The Couch Potato’s Guide to Exercise
Too often I focus on how to change work outs to reflect what I believe is the correct way to exercise. I have not payed any attention to those who have given up exercising or are afraid to start.
With that being said, I am going to change course and focus on simple ways to begin exercising and start taking your health into your own hands.
First, the problem...
Why are we driven away from exercise? Exercising can be a very intimidating experience. Especially when you walk into a gym packed with skinny bitches and big bulky cavemen who wear skin tight Under Armor and shorts so short their pubes poke out.
We fear that people are judging us and watching our every move. For the vast majority of people this is the number one fear of going to the gym. The truth is, nobody gives a shit what you are doing. Most gym rats are so enthralled in their own physique and routine that they wouldn't even notice if you were dry humping their leg.
And for the few assholes out their who silently judge those who are over-weight, does their opinion even matter? It is their own insecurities that drive them to judge others. He or she probably goes home, watches Laguna Beach and then proceeds to puke up their tofu salad so they can lose another 2 pounds and hopefully see the etched outline of yet another rib.
Is that the kind of life you want? No. So F@#$ them.
Being a skinny fella who goes to the gym and is outdoors often, I see heavier people working out all the time. Most people who do not live their life in a judgmental haze like me honestly think "I'm impressed they are here and not laying around feeling sorry for themselves."
Lets face it, it is easy to sit around and eat Cheetos while watching re-runs of Jersey Shore. It takes a lot of self will and determination to get up and work hard.
Starting Out
Pushing outside of our comfort zones can be very difficult, especially when it comes to exercising in public places. Some things to consider:
- Exercise is a gradual process. Even though the goal may be to run a 10K, running a mile may be difficult. Start off with walking and progressively work your way up. The body adapts to exercise. If a plan is used consistently, it is inevitable that you will improve. Frustration and self hate will creep up if you start a program or exercise that you are not physically able to perform well.
- Do not do the same exercise program as your skinny friend. Just because he or she is skinny does not mean that what they do is right for you. The fact that they are skinny could have more to do with their genes than how they exercise. Something that neither of you can control.
Also, starting a workout plan with a friend who hits the gym often is a terrible idea. They do not know what it is like to start. Plus, they will work at a faster and harder pace than you are accustomed to. I know that this is often referred to as "pushing" somebody to work harder, but far too often the result is frustration and eventually quitting*. Do you own thing, you will be glad that you did.
*It is okay to ask a friend who works out often for advice, they may know of new exercises you have never tried.
- The myth of one exercise. In our quest to lose weight we often have the false assumption that we need to pick only one form of exercise and stick to that till the end of time. Variety is the key to weight loss. Doing one exercise is boring as hell. Vary it up and find exercises that you somewhat* enjoy doing. This will increase motivation and deter redundant activity. Who honestly wants to run 5 or 6 days per week?
* Somewhat is used because lets face it, nobody actually enjoys exercising.
- You do not have to exercise everyday. If your body is sore, let it rest. I know that this is often neglected in our world of "what doesn't kill you will make you stronger" but guess what? It will. Over stressing the body can actually have a reverse affect.
-To go along with this point I would like to make clear that we should never let exercise become a form of stress. Stress is a terrible, terrible thing. Almost worse than sugar. If you have a busy day and are already stressed out because of work, school or the kids, do not let the NEED to exercise add any more stress to your life.
However for some, exercise actually relieves stress and provides an escape from the pressures of the world around us. If you are one of these people embrace it.
Starting out can be very confusing if you do not know any basic workout routines other than hopping on the treadmill or stationary bike.
Therefore, I recommend purchasing a workout DVD from a reputable instructor. These work outs can be done in the safety of your home, and provide a well planned work out routine. One DVD series that I recommend is the 30 Shred DVD series lead by Jillian Michaels.
Although I do not like her as a person and personally think she looks like a man, her videos are awesome for those first starting out. They are formatted into levels. This allows users to build a solid foundation and then gives them the ability to work up from there. She mixes in calisthenics and weight training to provide a 30 minute workout that will kick you in the ass.*
* My mother does this exact DVD a few times a week. She conned me into partaking in the festivities with her on Christmas Day. It is actually pretty demanding. My mom was a "life long" runner until I convinced her to give it up and try weight training. She is now the thinnest she has been in years (with no drastic changes to her diet).
Also, another great aspect of workout videos is that you can do them at your own pace without feeling the pressures that come with public group exercise. If a certain exercise is too hard, simply sit it out until it changes. Do not make this a common occurrence.
