Exercise For Weight Loss

By The Body Sculptress

Published: April 2004

RALEIGH. We hear it all the time. If you're overweight you need to exercise for weight loss. Doctors tell you, nutritionists tell you, your neighbors tell you, and now the television set tells you. But what most don't tell you is HOW to exercise for weight loss. I get calls all of the time from frustrated people who say, "I'm exercising and nothing is happening!" There is nothing more frustrating and no more vicious cycle than exercising and having nothing happen, is there? I know. I hear it all the time. I see more tears than I can count, and have held more hands than is necessary. Don't be frustrated, get smart by learning the 5 important components to exercise for weight loss!

Lift Weights. This is perhaps the single most important aspect of any exercise for weight loss program. Women begin losing muscle mass and bone density at about age 35. Body fat begins to rise and self image begins to fall. I have clients who are in their 50's who have more self-confidence and find themselves more beautiful at that age than at any other age in their lives, simply because their bodies become strong and sleek through the lifting of weights. You would have to be a dumb bell not to lift dumb bells. It's not as simple as picking up a weight and swinging it around, however. Enlisting the aid of a professional or experienced friend is important for getting started.

Hard and Fast. What most women don't realize is that intensity counts. Walkers might loss a bit of weight in the beginning of their walking program, but then they plateau. They keep walking through their neighborhoods, but their bodies don't change. The problem with this approach is that there isn't enough intensity. I wish it were easy and simple, but anyone who tells you that is lying.

Research has proven that the very best way to burn fat with exercise is to work with something called an "interval." An interval is a cycle that repeats itself -- easy and hard, easy and hard, easy and hard, over and over until your 30 to 60 minutes is over. For a walker, this might mean walking as hard and as fast as is possible and then slowing down for a minute or two to recover breath. A runner might try running as hard and as fast as she can and then going to a slow jog or a walk until breath recovers. A biker might try spinning those wheels as fast as they will go before slowing down to a slow crawl so that breath and muscle can recover. The point is that the exerciser will go as hard and as fast as possible and follow that "interval" with a recovery "interval." The time of the interval isn't as important as the intensity of it. Pushing to the max so that a window of time is necessary to catch one's breath is the important aspect of this type of exercise for weight loss.

Count Calories. UGH! I know, I know, it isn't fun to have to watch what you eat and pay attention to your food, but if weight loss is the goal, then attention to food is necessary. At 5'4" and relatively active, guess how many calories I eat on any given day to maintain 120 pounds and ~13% body fat? 1,000. Not 2,000, not 1,500, but 1,000. And that includes condiments and what I put in my coffee. 2,000 calories a day is way too much. It's no wonder why we are all fat. But every body has it's own needs, so the best thing to do is to discover where you are at currently, then begin reducing your day's calories by 500 or so. Stick with that new target until your body plateaus and then move to a new lower level if you still have some room for improvement. It's not fun, but neither is studying for exams or caring for a sick family member. You do it because it's necessary to get to the goal. Period.

Throw Out The Scale. If you are beginning to exercise for weight loss, the scale is your enemy. Some bodies lose body fat more quickly than other bodies. If yours builds muscle more quickly than it burns body fat, your scale might actually show a weight increase. I've had to counsel so many hysterical clients at this point that I firmly believe that those who begin and continue on their exercise for weight loss program should do so without a bathroom scale. Use a measuring tape instead. Then, when your body is as beautiful as you want to make it, get a scale. At that point the scale becomes your friend because you can keep yourself on track with it. Begin to weigh on the same day and time of day each week and if you see the number going up, begin exercising more and/or eating less to get yourself back to your maintenance level.

Most Days. Exercise for weight loss on most days, at least until you reach a maintenance mode. By most days I mean 4-7 days a week. Some days will be more intense than others. Some weeks will be crazier than others. Allow yourself room to get off track when family and work get in the way, but do exercise every day that you can. You'll be stronger and healthier because of it!

This basic outline will take you a long way toward your goals. If, however, you wish to have a more detailed explanation and daily 12 week program to follow, consider getting your own copy of At Home With The Body Sculptress.

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Estrogen Therapy Woes

Published: March 3, 2004 by the New York Times

Another stake has been driven into hopes that long-term hormonal treatment might provide health benefits to postmenopausal women. The National Institutes of Health halted a trial of estrogen therapy in thousands of American women this week because it increased the risk of stroke and failed to protect against heart disease, the main potential health benefit. The findings give further reason to limit hormone therapy primarily to the area where all agree it is valuable — short-term treatment to relieve acute symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and vaginal discomfort.

