Cardio Meltdown
when Hollywood celebrities or Extreme Makeover clients have to trim down pronto, they contact me to whip them into shape pronto. Now you can do the same—as long as you add cardio exercise into the mix to blast away the fat that is obscuring your natural figure. After all, why reshape your figure if you’re going to hide it under a layer of fat?
What this portion of the program challenges you to do is several days of cardio a week, depending on your level of conditioning and experience. It is generally recognized that the best advances (especially in terms of fat loss) are made by doing cardio at this level of frequency. It will be well worth the effort: You’ll rapidly begin to see the difference in how your clothes fit, and you’ll start looking leaner and more toned.
So before you shudder at the thought of that much cardio, be reassured that you do not have to complete sweat-dripping sessions or endless aerobic dance classes to burn fat. Let me explain. Some of the most vigorous types of cardio—stair climbing, elliptical machines, aerobic dancing, step classes, rowing machines, kickboxing, and power-cycling (Spinning) classes—do very little to incinerate fat. Here’s the reason: Intense, pavement-pounding cardio tends to burn mostly sugar, because you’re recruiting muscle fibers that call on glycogen for their source of fuel. Glycogen is a form of sugar stored in your muscles, liver, and bloodstream. When your body is burning sugar, it is not burning fat.
The secret for shifting your body into a fat-melting mode is less intense cardio exercise performed consistently. It’s a form of exercise called long slow distance cardio, and it includes purposely paced (not intense or strenuous) walking, slow jogging, treadmill exercise, or stationary bicycling, performed 45 to 60 minutes at a stretch. The beauty of long slow distance cardio is that it activates fat burning by utilizing muscle fibers that use fat for their fuel source, not sugar. This way of exercising aerobically is actually the most successful way to coerce your body into burning fat and is one of the workout methods I use with all my clients, as well as with the people who appear on ABC’s Extreme Makeover. Employed during the 12-Day Body Shaping Miracle, long slow distance cardio cranks up fat burning and helps you walk or jog off pounds and inches so that you will begin to see a dramatic body transformation by the end of this 12-day period.
Because it’s not grueling or overly vigorous, long slow distance cardio should leave you feeling energized afterward, not tired. If you’re feeling worn out after a cardio workout, you’ve pushed too hard. Sweat doesn’t always mean you’ve busted your buns, although it can. The amount of sweat you produce usually has to do with your core body temperature, the temperature of the room you’re in, and genetics, rather than your actual exertion.
Long Slow Distance Cardio May Actually Spot-Reduce Your Waistline
Long slow distance cardio just happens to be one of the best moves for creating sexy abs. It’s true! With cardio (and the right diet), you can knock off abdominal fat more easily than fat elsewhere on your body. Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, put a group of men and women, aged 60 to 70, on an exercise program that consisted of walking or jogging. On average, the subjects exercised 45 minutes several times a week. By the end of the study, both the men and the women had lost weight. But get this: Most of their weight was shed from the abdominal area. This all goes to show that a simple exercise program of long slow distance cardio can melt off abdominal fat, which creeps on us as we get older.
More spot-reducing proof: In another study, 13 obese women exercised moderately for 90 minutes four to five times a week for 14 months. At the end of the study, the women underwent CT scans to detect any changes in their deposits of body fat. Interestingly, more flab was lost from the abdominal region than from the midthigh, proving that abdominal fat is easily burned with a consistent, long-term cardio program.
Why does long slow distance cardio shrink the abs so effectively? Compared with other fat storage sites on the body, your abdominal region is lipolytically active. This means it gives up fat easily, particularly in response to cardio exercise. Cardio boosts the output of the hormone adrenaline. One of adrenaline’s jobs is to increase fatty acids in the bloodstream so that your body can use them for fuel. Fat cells in the abdominal area happen to be very sensitive to adrenaline. In response to exercise, they liberate fatty acids quite readily. It’s much easier to work off fat from the abs than it is from the thighs and hips, where fat cells are more stubborn. Bottom line: Cardio is a great tool to help you lose your belly bulge, if that’s an area of concern on your figure.
