July 4, 2010 Maximize results by staying fit over a longer period of time Information about running - or exercise in general - is in the news almost every day. Some sources mention that even minimal exercise is good; and others have you almost running a marathon every week. The minimal end seems to settle on trying to get 150 minutes a week of moving, and that amounts to a period of just over 20 minutes a day. That’s not much of a time frame; and some information will have you being able to break that time period into workable segments of 10 minutes twice or three times a day. The key to trying to understand the wide variety of time depends on what benefits the person wants from starting or continuing an exercise program. Even a minimal amount of exercise has benefits for most individuals. This can be of some benefit for better alertness during the day; it may even slow the heart rate down a few beats if the exercise is strenuous enough, or increase muscle strength and endurance a little if there is a resistance involved in the exercise program. Resistance can be from weights, pushing down on a bike pedal, or even walking very briskly to make those leg muscles work harder. If you step up the minutes during the week, these benefits increase, and results will be easier to see after a period of time. If you double the minutes up to 40 minutes a day, it is easier to maintain the fitness level you have at present; and if you increase the intensity of the exercise a few days during the week, more improvement will be seen. Exercise is good for a lot of things; but if you want to do it to lose weight, things get a little tougher. There are examples of a couple going on an exercise program; and it seems like the man finds it much easier to lose weight than the woman. The explanation is that the man has more muscle mass and therefore burns more calories, even though both are doing the same amount of exercise. The same can be said for the difference between a fit person and a sedentary person. The fit person is generally not overweight, while the sedentary person can stand to lose a few pounds. The fit person finds it very easy to lose that two or three pounds each week without much trouble. The sedentary person tries to exercise, but the weight does not seem to fall off. That is often the reason many overweight or obese people discontinue a fitness program, because their goal was to lose weight; and they seem to forget all of the other benefits exercise is doing for them. For exercise to be the one source of losing weight, an overweight person has to really take in some serious effort, and increase that time frame to 420 minutes a week. The 420 minutes or more per week averages out to an hour a day, every day of the week. For many, that is a big commitment out of an individual’s day; and then the problem becomes where they will find that hour in a busy schedule. Exercise alone is a difficult way to lose weight unless there is also a change in the diet portion of your habits. Not eating, or skipping a meal, is not a good solution as much as being more selective in the kind of food you eat, and maybe eating off of a smaller plate that will reduce the portion size. Small things can go a long way if the goal is to lose weight when you combine sound nutrition and a fitness program. One problem seems to stem from the age we live in, where everything is instantaneous and results are very rapid. People complain if their computer is too slow; communication is through texting, cell phones or e-mail where instant information can be obtained. A letter mailed through the Post Office is now called “snail mail” when an express letter is there in a day or two. When people do not see that weight disappear in a few days, their fast-paced age mind set can’t seem to understand why. But if people will remember how long it took them to get overweight, and add a few more weeks to that time, a more realistic picture will show up for the time to lose those extra pounds. Exercise has many more benefits other than weight loss; and it is never too late to start moving and making a change for a healthier life. Dr. Maurice Johnson - better known around San Marcos as “Moe” - is a professor in the Department of Health, P.E., Recreation and Dance at Texas State University - San Marcos. Moe has been a fixture in the San Marcos running community - both as a runner and race organizer - since way back when Moby Dick was a minnow. His column on running and fitness appears each Sunday in the Sports section of the San Marcos Daily Record. • Recent “Running With Moe” Columns • Home • About the Club • Current News • Club Runs • Places To Run • TX Running Clubs • Running Links • Useful Stuff Upcoming Races • Race Results • Country Roads 10K & Kids Run • ARA-Moe’s Better Half Marathon • “Running With Moe” Contact Us!