The latest findings contribute to the woes that have dogged hormone therapy for the past two years. Although the treatment was once touted as an anti-aging elixir to ward off chronic illness and make women feel more energetic, mentally sharper and more sexually responsive, a series of studies have questioned its presumed benefits and highlighted the risks. In July 2002, federal health officials halted a large-scale trial of a combined estrogen-progestin pill that was causing more harm than good, notably by increasing the risk of breast cancer, heart disease and strokes. Now a part of the study that used estrogen alone for women who had had hysterectomies has also been halted. This was a closer call — the dangers were fewer and expert advisers were split. But the estrogen pills clearly increased the risk of stroke and may also have increased the risk of dementia or mild cognitive impairment, undercutting the belief that the pills are good for mental alertness. The most encouraging finding was that estrogen alone, unlike the combination pills, did not increase the risk of breast cancer. That should relieve many women who have taken estrogen for years.

The hormone treatments clearly reduce the risk of hip fractures. Even so, health officials recommend that hormone therapy for hips be considered only for women at significant risk of osteoporosis who can't take alternative medications. The best advice is to use the lowest dose for the shortest time possible.

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Your Spiritual Health

As a believer, you have the power of the Holy Spirit inside you. But that power won't go to work until you put it to work!

The Holy Spirit won't just muscle in on you. He won't come in and turn down the television set and jerk you up off the couch and say, "Now you listen to me."

No, He's a gentleman. He's sent to help you to do the will of God, to strengthen you, to counsel you...but He won't do a thing until He's asked.

That's why the book of James says if you're in trouble or afflicted, pray. It's prayer that puts the power within you to work.

Just think about that. The Spirit of Almighty God. The Spirit that hovered over the face of the deep and carried out God's Word at creation, that same Spirit is inside you--waiting for you to call on Him!

If Jesus came into your house and sat down at your table, you'd put aside everything to talk to Him, wouldn't you? You wouldn't just rush through and say, "Jesus, I'm so glad to see you. I wish I had the energy to talk to You, but You wouldn't believe what kind of a day I had today. I mean, everything in the world went wrong and now I'm just too tired to do anything but lay here and watch TV. Maybe we can spend some time together later."

You wouldn't do that, would you? No! If Jesus were sitting there in your room where you could see Him, you'd fall on your face and begin to worship Him. You wouldn't care how tired you were or what kind of day you had. You'd jump at the opportunity to fellowship with Him.

The Holy Ghost is in you. He's waiting on you. He's ready any time of the day or night. He's saying, "I'm here to help you and strengthen you. I want to comfort you today. You know that problem you've been having? I want to help you get that out of your life.

The Holy Spirit has some things He wants to show you--things you've been trying to figure out on your own. He's waiting there with the power to overcome every obstacle in your life. Take time to pray. Pray in the Spirit. Pray with understanding. Pray and activate the power that worketh within you today.

Scripture Study: Ephesians 3:16-21

The Body Sculptress says, "Dear Father, I pray that each and every person who reads this message today is filled with a deep understanding of your love for them and your ability to bring them out of whatever problem they are facing. As most people who come to my site are looking for weight loss and greater self-esteem, I pray that the eyes of their understanding be open to the beauty that they already have, and that they become deeply convicted to reach out for those things that will help enable them to be stronger and more committed to their journey. Thank you for your love. I trust in your ability, and I thank you very much for answering our prayer."

The Good, Bad and Ugly - Plastic Surgery Stories

By Michele Gershberg, Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Internet can't make you beautiful, but it does cater to a host of vanities, from the search for the perfect eye shadow to the ultimate make-over, plastic surgery. A similar site, http://www.makeoversolutions.com, lets visitors play with blush tones and lipstick on a number of models' faces, as well as their own photos, to determine whether "winter" or "summer" colors suit them best.

Looking for more a radical way to fix a troublesome flaw or revive a fading youth?

An estimated 80 percent of cosmetic surgery practices have their own Web sites to advertise procedures, and a growing community of patients are sharing their experiences, and photographs, online in vivid detail.

For Wendy Kane, the Web was an indispensable source of information as she considered her first foray into cosmetic surgery -- a "lower body lift" to sculpt hips and thighs after a major weight loss.

