That's Fit

Losing weight is tough enough, but keeping it off -- now that can be really tough. Statistics show that 90-95 percent of overweight people who lose weight will regain it all (and in some cases, even more) within five years.

So, what's a person to do to stay slim? Work out harder, say researchers from Brown University. This may seem like a no-brainer at first, but what their study found was that duration during exercise does not matter as much as intensity when it comes to maintaining weight loss over time.

The good news is that you won't have to spend as long in the gym; the data shows that around 25 minutes per day is perfect. The bad news is that you won't be spending long, leisurely walks while reading a book on the treadmill anymore, because you're going to have to kick your workout into high gear.

If there is one thing we can all use more of, it's time. It's this shortage of time that keeps us from doing the things we want to be do, regular trips to the gym notwithstanding. That's why workouts frequently get placed on the back burner, right next to the vat of Mac and Cheese we're making for dinner because we don't have time to prepare a proper meal. I disagree, Mick Jagger, time is NOT on our side!!

Still, our health is far too important to be relegated to the back burner. We need to find a way to utilize the little time we have to fit in a workout and get the most out of it possible. Fortunately, there is a way to do just that. Want the good news or the bad news first?

The good news is that this is very possible. The bad news is that it requires a great deal more intensity.

One of the most amazing parts about exercising, that also happens to be one of the worst parts, is that your body quickly adapts to the effort placed upon it. For example, if today you are only able to walk one mile, you will likely be able to walk more than that distance a month from now if you follow a steady walking regimen. The good news is that you're becoming fitter, the bad news is that you are now required to exercise harder in order to become fitter still.

People that exercise for several months sometimes find that their results plateau. They have reached a certain level of fitness, but for some reason can't seem to break past that sticking point. This is probably due to two reasons: 1) This person has probably not changed their workout in quite some time, which will always lead to a plateau, and 2) They may not be exerting themselves as much as they should be. With regard to that latter, it may not always be easy to determine if you're trying hard enough. That's why knowing the following intensity formula may help.

After each set of an exercise, take note of how hard you think you worked on a scale from1 to 10 (1 means that you still have boundless energy left and 10 means that you feel ready to collapse onto the floor). Then, figure out what percentage of your maximum heart rate (MHR is equal to 220 - your age) you reached for the majority of your workout. If you're not hovering at around 60 to 85 percent of your MHR for most of your workout (which is basically around the 7 mark on your intensity scale), then it may be time to pick up the pace.

Now here's a way to walk, and it comes straight from Mark Fenton, author of The Complete Guide for Walking for Health, Weight Loss, and Fitness. It's a simple six-day schedule -- you get the seventh day off -- and it's intended to boost the intensity of walking workouts for a greater benefit in less time. Check it out, try it, and tell us what you think.

Three days of the week: Engage in 30-60 minutes of purposeful walking. Walk the kids to school, walk to the store for milk, or walk with a colleague at work -- call it a meeting and you'll kill two birds with one stone. Break up your walking if you wish -- 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there -- but walk with a mission. Walk as if you're not late but have no time to spare.

Two days of the week: Get moving for 25-45 minutes of high intensity walking. Walk very quickly and tackle some hills while you're at it. Do this walk all at once and not in mini-chunks of time, and be aware of your breathing. Make sure you aren't gasping for air.

One day per week: Take a 90-minute walk. It can be a hike or even a family excursion in a park. Speed isn't important for this one. Just go long.

The Wikipedia definition of moderation is: The process of eliminating or lessening extremes. Merriam-Webster on-line sets forth this definition: To lessen the intensity or extremeness of or to preside over or act as chairman of.

Moderation. It's a commonly-used word when it comes to eating and drinking. I mean, who doesn't occasionally justify an indulgence with the comment, "Everything in moderation." I'm sure it's a valid point. Eating cookies in moderation is surely better than shoveling them down day after day. Drinking alcohol in moderation? Much better than making a habit out of it. We might even get away with exercise in moderation -- for some, extreme workouts can lead to burnout, injury, and fatigue.

All this talk about moderation has me wondering: Who defines the specifics of moderation? And who exactly is the chairman presiding over this ambiguous term? I tend to think one man's moderation might be another's extreme. If left up to the individual to decide, moderation could be anything from one bite of chocolate per day to a trip through the fast-food drive-through every day. It might even be a few drinks per day when measured against someone else who drinks much more.

Here's a tip for making the most out of your workouts that I learned from Fitsugar: Get your heart rate up with an 8-second interval of high-intensity, and follow it with 12 seconds of moderate intensity. Do this for 20 minutes and you'll burn more fat than you would working out as you normally would. This is basic interval training, but it's training in very short bursts, which is sure to keep you from getting bored.

Still skeptical as to how well this can work in burning fat? Read the studies that back this up.

What do you think of interval training? It's effective but I think it's hard to get used to if you're a runner who likes a steady speed.

When I'm filled with anxiety, panic, or worry, exercise usually helps. It allows me to clear my head, focus inward, and collect a fresh perspective. There's nothing groundbreaking about my strategy. It helps loads of people who find themselves in all sorts of stressful scenarios.

Health experts have long recommended 30 minutes of moderate daily exercise to relieve stress. Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia agree. But they've got an even better recommendation. They say studies show high-intensity workouts pack a much bigger punch against stress than any other form of exercise. Why? There are several theories. We know intense aerobic exercise strengthens the heart and lungs, and these two vital organs bear the brunt of the body's stress response. So the more we exercise, the better these organs respond to negative emotion. Another possibility: Vigorous workouts require major concentration and limit the ability to obsess about weighty matters. It could also be that this type of exercise increases the release of endorphins, our feel-good hormones. The harder we work, the better we feel.

I guess it doesn't really matter why strenuous activity does the trick. It just does. And that's reason enough for me to keep at it.

The dog days of summer are here -- the days when it's fun to be outside but it's far to hot to actually work out outdoors. The recycled air of the gym, though loathed in winter, is appealing because of those two life-saving words: Air Conditioning. I love the sun as much as anyone but the thought of running in this heat makes me feel ill, so I'll save my running to early morning (yeah right), late evening (yawn) or during the daylight hours, in the comfort of the gym.

So if it's too hot for your mid-day run, don't feel bad about taking it indoors. You can get a great workout indoors too!

In an interesting study done recently researchers found that your body burns different fuel during different intensities of activity. During mild to moderate exercise your body is burning mostly fat and some glucose (carbs), but as the activity gets harder that ratio starts to shift to the other end of the spectrum where intense exercise burns almost exclusively glucose and very little fat. This theory could explain why athletes sometime "hit the wall," and researchers hope to figure out how and why this change happens so someday fat burning could be made to continue into the more intense workout sessions also.

This article is confusing and I don't think they were very clear and on their findings. After all, exercise is exercise, isn't it? They make it sound like if you always workout intensely you'll never burn fat, but those calories have to come from somewhere.

Exercise is exercise is exercise, right? Well, not always. Although some is always better than none, it turns out that how hard you workout plays a big role in not only how much weight you lose, but how successful you are at keeping it off.

In a study that looked at two groups of people, one assigned to moderate activity and one assigned to intense activity, over a period of 18 months those that were assigned to the more intense exercise regimen lost the most weight and kept the most weight off in later follow-ups.

So if you can push it just a little harder, the case is pretty good that you should.