Further, based on available evidence, the best flab-busting cardio for your mid-section appear to be walking, jogging or running, stationary cycling, or treadmill exercise. Those are exactly the forms of cardio recommended on this program.
Other Cardio Benefits That Never Quit
In general, any form of cardio, including long slow distance cardio, increases special fat-burning enzymes in the body, plus builds the number and density of tiny structures in cells called mitochondria, where fat and other nutrients are burned. The more mitochondria you have, the more fat your body can burn.
Cardio exercise fights fat during exercise as well. About 20 minutes into your cardio session, your body really begins to mobilize fat. So for fat loss, you must try to work out with cardio longer than 20 minutes. Your body does not start accessing fat for fuel until 20 to 30 minutes into cardio exercise. This level of cardio also conditions your heart and lungs. The more aerobically fit you are, the sooner your body switches over to fat stores, and the greater the percentage of fat you’ll burn for fuel. An aerobically fit body is a fat-burning body.
But there are many more benefits in store over the long haul: If you make a 100 percent commitment to long slow distance cardio as a part of your lifestyle, it can help normalize your blood pressure, elevate your mood, reduce tension, offset the declining metabolic rate normally associated with aging, and protect you against heart disease and possibly breast cancer.
Why Long Slow Distance Cardio Burns Fat: The Muscle Fiber Connection
In the past, you’ve probably exercised your buns off, but without getting very good results. All that huffing and puffing, and you’re still having trouble getting into your clothes. I’ve heard your frustration before—which is why I designed this cardio program of long slow distance exercise so that you can blast away pounds and inches.
There’s another physiological reason why this form of exercise works so effectively to target body fat, and it has to do with the composition of your muscle. On average, the human body is one-half muscle—voluntary muscle used for movement, smooth or visceral muscle that lines various organs, and cardiac muscle that helps govern the pump action of your heart. They all operate the same general way—by contracting and relaxing. This occurs because the muscle fibers, which are bundles of contracting units that make up the muscle, can shorten their length by 30 to 40 percent.
When you exercise, you use your voluntary muscles, those that move the skeleton’s bones in response to the brain’s conscious will. There are three types of fibers present in voluntary muscle tissue: fast-twitch fiber, medium- or middle-twitch fiber, and slow-twitch fiber. Depending on your body type, you may have more of one kind than another. Nonetheless, muscle fibers are highly plastic—in other words, they can alter their characteristics according to the type of exercise you perform. That means you can make all of these muscle fibers work for you—and mold your physique to the body of your dreams. Let’s take a closer look at what I’m talking about.
Fast-Twitch Fiber—the Strength Muscle
When you swing a golf club, lift a barbell, throw a baseball, or sprint, you recruit fast-twitch muscle fibers. These fibers contract quickly, providing short bursts of energy required for explosive movements. This type of muscle fiber does not burn fat. Instead, the primary energy source for fast-twitch muscle fibers is blood sugar stored in the muscle cells themselves, as well as in the blood and liver. Although fast-twitch muscle fiber is the strength fiber, this energy source is quickly depleted, which is why a sprinter must rest after 50 to 100 yards, and a body-builder must rest between each set of exercises. In fact, a fast-twitch muscle fiber will give out after about 30 seconds of continuous contraction.
Fast-twitch muscle fiber is dense and hard, giving the body a muscular look. Weight lifters, football players, sprinters, and bodybuilders tend to develop an abundance of fast-twitch fibers in their musculature. When you lift weights or do other forms of resistance training, fast-twitch fiber is one of the fibers you’ll use to shape, tone, define, and strengthen your body.
Medium- or Middle-Twitch Fiber—the Everyday Muscle
Medium- or middle-twitch fiber is very similar to fast-twitch fiber, in that it is also involved in explosive types of activity. However, it’s also capable of longer periods of activity and doesn’t have quite the strength capacity of fast-twitch fiber. When you use many of the cardio machines in the gym, take aerobics classes, or play basketball, you’re using middle-twitch fibers. These are movements requiring explosive high-intensity activity but not of the quick, forceful nature of lifting a heavy weight repeatedly for 30 seconds. Like fast-twitch fiber, middle-twitch fiber burns sugar; it does not burn fat. Medium-twitch muscle fiber can be developed through resistance-training and body-sculpting exercises.
