Category: Weight Loss and Exercise

The Truth About No Pain No Gain

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Today I’m tackling a great weight loss question someone asked me on Facebook. I usually answer questions on the spot if they can be answered in one to two sentences. But some inspire articles! Today I’m answering a question about pain versus gain and what is appropriate for weight loss.

Scott asked:

Let’s say you run a mile and it’s a real workout. It’s painful. Let’s say you keep at (it) so that running a mile becomes easy. To continue to lose weight, can you do that by simply continuing to run one mile? Or do you need to up the ante to two miles? In other words, is exercise only beneficial when it hurts? They say “No pain. No gain.” is that real?

Can you hit a weight loss plateau?

Let’s use Scott’s example. In the beginning, running the mile is more challenging for the body. There are two reasons- you weigh more and it’s something new. At first your body uses a lot more energy. Over time your body will become lighter and more efficient at running a mile, and will burn less calories. This is when people typically see a “plateau” in their weight loss efforts.

So, to answer Scott’s question — if further weight loss is desired, adding another mile would be beneficial for continued weight loss. It would continue to challenge the body’s endurance.

No exercise should ever be painful!

There’s a difference between pain and stepping out of your comfort zone. You should never feel pain when you exercise! Pain is your body telling you to stop what you are doing and find out what’s wrong. It’s not uncommon to feel a twinge from time to time while exercising. However, after two weeks of repetitive pain while exercising, go see your doctor.

You’ve definitely over-trained if you experience muscle soreness for more than two to three days, poor sleep, or prolonged fatigue (being super sluggish the next day). If any of this occurs, reduce the intensity or amount of time you perform the activity.

Feeling sick to your stomach is over training as well and means you need to back off the throttle. If you actually throw up and a trainer tells you that’s normal, I suggest you find a new trainer. For the average exerciser, pushing yourself to the point of puking is not only dangerous, it’s unnecessary!

Cross training is key!

Unless your goal is to be a marathon runner, adding more and more time to your exercise routine is probably unrealistic. The best way to keep the body “on it’s toes” is to cross train. Adding interval workouts two days — but no more than three days per week to your routine — will challenge the body without over training. The other days should be used for more “steady” or moderate workouts to allow recovery time. Too much over training can actually slow down your metabolism!

Burn more calories!

Change the activity to burn more calories — for example, run two days a week, then add a swim or  spin class. Cross training also prevents injury by avoiding too much repetitive motion from a single activity. Another great way to cross train is with lifestyle activity such as outdoor sports or chores that require physical exertion.

If walking is your thing, cross train by adding hills or stairs to your routine.

Slow and steady wins the race!

Any exercise routine that is safe for your body and performed consistently is beneficial. It helps build cardiovascular and muscular endurance as well as a steady weekly burn of calories. You are better off doing a twenty minute routine most days of the week than a one hour “hard core” workout sporadically.

As you get more fit, you will want to challenge your body in a safe and fun way! Remember, this is about maintaining your health and weight loss for life. Adjustments are normal.

Please let me know if you have a question about your routine, or a comment you would like to share. I love to hear from you!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer

Can Eating Late Make You Gain Weight?

For years we have been teaching a calorie is a calorie no matter what time it is consumed. I mean it makes sense. It’s dark in your stomach. How does your body know what time it is? But, there is growing research now telling us that the body burns those calories differently at night than it does during the day.

Your body has a secret fat burning process at night!

The new thinking based on the research by Satchin Panda at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, is that the body burns some of the calories you eat for fuel during the day and the rest is stored in the liver in the form of glycogen. At night, your body converts the glycogen into glucose and releases it into your bloodstream to keep your blood-sugar levels steady during this fasting period called sleep.

Once the glycogen is gone, your liver starts burning fat cells for energy.

Lose weight in your sleep!

The concept that we burn fat while we sleep is not new at all. But, this new research gives some merit to the theory that a midnight snack could interfere with your body’s ability to burn fat between the time you go to bed and the time you sit down to breakfast.

So what time should you stop eating? Late night snackers tend to eat an average of 248 calories more per day than those who go to bed earlier. Most of those calories are consumed after 8pm.

Depending on what you have had for dinner that night, you may actually be hungry right before bed time. Make sure you are eating a balanced meal with lost of veggies, whole grains, healthy oils, and protein in order to feel satisfied.

Don’t go to bed hungry!

If you really are hungry and not just craving or bored, then have a piece of fruit, a 1/2 serving of yoghurt, or 1 piece of whole wheat bread to tie you over until morning.

If you are a late night snacker, you may not be getting enough sleep. This can cause weight gain. If you work the night shift, your body will adjust. However, the new research tells us that trying to “fit in” to a day schedule on your off days could be throwing your body out of whack. If you are used to having your larger meals during a swing shift, experiment with keeping the portions small when you normally would have been sleeping. Regular meals and sleep patterns seems to be the key.

Start the day of with breakfast!

Research has proven that regular breakfast eaters weigh less. When you eat within an hour of waking up, you help jump start your metabolism! Read  How Eating Breakfast Helps You Lose Weight for more details about breakfast and weight loss.

What do you do if you ate late the night before? Based on Panda’s research you want to wait 12 hours between the evening meal and breakfast. If you ate a big dinner at 11pm, then eating closer to lunch may help you burn off that late meal.

