Meg
02-20-2005, 06:25 PM
Key To Success #7 – Move It To Lose It
Hands down, chapter 7 is my favorite chapter of Thin For Life. This week we’re talking about exercise and the first paragraph of the chapter says it all, as far as I’m concerned:
Experts say without hesitation that a critical difference between maintainers and regainers is their commitment to exercise ... Exercise clearly increases the likelihood of weight loss. … In fact, increased physical activity is probably the single best predictor of who will keep off weight. (p 193)
‘Nuff said? I probably would have ended the chapter right there :lol: , but the book thoughtfully goes on to lay out the evidence to back up those claims and has some good advice for starting and sticking to an exercise program.
Not surprisingly, both Anne Fletcher’s weight loss masters and the members of the National Weight Control Registry exercise a lot. Exercise was mentioned more often than any other weight control method in the Thin For Life interviews. 94% of NWCR members exercised to lose weight and continue to burn off an average of 400 calories per day in maintenance. Let’s contrast those statistics with the ‘average American’: only 30% are ‘active on a regular basis’ (whatever that means) and over 40% are not active at all (p 200). :faint:
Studies show that there’s a clear correlation between exercise and weight loss success: In (one) study, 90% of women who had lost weight and kept it off reported exercising regularly – at least 3 times per week for 30 minutes or longer - while only a third of regainers said they exercised regularly. Moreover, regainers who did exercise said they did so less often and less vigorously than maintainers. (p 201)
Why is exercise so important to weight loss and maintenance? Why can’t we just ‘diet’ our way to health and fitness? There are three priceless things that exercise will do for us while we’re losing weight (p 204-5):
1. Exercise burns calories. It’s very difficult to create enough of a calorie deficit to lose fat through diet alone.
2. Exercise is good for your body because it reduces health risks and diseases.
3. Exercise ’does wonders for your psyche": ‘Studies have shown an association between higher fitness levels and better mental health. Specifically, there is evidence that exercise improves mood and psychological well-being and enhances self-esteem, while at the same time decreasing stress, anxiety, and depression.”
How much is enough? asks the next section (p 207). Any exercise is better than none, of course, but the book cites recommendations of burning 1500 – 2500 calories per week for maintenance and other recommendations of an hour per day of exercise for weight loss. Of course, the book was published before the recent new governmental guidelines that suggest a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise on most days for minimum good health, 60 minutes to lose weight, and 60 – 90 minutes to maintain a weight loss.
The remainder of the chapter discusses how to find the right exercise for you. Factors to consider are what you find enjoyable, cost, if travel is involved – in other words, the day-to day practicalities of making exercise an integral part of your life. The book also lists some of the most popular kinds of exercise and concludes that walking is something that just about anyone can do.
I was happy to see a section on the benefits of weight training (p 216-8). :strong: The NWCR reports that 25% of their maintainers lift weights regularly. One big reason is that increasing your muscle mass is about the only way to keep your metabolism from completely crashing when you lose weight. It also fights the natural age-related loss of muscle that we all experience as we age (otherwise you'll lose 30% of your muscle mass between ages 20 and 70!! :eek: ) However, Anne Fletcher neglected to tell her readers that weightlifting is just plain fun. :D
The next section is the no excuses, just do it section (p 218) and then the book goes on to talk about how little bits of exercise can add up, so figure out ways to grab any chance you can to move – take the stairs instead of the elevator, park further away etc.
Finally, ya gotta stick to it for it to do any good. The book suggests (pp 225-8):
Make it fun.
Make changes.
Give yourself a break.
Use positive mind games.
Focus on the pay-off.
Be realistic about what exercise will and won’t do for you.
Don’t make it a catastrophe when you fall short of your goal.
Give your self time to get to the point of pleasure.
Before we all talk exercise, I want to list some of my favorite exercise-related Internet resources:
Women’s weightlifting info: www.stumptuous.com/weights.html
Exercise demos (little video clips – click on a body part or exercise): www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html and www.fitsite.com/anatomy.cfm
How many calories do you burn?: www.caloriesperhour.com
OK, gang! Did you exercise while you were losing weight? Do you exercise now, if you’re maintaining? How much/often? What’s your routine? What do you think would happen if you quit exercising? In your opinion, is it possible to lose weight and/or maintain without exercise?
