Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Are you fat?


How to lose weight immediately

I’ve heard some terrific news. For too long research has supported the lazy approach to training: run slow or walk, to lose weight. There’s been a lot of research to basically prolong the dilemma of being fat. But there’s good news. The most recent research says that a low calorie diet slows down the metabolism. In PlainSpeak: eating less, or eating fewer calories is not going to shed those kilos. Walking and jogging slowly will do more, but doing it slowly will probably end up discouraging you because of just how long it takes to get precious little results. So, here it is, How To Lose Weight Immediately:

Think of your body as an engine, and the fuel in it as a mixture of food and fat. If you drive from A to B, there’s a certain minimum amount of fuel you’re going to consume. If you drive slowly and at an almost constant speed, you’ll use the least amount of fuel. On the other hand, if you drive as fast as you can, and accelerate and decelerate at every possible point, you’ll consume a lot more juice.

In the same way you need to really kick up your metabolism. The morning is best, but any time when you have a few minutes is just as worthwhile. The warmer the better. The more uphills the better. Your goal is simply to get your engine from where it is (cool and sedentary) to as hot, vigorous and energized as possible. The idea is to get your self into a mode where you are moving, metabolizing, active (which continues even after you stop exercising).
It’s as easy as stepping out the front door onto your driveway, and doing some hard-as-you-can (without injuring yourself) gallops up and down the road. Simply push the engine of your heart until you can feel it beating – like a small bird – in your throat. Try doing 3 minimum on day one, and no more than 10. Each day, add another gallop. But that’s manufactured training.

Play Games

You can also pretend to be late for work, and dash up steps, or do a short run to your car.
Carrying groceries (instead of pushing them in a trolley) will also help. If you have access to chickens, you can also try chasing one in a coop and trying to catch one. Or, if you have access to teenagers, play some hockey or soccer, where you have to tackle and dribble.

Get Organised

To know exactly what your body is doing, get a heart rate monitor (Polar is the market leader worldwide), and aim for a workout rate at 80% of your maximum heart rate. Don’t be disheartened, it’s really not complicated. You’ll also learn very quickly what 80% feels like, and learn to associate it with a digit on your Heart Rate Monitor. For me 80% is about 160 bpm. You can roughly estimate it by doing this calculation:
220 – (your age) = MHr x .8 = Workout Rate.
You’ll also find that working out with a heart rate monitor is not only interesting; it’s a lot of fun. You can measure your calories, and load your workouts onto computer and plot your progress. Or you can just use it when you’re just working out, as a sort’ve coach-on-your-wrist.

Avoid SICCC Foods

I’ve trained for 3 Ironman triathlons, and I guarantee you, no amount of training, even 6 hours on a day, is going to make a dent if you continue eating pizza and hamburgers each day as well. You can indulge, but try to curb your consumption of especially the SICCC foods: Sodas, Ice Cream, Crisps (and french fries) and Chocolate.

Another important psychological starting point is to stop associating yourself with the following identity: I am fat. You’re not. You’re lots besides. Your flesh, and bone and blood and brains. You’re a person carrying excess weight, and what you’re doing is simply reducing excess weight. You are not a fat person trying to get thin; you’re a person carrying excess weight temporarily. It’s a small thought pattern adjustment that makes a big difference.

There is a point to exercising moderately, and it is that if you train too hard on one day, you might be too sore for the rest of the week to train again. My advice is to train through the pain. Plenty of top athletes do. You simply cannot wait 3 or 4 days after a decent half hour workout to feel fresh enough to train again. Trust your body to recover, and obviously don’t put in 100% efforts on your first day. Try 80% initially, but be honest: are you pushing yourself as hard as you could? As hard as you should? Do you want to see a difference? If you do, start making a difference to your comfort zone right now.

The point is that you need to push your body intensely to get to the point where your body is stressed enough, working hard enough, where it really starts consuming its own blubbery resources. Play with your engine. Work with it. Listen to it. Rev it the way you would a new car’s. Try revving a little, then a lot. Remember to stretch before and afterwards, no matter how light the workload. Treat sore or stiff muscles with massage and if it’s really painful, with ice, then warmth (massage or warm towels). Try to spend more time training than comforting yourself afterwards with drinks and ice packs.

Your body is capable of so much, so put it through its paces. Put your mind in charge, and your body will follow. It’s an incredible tool, and the most amazing instrument you’ll ever own. Now go out and own it, and do what you’re capable of doing, and slim down fast.

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