Once you have embarked on a conscious and well-thought-out plan for losing weight, one of the best things you can do to shed pounds and keep them off is aerobic walking. Walking between 45 and 60 minutes a day is, by far, one of the easiest and most beneficial forms of exercise in which anyone can engage.
An article published by the American College of Sports Medicine says that aerobic activity reduces insulin resistance in people who suffer from obesity. The study also showed that aerobic training reduces fat mass without changing its fat-free mass, so you lose more fat than lean muscle. Another study by a prestigious medical publication showed that the risk of developing heart disease in men between the ages of 71 and 93 decreased 15% for every half-mile they walked per day. Someone walking two miles per day may reduce their risk by over 50%.

The best thing about walking is that it is the simplest and least expensive exercise you can do and yet one of the most beneficial. Other than a comfortable pair of shoes, there are no cost factors involved and no special equipment is required, either. You can invest in a pedometer and/or a tape player with a headset that narrates a routine for you but these devices are strictly optional. Buy your shoes in a store that specializes in athletic equipment and the two main things to look for are support and comfort. Don’t buy footwear that is too tight or too loose. Allow room for expansion and for the toes to move. And when you walk, dress accordingly for the weather. Know what the temperature and humidity levels are outside and layer yourself appropriately.

You should set a goal of incrementally working up to between 30 to 45 minutes per day. It is best not to eat anything before you go on your walk. If you eat anything high in sugar content prior to walking, it will minimize your body’s ability to reach into its fat stores and burn off the body fat you’re trying to lose.

Before starting your walk, a brief warmup should precede it. Five to ten minutes of stretching exercises should suffice. It is extremely important for your muscles and joints to be limber when you begin your walk.

However, while walking you have to be careful not to overexert yourself. There are signs you can look for that will tell you if you are overdoing it. Severe shortness of breath, wheezing or coughing, tightness in the chest, excessive perspiration and other discomforts should tell you that something is wrong. Consult with your physician prior to beginning a new exercise program, especially after a prolonged period of inactivity.

I suggest walking at least six times a week and the ideal time is between 1 and 1½ hours before your evening meal, if you desire to increase your metabolic rate. While walking, try to focus on what you’re doing and think only pleasant, positive thoughts. Set a good, comfortable pace for yourself, maintain good posture throughout and follow through.

For the over-fat individual, if you adopt and adhere to a plan of eating foods with a low glycemic index, as discussed in previous columns, this aerobic walking program will help you lose unwanted fat in your abdominal area. And, if you stick to this plan, you will not only take the fat off, you’ll keep it off.

One of the academic trends that I find particularly disturbing today is the de-emphasis on physical education in the schools. I, and undoubtedly many others my age, remember when we were in school and Phys Ed was not a course option. It was an absolute requirement. As much a part of your educational curriculum as English, math and social studies. You took it for your entire four years of high school and every other year before that in elementary school and junior high. And, I strongly believe, we were all better off for having taken Phys Ed.

Whether you were athletically inclined or not, your overall health benefited from the physical exercise you got in gym class. Those who were athletically inclined often translated their love of physical activity into a lifelong commitment to keeping fit and healthy. Many of them went on to teach Phys Ed to others.

Most of us who are in our 40s and up remember those calisthenics we were required to perform as a warmup for our gym activity of the day. We remember those laps we ran around the track and the various individual sports we played during our 45 or 50 minutes of gym class. We remember “suiting up” and getting our workouts and feeling sweaty but exhilarated afterward. For some of us, Phys Ed ranks high among the most memorable experiences of our youth.

Today, unfortunately, fewer and fewer students are experiencing that feeling. Many states have drastically reduced or, in some cases, even dropped Phys Ed requirements for high school students. And, in some of those states where Phys Ed has been de-emphasized, fitness test results show an alarming rate of failure. In a recent year in California, for instance, 77% of fifth, seventh and ninth grade students failed fitness tests. Phys Ed, according to a newspaper column I read recently, is becoming “Fizz Ed.” Many schools nationwide have allowed soft drink companies to place dispensing machines in the hallways and students are consuming those sugar-laden beverages at fearfully high rates. This, the columnist noted, could well be a contributing factor to the explosive growth of diabetes and obesity in today’s children. “The unfit are left alone in fizz ed . . . schools with plenty of soda and no exercise,” he astutely observed.

