Let's Get a Hot Body!
We all want to lose weight. But we don't want to just lose weight - we want
to look toned and attractive!
As they say, "Rome was not built in a day"
- the same goes with a "Hot Body."
First, we need to know why we gain weight.
It's simply shown in the following equation:
-
When you take in more calories than you expend, then the excess will be
stored as fat (weight gain). When you expend more calories than you take in, your existing fat will
be burnt (weight loss).
- isn't it simple?
Traditionally, weight loss has been focused on element A (caloric restriction). This has resulted in
'temporary success' for some, but in most cases the weight was regained.
Focusing only on A would work adversely if your goal is to get a "Hot Body." People rarely lose weight and keep it off without daily exercise.
Also, repeating 'binge and starve cycles' not only creates an emotional rollercoaster, but also the following health
risks:
Starvation period: Besides making you feel miserable, there's a risk of gallstones and damaging
your healthy muscle tissues. Prolonged starvation would lead to nutrient
deficiencies and lowered immunity.
Binge period: Your body tries to accumulate fat around the stomach and other internal
organs after the starvation period (the more severe the starvation period,
the more fat is regained) which has been known to cause diabetes or cardiovascular
disease.
Your goal is not just losing weight but keeping it off. Therefore, starving yourself or skipping meals will never work in the
long run. Likewise, you don't have to follow any extreme diets.
If you wish to have a Hot Body, you need to focus on element B while maintaining a good balance of calorie intake. There're three components
in element B:
1. Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) ... accounts for 60-75%
2. Exercise & activities of daily living ... accounts for 20-30%
3. Thermic effect of food
Do you know anyone who eats like a horse and yet never puts on any weight?
This is due to RMR or the rate at which our body uses up energy while at rest. People with
higher RMR burn more calories compared to people with low RMR. RMR is higher
in individuals with a high % of lean body mass (LBM). RMR declines with age. Hence as we grow older, the element B decreases - the same amount of A would still
give us an extra amount of C (excess fat).
As you might already realize by now, building muscle is the most powerful
way to boost metabolism. If you have more muscle anywhere on your body,
you will simply burn more calories as a result.
Muscle is often called the "Calorie burning factory." Even while sitting and doing nothing, your factory burns more calories
because it simply requires more energy investment - How wonderful! - However, you really need to acquire regular exercise habits; otherwise
your muscle will be easily replaced with fat.
Takeru Kobayashi from Japan is an example of individuals with high RMR
(Hot-Dog Eating Contest 5-consecutive-year World Champion @Coney Island, NY)
What is the Effective Exercise?
There's still a certain misunderstanding - cardiorespiratory (aerobic) exercise is most effective in boosting your
metabolism. Well, indeed it is the good place to start, increasing heart rate and
blood circulation, promoting oxygen intake/carbon dioxide exchange, etc.
but it doesn't go any further.
Resistance training plays a major role in building muscle in your target body areas, which in turn, makes your body look toned and attractive! So, we need a balanced exercise program: cardiorespiratory exercise, resistance training, and stretching (never underestimate stretching!)
One of the most popular exercises combining resistance and cardio-fitness
trainings is Circuit Training.
This is short bursts of resistance exercise followed quickly by another
burst of exercise targeting a different muscle group. Because the exerciser
switches between muscle groups, no rest is needed between exercises. This
gets the heart rate up, which usually doesn't happen during resistance
exercise.
*Note: Maki includes short bursts of cardio-exercise in-between resistance exercises targeting different muscle
groups. Also, she introduces exercises not requiring fancy equipment for home/office exercisers.
Circuit Training can be customized depending on your current cardio-fitness level and target muscle groups. Another advantage is its time efficacy. Within a given time, you can get both types of exercise.
A 10-minute, 30-minute, 45 minute customized circuit training can be programmed
for individual cases.
OK, you have learned enough and now - Let's Get a Hot Body!!!
