Truth About Fat Loss For Women With Lani Muelrath » Interval Training

Confused About Cardio? My Talk With Dr. Kenneth Cooper

Lani — Sun, 16 May 2010 00:15:40 +0000

"Lani, I am doing 40 minutes of calisthenics. I take water breaks, but I break a good sweat and get winded. Doesn't that count it as cardio?" Lauren asked me in an email a few days ago.

Are you, like Lauren, confused about how to get effective aerobic exercise?

Are you wondering what the standard is for "cardio", whether you want to lose weight or just increase your energy?

No better person to ask than Dr. Kenneth Cooper.

Yes! I mean THE Dr. Kenneth Cooper.

The father of aerobics.

The one who gave birth to the national "aerobics" movement years ago, that spiraled into a national movement with everything from jogging to Jackie Sorenson, Jane Fonda, and all points in between.

Dr. Kenneth Cooper, reknowned "Father of Aerobic Exercise"

Correction. INTERNATIONAL movement.

As a matter of fact, several years ago when I went Dr. Cooper came to speak at Butte College where I am on faculty, he told us that in Mexico, jogging was being called "Coopercize".. And in Brazil, fitness fans "get their Coopers".

Now THAT is notoriety.

Since then, I've had the opportunity to travel to Dr. Coopers Aerobics Institute in Dallas, Texas.

Yet since my conversations with Dr. Cooper at that time, there's been a recent buzz in the exercise world that I know effects you and your concerns.

Your concerns about what you need to do in terms of aerobic training to keep your energy up and your weight down.

You don't have time for endless bouts of exercise, but you know the payoff solid activity brings you in energy and productivity – the real currency of any successful business.

It was for your very concerns and my desire to give you the best information possible that I picked up the phone and called Cooper Institute. On with my discoveries.

Aerobics, Cardio, What's What?

For awhile now, I've noticed increasing confusion among women who want to lose a few pounds or step up their energy with regard to what exactly constitutes cardio. Here are some typical questions:

Is "cardio" training just measured by heart rate?
How long do you need to keep the heart rate up to get good cardio training?
What counts as "cardio"! If I just get my heart pounding, can I count it?

Rather than wade through the debate with resources online, professional journals, and my more recent exercise physiology texts, I decided to go straight to the source and called the Cooper clinic in Dallas, Texas, for the full, current skinny and what the good doctor was recommending these days.

At first I spoke with his assistant. Yet within 90 seconds Dr. Ken Cooper had popped in on the line himself and told me, in a nutshell, that the thinking on "aerobics" and "cardio" has come full circle. In other words, though many things in fitness have changed, this element has stayed constant.

Do Calisthenics Count?

Just like Lauren in the opening comments, women often ask me questions about their calisthenics workouts and if they qualify as cardio.

Yes and no.

According to Dr. Cooper, there are two levels of training that we are looking at here:

1) Health and Longevity Training

2) Aerobic Training

Health and Longevity Training is defined as 30 minutes, collectively, of activity, regardless of the heart rate response. This means moving, 20 minutes 4 times a week or 30 minutes 3 times a week to provide health protective and wellness measures for – you got it, increased health and longevity.

In contrast Aerobic and Cardio Training means you must keep the heart rate elevated to between 65% and 80% of the maximum heart* for those same periods of time: 20 minutes 4 times a week, or 30 minutes 30 times a week.

The difference here, according to Dr. Cooper, is the deeper intensity with the Aerobic Training – also called Cardio – has a more dramatic impact on slowing the age response, accelerating weight loss, and is a rule of thumb preventative extra measure for disease prevention.

Dr. Cooper's Original Aerobic Points System: Still Good To Go

I asked Dr. Cooper about his Aerobic Points System from his 1982 book The Aerobics Program for Total Well-Being. I figured there must be updates and revisions.

But that's where the good doctor said, nope – it still stands and that's exactly what he meant by "full circle". He rapid-fire cited recent research supporting the standard he set years ago. And described how they are underscored in his latest book, Start Strong Finish Strong.

I've linked the Cooper Institute chart for you so that you can see how what you are doing now fits in with your energy, fitness, and fat loss goals. Each of the various qualifying activities is detailed on Dr. Cooper's Aerobic Training Point System Chart HERE. Depending on your goals, ideally you want to accumulate a specified minimum number of points depending on your goals:

1) Health and Longevity: 15 points a week

2) Aerobic Conditioning and Accelerated Weight Loss and Disease Prevention: 35 points a week

Both can be accomplished within the generalized time frame minimum of either 20 minutes 4x a week or 30 minutes 3x a week.

A quick look at Dr. Cooper's points chart shows you that this can be accomplished successfully with the increasingly popular technique of High Intensity Interval Training. With this technique you can step up the intensity and conversely reduce your time investment, though within the Cooper standards as recommended above.

So, to answer the question, "Are my calisthenics aerobic?" compare your intensity, view the chart, and note that the intensity of 65% of MHR needs to be sustained throughout your training period to qualify as "aerobic" training; otherwise you can call it "health and longevity" training. Calisthenics, in Dr. Cooper's words, have a low cardio output and you don't get the same weight loss and health protecting benefits as cardiovascular activity sustained at a higher level.

