1. Exercise
2. Proper Diet for Nutrition
3. Replenishment after Exercise
4. Time and Commitment to the Programme

I shall explain on the importance of Exercise in striving for healthy weight loss.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has some guidelines for achieving cardiorespiratory fitness. There is also F.I.T.T., a well know way to remember the key points for exercise. Following are the points I believe are important with my personal input added :

1. Frequency: How often should you exercise?
1. The frequency of exercise should be at least 3 to 5 times per week. I would recommend every other day, so as to allow for a ‘rest day’ for the body.
2. Intensity: How hard should you push yourself?
   Always check with your doctor if you can exercise at various intensities. Should you fall below 15 years old, caregiver should provide appropriate advice. If you are above 69 years old, you should consult your doctor and seek his advice and clearance before participating in any form of exercise and activity.
1. Exercise intensity must be hard enough to overload the body but not so difficult that it results in overtraining, injury or burnout.
2. If you have a heart rate monitor, you can calculate your max heart rate using this formula: 220 – your age = HR_max and exercise at the range of 55 or 65% to 90% of your HR_max . Start at 55% HR_max if you are just starting and work your way up in intensity slowly to prevent injuries.
3. Lots of people train in the ‘Fat Burning Zone’ which is considered slow cardio workout. This is because they believe that this will but more fat. TRUE…. BUT the while ‘Fat Burning Zone’ burns more fat as a percentage of total calories burned, it also burns far fewer calories than more intense exercise, meaning you burn less fat overall; unlike other more intense forms of exercise which keep burning calories after your workout; slow cardio sessions stop burning fat as soon as you stop the exercise. Solution: Do a mix of low, medium and high intensity cardio in intervals if you are unable to sustain a sufficient intensity of cardio that makes you pant for awhile after the exercise for efficient burning during your workout and after.
3. Time (Duration): How long should I exercise for?
1. 20 to 60 min of continuous or intermittent, i.e., minimum of 10-min bouts accumulated throughout the day, aerobic activity. The duration required could be said to be inversely related to the intensity of the activity; thus, lower-intensity activity should be conducted over a longer periodof time (30 min or more). Conversely, individuals training at higher levels of intensity should train for at least 20 min or longer. Fitness is more readily attained with exercise sessions of longer duration.
2. Because of the potential hazards and adherence problems associated with high-intensity activity, moderate-intensity activity of longer duration is recommended for adults not training for athletic competition.
4. Type (Recommended Activity): What should I do?
1. Gym or body weight compound exercises, i.e. movements that require more than 1 joint and more than 1 muscle group. You should start with any activity that uses large muscle groups in your body. This is most economical as due to the fact that they involve so many muscles, they have a far greater effect on your metabolism than isolation exercises, i.e. exercises that involve the movement of a single joint, e.g. a bicep curl in which your elbow is the only joint that undergoes a full range of motion in this exercise, and the bicep muscle is the only muscle that is getting severely stressed, in other words, it’s isolated. You will increase your metabolism by regularly implementing compound exercises into your workout routine. Some exercises you can do are:
1. Pull-ups
2. Burpees
3. Various Push-ups
4. Properly executed Squats
5. Lunges
2. Sports are a great way to exercise as it can be fun which working out! Just make sure you MOVE! ; )

As mentioned above, before embarking on an exercise programme, please always consult with your medical professional first.

1. Exercise
   
2. Proper Diet for Nutrition
   
3. Replenishment after Exercise
   
4. Time and Commitment to the Programme

I will elaborate more on the 4 points above in my subsequent posts … so stay tuned!

Look up and forward to posts about Sports, Nutrition, Life and the Arts soon! ; )