Overall the “new thinking” is telling us something we already know. While I wouldn’t get too freaked out about the occasional late night meal, regular meals and regular sleep help you lose weight and maintain it permanently!

Has this helped you with this subject? Have a late night habit you want to discuss? Please leave a comment below.  I love hearing from you!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer

 

 

The Best Workout Ever!

One of the top questions I get as a personal trainer is “What’s the best workout for ______?”  My answer is always the same. The best workout is the one you will do consistently.

This doesn’t mean that there aren’t specific exercises and training routines for certain goals.  For a flatter stomach I make sure I do my abdominal routine every day.

However, no matter how fantastic the program, if you’re not consistent, the odds of success are pretty slim.

There are legitimate reasons people give up on exercise routines!

1)  Boring!  Let’s face it, walking like a hamster on a wheel after a long day at the office does not sound that appealing. Most of us want to do something a bit more stimulating.

2)  Painful!  We’ve all found ourselves up late watching the guy with the chiseled stomach on the infomercial promising that if you bought the whole series you would look just like him. Eagerly you purchased the product! Now your knees and back hurt. Many of these intense workouts require foundational training that takes months or even years to establish. Heck, there is a very popular series out now that I have to modify to keep my knees safe! Signing up for exercise you are not ready for is a recipe for injury, guilt, and possibly depression!

3)  Takes too much time! Now more than ever, people are struggling to find time to exercise. The days of driving to the gym and doing an hour and a half workout seem like a fantasy to most people (except maybe retired empty-nesters).

The reality of being busy with legitimate priorities such as your spouse, children, work, home, and any other personal commitments — have eaten away at the 24 hours in the average person’s day. This leaves very little time to commit to exercise.

4)  Don’t like the surroundings! Surroundings matter! If you are someone that likes a lot of light, working out in a dark basement gym is not going to entice you. Many women feel uncomfortable in a gym setting. Or, if you are like me you prefer exercising outdoors. If you don’t like the environment that you have scheduled your workouts in, you will probably quit or it will be spotty participation at best.

5)  Lack of consistency! Whenever you start something new, you need consistency to create a strong habit. Major problem? Some of the reasons listed above can interfere with your ability to remain consistent long enough. This is a dead end — no new habit or skill needed for a long term commitment.

Oh my gosh Jennifer!  That’s Me! – How can I ever overcome these obstacles?

If you identify with any of these reasons but still have the desire to exercise, lose weight, and lead a healthy lifestyle  — I have solutions for you!

1)  Combat Boredom! You may find this hard to believe but after years of teaching aerobics classes and working in a gym, that’s the last place you will find me exercising! It is so boring for me! To combat this, I walk outside every day with my dogs.

Try attaching a task to your exercise. Walking is a great way to do this. Having a destination gives you a purpose and makes the exercise less boring. Being outdoors is always more stimulating for your brain as well.

Save the indoor exercise for days when the weather is less inviting. When exercising indoors, you can make “cardio”  machines more interesting with interval workouts. If the gym is your thing, try a class or a workout video for variety.

2)  Painful! Go see your doctor and get checked out before starting an exercise routine. She may suggest physical therapy or some strong foundational work before you start your new workout. Consider massage therapy for tight muscles. Exercise at your level — and run from any routine if the trainer says that feeling like throwing up “is normal at first”.

3)  Time!  Be realistic in setting your goals when time is an issue. If all you have is 20 minutes a day to exercise, then you don’t need a gym membership. You’ll take 20 minutes driving there!  Besides my daily walk, I do10 minutes of core work daily and a 20 minute strength training routine 2-3 times per week. This is all done in my home. You can accomplish quite a bit of effective strength training in 20 minutes!

For more detailed instructions on the time issue read  I Agree You Have No Time to Workout!

4)  Take a look around! Ask yourself if you like where you exercise — and be honest!  Most of my clients prefer exercising outdoors and in their home because they prefer that environment over the gym. Quite frankly, most people have nicer rooms in their homes for exercise.

Get creative. On nice days I take my mat, weights, and exercise ball out on the deck and do my workout. If it’s later into the evening I might even have a glass of wine while I do the exercise. That would ruffle some trainers’ feathers! For me, healthy living is all about balance.  It should make you feel better, not stressed out!

5)  Get Consistent! Ever wonder why exercise for some people is as natural as brushing their teeth? They have built “muscle” in that one particular area! Consistency is key when we are developing a new habit or skill. The more you do it the better you get. The problem is we often “bite off more than we can chew” — and that makes it hard to stay consistent.  I recommend picking one thing at a time. Walking 5-10 minutes per day is a great way to start. You may even start by taking the stairs at work every day. Once that is a habit, add a short walk at lunch 2-3 times per week.

The answer to “what’s the best workout?” is simple. The best exercise for you personally is whatever you can do consistently. Whether it’s your daily walk, a 20 minute strength routine, 15 minutes on the stationary bike, or gardening every day. You will benefit much more from consistent physical activity than sporadic sophisticated workouts.

Have a question for me or want to share your best workout! Please leave a comment below.  I want to hear your thoughts!

Blessings!

Jennifer