Keep in mind there is nothing wrong with "health and longevity" training as a goal! At the same time, if looking for even bigger benefits and a trimmer waistline, you should explore the higher intensity options.

P.S. I also conversed with the good Dr. Cooper regarding strength / cardio balance in training. Does he know how to cram a lot into a few quick minutes or what? Stay tuned for THAT report.

*Dr. Cooper's formula for maximum heart rate is 205- 1/2 your age

Are you plagued by extra lbs and inches that sap your energy, undermine your confidence and self-esteem, and tarnish your self-image? Abandon the fitness chaos that keeps sabotaging your success, and implement a proven step-by-step strategy to energize lose weight, shape your body, and explode your vitality. Click HERE now.

Gams, Glutes, Abs & Arms 4 Summer

Lani — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:18:05 +0000

“Just In Time to Slim, Shape, and Sculpt Your Body For The Season of Shorts, Shirts, Swimsuits…And Just Being Comfortable In Your Own Skin. Let’s Sex Things Up For Summer!”

Body sculpting with explicit instruction in my body shaping secret weapon: Fit Quickies™

Conference call workouts and guidelines to build your best body sculpting routine ever.

Lift and Shape your seat, thighs, abs, and arms.

Coordinate targeted sequences with your favorite full body workout.

Get your gams, glutes, abs and arms ready for summer!

May is my birthday month and here’s my gift to YOU: Gams, Glutes, Abs, and Arms for Summer.

I’ll not only be sharing how I personally and successfully implement Fit Quickies™ in my workout rotation, but I’ll teach 8 of them to you as well.

These deliver big time in terms of body shaping, keeping you trim, flexible and energetic. And in concert with my dietary plan, you have a winning ticket.

Click HERE for the entire scoop, and reports from students in the February Class AND to jump to Earlybird Registration (save $75)

Including, from my FitDream Files:

Top Ten Muscles to target for body sculpting – and specific exercises to do just that. If you’ve read my Special Report “The ‘Forgotten’ Body Shaping Secret That Gives You Results in the Places You Want Them”, then you’ve got a jump start on this topic; in May, you’ll learn specific exercises to target these areas.

Research-proven, most effective exercises for glutes and hamstrings. Learn my customized combination for lifting the seat, sculpting beautiful hamstrings, and creating beautiful shape through that tough-to-target zone, the “bu-thigh”.

Research-proven, most effective exercises for the abdominals. My customized combination for taking the melt off the belt and cinching in with your natural-girdles, the obliques.

Topless Muffins: my secret weapon for taking the top off the back of the muffin. I do this move several times a week to lift the seat, make that cute little dent in the side of the seat, and create a flow from the back into the seat. It’s fun, effective, and it feels good, too. I promise you’ll likey!

More 7 Seconds to a Flat belly: advanced variations on this move to target that place below the belt.

Inner thighs: squeeze and tease, chair squeeze, and thigh mistress – it’s a favorite triple play for tightening up this tough-to-target area. I make it simple.

Triceps: Take the “never ending wave” out of YOURS with my triceps challenging sequence. They’re tough, but they don’t take much time and they get the job done. Isn’t that what we’re looking for?

Dietary Plan: what I do and tips to get your summer skinny on.

Join us!

Click HERE for the entire scoop, and reports from students in the February Class AND to jump to Earlybird Registration (save $75)

The Anti-inflammatory Effects of High Intensity Exercise: More Reasons To Go For The Burn

Lani — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:58:31 +0000

Chronic inflammation spells bad news for our health, plain and simple.

And though inflammation is a natural and necessary way that the body stimulates healing, when inflammation becomes continuous and chronic, it becomes damaging. The most common causes of inflammation in the body are physical inactivity and diet.

And until recently, high-intensity exercise has been considered a factor in inflammation as well.

However, new information tells us we've only been seeing a part of the picture. This is good news!

Microscopic view of cell inflammation

Exercise scores again: a new look at the evidence

For some time, high intensity exercise has been seen as a source of inflammation to the body. By high intensity, we're talking something that pushes the muscle to perform and makes you reach deep to build new muscle: interval training, intense resistance training, long distance running.

The kind of training that you know from the burn you feel in the muscle that the muscle is breaking down a little bit.

Yes, this natural response is inflammation at the muscle as the body scrambles to repair and build new muscle (see Taking the mystery out of how muscles are made).

However, that's just a piece of the puzzle.

This "pro-inflammatory" view has also been adopted also due to the detection of the release in the body of myokines, a type of cytokine, as a response to muscle contraction. And cytokines are seen as pro-inflammatory markers. One cytokine that has been correlated with high intensity muscle demand is one known as IL-6.

But hang on a minute. This IL-6 release in response to intense exercise is evidently not the whole story.

Though the release of cytokines as been lumped together as pro-inflammatory when detected in the system, evidently it makes a difference what the cause of the cytokines release happens to be.

Are you still with me here? Let's take a closer look.