In years gone by, if a kid wanted to hone his baseball skills he joined the Little League or got together with his friends down at the schoolyard or in the sandlot. Kids honed their skills with teams at the local gym or playground. Basketball courts were commonplace; nearly every schoolyard had one. Today, according to one of the experts quoted by the columnist, “kids don’t go to the playground anymore.”

Phys Ed and playground and gym sports taught kids the importance of working together as a team toward a common goal – namely winning the game. But it also learning “good sportsmanship” and “teamwork.” It was a group effort that entailed sharing possession of the ball. In some cases, such as volleyball, it encouraged parity and gender respect between the sexes. Kids just aren’t getting that experience very much anymore and it’s sad and tragic.

What is the answer? Obviously that lies in the hands of the schools and the boards and administrators who run them. I hope that someday soon – the sooner the better – this unhealthy and unfortunate trend can be reversed. Otherwise our young people, the future of our nation, are at risk of getting “soft” and increasingly un-physically fit. This, obviously, is not a situation in which the world’s most powerful and stable nation wants to find itself, especially as more and more countries begin looking to us for leadership, appreciation and guidance. We need to be setting the example and, to do so, we need to restore Phys Ed to its former place of importance in our schools.

This is a question I get asked frequently and it’s a very serious question everyone should be asking themselves when they’re not feeling well. As one might expect, overexerting the body when it is not up to its optimum operating capacity could, indeed, have unfortunate and unpleasant consequences.

The major medical concern has to do with overheating. If someone is already running a fever, he or she runs the risk of aggravating that fever with a strenuous workout. The increased action on the body and its functions has the effect of raising the body’s temperature and thus decreases its ability to fight off infection-causing micro-organisms. Leucocytes or white corpuscles are the body’s primary attack force against invading germs and infectious bacteria. They do their best work when the body is engaged in little or no strenuous activity. In the body’s inert state, the leucocytes can focus on performing the function they were designed to perform, attacking and neutralizing the microscopic alien invaders that make us sick.

So my position is, if you’re okay from the nose up, it should be safe to work out. However, check with your physician when in doubt.

Some illness-causing viruses can worsen in the chest area and lower extremities if they are aggravated by intense physical activity. For example, myocarditis could result. This is a disease that negatively impacts the body’s natural immune system, resulting in a negative nitrogen balance and muscle protein degradation. Whereas, moderate physical training actually stimulates the immune system, exhaustive and strenuous exercise may be followed by a temporary immunodeficiency and an increased susceptibility to respiratory tract infections. Exercising in the acute phase of an infection may promote myocarditis, an ailment that proved fatal to a group of young athletes in Sweden between 1979 and 1992.

According to an abstract on the National Library of Medicine’s “Gratefulmed” website, “There are risks associated with strenuous physical activity during the acute phase of viral infection, and there are reports of sudden death and serious complications occurring in previously fit young adults who undertake vigorous exercise when in the acute phase of a viral illness. Abnormalities of skeletal muscle have been demonstrated in patients with viral infection and this may explain the loss of performance experienced by athletes after an upper respiratory tract infection. As a general rule, for all but mild common colds, it is advised that the athlete avoid hard training for the first month after infection.”

So, the best advice I can offer as to whether or not you should work out when you’re sick is to consult your physician and listen to your own body. Don’t take chances with your physical health and well-being. Don’t push yourself. Don’t feel as though your body is suddenly going to go flabby or out of shape simply because you miss a day or two of exercise. Just as your body needs physical stimulation to stay in proper shape, it also needs respite from exertion when it’s not quite up to snuff. Give yourself a break from your regimen and take the vitamins, supplements and other nutrients and medicines that promote physical recovery. Allow your body the time it needs to recover, take the rest it is demanding and, in due time, you’ll be well and back into your exercise routine again.