The Biggest Loser
Many of you may recognize Jillian Michaels as being a trainer on the Biggest Loser TV show. She helps people lose insane amounts of weight in short periods of time. What may come as a shock to her fans, Jillian is not the worlds best trainer. There is a reason as to why these people lose so much weight.
Within our genetic code, barring any outside environmental factors, we have a set size that we are "supposed" to be. In the case of the participants on the Biggest Loser, they are so far away from their genetically predetermined size that their bodies will react to any exercise or food withdrawal with much more vigor than a slimmer person.
Why? Because our bodies want to lose weight. We don't want to carry around extra poundage. Which is why many heavier individuals are able to lose weight solely by exercising. Initially this will help immensely, but it will not last. Adjustments must be made to the diet if long term change is to occur.
ONE last recommendation. If you are on the heavier side, never, ever go to group exercise! Dear god this is the equivalent of walking into a room full of wolves who haven't eaten in a week. Group exercise class will tear down your self esteem and suck the very sole from your being.
The halter top and spandex wearing participants will only have negative impacts on your self confidence. Panting like a pack mule and sweating like Gilbert Brown in a sauna, especially in front of 20 people is not my ideal exercise situation.
Plus, the amount of self confidence that radiates from these rooms is enough to make Brad Pitt squirm. I will admit that I have participated in these programs once-upon-a-time. I am not ashamed to say that I used to regularly attend yoga-lates class (a mix between yoga and palates) . And it was not to become more flexible 
(it was to meet the ladies, if you didn't get it the first time)
A Contrary View to Group Exercise
A close friend has a different view on group exercise than I. She brings up some valid points that need to be mentioned: "I would not tell people not to join classes, because those are often something they can go with a friend to if a person is embarrassed to workout by themselves. Those may be the best place to start if you don’t know what you are doing, and the instructors are great motivators. Also it allows for variety in workout, they have some very fun classes!"
Do so at your own peril.
Personal Note
One very important idea that I really want people to take away from this article is never rely solely on one form of exercise. Variety is key, especially if you do not know what kind of exercising you enjoy.
This needs to be said because so many people classify themselves as "I'm a runner" or "I'm a biker." Well I am a realist and I say variety is a must for new exercisers.This being said, do not forget about weight training as most people tend to do.
Don't worry about getting bulky, becoming bulky takes lots of time, steroids and protein. We won't get bulky unless we truly want to.
If you are confused as to how hard a workout should be, here are a few things to note:
- If you are sweating than your body is heating up and working hard. Sweat is a very good thing.
- Heavy breathing. If you are not breathing heavily then you are not working out hard enough. Our bodies adapt to the stresses that we put upon them. If you breath really heavy during a workout, your body will adapt, so that the next time you get to that exact same intensity you will feel stronger.
- You should be fatigued. Workouts are not made to be done half ass. If you are tired and beat after an hour with Jillian, then you did your job.
Now get out there and take your health into your own hands. And remember, nutrition goes hand in hand with exercise. If we neglect nutrition and rely solely on exercise, we are simply dumping the dirt back into the hole that we just dug.
Below I have listed a couple resources. Just click the links to learn more.
Spread the word,
-Ryan
Resources
30 Shred DVD by Jillian Micheals- Great for beginners. Although Jillian can be very intense.
Any DVD by Denise Austin- Unlike Jillian, Denise is not as demanding. She is nice and does not yell.
Body By Science- A book written by two M.D.s. Focuses on weight lifting and its immense biological benefits. Provides step by step workouts, but is pretty dense and goes into a lot of detail. If you know me, I own it and I would be glad to lend it to you.
PS I do not make any money by recommending these products. These are based on personal experience with the programs.
Stop Running: If you know what’s good for you
*When I refer to running, I mean long distance jogging.
I used to be an avid runner. Running 10-15 miles per week was a normal routine for me for over 4 years. I ran to maintain a healthy weight. I did not particularly enjoy running. At times it was liberating and a great way to calm a stressful day, but other than that, it just took up a lot of my time and cost me a lot of money in running apparel.
There are three reasons why we run. First, to either lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Second is that we believe running protects us from heart disease. These first two reasons are "set in stone" beliefs that the majority of the population hold to be true. However, just because a lot of people believe it does not make it true. The third reason why we run is to relieve stress.
Running for pleasure is a great way to cool down and relax. I often go on 3-4 mile runs to unwind. I never run with the goal of losing weight or protecting myself from heart disease. Running is a very inefficient way of losing weight and protecting from heart disease and can actually be detrimental to our health.
First lets look at why someone would choose running as a means to lose weight:
- In order to lose weight we can either go on a diet, work out or do both.
