I believe that any fitness or healthy weight loss program must have 3 component parts. These are:
- Aerobic exercise, or cardio. Examples are running, walking, bicycling, swimming, stationary bicycle or treadmill work – anything that promotes faster breathing and thereby heart health.
- Resistance exercise. This includes weight training with barbells or dumbbells, gym machines, dips, push ups, resistance cords, Bullworker exercises, even lifting soup cans. This promotes muscle growth and definition.
- Diet and nutrition. This would be calorie limitation, vegetarianism, veganism or other doctor – supervised programs. Proteins for cell function and regulation, carbohydrates for energy.
There may be a common perception that diet and aerobic exercise are sufficient for healthy weight loss. A study by Wake Forest University professor Kristen Beavers states that “A lot of older adults will walk as their exercise of choice”. “But this research shows that if you’re worried about losing muscle, weight training can be the better option”. “Surprisingly, we found that cardio workouts may actually cause older adults with obesity to lose more lean mass than dieting alone”.
My own view is that combining the three parts shown above is the best approach.
WHAT I DO
- For aerobic exercise, I do 30 minutes on my treadmill every morning without fail. I raise the speed every minute and burn around 225 calories. I do not use the incline feature.
- For resistance exercise, I begin with a terrific abdominal program. No equipment is needed and only 6 minutes is taken, ideally. Very intense and productive.
- I then do Bullworker and / or dumbbell work. I never work the same muscle group on 2 consecutive days, with the exception of abdominals. I am now doing push / pull, meaning I do pushing movements one day, pulling the next. I do 15-16 resistance sets every day before I get on my treadmill.
- For diet and nutrition, I simply count calories. This is not sophisticated but it works for me. I record calories for every meal and keep the total under 2,000 per day, though I have been known to binge.
My sequence is abdominals first, Bullworker / dumbbells next, treadmill last. See bullworker.com for information on these products or find them on Amazon. They are excellent. Be sure to start out with the lightest spring with Bullworker.
JOURNALIZING
I depend on daily record – keeping to stay motivated and accountable to myself. I make entries on my computer for morning weight to the tenth of a pound, blood pressure and pulse, aerobic minutes and resistance sets, as well as separate calorie totals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, other (snacks) and total. Maybe I am obsessive / compulsive. If so, it is not a tough cross to bear.
MY NEXT BLOG
Will be directed to beginners, exclusively. In the interim, please leave a comment if you would like information on my “terrific abdominal program”. It is the best I have ever discovered. It costs nothing, takes little time and IT WORKS! This will let me know about my readership.
