Exercising but not losing weight? Something has to give....

Ok when people talk about weight loss it really gets to me. A lot of people say they want to lose weight, I reply ‘cut of your leg this will help you lose weight. Different people call losing weight different things like cutting up or getting more defined they all share the same goal to remove excess body fat. Lets not beat around the bush, you want to lose excess body fat that is no good to anyone that hangs off various body parts and offers you nothing in return.

So how do we lose unwanted body fat?

Very simple, energy in (food) needs to be less as energy out (exercise).

If you’re exercising or running couple times a week and your not losing any weight…. Heres why,

Let take an example

Jo eat roughly 2000 calories (RDA for a women) a day and doesn’t exercise. She has stayed the same weight for a year now so we know 2000 calories is her RDA ( this can change due to your size and muscle mass). One day Jo starts to run 3 x 3 miles a week, each run she burns roughly 300 calories. So the 3 runs burns nearly an extra 1000 calories a week, simply this in turn will lead to fat loss.

After 3 months of this Jo has lost a stone in weight (fat) and is looking good, she continues to train the same as before 3 x 3 miles hoping for more weight loss. But after 1 more month she hasn’t lost any more weight….. Why is this?

One reason for this is because Jo’s body has got used to this exercise thereby reducing its effect significantly, less calories burned. Also she isn’t carrying that extra stone of fat with here making the 3 mile run easier. Here whole body is know more efficient at running and doesn’t need so much fuel to get here though 3 miles.

What to do?

You need to add to your training. You could try a faster pace, run for longer, add hill reps or body weight exercise like squats or lunges. You could also try HIIT training sessions. What every you do you need so add something that will over load the body in turn burning more calories.

How much exercise should I do?

NHS Recommended activity levels for adults

Adults should do a minimum of 30 minutes moderate-intensity physical activity, at least five days a week. Someone who's unfit or overweight may only have to walk up a slope to for a moderate-intensity work out, whereas an athlete could run quite fast up it to reach the same intensity.

Many people’s views on exercise are formed during school PE lessons while running in cold muddy playing fields in T-shirts and shorts, followed by a cold shower!

Your routine could include two to three more intense sessions, such as a sporting activity, the gym, fitness class or swimming.

Remember, the health benefits of physical activity only last as long as you remain active. “You can’t store physical activity in the bank,” says Cavill. “It has to be current and regular to provide any health benefit.”

Not enough reason to exercise? Exercise is a great stress buster. It can help you lose weight but, more importantly, it will lower your risk of developing major chronic diseases.

So get fit and stay fit!

Post exercise Stretching V's Warm up

How do you get ready for exercise?

Recommendations to stretch or not stretch change from year to year and from expert to expert. Stretching has been promoted for years as an essential part of a fitness program as a way to decrease the risk of injury, prevent soreness and improve performance. While researchers continue to look at the benefits and pitfalls of stretching, there is still limited (and conflicting) evidence to sort out these opinions.

Much of this confusion comes from a misinterpretation of research on warm up. These studies found that warming by itself has no effect on range of motion, but that when the warm up is followed by stretching there is an increase in range of motion.

Many people misinterpreted this finding to mean that stretching before exercise prevents injuries, even though the clinical research suggests otherwise. A better interpretation is that warm up prevents injury, whereas stretching has no effect on injury.

If injury prevention is the primary objective the evidence suggests that athletes should limit the stretching before exercise and increase the warm up time.

“What ever your sport, the bottom line on warming-up and stretching: what ever you do, just make sure your body is 100% ready to perform at its optimal state before the gun goes off.”

So how should we warm up?

It all depends on what your about to take part in, sport-specific movements. If your heading out on a maintenance run at a slow pace then you can start with a very slow jog and after 5 minutes complete some heels to bum, high knees side steps to warm up and get all the muscle in your legs to optimal length. However if you have been roped into a ‘Dad’s’ game of rugby then you will not only have to warm up your legs but your hole body. Think about the sport your about to take part in (rugby in this instant) and what range of movement/motion the body goes through. Sprinting, jogging, tackling, pushing and pulling, getting off the ground, getting taken to the ground! As you can see your body will be but through its paces so we need to replicate some of these moves before to prepare before whistle goes. Jogging, side stepping, press ups, sits, on and off the ground laying alternately on front or backs, sprinting jumping and changing of direction.

 Again, it’s all a matter of getting the core temperature up, and feeling loose. The muscles must be at optimal length, and ready to perform the full range of motion required for the event.

But one of the biggest benefits of stretching may be something the research can't quantify: it just feels good.