31. CHAPTER 10 - SIX DAYS OF EXERCISE
Earlier in this book I told the story of my client named Sarah. She added a lot of exercise to her weekly routine and still didn’t lose the weight she was hoping to. So, if exercise isn’t the path to weight-loss then why is “Six Days of Exercise” a component of this program?
Great question – Here’s my 2-part answer:
#1. Losing Weight Isn’t Everything – While this book is mostly about losing weight, there is a bigger goal that I hope you aim for. I want you to live a healthier life, and a healthy life includes physical exercise.
I don’t think I need to preach the health benefits of exercise. You likely know that it improves the strength of your heart, helps prevent disease, and enables your muscles and joints to work as they are meant to. Yes, “Use it or lose it” is a true statement.
There are many skinny people out there who are very unhealthy. You are not going to be one of those people! Exercise provides your body with muscle tone and an aesthetically appealing shape.
A client recently passed along a great saying:
The size of your body is built in the kitchen. The shape of your body is built in the gym.
You can lose weight with a good clean eating program (and I’m about to take you through one in the upcoming chapters), but using your body for exercise is what will give your body a strong, lean shape.
#2. Exercise Can Help Your Lose Weight – There is an amazing video I’ve posted on my blog several times that shows a fitness challenge between two friends. One is going to run on a treadmill for 3 minutes, trying to burn as many calories as he can. The other is going to eat a pizza and wash it down with a root beer, aiming to consume as many calories as he can.
Guess who wins?
The runner burns about 40 calories in 3 minutes (and he is working very hard!), while the eater consumes over 800 calories!
The point is simple: Exercise will never, ever be able to keep up with a bad diet.
Most people would be able to draw this conclusion on their own, however many still leave the gym with the attitude that, “I really worked hard in there. I deserve a reward…time for pizza and a glass of wine!”
If you have that attitude then exercise will NEVER help you lose weight. Your diet will always outpace the work you’re putting in.
That being said, if you are able to develop a healthy diet (and you will have all the tools to do so once you’ve read this book), then exercise can help you get faster, more dramatic results.
You will burn more calories during a workout than you would sitting on your couch. Go for it! You will help speed up your metabolism so that your body burns more calories even when you’re not exercising. Do it! And, you will feel better about the way you look when you are exercising regularly. That’s worth it!
The exercise plan I have for you is really simple. Here are you guidelines:
32. Exercise 6 days per week
33. Exercise for 30 minutes each day
34. Your “day off” corresponds to a fast in your diet (more on this in Chapter 14)
35. You can choose any type of exercise you want
36. Your exercise must go into your weekly plan (see Chapter 5 for a refresher on Planning)
37. When planning, you must include the time you will exercise – Treat it like an appointment that can’t be broken
38. Your accountability buddies should know your exact exercise plan for the week (see Chapter 8 for more on Accountability)
I meant it when I said that you can choose any type of exercise you want. You can walk, run, lift weights, bike, swim, dance, do a step class, rock climb, play soccer, or do anything else that gets you up and moving for at least 30 minutes.
I want you to choose activities that you like to do. I could prescribe a specific workout schedule for you that would be super-effective, but chances are you wouldn’t like it that much and therefore you won’t do it for long.
Don’t be offended. The same goes for me. I love exercising…when I can run, swim, bike, or do circuits in the gym. Tell me to start taking step classes 3 times per week and I’ll hate my life! (Okay, that’s a little extreme – but I likely won’t last on the program for very long)
I firmly believe that everyone likes exercise once they find the right type.
Years ago my mom decided to start exercising. I was surprised by this decision since I had never seen her exercise before, and was pretty sure she didn’t even like exercise at all. I’ll admit that I doubted her and thought this was going to be a short-lived adventure.
To my mom’s credit she found a type of exercise that she actually enjoyed doing. She bought an inexpensive treadmill and started walking on it each night while listening to her favourite records. No, that’s not a typo – she actually pulled out a record player and listened to records!
It doesn’t matter what exercise you choose as long as you enjoy it and can commit to doing it.
Take a look at Appendix A and you’ll see a section for your daily exercise. What do you want to do for 30 minutes and when are you going to do it?
Again, the intensity of your workouts is really up to you. Working harder is better only until it starts to make you dread your exercise.
The most important part of your exercise plan is your compliance. You must enjoy the type of exercise and be able to do it at an intensity that sits well with you.
I like to offer the following chart of Perceived Exertion as a guide for choosing the right intensity.
If you’re new to exercise then you might want to aim for somewhere in the 4-6 range, while a 7-8 is more appropriate for those who have been exercising regularly for quite some time.
Obviously you will enjoy greater health benefits and more calorie-burning from exercising more intensely, but the main goal is just to get moving six days per week. Focus on building s strong exercise habit.