When it comes to exercising and staying in shape, there are certain routines and rules that apply equally to both genders. However, there are some routines and rules that would apply more to women than they would to men. One of them has to do with the level of intensity of the exercises being performed.

Most of us, when we go through our exercise routines, seem to feel that we have to work out at a high level of intensity in order for the exercise to be beneficial. Unfortunately, many women may have trouble maintaining a high intensity level. Well, there’s good news from the American Medical Association and the Women’s Health Initiative. You may be able to enjoy the benefits of working out without working so hard at it.

A study, whose results were published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association, concludes that exercise of moderate intensity can be just as beneficial as vigorous exercise for reducing weight in women who are normally sedentary. Another study undertaken by the Women’s Health Initiative suggests that intense exercise has no advantage over moderate exercise when it comes to preventing breast cancer.

According to the results of a recent university-conducted weight-loss study, which examined 200 overweight, normally sedentary women, those who exercised at a “moderate” level lost just about as much weight as those who exercised at a “vigorous,” more intense level. The average age of the women studied was 37 and their average body mass index (BMI) was 32.7. During the study, they were all given the same amount of kilo-calories and dietary fat to eat each day.

One of the best things you can do to exercise and lose weight is also one of the simplest: walking. Walking four or five days a week at a moderate-to-brisk pace gets your blood pumping, your muscles conditioned and your respiratory system flowing evenly. Once you begin a regular walking regimen you should adhere to it.

Bicycling on level ground and simple stretching exercises you can do at home or in a gym are also beneficial weight-loss techniques that aren’t too strenuous. Eating the right foods — and the right amount of the right foods — is critical, also, to maintaining proper health and body mass.

Getting yourself down to the weight you should be and keeping yourself there is an ongoing challenge. Establish a proper exercise and dietary program for yourself, working with a certified personal trainer and/or a licensed nutritionist when necessary. And don’t forget your doctor’s role in this. Regular physical checkups should be part of every woman’s personal health agenda.

Webster’s New American Dictionary defines metabolism as “The process by which the cells or tissues of a living body transform food materials into their own vital substance.” An individual’s metabolic rate is roughly defined as the amount of time it takes the body to break down the most recently ingested food into vital substances and waste products.

People who have high rates of metabolism usually have fewer problems controlling their weight. We see this in many children and teenagers who have high levels of physical activity. They may stay at a comfortable weight level because they’re burning off calories quickly. The food they’re taking in is digested more rapidly and what remains in the body is building up more solid muscle mass than fat.

A complaint one often hears from people as they age is that their metabolism has slowed down. Their food is taking longer to digest and they’re gaining weight at an unaccustomed rate. All too frequently, many of those who are confronted with this problem accept it as a fact of life and they do little or nothing to stop the weight gain or shed their excess pounds. Nor do they change their eating habits or lifestyles. They don’t think there’s anything they can do to restore their old metabolic rate and they give up trying.

However, according to experts in the field, it is possible to increase your metabolism if you conscientiously apply yourself to solving the problem, but it takes a wholehearted, sustained effort. The answer lies in increasing the body’s lean muscle mass while, at the same time, decreasing the amount of body fat. I recommend a diet of 25-50 calories per pound per day of the body’s lean muscle mass. Methods are available to help you determine your lean muscle mass and your overall body composition.

Obesity is a serious problem in this country. There are no miracle cures. I recommend a carefully managed diet and exercise program to increase metabolism and reduce excess body fat. Consult your doctor or a licensed nutritionist for a weight-reduction plan that it specifically tailored for you.

Ever since it was noticed over 50 years ago that conductors on public transportation systems lived longer than the bus drivers, there has been an interest in whether or not physical activity has anything to do with longevity. Conductors are walking throughout the day while bus drivers are sedentary.

It is now 2004, and after many studies there is no doubt that regular physical activity prolongs life. Regular exercise has been proven to reduce all risk factors for cardiovascular disease. These include high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, obesity, and stress. Regular exercise also has been shown to reduce blood clots in the arteries, although the mechanism is not clear.

