Everyday Exercise

It is important not to get too bogged down with worrying about which exercise burns the most fat while you are working out. It is the total number of calories you burn in just staying alive that will influence how much or how little fat you burn. Only a small percentage of the calories you burn comes from exercise, compared with the amount burned just keeping you alive.

The exercise programs set out in this book include both aerobic and anaerobic exercises in order to stimulate the fat cells into releasing more fat (see Chapter 4), to replace muscle tissue and to increase the total amount of fat calories burned throughout the day—and night. What is vital, however, is that you adapt the program to suit you. For example, when choosing your aerobic activity, it is important to find something that you like to do and are able to do for at least 20 minutes—more if possible. You may find that power walking is a comfortable yet challenging workout for you if walking at a normal pace is not enough and running is too much. When power walking, you need to take much longer strides and use your arms and upper body to help you with the momentum. You should use as many of your muscles as possible and not just your legs.

Your body does not know the difference between providing energy for vacuuming and providing energy for an aerobics class. When the muscles start to work, the brain receives messages telling it to increase the supply of oxygen. This is the responsibility of the heart, which then has to pump faster to meet the increased demands.

You can, therefore, make a considerable difference in the amount of calories you burn simply by being more active in everyday life.