Whenever we move, our bodies release signaling molecules that communicate to the rest of the body. Muscle, like fat, has been proven to have endocrine properties. When it comes to muscle, myokines are released in response to voluntary contraction of the muscle.

These myokines give instructions to the body about how to function, and they hold the key to controlling chronic inflammation. The most important myokine related to muscle and inflammation is Interleukin-6 (IL-6). When muscle contracts, IL-6 is released. (4)

The myokine IL-6 has previously been linked with a pro-inflammatory response in the body. It was thus concluded that intense muscle workload, stimulating the release of IL-6, was inflammation inducing.

But as it turns out, intense exercise is good anti-inflammatory medicine. What we're finding out is that when IL-6 is released during intense muscle workload, it is unique in that as part of this response, major anti-inflammatory inhibitors are released as well.

Thus, seeing the complete picture (anti-inflammatory cascade) rather than part of the picture (IL-6 release) makes a huge difference in how we can classify the effects of intense exercise.

IL-6 is a well-known cytokine and has long been thought to be inflammatory in nature as part of what is known as the inflammatory triad: TNF-alpha, IL-1, and IL-6. However, like people, IL-6 seems to behave differently depending on its origin, amount, and other cytokines around with it. When released from muscle, and in high concentrations without TNF-alpha and IL-1, IL-6 is anti-inflammatory. In fact, IL-6 acts to reduce the amount of TNF-alpha and IL-1 in circulation by increasing the cytokine inhibitors IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-lra) and soluble TNF receptors (sTNFR). IL-lra antagonizes the IL-1 receptor, decreasing IL-1 effects, while sTNFR binds up TNF-alpha before it can react at its target cells. At the same time, IL-6 triggers the release of the major anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10.

Properly performed exercise releases signaling molecules that stimulate a unique healing response that couples both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mechanisms to repair, regenerate, and grow stronger tissue. Unlike drugs, which have single targets and ignore the web-like interactions in the body, exercise works with the body's innate intelligence to produce broadly beneficial effects that improve whole-body function. High-intensity, short-duration movement that is tailored to the individual, uses short rest periods… may be the chief means of attaining anti-inflammatory effects from exercise. (4)

Background

Increasing evidence demonstrates that persistent, low-grade inflammation is a predictor of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Not only that, but experimental evidence shows that markers of chronic inflammation, such as the proinflammatory cytokine [interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-)] and the acute-phase reactant C-reactive protein (CRP) play a direct role in the atherosclerosis and insulin resistance.

More about IL-6

Initially, IL-6 was thought to be a pro-inflammatory cytokine but recent results have suggested that IL-6 has an inflammation-controlling role and is important to the return to homeostasis after an inflammatory challenge….Interestingly, recent findings have shown that strenuous exercise is also a powerful inducer of elevated concentrations of IL-6 in plasma

The finding intwo longitudinal studies that regular training induces a reductionin CRP level suggests that physical activity as suchmay suppress systemic low-grade inflammation.

Exercise and Inflammation

The health benefits of exercise are far – reaching: disease prevention, improved immunity, stress reduction, and improvements in sleep, mood, coordination, flexibility, bone density and insulin regulation. Yet exercise that challenges the muscle also causes tissue damage, which causes an inflammatory response as the body's resources scramble to repair and build the damaged area. At the same time, though tissue damage turns on inflammation, inflammation also promotes necessary growth and renewal, which is a positive effect. It is, in fact, the only way to build muscle.

Making more muscle cells via regular exercise is good for you in a lot of ways. In each new muscle cell, there is an increase in the size and number of mitochondria, the "powerhouse" components of the cells that provide energy. And trained muscle cells become more efficient in their uptake and use of fats and oxygen from the blood.

Exercise also increases the proportion of energy derived from fat and lowers lactic acid production as they develop endurance.

Acute exercise

In conclusion, regular exercise protects against diseases associatedwith chronic low-grade systemic inflammation. This long-termeffect of exercise may be ascribed to the anti-inflammatoryresponse elicited by an acute bout of exercise, which is partlymediated by muscle-derived IL-6.

Physiological concentrationsof IL-6 stimulate the appearance in the circulation of the anti-inflammatorycytokines IL-1ra and IL-10 and inhibit the production of theproinflammatory cytokine TNF-. Moreover, IL-6 stimulates lipolysisas well as fat oxidation. The anti-inflammatory effects of exercisemay offer protection against TNF-induced insulin resistance.Recently, our group proposed that IL-6 and other cytokines,which are produced and released by skeletal muscles, exertingtheir effects in other organs of the body, should be named myokines. Here we suggest that myokines may be involved in mediatingthe health-beneficial effects of exercise and play importantroles in the protection against diseases associated with low-gradeinflammation. (3)

In English?

Several studies conclude that the levels of IL-6 ideal for the anti-inflammatory response are best stimulated by exercise intensity. Intensity that allow for periods of recovery within the session, such as interval training. Positive correlations have also been found between glycogen exhaustion of targeted muscles as a stimulus for the IL-6 anti-inflammatory cascade.

