The Missing Link: The Connection Between Weight Loss and Exercise
Startling Facts
Did you know that the past decade was the most sedentary decade for Americans? Did you know that 42 % of the US population is obese? Did you know that the surgeon general has stated that 78% of the American population is either overweight or approaching obesity? Finally, did you know that "lack of time" is the #1 reason why many Americans do not receive the required amount of exercise (which, by the way, is only 30 minutes 3 times a week) to maintain good health?
I realize what this means as a population, when I know that exercise is the missing link to permanent weight loss and management, and I have knowledge about fitness solutions that save people time. In addition to lack of time, another reason why people are not choosing exercise more often as a solution to their weight issues is because they may not have knowledge about these new solutions.
Knowledge about Exercise
There are several things that exercise does for us that dieting can never do. First, exercise increases the amount of muscle mass that we have versus fat mass, thus changing our body composition. Literally, exercise increases our lean muscle and decreases our fat mass. Second, exercise improves the shape and tone of our muscles allowing them to better support our bones. Being in shape helps us move more efficiently and helps to prevent injuries. Third, and most importantly for weight loss as the primary goal, exercise alters our body chemistry in a favorable way so that our body systems just plain work better. Engaging in exercise, especially aerobic exercise, which is exercise done in the presence of oxygen, in our own target heart rate, increases our muscle metabolism and increases our fat burning, too.
Dieting, which the majority of people seem to choose, no matter how disguised, does not do any of these things. In fact, the very start of a diet, or any deprivation of food or a food group, or number of calories, only signals to the body that it needs to protect itself, and so it goes into a state or mood in which it "holds" onto its weight, for fear of loss. Mentally, if people are on a diet, they're thinking that everything will be all right when they go off their diet, and this is a concrete, closed answer to the weight problem. Instead, changing our overall diet, going on a diet, is one reason why diets don't work. Diets are a temporary situation done for a short amount of time, not a life-style change as exercise is. Furthermore, diets do nothing for our muscle tone or shape, nor do they focus on activity, but rather food.
Exercise Programs and Equipment That Work
For many who already know they should be exercising but lack the time to fit it into their busy schedules, and for those who are already exercising but may have fallen off the wagon here or there, there is hope. In the last 40 years, the fitness industry has grown in leaps and bounds, with personal training becoming one of the most popular ways people choose. There are also many digital monitors, and programs on cell phones, tablets, and computers. has also been an introduction to more efficient ways to work out. There are some high-tech devices that actually minimize your workouts, and get your exercise and weight management programs down to the minimum amount of time needed.
For starters, there are heart rate monitors, which help you to keep track of how hard you're working out and keep you in the training zone in which you want to be. Personally, I recommend the Polar Brand, as I only had to change the battery one time in three years, and it has never malfunctioned yet. Some Polar models allow you to store your workout information, count calories burned, and record all of your information later!
In addition to the heart rate monitors, there are other devices that help you to count calories, such as the Caltrac, used in the Fitness by Phone" Coaching Program that I offer. This activity monitor, programmed to your body, counts calories as you burn them. It also has the capacity to store calories that you consume if you are interested in doing so.
For those walkers who want to know how many steps or strides they're doing, there are pedometers. Or you can also just get in your car one day and drive different routes to see the miles that you're accomplishing.
In the bookstores and app stores, there are fitness logs, food journals, and diaries galore to help you monitor whatever you want to monitor.
If you are the self-disciplined type, and you can keep yourself on track forever, without becoming demotivated, then it is possible. Coupling the knowledge and devices about fitness, you will go places.
There always seems to be one thing, however, that we haven't bottled yet, nor can we find a cure for it, and that is accountability. Even the most disciplined and professional athletes retain or require a coach to help them over the rough times, and the times when they probably just plain feel like quitting. For those individuals who know that they will succeed but need an extra boost from time to time, there are the life coaches, and now there is even the ``Fitness by Phone" coach.
Thus, armed with the knowledge, and some help either electronically or in person, there really is no reason why we should have 78% of the population of the richest country in the free world either overweight or slowly approaching obesity. If you are one of the lucky persons who have figured out your exercise solution for your busy life-style, please share it with a friend, and start to be more of the solution to the larger problem that we face as Americans.
If you would like more information about any of the equipment or programs mentioned in this column, you can email me at katie at katkoaching dot com.