- Not eating certain foods is harder to do than hopping on the treadmill, so we choose to run.
- When we run, we burn calories.
However, the amount of calories that are expended while running is quite small. For example, if I were to run at an 8 minute/mile pace (moderate) for an hour I would burn around 700 calories. We now need to deduct the amount of calories our bodies would be burning if we sat around and did nothing. Weighing 145lbs I burn close to 70 calories. After my hour long run, I burned roughly 630 calories.
Note: The rate at which calories burn differs greatly from person to person. No method of predicting calorie expenditure accurately and universally is available. Stop relying on the calorie counter on the elliptical and tread mill machines. Judge your workout by fatigue, not on how many calories you apparently burned.
Running for an hour sucks. Which is why most people never run for that long. Going for a 30 minute run at an 8 minute/mile pace would burn me close to 350 calories.
Lets compare 350 calories to some common food choices: 1 piece of cheese Pizza Hut Pizza has 275 calories, 1/2 a cup of corn (without butter) is close to 350 calories and 1 baked potato (without anything on it) has 255 calories. All of these calorie predictions came from freedieting.com food calorie counter.
When comparing my run to the foods that most of us eat on a daily basis, the calorie expenditure is minimal. This is why the food we eat is far superior in losing weight than relying on exercise alone to drop pounds. Poor nutrition caused us to gain weight, which is why it is the most effectively way to us lose it.
Lets also not forget that their are 3500 calories in 1 pound of human fat. If I were to run for an hour, I would use 1/5 of a pound of fat for energy. Also, "cardio" sparks an increase in hunger. Those calories that I just burned off will be packed back on in my post-run food binge.
Not only is running an extremely inefficient way to burn calories, it also puts runners at risk to sustain running injuries such as Runner's Knee. Runner's Knee is a loose term that encompasses injuries to the knee, feet and thighs. The number one cause of runner's knee is overuse. When we run, we put an enormous amount of stress on our knees, shins, and thighs. This is especially true if we continuously run on hard concrete.
We know that running is an inefficient way to burn calories. And we now know that when we run, we put our feet and leg joints at risk for injury. So what are other reasons why we run?
We would like to believe that running protects us from heart disease. A new study done on 102 marathoners reveals information that could prove otherwise.
I found this study on Dr. Kurt M. Harris's blog Palionu.com. A team of scientists from the Department of Cardiology at the West Hessen Heart Center in Essen, Germany collected 102 marathoners. They had to have run 5 marathons in the last 3 years. They also had no known signs of heart disease and diabetes. Ages ranged from 50-72 and the average weekly mileage of the group was 35 miles. A control group (group to measure the marathoners against) of 102 was also chosen. They also showed no known signs of heart disease or diabetes and had no history of vigorous exercise.
*All subjects were given a cardiac MRI with an LGE imaging test. LGE imaging shows "irreversible loss of tissue" in the heart and is strongly linked to heart attacks. A cardiac MRI with LGE imaging is one of the best tests available for viewing risks of heart disease.
Of the 102 runners, 12 of them showed LGE damage in their hearts. While only 4 of the couch potatoes showed the same LGE signs.
In a 22 month follow up, 3 of the 12 runners with LGE had a significant cardiac event. None died. However, of the 4 people who had LGE that did not run, none had a cardiac event.
This study reinforces my belief that nutrition is more important than exercise. I believe this to be true for heart health, weight loss and overall health. Those who think that exercise alone can save them from weight gain and disease are sadly mistaken.
- Side note: Dr. Kurt Harris also noted that Alberto Salazar, a world class marathoner who ran over 30 miles a week at a 7:30 mile pace, had his heart stop beating because of a 80% blockage in his right coronary artery. Somebody had to use a defibrillator to start his heart again. He was 48.
Let me clear some things up. I am not promoting being lazy and not exercising. I am also not bashing running as a stress reliever or escape. I am telling you that if you run to lose weight or to decrease your risk for heart disease, then you are wasting your time.
Your time would be much better spent improving the food that you eat and weight lifting. I will elaborate more on weight lifting in my next post, as I do not want to overwhelm my readers.
A little taste of whats to come: Arthur Jones, inventor of the Nautilus Strength Training Machines and promoter of High Intensity Strength Training had this to say about running in a 1970's TV appearance:
"That is to say, that running is a very poor, a very dangerous, a very slow, a very inefficient, a very nonproductive method for eventually producing a very limited, low order of cardiovascular benefit. Any, ANY, result that can be produced by any amount of running can be duplicated and surpassed by the proper use of weight lifting for cardiovascular benefits."
If you agree, disagree or even want to yell at me please do so in the comments section!
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