In other words, the kind of exercise that uses short bursts of all-out effort that significantly alters muscle and dips into liver glycogen stores. Such as when you dig deep into your reserves to work a muscle to its limit, pause to recover, then target another muscle or group of muscles. Or when you do supersets, alternating muscle and muscle group activity.

This ushers coveted muscle workload interval workouts into the anti-inflammatory winners circle: Interval training, Fit Quickies circuits, Supersets, and Bar Method.

There are other reasons that this type of activity is of benefit. Short intense bursts of exercise also stimulate growth factors – factors that offset chronic inflammation. This is also the type of exercise that:

…creates a hormonal environment that produces sustained fat-burning as well as muscle growth. The amount of glycogen reduction is directly correlated to IL-6 release, and high-intensity exercise is shown to increase IL-6 and catecholamines together. Catecholamines have their own independent effect in lowering TNF alpha and IL-1, synergistically enhancing IL-6. Combining these known effects with techniques that can deliver the same benefit in less time presents the opportunity to supply these anti-inflammatory effects in short time periods.

Related studies conclude that any exercise, irrespective of the intensity and the individual's cardiovascular fitness, will elicit an acute anti-inflammatory response. (5)

Obviously, more data on the effects of different modes and intensities of exercise on inflammation is in demand.

But if you have been concerned that the localized inflammation of muscle that occurs when challenging it to change via resistance, apparently you can rest assured that this inflammatory response is not only necessary for muscle to grow, but a stronger anti-inflammatory response comes along with it, hand in glove. Previous limited views of the IL-6 factor have been preempted by this discovery only recently.

There's more! Exercise induced IL-6 has multiple other positive effects on cortisol, adipose tissue, and insulin resistance. The door has just been opened on this one.

There are several forms of exercise that by their nature perhaps have diminished IL-6 factor response in the first place, yet by their very nature of moving the body are powerful anti-inflammatory tools.

But as now know, the anti-inflammatory exercise window is bigger than we thought.

Note: In patients with a chronic inflammatory disease, both acute and chronic exercise might elicit different inflammatory responses (i.e., exaggerated after acute exercise & attenuated after training) compared to healthy matched controls. However, the results reveal a major gap in our knowledge regarding the effects of acute and chronic exercise on inflammatory markers in patients with a chronic inflammatory disease. Results are often inconsistent, and differences in training programs (intensity, frequency and duration), heterogeneity of disease populations studied, and analytic methods may be just some of the causes for these discrepancies. To optimize exercise prescriptions and recommendations for patients with a chronic inflammatory disease, more research is needed to define the nature of physical activity that confers health benefits without exacerbating underlying inflammatory stress associated with disease pathology. (7)

Are you looking for expert guidance, coaching and training with your fitness, body shaping and weight loss goals? Join Lani's FitDream Fusion Inner Circle Club, or Contact Lani for private phone consultations, personal training, and web cam training - right from her home studio. And check out the latest body shaping boost: Lani's Fit Quickies.

Resources:

1) Ostrowski, et al. "Physical activity and plasma IL-6–effect of intensity of exercise". European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2000;83:512-515.

2) Pederson, et al. "Searching for the exercise factor: Is IL-6 a candidate?" Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility. 2003;24:113-119.

3) J Appl Physiol 98: 1154-1162, 2005; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00164.2004 8750-7587/05

4) Jade Teta ND, LAc, CSCS "Exercise is medicine: the anti-inflammatory effects of high intensity exercise"

5) Fletcher, Emma; Betts, Jeffery J.; Harrison, Michael; Moyna, Niall M. FACSM; O'Connor, Paul; Visich, Paul S. Effect Of "Exercise Intensity On Pro-and Anti-inflammatory Cytokines In Trained And Untrained Men": 743: May 28 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM

6) PubMed: Epidemiology. 2002 Sep;13(5):561-8.

(7) Ploeger HE, Takken T, de Greef MH, Timmons BW. Exerc Immunol Rev. 2009;15:6-41.
"The effects of acute and chronic exercise on inflammatory markers in children and adults with a chronic inflammatory disease: a systematic review."

6 ways to break a weight loss plateau

Lani — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:58:22 +0000

Ah, the dreaded weight loss plateau.

Actually, you should embrace the plateau for many reasons. But that's the topic for another day.

For now, we'll concern ourselves with breaking a weight loss plateau.

Has this happened to you?

You've been puttering along with your usual dietary plan and fitness routine. Then progress seems to slow, then seemingly halt. You feel like you are at a standstill. You've hit a weight loss plateau.

The shape won't shift, the pudge won't budge. Now what?

Ally's story

Ally wrote to me 3 weeks ago with this same dilemma.

She was 5 lbs away from achieving her 20 lb weight loss, 2 sizes down body shaping goals. She'd been "stuck" there for the last month.

First, I assured Ally that plateaus are a natural part of the adaptive process of the body. It can decide its own pace of change at times. Sure, that can seem most inconvenient to us. Yet our body has its wisdom. As I often say, our bodies do everything for a reason. Even with the weight loss plateau.