There are a number of opinions as to what regular exercise really means. One definition says that a person should exercise enough each week so that 2000 calories are burned off or utilized. Since a one mile walk for an average person burns about 120 calories, 2000 calories per week seems hard to achieve. All information supports the 2000 number but actually achieving less than that is probably important. It has been stated that exercising for 20 minutes 3 times each week is enough to reduce cardiovascular risk factors.

Exercises that burn calories include just plain walking, running and jogging, biking, swimming, tennis, racquetball, rowing, and roller-skating. Lifting weights is not a big calorie burner.

If you are over age 40 a stress test is recommended to determine whether or not exercise can be performed safely. The stress test will evaluate the possible presence of coronary disease, and if abnormal may indicate the need for further diagnostic tests and treatment. A stress test will also more precisely inform you of the best range of exercise heart rate which is usually about 120.

Regular exercise is a stress relieving habit, which requires time and persistence to achieve. It usually requires at least 6 months or longer of routine exercise, and then it becomes a physical and psychological necessity. A sense of well-being occurs which appears to be related to hormones which are released by the brain. Once a person has reached that point the difficult part is over. Individuals who exercise regularly are known to eat healthier foods and stop smoking.

Athletes and other physical conditioning devotees are always looking for ways to build up their endurance levels. They read books or articles on the subject or they listen to the advice of those who do. And, although building one’s endurance is an admirable goal worth striving for, there are many factors involved and hence, no one set of guidelines to which one can adhere. There are also risks involved of which they should be aware.

In 1990, the American College of Sports Medicine’s position on developing and maintaining fitness called for an intensity of 60-90% of maximum heart rate, a duration of 20-60 minutes and a frequency of working out three to five days a week. However, lesser intensities still produce very respectable results with much less risk of injury. In a 1998 article appearing in the Official Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, it was postulated that, “Improvement will be similar for activities performed at a lower intensity-longer duration compared with higher intensity-shorter duration if the total energy cost of the activities is similar.”

The article went on to cite the ACSM’s position that, “Higher-intensity exercise is associated with greater cardiovascular risk and orthopaedic injury.” The article’s seven co-authors concurred in the conclusion that “programs emphasizing moderate intensity training with longer duration are recommended for most adults, because a high proportion of the adult population is sedentary and has at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.”

Endurance, like any other facet of physical conditioning, is a relative point and it should be defined by event. For example, would you apply the standards of a boxer’s arms and legs action to those of a marathon runner? No, of course not. They will vary according to which sport is being played. You need to make your endurance workout specific to your chosen sport or exercise rather than trying to apply a generalized approach that doesn’t specifically target the limb(s) or region of the body most essential for your sport.

Some experts recommend an L.S.D. formula which is short for Long Slow Distance as a means of building up time (duration). What works for me is a maximal effort of 50-75% which is slightly more conservative than that of the ACSM but the 20-60 minutes of duration remain constant. However, repetitive motions can lead to repetitive injuries and you need to be cautious against pushing the body beyond its limits.

If we push our bodies beyond our level of functional capacity then we know it’s time to back off. I recommend walking as one of the best exercises for utilizing large muscle groups and building endurance, along with cycling, rowing and swimming.

So, if there’s any key to building endurance, it, like anything else, has to do with your own body and its level of tolerance. Don’t push your body beyond its physical limitations. Make sure that the workout you’re doing to build your endurance is specifically tailored to your individual sport or physical activity and listen to any advice your doctor or certified trainer may have on the subject.

One of the most serious health problems facing Americans today is obesity. The United States has become one of the fattest nations on earth. Nearly 100 million people in this country — an astounding 55% of the adult population — are overweight. Those numbers have grown by 8% in the last ten years and they continue to grow, with no end in sight.

As people age, they tend to accumulate excess fat in the abdominal region, especially in men. The problem becomes more visible and problematic as we enter middle age. We may develop what are jokingly called “love handles” or “beer bellies,” but these are nothing to joke about. Excess abdominal fat can contribute to the incidence of coronary-vascular ailments, Type-2 diabetes and certain forms of cancer.

