Weight loss with Intensity

Have you been trying to lose weight by exercising and not making any progress?

You may need to take this tip easy at first, but (pending your physician’s approval and your own common sense) I suggest that you start doing a series of short and intense workouts.

The problem with your everyday mild aerobic workouts is that you’re not tapping into the massive reserves that your body possesses.
One of the ways you can tell you are not tapping into your massive reserves is that you are not exhausting yourself enough.

You’ve heard the saying, “If you don’t use it you lose it.” However, Were not talking about your extra weight.
If you don’t use fat it stays. What we are talking about is your lean muscle mass.
If you don’t use that you will lose it.

With Bob Wheat, working out 5-6 days a week on the Navy base in the early 1980's, San Diego, CA

Intensity with Bob Wheat in the early 1980’s. I’m taking the photo.

Burning with Tabata

In the lean muscle mass are a bunch of little critters called mitochondria, an energy producing dynamo, a bacteria in its former life before it combined with a human tissue cell. Lean muscle cells with high power output can have several mitochondria per cell. They convert glucose to energy. Oxygen is a key part of the conversion.

So you can see, if you are essentially starving your body of oxygen by exercising intensely, you are also burning glucose like crazy. And if you make a regular routine of burning the extra glucose, the fat reserve will start being used to address your need, assuming you are not pounding down a high simple carb or sugary diet.

The way to do this intense workout without burdening your free time is to do what is also known as a “Tabata”, an exercise system designed by a Japanese researcher Dr. Izumi Tabata.

The way I was instructed by Jeanette Birnbach, DC. is you do a series of 8 quick routines, 20 seconds activity and 10 seconds rest.

The intention of this 4-minute workout is to be completely wiped out, struggling for air, like you tried running a 4 minute mile.

Chronic Pain as a Roadblock

The actions you choose should involve your whole body and be done as intensely as possible. If you have weak or painful joints, however, you will likely self-adjust or limit your movements accommodate them until they can handle the extra stress.

Since I often work with physically challenged patients, it’s can be a challenge for them to mimic most of the athletic people you see doing their version of tabata on an internet video. I use Acupuncture treatment and Chinese Medicine massage therapy to help restore range of motion and reduce pain of problem joints and muscles. At the same time, to perform the exercises, a reduction of range of motion and keeping within the patient’s “comfort” zone is necessary. An anti-imflammation diet and lifestyle work synergetic ally with a workout routine.

Workout Customization

The beauty of this, is that you can tailor your own set of movements, but best to use movements that involve both arms and legs. Mountain Climbers (burpees), jumping jacks, and variations of those are good examples. Motions and/or stances that exert both arms and legs with rapid as possible movements. Even if you are not just focusing on your waistline, eventually the exertions of your whole body will begin to reduce the fatty mass around your midline.

Once you graduate the basic level and get you motions down without killing your joints, you can incorporate some mild weights and that will stimulate more building of lean muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat, therefore building muscle will counter the loss of weight, however, you will burn more fat. Remember, more lean muscle means more energy, and a better ability to burn extra calories and fat.

Exercise as part of a Detox Process

It is important in any kind of detoxification process, like this type of workout is part of, to make sure you are not constipated and you drink plenty of fluids. Moreover, before and after an intense workout, is the best time to supplement with easy to digest proteins, like a smoothie with either powders and/or easy to digest high protein food. I strongly recommend you nourish your body right after a workout, when those new and revitalizing lean muscle cells have their doors open for nourishment.

The last thing you want to do is eat a bunch of junk food and a soda. Just imagine personal trainer giving you a stern rebuke that moment before you put low-tech fuel in your supercharged dragster.

Exercise is Essential and make it Fun

One of the guys at the gym where I work out, Mike, a 400-meter specialist who is built like a brick house, mentioned that it is the consensus amount athletes that nutrition without the exercise gives marginal results, what he actually said was “Does nothing.” People must exercise to get the optimum results from their diets and if you’ve had problems breaking through a wall in your progress of taking weight off or other health issues. Consider the benefits of adding a short intensified workout.

For you cynics out there, the reason exercising is not promoted and is not in your awareness as much as diet and nutrition, it is not easy for someone to make money off your actual exercising. You can exercise without buying anything special, unlike food and supplements, which virtually everyone needs to buy in order to use.

This routine I’ve suggested here is capable of getting you through the wall, but you’ve got to do the work. Moreover, you’ve got to make a commitment. Any program to lose weight takes a concerted 1 year effort minimum to help ensure you don’t crash backwards. If you’ve been flipping back and forth, each iteration will be harder for your to take it off and keep it off.

Make it fun, start easy, you can be creative, dance, martial art moves, and unleash your inner awesome self, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and with intensity.

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BONUS: Some folks were wondering what an 8-count Body Builder is: here’s a link to my you-tube video for an example: https://youtu.be/x9DYmpa6dNE

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