Slow-Twitch Fiber—the Fat-Burning Muscle
For fat burning, slow-twitch fiber takes on a more dominant role. Slow-twitch fiber is your body’s fat-reducing fiber. This type of fiber gets most of its energy from burning fat for fuel, in conjunction with oxygen, contracting very slowly but having the ability to endure over extended periods of activity. Recruited when endurance is needed, slow-twitch fiber is very fatigue-resistant, utilized predominantly during the performance of nonexplosive cardio exercise. This fiber has only a limited ability to increase in size, and as such little, if any, muscular growth can take place.
Long-distance runners, long-distance cyclists, marathon runners, and similar endurance athletes tend to develop a greater percentage of slow-twitch fiber. That’s why these athletes are generally very lean and sinewy. They utilize their body fat as fuel, burning it during a process known as the Krebs cycle. Through the Krebs cycle, your body metabolizes fat into energy. But this cycle doesn’t kick in until you’ve done at least 15 to 20 minutes of long slow distance exercise. This creates a slow but steady demand for more energy. The body then taps into its fat stores and combusts that fat for fuel to satisfy the demand. Basically, the goal in long slow distance exercise is to use as much slow-twitch muscle fiber as possible, for as long as possible, so that you can dramatically accelerate the rate at which your body burns fat.
Making It Work: Your 12-Day Cardio Program
Now that we’ve looked at the science behind why long slow distance cardio works, it’s time to make it work for you. To help you start reshaping your body in 12 days, I’ve designed this workout program to not only help you burn fat but also help you become more aerobically fit. Of course, when you use it in conjunction with your customized diet plan, you can expect to see the pounds and inches melt off. Quick results are certainly the best motivation, and the 12-Day Body Shaping Miracle delivers them.
Ready to get going? Keep reading and let’s continue. Here are the steps to making it happen.
Step 1. Choose Your Activity
For success, it’s important to find activities that work for you. If you hate the treadmill but love walking outdoors or around an indoor track, these latter activities will be more effective for you. Don’t walk up hills, however; only on flat ground. Of the following forms of long slow distance cardio, choose one, or two, that you enjoy and can stick with for life.
Paced Walking
Walking is a do-anywhere activity that anyone can do, and it’s easy, convenient, and inexpensive. What’s more, it just happens to be one of the most effective fat-burning workouts there is—as long as you do it rhythmically. I call this Paced Walking. The idea is to keep your pulse within a certain range for an extended period of time, without much fluctuation, in order to burn fat (this is explained below). Paced Walking is the perfect choice if you are out of shape, or have done little or no cardiovascular exercise in the past.
Some other important tips:
• Wear comfortable clothes, a good pair of sturdy, well-cushioned walking or running shoes, and a watch with a second hand, a stopwatch, or a heart rate monitor.
• Keep your head level as you walk and look straight ahead.
• Bend your elbows at about a 90-degree angle and keep them close to your sides. Swing your arms backward and forward as you walk.
• Let your heel strike the ground first, then roll from the heel to the ball of your foot. Push off with the ball of your foot for more momentum.
• Take comfortable, smooth strides, and try to work in your Fat-Burning Zone (see page 141).
• Warm up prior to exercising, and make sure you cool down afterward. This helps prevent injury and maximizes the oxygen uptake by your muscles for accelerated fat burning.
• Do not walk on hilly terrain. Stay on flat ground; this ensures that you use your slow-twitch muscle fibers and that your heart rate stays consistent and steady.
• To minimize the risk of injury, avoid walking on hard pavement such as concrete; stick to softer terrain like grass, footpaths, dirt, rubber tracks, and so forth.
