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If you were here a few days ago, you know how I asked a personal trainer at the club to measure my body-fat, which yielded a surprising 24% .. a number that made me cringe. To be honest, when I first heard 24 percent, I thought: No way, José. So today I found a different trainer and asked him to repeat the measurements. His results, nearly identical: 23%. So, either the two of them are in cahoots, conspiring against me, or .. I'm a bona fide porker. (They must be conspiring.) And this guy wasn't trying to sell me anything, either, like the last trainer. ••• today's entry continued ••• If you figure I weigh ~190 pounds, then 23% percent body-fat would translate into roughly 44 pounds total adipose tissue (sounds better than the word fat). I figure (perhaps erroneously) I should be able to shed 5 pounds of that (~10%) fairly easily. That would yield a new total body-fat figure of 39 pounds, which would calculate to ~20%, a number I could live with. I mean, 15% was the number I was expecting to hear, but that seems pretty low now. They say the way to lose fat is: burn more calories than you consume. The goes-out needs to be more than the comes in . And the weight will come off. The word calorie, by the way, is defined as a unit of *energy*. They emphasize that you can't spot-reduce. In other words, you can't get rid of your gut by doing a million sit-ups. Doesn't work that way. And to burn calories faster, you need to crank up your metabolism, cuz that's the thing that really burns the majority of your daily caloric intake, anyway. And your metabolism is cranked up best by cardio exercise (which gets your heart-rate cranking .. cardio = heart) .. since the body is really just a big chemical factory. (Yes, some factories are bigger than others.) HERE is a cardio program someone claimed produced good results. (Here's another.) If you've ever run wind-sprints, the concept seems similar. One minute bursts, followed by a minute of easy-going. I'll give it a try. Heck, it's only 16 minutes a day. I've always liked that dizzy feeling you get when you run real hard, in short bursts. [You know, like when the cops are chasing you. =) ] See HERE for more info on how sprinting keeps your metabolism cranking for days. Running is the king of exercise. Now where'd I put my running shoes? Or maybe I'll just head up to Crystal and run barefoot on the beach there (sunset would be nice). This article (3rd paragraph) says: GO FAST, LOSE FAT. Research shows that performing intervals--interspersing high-intensity sprints with lower-intensity recovery periods--is up to three times more effective at reducing fat stores than steady-state aerobic exercise. Another quote from the same article: The longer you sprint, the less oxygen that's available to your working muscles. That forces your body to use more carbohydrates for energy, decreasing the amount of fat you bum. THIS article says weight-training is the best way to lose fat (Fact #3): Cardio is a useful tool as well and it is great for your overall health, but it does not have the fat-burning potential of a good weight training program and diet. For more along these lines, here's a Google search pre-configured for the query: lose fat cardio exercise sprint |
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