At the same time, if the situation persists, it may be time to take a closer look and shake things up to get them moving again. This is what I suggested to Ally. She implemented a few of my suggestions and now, 3 weeks later, her weight loss plateau has broken and she is down another 1 1/2 pounds.

Time to budge your plateau? Then it's time to exceed your reach!

Actually, this is just like it is with life. What do you do in life when you have stalled, lack of creative energy, and a slip from your ideals? You exceed your previous reach.

Reach past what you've done before.

For actually, when you are not reaching beyond your comfort zone and presenting yourself with continuing challenge, whether in fitness or in life – you are slipping backwards.

It's called a "stretch". You can do the same with a weight loss plateau.

Focus on six areas of improvement and change

If you find your fitness stalled at weight loss plateau, there are several avenues you can take to get things going again. All you need to do is shake things up. Disturb the status quo. Make your body sit up and pay attention.

1) Vary the speed: if you are walking, or biking, hiking, or swimming as part of your fitness rotation, pick a couple of your sessions during the week and pick up the speed a little. Keep safety in mind and focus on correct alignment, and you will present a new challenge to the body to which is necessarily must adapt.

2) Amp up the strength challenge: are you doing any kind of resistance training as part of your weight loss or fitness program? If not, you should be. And if you are, now may be the time to increase the strength challenge. That doesn't mean you have to lift more weight, necessarily. Strength challenge can be increased by cadence. You slow it down, you can keep the use of lighter weights and changes in strength and shape will follow. Either way.

3) Add more time to your workouts: Are you used to pooping out at about the same time every session, week after week? Your body may be just used to it, like getting restless after 27 minutes of programming because the TV show ends at the half hour. Catch your body by surprise by adding a little more length to a couple of your workouts during the week.

4) Vary the intensity of your workouts: This is a big one for mixing things up. Research has shown that building intervals into your training – with the use of interval training in whatever type of workout you do – is a powerful way to increase strength, endurance, and fat loss.

5) Shake up the balance: Maybe you need MORE time stretching and less time lifting weights? More comprehensive, multi-joint exercise, as in the T-Tapp Wellness Workout? An increase in targeting body sculpting, such as the Bar Method? Sometimes playing with the balance makes your body scramble and step up to the challenge, resulting in visible results in your physique.

You can't out train a bad diet

6) Last but not least: improve your nutrition. Take an honest look.

How many times in the past 2 weeks have you had dessert? Keep in mind that includes pastries, energy bars that masquerade as cookies, cakes that masquerade as muffins. You get the idea.

How much fatty or oil-based dressing are you really putting on your salad? 1/4 cup of bleu cheese adds up to a whopping 30 plus grams of fat and 320 calories.

The easiest way to improve your diet is to eat more vegetable, whole grains, and fruits and reduce fat, oils, and the foods that contain them in your diet. You can eat a lot more, get a lot more fiber, have improved satiety, and encourage fat loss.

Pick 1, 2, or more of these areas for putting a new "stretch" into your weight loss and fitness routines and see if you, like Ally, start to see yourself pull out of the weight loss plateau station and move forward on your weight loss and body sculpting goals.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment, subscribing to email notification or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

My summer shape plan. What's yours?

Lani — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:21:09 +0000

Work out for that Wonderwoman feeling

With 3 weeks out of the last 7 being on travel adventure of one form or another, my usual fitness routine has been a mix of eclectic alternatives.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.

Central to my fitness dream is to have an exercise and eating lifestyle that WORKS no matter what kind of wild and woolly adventure I'm on.

So that I can have heaps of fun, eat freely, without any of the ravages of OCD (that's obsessive compulsive dieting, in the event you don't know) from the old days.

Happy to say it all went splendidly this time as well. Starting with our Oaxaca trekking followed closely by scuba adventure in the Dutch Antilles, I returned right in the weight range per usual. Eating foods I enjoy, and staying active, yes.

But without the structured workouts.

Or fretting about every morsel on my plate.

I enjoy theses forays from the usual workout routine for many reasons.

1) It gives a great mental break

2) It gives the body a chance to regroup.

3) When I return, I'm refreshed and motivated to get back to that good feeling that comes from a workout well done.

You know, where the muscles have been worked to the max and you feel like Superwoman?

Sure, I was plenty active on our travels. Mostly walking, hiking, and schlepping scuba tanks. For now, I"ll keep up the walking and re-up on targeting muscle work and overall conditioning.

Targeted muscle work cinches in the muscles and gives you the girdle effect from nose to knees. I love the feeling.

My Summer Super-Shaper Plan

First, I swear on a stack of legwarmers (I hear they're back in) that I can get all the "workout" I need to stay in primo shape in under four hours a week.

Not including my walk time, which is more like an amble to the lake. That's just fun time. Daily.

Plus, I like to keep it simple. Like this:

Workout Plan:

2x/week: T-Tapp Total Workout variations

2x/week: Bar Method – for the dancer and leg woman in me – under an hour each, including extended stretching, which is one reason I like it so much PLUS I have made it a goal to specifically include more stretching so 2 mints in one.

