21 May 2011 Fitness tips from the email box
by Karl Lenser
There have been quite a few questions from a variety of 501 LIFE readers over the past few weeks, and I thought you would enjoy these fitness questions and responses.
Question: I have been exercising consistently since January and have lost a few inches around my waist and hips, but my weight has only dropped a few pounds. I am a tad frustrated that I can’t seem to lose the pounds that I would like.
Response: Congratulations on your success! What this indicates is that you are losing fat weight and still maintaining (or even gaining) lean/muscle weight. The scale just indicates your total body weight, but can’t determine body fat or muscle weight.
The fact that you are losing inches is indicative that you are losing fat weight, which is your goal. Keep exercising and focus on your caloric intake and eventually the scale will “tip in your favor.”
Question: I am really in a time crunch when it comes to exercising consistently. It is difficult to find an hour every day to exercise.
I usually meet my running buddies at 5:20 a.m. on several days of the week, and this is not always easy to do, but it is worth it at 6:20 a.m. when the run is finished. This is why having workout buddies is so important to exercise adherence. This, in addition to group exercise classes, can really help out when you don’t feel like getting out of the house.
Another big obstacle for many folks is that they think that you have to accumulate your exercise minutes in one big chunk. WRONG! You can still acquire the health benefits even if you break the sessions down into smaller amounts. For example, instead of trying to go for a 60 minute walk every day, you could take two 30-minute walks or four 15-minute walks. It all adds up!
