Since we’re focusing on moving our bodies these days, I wanted to reprint some quotes I put up in the infancy of our site…
Check what trainer Bob Greene has to say in his book Making the Connection:
For many years, were told in order to burn fat, you must exercise longer and slower. […] …that’s because lab tests show that when you exercise at lower levels, you burn a higher percentage of stored fat versus stored carbohydrates. As you increase your intensity, you begin to burn a higher percentage of stored carbohydrates. This is true.
But keep reading….
The truth is, energy is energy. It doesn’t matter what fuel source you burn during your 20 to 60 minutes of exercise. What does matter is raising your metabolism for your 20 to 60 minutes of exercise and all the hours afterward. Low intensity exercise doesn’t do much for your metabolism. But moderately high intensity exercise does. And when you increase your metabolism, you decrease your set point and your body fat.
Bob goes on to explain that working out at 70-80% of your maximum heart rate, or at a 7 or 8 on his modified scale, is the best zone for an effective workout. Here is how he describes 7 and 8.
7. This is the feeling you might get when you are exercising vigorously. There is a definite feeling of fatigue, but you are quite sure you can maintain this level for the rest of your exercise session. Your breathing is deep and you are definitely aware of it. You can carry on a conversation, but you would probably prefer not to. (unless you are Blest and will only stop talking when you are unconscious
) This is the baseline level of exercise that you will maintain in your exercise sessions.
8. This is the feeling you might get when you are exercising very vigorously. There is a very definite feeling of fatigue, and if you asked yourself if you could continue for the remainder of exercise session, you think you could, but are not 100 percent sure. You breathing is very deep, you can still carry on a conversation, but you don’t feel like it. This becomes the feeling you should experience only after you are comfortable reaching a level sevenand are ready for a more intense workout. This is the level that produces rapid results, but you must learn how to maintain it. Exercising at this level is difficult for many people.
Okay! So it’s important to remember that you need to be doing more than just plodding along dreamily while you read a magazine or plan your grocery list. You should be WORKING! If I want the same heart-pounding, sweat-dripping workouts I’ve become accustomed to, I have to pedal much faster and at a much higher resistance than I did back in the Fall. If you’re in better shape now, than you can do more!
Yes, mom.
I would like to learn more about the whole heart rate thing. I have also read that mixing up your intensity is good too. And I try to do that as well.
And I have to say that doing an hour-long work out is hard. I’ve been working into that for my Around the World Fitness Challenge and it is making me work!
Comment by Anita — January 31, 2007 @ 2:08 pm