Today, record numbers of Americans are living sedentary lives. We no longer have to hunt, fish or farm for our sources of sustenance, nor do most of us engage in physical activity that helps keep our weight down. We sit in our cars or at our desks behind our computers for eight or more hours a day or stand in one place on an assembly line. During our leisure time, we sit on plush couches watching television or we engage in other passive forms of entertainment like computer or video games. Unless we make a conscious effort to exercise, we generally don’t get enough of it in our daily litany of activities.

And, to make matters worse, the quality of our food has deteriorated. Whereas we once ate foods that were high in fiber grains, vitamins and other nutrients, we’re now eating processed goods in which many of the nutrients have been extracted and replaced with chemical substitutes. Large-scale agricultural production has depleted many essential minerals from the soil where crops are grown. Consequently, we’re eating produce that doesn’t supply 100% of our bodies’ needs for building strong bones and healthy immune systems.

To make matters still worse, we’re also ingesting massive quantities of beverages that are laden with sugar and/or simple carbohydrates. Beer and carbonated soft drinks are the major culprits here.

So, now that we know the basic reasons why we’re overweight and less healthy, what can we do to get rid of those extra pounds? The answer is basically twofold: eat higher quality food and get sufficient exercise. This may sound elementary but getting to that point is not elementary. It takes discipline, willpower and a regimented program but, most of all, it takes a desire to attain your goal. That desire starts with recognition of the problem.

Many people think that all they have to do to get healthy is lose weight. Unfortunately, it’s a little more complicated than that. You also must get your “Body Mass Index” into an acceptable range.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is the generally accepted standard by which we measure obesity. BMI is the number arrived at when you calculate your weight in kilograms divided by your height squared. To save you the hassle of conversion and calculations, I have included a helpful chart below. Your BMI is where the lines of your height and weight intersect.

CALCULATING YOUR BODY MASS INDEX

WHAT YOUR BMI MEANS*
Below 20 — Unless you are an athlete, this may be too thin
20 to 22 — Greatest longevity and lowest incidence of serious illness
22 to 25 — Within acceptable range and good health
25 to 30 — Entering zone of serious health risks, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some types of cancer and stroke
30 and up — Definitely putting yourself at risk for the diseases mentioned above

*If you are athletic and have a high BMI you may have to evaluate your BMI number with your total body fat level to rule out error

So, now that you know what your BMI is and whether or not you’re safe or at risk, what do you do about it? Get yourself onto a diet and into a cardio-training and exercise program. Find out which foods and beverages have a high glycemic index and limit their intake to after exercise or athletic events to aid recovery.

Foods with high glycemic levels may be high in sugar content and break down in the body quickly, thus adding fat if you are not engaged in strenuous physical activity. Most types of fruits and berries have low glycemic indexes, as do most pure, unsweetened fruit juices. Most of the vegetables you presently enjoy are good for you, as are most types of beans, peas and nuts. Many lean and low-fat dairy and bread produces are good as well. If you consult your doctor or a licensed nutritionist, they can usually tell you which foods are in the glycemic index of foods.

As far as exercise goes, one of the best things you can do for yourself is aerobic walking. The beauty of this form of exercise is that it doesn’t take any special equipment, other than a comfortable pair of walking shoes and you can do it almost anywhere. You can walk outdoors or, if the weather is too hot or inclement, you can do it in an enclosed shopping mall. The important thing is to work out up to 45 minutes a day in an aerobic exercise such as walking, with your physician’s approval. And, if you’re not inclined to leave the house, you can always buy a treadmill and set it up at home. It’s a small investment, considering the benefits it will bring to your personal health and well-being.

The most important thing to remember is that your goal should not only be to take off excess abdominal fat but to keep it off. This requires constant maintenance and monitoring. Set a weight loss and BMI goal and body composition objective and strive to attain it. However, don’t stop your routine when you get there, thinking the job is done. You not only want to lose those “love handles,” you want them to stay lost. Eat the right foods and develop a workable exercise regimen and you should attain your weight loss goal.

For more information about losing excess abdominal fat, read my book Lose Your Love Handles. It’s available at bookstores or online at amazon.com