2x/week: extra strength training – for upper body coupled with a splash of high intensity interval training

Dietary Plan:

Easy. Mountains of veggies and fruits with whole grains and breads, nuts and seeds, with room for red wine and chocolate to sweeten the deal.

Mini-fasts: intermittent mini-fasting (IMF) is less doable for me on the road; usually I can manage 1 day every couple of weeks or so. I miss the many joys of IMF and starting back in with my 2x -a -week schedule for now. Eat Stop Eat is my favorite and recommended approach to this.

Results of my exercise and dietary plan?

Been home with this plan in place for a week and did a quick meaure this morning. Notes: down a shave in hips and stomach and feeling tightened up again already.

What's YOUR summer shape-up plan?

Take a stand and tell about it in comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment, subscribing to email notification or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader

"Ask Lani" Outtakes

Lani Muelrath — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:42:49 +0000

Wanna gain muscle, lose fat, and feel vital in body, mind and spirit?

There are conversations all over the place about these very things here at thetruthabout…. and if you haven't been able to take a peek or listen in on "comments" before, here are a few outtakes as a sampler.

It's a fantastic opportunity to listen in, learn from the questions of others (I always do!) and see what others are thinking -and saying.

FYI, as you may know, all blog posts here have the option for "comments" from readers. That's where these came from! It's an invitation for you to join in, too.

Lots more where these came from, I just thought I'd pick a few "outtakes" from the comments on 3 blog posts for everyone to enjoy!

1) Questions in response to "Interval Training: A Favorite For Fat Loss"

Hi Lani,

I had a question about Interval Training. I already have "muscley" legs to begin with andI don't want to gain any more muscle in my legs, I just want to lose fat. What should I do?

Thanks,
Erika

Hi Erika,

Interval training (IT) is not a specific for building muscle bulk: it is a high intensity cardiovascular training technique that has a high energy demand with a great return on excessive post-exercise oxygen consumption (see my recent articles on EPOC). This in turn stimulates and extended calorie "burn" which works in your favor when it comes to creating a negative energy balance that will dip into your fat stores.

So, though IT is a muscle-challenging device and will create some nice shape, it is not a "bulking" technique.

As a side note, you don't need to worry about building up excess bulk in your legs as a woman, and if you are quite lean and this is a problem, then it is not hard to tweak your training to avoid this affect.

Thanks so much for coming in to comment and I hope this helps!

Lani

Thanks Lani,

This really helped. I was doing TT training [Turbulence Training] and just wondering if it would add bulk to my legs, I'm glad it doesn't. What about T Tapp? Would that replace the weight lifting part of my program in order to just maintain muscle mass rather than bulk? Thanks so much! I appreciate your response!

Thanks again,
Erika

Hi Erika,

Knowing what your goals are is important when you decide upon the best training regimen for yourself. Are you looking for minimal workout time with maximum results? Are you looking for primo shaping? Bodyfat reduction?

Remember, it is tough for women to "bulk up" in muscle without artificial enhancement. It doesn't just happen accidentally or without major effort and attention to serious training! I find that what many women fear as "bulk" is actually due to the bodyfat that is covering some lovely well-shaped muscle.

T-Tapp provides some excellent muscle shaping and strengthening. You can combine weights with T-Tapp in an alternating fashion/rotation during your week for some splendid results, too.

Again, working backward from your goals is the best way to approach your training!

Lani

2) Questions in response to "It's The Calories, Honey!"

Hi Lani,

So, how do you determine the fine balance between eating enough to keep your body from thinking there isn't enough food and storing for later and getting the calorie deficit you need to lose weight?

Katherine

Hi Katherine,

Excellent question and as you can probably imagine, I've been tenacious about a search for that answer, too. After having cut TOO much and TOO little, both with dire results, I discovered information in several references that created a consistency in the answer.

A calorie reduction of not more than about 20% of current energy needs is advised, even 10%, though as exact counts can be hard to measure, 10% doens't give much wiggle room. Either – 10 – 20% – will bring about slow yet more certain fat loss, when accompanied by muscle-protecting exercise, and at the same time not hook an excessive hunger response. You are also clear of any metabolic rate reduction problems at this level, as long as you hang onto that muscle. 20% reduction does not bring about a "thinking there isn't enough food", according to the research that I have been able to find and dissect.

The 20% is over the course of the week, giving some variety for days. Great topic for another article, yes?

Thanks so much for coming by for conversation!

Lani

3) Question in Response to "Crank Up The Calorie Burn: Your Fat Loss Toolkit, EPOC Part 2"

HI Lani,

Can T-Tapp be used for this? I put my all into my Tapping sessions and am amazed that I can still find more to focus on. Lately it is hard to make through Basic plus because I am tightening and lifting, etc. more consciously and boy! Is my heart rate up and the sweat pouring. Since I've been at this many years and have the NK awareness I was hoping this would be acceptable for short high intensity workouts. BTW, I would love to have you critique a video for me sometime.

Tracey

Hi Tracey,

Absolutely your T-Tapp can create this for you. In your own description, you have incredible intensity going on with your workouts – and intensity is what you are looking for when seeking to hook the EPOC advantage.

