April 2004. 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!

1. 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.
   
   
2. 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.
   
   

3. 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.
   
   
4. 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.
   
   
5. 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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