it causes a release of insulin. Insulin interferes with the burning of body fat. Insulin is decreased in the morning; so more body fat is burned when you do cardio first thing in the a.m.
3. There are less carbohydrates (glucose) in the bloodstream when you get up after an overnight fast. With less glucose available, you will burn stored fat. Stored fat is in places that junk food sticks to. (Everyone depending on background has different places that the fat loves to stick to)
4. If you eat before working out, your body naturally burns off what you just ate first before the stored body fat, plus insulin is increased after you eat.
5. When doing cardio in the morning, your metabolism stays elevated even after the workout is over this is called after-burn. When you do cardio at night you burn calories during the workout, but you fail to get the benefit of the after-burn because your metabolic rate drops dramatically as soon as you fall asleep.
Here are some of the additional benefits of doing cardio early in the morning:
1.You feel wonderful all day with mood-enhancing endorphins.
2. You feel energized all day
3. Decreased appetite all day
4. You adjust to your morning routine, making it easier to wake up everyday.
5. You'll feel like you got the most important thing of the day out of the way. Leaving your options open after work
6. You can always make time for cardio by setting your alarm earlier in the morning.
7. It increases your metabolic rate for hours, even after the session is over.
The Second Way
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT is done by alternating brief periods of high intensity work (85% or more) with brief periods of lower intensity work.
As an example, I use the elliptical machine. It is easy on my knees, stretching while encouraged is not necessary, and it works better than a treadmill. I do a daily routine of HIIT training for 20 minutes and it works wonders.
My routine is as follows:
I do 5 minutes of a comfortable pace where I feel like my heart rate is slightly accelerated. On minute 6 it is "go time" you want to really push yourself to get a sprint going. After 1 minute I slow back down to the normal pace I was at. I repeat the process until the time is up.
Why HIIT?
Studies on HIIT have shown a MUCH higher EPOC, which can drastically add to daily calorie expenditure. Scientists compared the effects of two exercise protocols on 24-hour energy expenditure. Group One cycled for 60 minutes at a higher consistent rate. Group Two did HIIT, cycling for two minutes at high intensity followed by two minutes at a low intensity. Group Two burned 160 more calories in 24 hours than Group One. That means Group Two would burn a jaw dropping 11.8 pounds of fat in one year if they did HIIT just working out for half the year!
The best way it was explained to me was like this:
Have you ever seen an overweight long distance runner?
Of Course! Go to a marathon they fill up the streets and some are successful runners.
On the other hand have you ever seen an overweight sprinter?
No. As a matter of fact you would have a hard time finding body fat on a sprinter.
The Third Way
Lifting weights!
I know, I know I have heard it from my wife for many years. I don't want to get bulky or muscular. I don't want to look like a man, or my back is as wide as I want it to be. Trust me when I tell you this is one of, if not the most important way.
Why Weight Training?
Ironically, weight training has a much higher magnitude of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC than aerobic training. This means weight training does burn fat - in an indirect way. If you are interested in losing body fat and not lifting weights, it will actually take you longer to get to your goal. This is the best part about weight training; I found a secret....and it works! There is a new method called DOGGCRAPP. Ugly name and a long subject in itself, but it works. Basically, it cuts your work out time in half and is more effective. Use a search engine to look it up. I have been doing it for 2 years, and am by no means bulky. Another common problem that most people have when losing weight with no weight training is significant muscle loss.
Here's the best way to explain it.
I know you have seen the celebrity magazines cover that look like a National Geographic cover. You know, the one where your favorite actor or musician looks like they do not eat? This is what happens when the experienced trainer doesn't want to get fired. The celebrity panics because they have not lost the desired weight that the ($5,000 a week) trainer promised them and they stop all weight training regiments along with other factors. Simply because they are concentrated on weight! Not body fat.
In fact if we could take a moment, go inside your bathroom and throw that scale away! You will gain weight working out it is going to happen but, weight does not matter. In fact if you can step off of the scale for a couple of weeks you will see real results the next time you step on it.
The Final Half
Before I show you the final half let me make something clear, you need a mentor. If you haven't figured it out already your body is the most sophisticated machine on the face of the earth.
Let me explain with an analogy:
I have never been mechanically inclined. Much to my father's dismay, I take my car to the service center for an oil change. I have never, and will never understand how a car works. In my view it is the second most sophisticated machine I deal with on a daily basis. Even now cars are much more advanced according to my father, who failed to fix my latest vehicle. The point I am trying to make is simple; you need an expert.
You need guidance from someone who understands the most sophisticated piece of machinery on earth. I would recommend hiring a personal trainer, but in today's economy who has the resources? I know I don't need a new monthly bill. I checked at my gym and they wanted $200 plus a month. I thought I was doing all the work. So like you I did research online and found the "half" I was looking for...and now so have you.
The Final Half |