It’s that time of the year. Gyms are packed with New Year Resolutioners! It is a fantastic sight. People looking to get their health back, lose some pounds, and get healthy. I love it.
However, many of these people have the best of intentions, but maybe the wrong approach. And I don’t blame them. For years and years, people were told “oh just move more”, “run”, and “do cardio”, were all the best ways for fat loss.
Here are the stats:
Traditional cardio – on AVERAGE, a person will burn about 100 calories per mile walked, jogged or run. How easy is it to eat 100 calories? 1 TBSP of peanut butter, a weak 4oz. pour of wine or one measly ounce of cheese…
High-Intensity Cardio – this would be stuff like sprint intervals, HIIT classes, etc. While there is no exact number for calorie burn calculations here, yes it may be slightly higher…but at some point, somethings gotta give. If someone is just getting into fitness, and is overweight, doing high-intensity work right out of the gate is NOT a good idea. Frankly, most “high intensity” boot camps and classes are not a good idea because they rely on providing a feeling, and a sweat factor – to make people think “man, I worked hard today!” – which anyone can do with enough exercises thrown together.
Jumping, splitting jumping, hopping, sprinting, burpeeing, on fatigued, unstable, and weak joints is a recipe for no exercises at all after you blow out your knee, tweak your back, or strain your calf.
Strength Training- but Mike, I thought you were 100% meathead and all about strength training?? I am – but not for purposes of fat loss. Truth is, the idea that “EPOC” or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption is super-elevated after strength training and will burn fat for 72 hours afterwards is pretty overblown. Strength training is great to build muscle and keep your strong (which does raise your resting metabolism), but not as a sole means of fat loss.
So how does one lose fat in the New Year?!?!
Watch. What. You. Eat
Simple. Not easy, not sexy, but factual and proven to work 100% of the time.
The average person will underestimate their intakes by anywhere from 50-75%!
Start with reading labels. Be aware of how many calories is in what. Learn about how higher calorie food choices add up. Be aware of how many calories you drink – from juices, sodas, coffee drinks, booze… Be aware of the mindless eating, and how a few nibbles here and a few bites there can add up.
Follow up with intuitive eating. Are you hungry? Then eat to the point of not feeling hungry, but not to the point of being stuffed and bloated.
Lastly, give it time. Yes, we are coming off of the Holiday season, and 99% of people, even the healthy folks, are bloated up.
Everyone wants quick results, and in the easiest form possible. 99 people out of 100 and even the most deconditioned persons are going to choose “add exercise” over “pay attention to food intake”. Well, I encourage you to be that 1. Be active, don’t get me wrong!
But be active doing things you enjoy, not because you feel the need to burn more calories and punish yourself from the holidays.
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Stay healthy my friends,