Hands down, chapter 7 is my favorite chapter of Thin For Life. This week we’re talking about exercise and the first paragraph of the chapter says it all, as far as I’m concerned:
Experts say without hesitation that a critical difference between maintainers and regainers is their commitment to exercise ... Exercise clearly increases the likelihood of weight loss. … In fact, increased physical activity is probably the single best predictor of who will keep off weight. (p 193)
‘Nuff said? I probably would have ended the chapter right there :lol: , but the book thoughtfully goes on to lay out the evidence to back up those claims and has some good advice for starting and sticking to an exercise program.
Not surprisingly, both Anne Fletcher’s weight loss masters and the members of the National Weight Control Registry exercise a lot. Exercise was mentioned more often than any other weight control method in the Thin For Life interviews. 94% of NWCR members exercised to lose weight and continue to burn off an average of 400 calories per day in maintenance. Let’s contrast those statistics with the ‘average American’: only 30% are ‘active on a regular basis’ (whatever that means) and over 40% are not active at all (p 200). :faint:
Studies show that there’s a clear correlation between exercise and weight loss success: In (one) study, 90% of women who had lost weight and kept it off reported exercising regularly – at least 3 times per week for 30 minutes or longer - while only a third of regainers said they exercised regularly. Moreover, regainers who did exercise said they did so less often and less vigorously than maintainers. (p 201)
Why is exercise so important to weight loss and maintenance? Why can’t we just ‘diet’ our way to health and fitness? There are three priceless things that exercise will do for us while we’re losing weight (p 204-5):
1. Exercise burns calories. It’s very difficult to create enough of a calorie deficit to lose fat through diet alone.
2. Exercise is good for your body because it reduces health risks and diseases.
3. Exercise ’does wonders for your psyche": ‘Studies have shown an association between higher fitness levels and better mental health. Specifically, there is evidence that exercise improves mood and psychological well-being and enhances self-esteem, while at the same time decreasing stress, anxiety, and depression.”
How much is enough? asks the next section (p 207). Any exercise is better than none, of course, but the book cites recommendations of burning 1500 – 2500 calories per week for maintenance and other recommendations of an hour per day of exercise for weight loss. Of course, the book was published before the recent new governmental guidelines that suggest a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise on most days for minimum good health, 60 minutes to lose weight, and 60 – 90 minutes to maintain a weight loss.
The remainder of the chapter discusses how to find the right exercise for you. Factors to consider are what you find enjoyable, cost, if travel is involved – in other words, the day-to day practicalities of making exercise an integral part of your life. The book also lists some of the most popular kinds of exercise and concludes that walking is something that just about anyone can do.
I was happy to see a section on the benefits of weight training (p 216-8). :strong: The NWCR reports that 25% of their maintainers lift weights regularly. One big reason is that increasing your muscle mass is about the only way to keep your metabolism from completely crashing when you lose weight. It also fights the natural age-related loss of muscle that we all experience as we age (otherwise you'll lose 30% of your muscle mass between ages 20 and 70!! :eek: ) However, Anne Fletcher neglected to tell her readers that weightlifting is just plain fun. :D
The next section is the no excuses, just do it section (p 218) and then the book goes on to talk about how little bits of exercise can add up, so figure out ways to grab any chance you can to move – take the stairs instead of the elevator, park further away etc.
Finally, ya gotta stick to it for it to do any good. The book suggests (pp 225-8):
Make it fun.
Make changes.
Give yourself a break.
Use positive mind games.
Focus on the pay-off.
Be realistic about what exercise will and won’t do for you.
Don’t make it a catastrophe when you fall short of your goal.
Give your self time to get to the point of pleasure.
Before we all talk exercise, I want to list some of my favorite exercise-related Internet resources:
Women’s weightlifting info: www.stumptuous.com/weights.html
Exercise demos (little video clips – click on a body part or exercise): www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html and www.fitsite.com/anatomy.cfm
How many calories do you burn?: www.caloriesperhour.com
OK, gang! Did you exercise while you were losing weight? Do you exercise now, if you’re maintaining? How much/often? What’s your routine? What do you think would happen if you quit exercising? In your opinion, is it possible to lose weight and/or maintain without exercise?