How long are your workouts usually – those where you feel the most intensity?

Thanks for stopping in and sharing Tracey, I appreciate it!

Lani

And that's just the tip of the "comment" iceberg! Thanks to Tracey, Erika, Katherine, and everyone else who has taken the time to stop in and converse about all things health and fitness. Keep it coming! Lani

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Crank Up The Calorie Burn: Your Fat Loss Toolkit, EPOC Part 2

Lani Muelrath — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 03:56:46 +0000

Ready for Part 2?

Previously, I introduced the term EPOC on a blog post here: EPOC: Hot Ticket Item In You Fat Loss Toolkit?.

Quick snapshot? EPOC stands for "excess post-exercise oxygen consumption". This is the sustained oxygen consumption that takes place after exercise.

I promised to get back to you and take a closer look at details of some of the research on EPOC. That way you can strategize to take advantage of this phenomenon in your own training.

International Journal of Obesity: A Report of Two Studies

Two studies were conducted to assess the potential of an increase in exercise intensity to alter energy expenditure, lipid metabolism (fatty acids, triglycerides, etc.) , and body fatness under conditions mimicking real life.

Specifically, the experimental protocol was designed to determine how high-intensity exercise might effect post-exercise and post-prandial (post meal) energy and lipid metabolism. To simplify, the 352 subjects were measured for post-exercise energy expenditure via measures of oxygen consumption.

[Reference: M Yoshioka et. al. Impact of high-intensity exercise on energy expenditure, lipid oxidation and body fatness. Intl. Journal of Obesity. (2001) V 25 N 3].

The Findings

The results of these studies point right in the direction of the value of increased exercise intensity in terms of the effect it has on:

1) Increased energy expenditure following the exercise. This is compared to lower intensity exercise that may even have been a session that utilized more energy DURING it's duration! We're talking influences on metabolic rate here.

In other words, comparing a longer, lower intensity session that burned more calories during execution than a shorter, more intense workout, the short intense workout had a greater energy demand over the course of the hours following the exercise sessions.

This means a negative energy balance, a critical consideration when seeking to reduce bodyfat stores.

2) Leaner body composition is highly correlated with an exercise schedule that includes regular highintensity workouts.

This means that those who have some high intensity sessions in their schedule tend to be leaner, with less subcutaneous fat as well.

… also consistent with results from our most recent clinical trial that demonstrated that reduced-obese individuals who adhered to a rather high-intensity prescription were able to maintain their body weight and even accentuate fat loss.…results from our group which demonstrated that a 15-week high-intensity intermittent training protocol induced a significantly greater weight loss than a 20-week moderate intensity continuous exercise program of almost twice the energy cost.

Furthermore, the increase oxygen consumption observed after the high-intensity exercise session was also significantly greater than that promoted by the low-intensity exercise session.

Exercise Intensity and Adiposity

As you can see, this study revealed two important pieces of information that you can use when designing your own training program.

With a direct correlation between subjects who regularly took part in intense physical activities and a display of lower fat percentage and subcutaneous adiposity than subjects who never perform such activities, it follows that including bouts of intensity into your own exercise schedule might likewise prove beneficial.

What does "intensity" mean? In the test subjects, intensity was noted as 77% of VO2 max for the high intensity group, and 38% VO2 Max for the low intensity group. The high intensity group worked out for shorter sessions than the low intensity group, and the low intensity group exended more calories during the exercise sessions. However, and noteably, the high intensity test subjects expended more energy overall, considering the EPOC effect!

How To Take Advantage of the EPOC Effect

First, determine that your health and fitness can tolerate exercise intensity. In other words, if you haven't been very active for awhile or you have other counter-indicators in terms of exericise intensity, proceed with caution and check with your health care provider. There's my disclaimer!

But once you're in the clear, you might consider stepping up the intensity of 2 – 3 of your workout sessions during the week. Intensity can be increased by amount of resistance and/or speed. Interval Training, and high intensity resistance training are good examples of of how to build some intensity into your exercise rotation.

In other words, work hard, get a little winded, and enjoy the fact that you don't need to work out as long, just smarter!

P.S. How are YOU working intensity into your weekly routine? Pop into comments and tell me about it!

EPOC: Hot Ticket Item For Your Fat Loss Toolkit! Part 1

Lani Muelrath — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:58:31 +0000

EPOC.

I know what you're thinking: "Oh, no, another acronym!"

Well my fit friends, this is definitely one you want to know about! For it a powerful tool you want to have tucked away in your body recomposition, weight management, or fat loss arsenal.

Let me tell you a little bit more about the EPOC phenomenon and how it works to help you optimize your body composition.

What IS EPOC?

Specifically, EPOC stands for "excess post-exercise oxygen consumption". This is the sustained oxygen consumption that takes place after exercise, and is more commonly known as "oxygen debt".

We've ALL experienced oxygen debt following exertion. Ever had to stop dead in your tracks from a run or sprint to catch your breath? That's because you are thick in the throes of an oxygen debt episode, and you were forced to slow or come to a stop so that you could catch your breath. Specifically, so that your oxygen debt could be recovered.

