You will NOT LOSE TONS of weight by only exercising. 03-20-2019

Source: American Council on Exercise (ACE)

For the past three decades, experts have accepted as gospel that exercise is the key to weight loss. People believed that because it did burn calories and motivated people to eat more healthfully and reinforced a feeling of well-being/moral self-satisfaction.

However, over the past 10-20 years, after many studies and a lot of research, we’ve learned that exercise alone—-while it has numerous health benefits—-doesn’t affect weight loss tremendously. There are no long-term studies showing that exercise without changes in diet will cause substantial weight loss.

We still do not understand the physiological basis for obesity very well. The treatment of obesity is the greatest failure in medicine today.

Here is some practical advice from experts at the American Council on Exercise:

• A lot of research on the right combination of exercise and diet still needs to be done. Start slowly and gradually push yourself into higher-intensity exercise as you adjust to being more active (depending on the advice form your physician and a fitness professional).

• Make sure that the regimen is a long-term solution and that you are consistent in your routines.

• When you increase your physical activity levels, you may become hungrier. However, you should choose energy-dense and low-calorie foods—-but not calorie-free foods.

• Move more, Eat less…is still the mantra of most science, not to just lose weight, but for overall health, well-being, cardio-respiratory improvements, bone density, immune function and mental health.

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MYTH: Exercise is the best weapon against obesity. Millions of Americans STILL hold onto the idea that if they just exercise hard enough, they’l lose those last few pounds

.FACT: Exercise, while great for your health, is light artillery against obesity. Many factors control weight gain or loss. Such factors that have been established by scientific studies include genes, early life experience, learned behaviors, cultural and socioeconomic factors, and motivation. Therefore, it’s not surprising that there’s a huge variability in the amount of weight lost among many people doing the same routine.

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MYTH: To lose weight, I need a special diet.There have been an extreme number of fad diets that have appeared over the past 40 years! NEWS FLASH! They have not worked for many Americans! Many Americans looking for a quick fix will try any new diet that comes with appropriate media buzz, only to discover that if it seems too good to be true, it is.

FACT: Many people are keen to embrace the latest dietary fad but…this doesn’t make it correct. More than likely they hear about it from the media, a friend, a co-worker. Any diet is as good as your ability to keep the weight off.

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Fad diets don’t work for many reasons because they…

1. Are quick fixes that are difficult to maintain.

2. Often tilt the dietary balance (high protein, low carbs, high fat, no fat, all grapefruit, …) and deprive the body of crucial nutrients. [My personal prediction: We will see an increase in colon cancer, especially with younger people, because many of them are trying diets which eliminate fruits, vegetables and whole grains.]

3. Wreak havoc with your metabolism.

4. Promise unsustainable amounts of weight loss in too rapid a time frame.

Popular over-the-counter supplements, including multivitamins, energy boosters and diet pills, send thousands of Americans to the ER yearly with chest pain, heart palpitations, choking and other problems, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine. The supplement industry is largely unregulated; neither safety testing nor FDA approval is required before supplements are sold. There are no requirements that product labeling must list possible side effects.

There are certain circumstances when a dietary supplement is indicated, but these usually have to do with treating a diagnosed nutrient deficiency.

It is easy to become overwhelmed by so many dietary and sports supplements available. Exceptional athletic performance and optimal health come from HARD WORK and a body fueled by GOOD FOOD, not expensive and worthless lotions, potions and pills. 

Some athletes, bodybuilders, and average gym goers take supplementation to an unhealthy--and sometimes illegal--extreme with anabolic steroids, pro-hormones, diuretics, and harmful substances. I often notice numerous "users" in many gyms; I can often tell who they are.

One supplement, which a large body of research has proven effective in building muscle mass when combined with intensive strength training, is creatine (sold as creatine mono hydrate).

Always discuss supplementation plans with a registered dietitian and your individual physician.

Source: Bulletin Today, Health Talk and The American Council  on Exerise.

Each decade after age 25 you lose 4 % of your muscle mass. After age 40, you lose 1 % a year. Some individuals lose more. Metabolism starts to slow down in your late twenties, which makes it easier to put on weight, which adds stress to your bones and joints. But...on the plus side... vigorous exercise SLOWS THE LOSS OF MUSCLE.

Tips from ACSM.

Most people perform the lat pull down incorrectly. Sit with pad under your thighs; lean back between 5-40 degrees & HOLD THAT POSITION throughout the exercise. Use a controlled movement bringing the bar down to the upper chest and a controlled movement back up; not too fast. Most exercisers use too much momentum (i.e., go too fast) when performing the lat pull down. DO NOT ROCK back & forth with your torso. DO NOT PULL DOWN BAR BEHIND THE NECK because: 1. you do not work the back muscles any better behind the neck, and, 2. there is POTENTIAL RISK OF INJURY/IMPINGMENT to the shoulder (rotator cuff) and the cervical spine.

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

· Grasp the dumbbell (DB) with a closed neutral grip.

· Pull back the shoulders, Keep neck in line with a flat back position & focus on the floor a short distance ahead of the feet.

· Allow the DB to hang at full elbow extension. All repetitions begin from this position.

· Begin by pulling the DB up toward the torso; keep a straight wrist (Do not curl the DB upward or inward).

· DO NOT swing or jerk the upper body upward to help raise the DB. (This is an ERROR that many people make! You are not "starting a lawnmower.")

· Pull up DB until it touches the right side of the upper chest or rib cage area ; at the highest DB position the right elbow will be higher than the torso (when seen from the side).

· Lower the DB slowly/under control to the starting position. DO NOT allow the DB to jerk the arm down.