Ten Reasons to Exercise!

I am often asked if it is necessary to exercise to shed pounds. The short answer to this is no - you can certainly lose weight by decreasing your caloric intake alone, and in fact, dietary changes are probably more important than alterations in your activity level. However, it is clear that we live in a sedentary, internet-driven society, and the more time we spend sitting still, the lower our caloric expenditures will be! Our bodies were built to use - so - let's get out there and use them!



Remember that it is important to:

a) increase your exercise gradually, to avoid injury and to be sure you can tolerate it; and

b) discuss your exercise program with your doctor before you start, to get the A-OK to go ahead with your plan! (your doctor may want to do some tests of your heart and/or exercise tolerance before you start)

Here are ten great reasons to exercise! (and I have a hundred more...)

1. Being active will increase the difference between Calories In (what you eat) and Calories Out (activity) - the bigger the difference, the faster you will shed pounds! It is clear that exercise results in weight loss as well as a reduction in body fat.

2. Exercise increases your sensitivity to insulin, putting less stress on your pancreas to control your blood sugars.

3. How cool is this: Adhering to a physical activity program results in a decrease of 6,000 heart beats per day in men, and 3,000 heart beats per day in women! (and yes, this is after taking into account the increased number of heart beats during the workout itself). Think of all the work you are saving your heart in the long run!

4. Regular physical activity improves your sensitivity to other hormones as well, such as adrenaline and glucagon, both of which are involved with regulation of your blood sugar levels. Thus, exercise overall enhances the accuracy of your body to regulate use and storage of sugar and fat.

5. Several studies suggest that exercise provides some protection against cancer, specifically breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and other intestinal malignancies.

6. Reduce your stress! There's nothing like a good workout to burn off some stress after a hard day at work.

7. Amongst older individuals, exercise decreases the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (one study showed a 40% decreased risk of Alzheimer's!).

8. Cure those blues! Exercise decreases the risk of depression and anxiety as well.

9. Working out regularly decreases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

10. Because it's FUN!! Find an activity or sport that you enjoy, and make the most of it!!

Dr. Sue © 2009 www.drsue.ca drsuetalks@gmail.com

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The Fat Burning Zone: Truth or Hype?

I am often asked about what intensity of exercise is the most effective for weight loss. At the gym or on your home workout machine, you may have noted that the medium range of exertion is labelled as the 'fat burning zone', and the intense range of exercise is labelled as the 'carb burning zone'. Based on this, many people conclude that they will lose weight (fat) faster if they exercise at moderate intensity, than if they work out at a higher intensity.

True or False?

The short answer: False!

The long answer:

Your rate of weight loss, or weight gain, is based simply on the difference between your Calories In (what you eat) and your Calories Out (what you expend). So, if you exercise at a higher intensity for a fixed period of time (let's say, cycling hard for 30 minutes), you will burn more calories than if you do the same activity for the same period of time, but at a moderate intensity (cycling at a medium intensity for 30 minutes).

So what is this 'fat burning zone' all about? Well, it is true that when you exercise at moderate intensity, your metabolism is in a zone where it will choose primarily fat as its fuel source, whereas when you are in the high intensity zone, your body is choosing carbohydrate as its primary energy source. The key point, however, is that the body is exceptionally talented at moving energy stores around between fat, carbohydrate and protein. Thus, when all is said and done, the body will balance out these energy stores again, such that it is prepared for the next period where you demand of it again. So while you burn proportionally more fat (relative to carbohydrate) at medium intensity, the overall calories burnt is lower, and once your body finishes redistributing your energy stores, you end up with more energy (including fat) left in your body than if you had exercised at a high intensity. At the high intensity, on the other hand, your body would have burned proportionally more carbs (relative to fat), but after re-equilibrating, your body would have had to draw on some fat stores to replenish the carb stores, and with less calories overall in your body, you will also have less fat! (It is a bit more complicated than that, but this is the jist of it.)

Repeated over time, the difference between moderate and high intensity workouts adds up! If you burn an extra 100 calories per day (which can be very reasonably accomplished by turning up a moderate 30 minute workout into an intense one), you will lose 10 pounds in a year. This, of course, assumes that you have recognized and avoided the #1 PITFALL of high intensity workouts to the person trying to lose weight - and that is that high intensity workouts can make you HUNGRY!! An appetite just as intense as the workout you just had can result in overconsumption of calories, to the point where you have lost the benefit of the intense workout, and perhaps eaten yourself into bringing more Calories In than what you put out! One third of a Snickers bar can wipe out that 100 calorie extra burn that you got from your workout.

If you decide to step up your workouts, make sure you speak with your doctor first, particularly if you have any medical conditions. It is also advisable to ramp up your workouts gradually rather than just jumping into hard core workouts - this is safest from a cardiovascular perspective, and also helps to avoid injury.

Dr. Sue © 2009 www.drsue.ca drsuetalks@gmail.com

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