What's Happening During EPOC?

Your body is scrambling to restore homeostasis following intense exertion! Primarily, there are six physiological events that are taking place during EPOC:

1) Normalization of heart rate and breathing

2) Decrease of body temperature to normal levels from elevated levels resulting from exertion

3) Re-oxygenation of the blood

4) Restoration of homeostasis of circulatory hormones

5) Replenishment of the body's energy resources including the biochemicals of energy production

6) Restoration of muscle glycogen

What's EPOC Got To Do With Fat Loss?

As the body is restoring itself to its pre-exercise state with EPOC, it follows that you are consuming oxygen at an elevated rate.

This also means that you are expending energy at an elevated rate. In other words, more calories burned. And we know that the truth about fat loss and weight management is, bottom line, a calorie balance issue.

How Can YOU Use The Information About EPOC?

Research has repeatedly revealed that high intensity exercise results in a steeper energy demand via the EPOC profile.

Energy demand following intense bouts of exercise stays elevated for longer periods of time and at a higher rate than occurs with exercise sessions that are longer and less intense, though their caloric demands may be similar.

In other words, shorter, more intense exercise has an overall greater caloric demand than more moderate sessions of greater duration.

Which spells less time investment (giving YOU more time!) and maximized conditions for optimizing your body composition. It is important to note that the caloric expenditure during exercise itself is not as dramatic as that which the EPOC phenomenon presents.

In EPOC Part 2, we'll take a closer look at details of some of the research on EPOC. That way you can strategize to take advantage. Stay tuned!

Interval Training: A Favorite For Fat Loss

Lani Muelrath — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:15:25 +0000

Interval Training has got to be one of my all-time favorite exercise tactics for fat loss. That means that it consistently delivers when it comes to optimizing body composition.

Let me ask you something.

What if you could find cardio exercise that:

1) challenges your cardiovascular fitness (of course!)
2) builds muscle (anabolic activity)
3) invigorates and provides stress reduction at the same time
4) can be finished in 20 minutes 2-3 times per week.

Tada, it exists! And it's right here at your fingertips and footprints. And it's been here all along, it just got buried under all the "long, s-l-o-w" cardio information we've been presented with for the last few years.

The good news is, you needn't do long, s-l-o-w to get the best benefits from cardio exercise, quite to the contrary! If you are willing to put a little more muscle and mind into the equation, you can slice your cardio time by huge chunks and come out ahead as well.

Interested? Here's more….

What Exactly IS Interval Training?

Interval Training (IT) involves changing speed or resistance – and thus intensity – within the course of a cardiovascular workout. Thus, instead of a slow, long distance – or long, slow time – within your aerobic intensity aerobic training "zone", you intersperse short, intense periods into otherwise more moderate minutes.

This approach – intermittent bouts of intensity systematically built in – works better for fat loss and muscle building than long and slow does.

Bottom line, what I best like about IT is that it aligns beautifully with my preference for "short and to the point" fitness. Bang for your buck is essential with my busy life, and IT fits the bill.

AND (there's more!) IT creates a huge afterburn effect, in terms of elevated metabolic advantage – also referred to as EPOC, or excessive post-exercise oxygen consumption. I'm talking for HOURS after the exercise itself…not to mention that which comes along with the added muscle from this type of exercise. Now THAT is what I call great ROI! (return on investment!)

Simply put, the easiest way to do interval training is to start off at a good pace for about 5 minutes. A variety of modalities can be utilized: stationary bicycle, eliptical trainer, jogging/walking, for example.

Then, you pick up the intensity and go hard and as fast for a minute and then bring it back down for a minute or two – however long it takes for you to recover enough to do it again. Then you repeat the process for a total of only 15-20 minutes, including warm up and cool down. It is advisable to start with one interval a session, then progress to two, and so on.

The intervals can feel more intense than you might imagine. Jack LaLanne refers to it as imagining "you are running for your life" -that's tough stuff! And also not for the foolhardy who may have been out of condition for a long time. Doctor's clearance is always recommended. (I always think it's funny that a doctor's clearance isn't required for laying around on the couch for years at a time! )

Another way to practice interval training is simply to keep changing your speed and intensity level every two minutes or so – go up and down – challenge yourself.

37 Minutes To Fitness Freedom

Lani Muelrath — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:28:47 +0000

Yes! Finished today's workout and the time FLEW by. I champion the short, fast, to the point workout.

There's just so doggone much to do and so I like to get my energizing, muscle-building, stress-reducing, good sleep enhancing, body shaping (can you tell I have a long list of benefits to exercise?) workouts in in record time so the rest of the day I am N-R-GIZED and all my other "activity" can be play!

37 minutes from start to finish. Supersets with 2 moves each (total of 6 moves):

Split Lunges and Pullups

Dead Lifts and Front Planks

Squats and One-Arm Rows

and 4 intervals on my air bike

Oh yes, followed by some hamstring stretches and I still got it in under the 37 minute wire!