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Ok, you've probably heard by now exercise is good for you. I'm not going to
spend time going over all of the benefits -- I want to cut to the chase.
So if exercise is so good for you, why isn't everyone doing it? And for those
that do exercise -- why aren't they getting better results if they're spending
an hour or more in the gym?
I will share with you my secrets for creating an effective exercise program that
literally takes just minutes a day.
But here's a warning. Some of the tips and strategies I'm going to reveal might
go against what you've heard before. I'm not going to tell you 'just gardening
15 minutes a day' counts as 'exercise.' If that hogwash many health care
professionals have been preaching for a decade were actually true -- we would
not have a rising obesity epidemic.
And I'm not going to be talking about 'aerobics. 'My exercise programsdo not
require spending an hour or even 30 minutes on aerobic exercise. Truth be told,
I was a sprinter in college and start to break out into a rash every time I hear
the word 'aerobic training.' In fact, most of my exercise routines take less than
Some of the special workouts will require you to actually break a sweat -- but I
do promise you'll see results in about 80 percent less time than going to the
gym or walking on a treadmill.
You will improve your health, energy levels and you'll have more time to do what
you want to do (spend more time with family, friends, reading, etc.).
Now I have to admit, almost all of the training and education I had in my
beginning years in the fitness industry told me 'aerobic' training is best for
burning fat and overall health.
But as I began to dig deep into this theory I started to find some flaws in this
thinking.
My view began to change when I started to pay attention to other athletes. You
see, I ran competitive track and field in college and I was a sprinter. In
essence, I never really ran more than 200 meters at a time (the length of 2
football fields). And most of the time, I ran only 100 meters.
My fellow sprinters and I all trained the same way: short bursts of speed and
zero distance running. We worked out at a very high intensity and took some rest
to recover before we sprinted again. We never did distance running -- just
sprints with rest (called interval training)
And all the 'distance' runners trained similarly: they ran mile upon mile upon
mile.
So here was the interesting thing? myself and all of my fellow sprinters looked
really lean, muscular and athletic. We all had low body fat and the type of
physique most people aim for.
But the distance runners looked different. They had a rail thin appearance. Even
their faces had a drawn look. In other words, they just didn't look healthy.
Why does this seem to be the opposite of everything we've been told?
How can this information help you?
Here's the biggest problem with 'aerobic' training: your body is quite good at
adaptation.
Think about it. If you don't eat, your body will slow down your metabolism so
you don't starve to death. And if you're thirsty, your body will retain more
water.
The same holds true for aerobic exercise. If you burn a lot of calories with
aerobic training, your body will slow down your metabolism and allow you to
store fat (that's NOT good). That's also why you need strength training to build muscle
to burn more fat throughout the day (I will get into that issue in a
future guide here).
But the slower metabolism is not the worst part of aerobic training. The more
aerobic training you do, the better you get at it.
I know what you're thinking: isn't it good to get better at it?
The answer is NO!
If you begin only able to run 1 mile, after a while, the 1 mile will become
easier and now you must run 2 miles to get the same benefit. So you will keep
going longer and farther, and the cycle really never ends.
It's the same with 'aerobics' classes. When you do your first one-hour class it
might be difficult. But after a few classes it becomes easier. Then you might
need to do 2 classes to get the same benefit you had from just one class.
Did you ever notice many of the 'aerobics' instructors who teach up to 10
classes a week look in poor to average health? I remember my wife used to take
an aerobics class; the instructor taught 13 classes a week and she was at least
25 pounds overweight (and yes, the instructor was working and sweating along
with the students).
So unless you want to run for dozens of miles or want to do more and more
aerobic classes, you will begin to work 'harder.' When I say harder I mean at a
higher intensity. And then you will reach the 'anaerobic' threshold.
That's where the fun begins and where we will pick up in the next guide here on
ebay ...
Ryan Lee is a fitness expert who's helped over 100,000 people get fit through
his training programs, workshops, coaching and online training. He's the founder
Guide created: 10/07/06 (updated 03/11/08)
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