Kane, a U.S. Air Force events planner in central Georgia, dropped nearly 150 pounds through a gastric bypass surgery after struggling with her weight for nearly 20 years. She went to the Internet to look for a cosmetic change that best suited her, and to find a reputable surgeon from the selection there.

"I did research on the Web on the different things out there for people who had a lot of weight loss," she said. "I would not have felt as comfortable had I not been able to learn more about it ahead of time."

Kane's surgeon, Dr. Richard Greco of Savannah, Georgia, said that most new patients come to his office through referrals. But Internet research is often a touchstone for discussing the kind of expectations a patient has, including using the wealth of "before-and-after" images available online.

"They have read about the procedures and they are more ready to schedule surgery -- they have made up their minds," Greco said. "It has really reduced the amount of people who call up just to get information."

Greco belongs to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), whose Web site http://www.plasticsurgery.org allows visitors to locate certified surgeons in their geographic area. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (http://www.surgery.org) offers similar advice and an extensive photo gallery of results, from nose jobs to tummy tucks.

For more information, go to Reuters.

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They Call It Meditation in Motion, but Does Tai Chi Heal Ills?

Published April 13, 2004 By MARK DERR, The New York Times

MIAMI BEACH — On a languid March evening, Jeff Morris, a lean, muscular man with a calm smile and shaved head, led a class of three men and two women with slow, fluid, continuous movements through the formalized postures of tai chi, the centuries-old Chinese Taoist martial art.

For 75 minutes, the participants focused their attention on controlling the positions of their arms, legs, torsos and spines, guiding them in concert repeatedly through their poses with varying degrees of gracefulness.

Told in 1986 that he had full-blown AIDS and just a year to live, Mr. Morris turned to tai chi, its companion discipline qigong and later a cocktail of antiviral drugs. Now, H.I.V. is virtually undetectable in his blood, and he teaches tai chi at various locations in Miami-Dade County.

Mr. Morris is not alone in attributing healing value to what is often called meditation in motion. But as with acupuncture and other non-Western healing arts, determining just how well this ancient discipline works challenges researchers.

Tai chi first gained adherents in the United States in the late 1960's. The practice is said to enhance balance, flexibility, gait, posture, digestion, concentration, memory and overall physical and mental well-being. Its proponents say it is especially beneficial for the elderly and for people with chronic medical disorders.

Tai chi's methods and purpose stand in stark contrast to more active aerobic activities, like running, cycling, swimming or even brisk walking. Eastern exercises like tai chi emphasize internal strength and energy; Western activities traditionally focus on building muscles, said Dr. Chenchen Wang, who studies the medical use of tai chi at the Tufts-New England Medical Center.

Over the past five decades, dozens of clinical studies have suggested that tai chi may benefit people with high blood pressure, heart problems, injuries, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety and depression, among other ailments.

But despite the generally favorable findings on the physiological and psychological value of tai chi, Dr. Wang said, the studies were neither conclusive nor definitive.

Dr. Wang based her conclusions on an analysis of 47 medical studies conducted in China and the United States over the past five decades.

She and two collaborators, Dr. Joseph Lau of the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston and Dr. Jean-Paul Collet of Jewish General Hospital at McGill University in Montreal, published their findings in the March 8 issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

"The promise of tai chi is great," Dr. Wang said, "but given the current state of knowledge, I wouldn't recommend to my patients to do tai chi over other exercise."

She added that more and better studies were needed to determine which of the many forms of tai chi were best for which problems, how long a patient needed to follow a program to show improvement and whether tai chi was more effective than other forms of exercise.

Dr. Wang is now preparing to publish the findings of a comprehensive study of the effectiveness of tai chi in helping people with rheumatoid arthritis improve their balance and prevent falls.

It is axiomatic that exercise is essential to good health.

Although recommendations vary somewhat among organizations and for different age groups, the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recommends for adults a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity — brisk walking, for example — at least five days a week, or a minimum of 20 minutes of vigorous exercise, like running, three or more days a week.

Dr. Deborah Rohm Young, a kinesiologist at the University of Maryland, said the question for the 80 to 85 percent of Americans who do not meet that threshold, for reasons including chronic illness, is which exercise is best — well-known aerobic activities like walking, jogging or cycling or Eastern exercises like yoga, tai chi or even the physically passive qigong, which focuses on meditation and breathing.

For more information, go to The New York Times.

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