• Make sure your walking path is safe and well lit, and let other people know your route. Carry a noisemaker or whistle. Wear reflective clothing if you exercise outside before sunrise or after dark.
• Stop and check your pulse every five to six minutes to stay in your Fat-Burning Zone. If your heart rate is too fast, slow your pace. If it’s too slow, push yourself a little harder.
• Turn your walk into a meditation. Notice your surroundings or repeat a mantra, such as I feel wonderful … this is the best thing I have ever done for my body.
Walk/Jog
If you’re already a walker, now might be a good time to pick up the steam with a walk/jog. This means alternating between a walk—within your target range—and a slow jog to keep your heart rate where it needs to be. What I’ve found to be most effective for people who are ready to push a little harder is to walk rhythmically for five minutes, followed by slow jogging for five minutes.
This sequence is a form of cardio interval training, which alternates short bursts of higher-intensity exercise with intervals of slower activity. Interval training releases hormones that create lean muscle, burn fat, and work neglected muscle fibers. All exercise helps your metabolism, but interval training gives you an extra fat burn. Your metabolic stove will burn hotter, allowing you to burn fat along the way.
For best results, continue this pattern of interval cardio for 45 to 60 minutes (preceded by a warm-up and followed by a cool-down). A walk/jog is the perfect bridge to the next level of intensity—jogging. Follow the same pointers I’ve given for walking and for jogging.
Slow Jogging
If you’ve become so good at your walking workouts, but the scale never budges, it may be time to cover some new ground with jogging. When you advance to slow jogging, expect to see results very quickly. I have found slow jogging to be the most effective method for fat burning, particularly if you want to begin trimming your hips, thighs, and buttocks.
Even so, jogging can be one of the hardest exercises on the musculoskeletal system and can increase the risk of injuries such as twisted and sprained ankles, low back problems, shin splints, knee injuries, and muscle sprains. To reduce these risks, wear proper shoes, stay on soft terrain such as grass, dirt, or rubber tracks, and make sure to warm up first and cool down afterward. Here are some additional guidelines for slow jogging:
• Maintain good posture, with your head and chin up.
• Keep your elbows bent in a 90-degree angle and held close to your side. Let your arms swing backward and forward as you jog.
• Take fairly short steps, letting your heel strike first.
• Wear sturdy, well-cushioned running shoes.
• Jog in well-lit areas and let people know your route. Wear reflective clothing if you jog at night.
• Jog on smooth, well-cushioned tracks, rather than on hard pavement.
• Monitor your heart rate to make sure you stay in your Fat-Burning Zone.
• Do not jog if you have back, knee, ankle, or foot problems, or any sort of cardiovascular disease.
Running
If you’ve been jogging but want to take it up a notch, because you are very conditioned, you may want to try running. Here are some other pointers for running:
• Wear sturdy, well-cushioned running shoes.
• Run in well-lit areas and let people know your route.
• Run on smooth, well-cushioned tracks, rather than on hard pavement.
• Maintain good posture, with your head and chin up.
• Keep your elbows bent in a 90-degree angle and held close to your side. Let your arms swing backward and forward as you run.
• Take fairly short steps, letting your heel strike first.
• Remember to take your pulse before your run, during it, and afterward.
Treadmill
Treadmills provide an ideal way to do your long slow distance walking or jogging indoors, at home, or in a gym. With treadmill exercise, it’s easy to keep your pace constant and maintain your heart rate at the level at which your body will burn fat for energy. Also, most treadmills have some cushioning in the tread, which will reduce the impact on your joints. Motorized treadmills are preferable to manual because they keep the pace steady. Manual treadmills can force you to work too hard. Follow these guidelines for treadmill exercise:
• Start slowly to warm up. After five or six minutes, step off the treadmill to check your heart rate. To avoid injury, don’t try to check your pulse while on the machine. If your heart rate is too slow, crank up the speed on the treadmill. If it’s too fast, turn it down.
• Do not adjust the grade or slope of the treadmill. Instead, adjust the incline as flat as it will go. Inclined treadmills can place stress on your lower back and may also cause you to work too hard to burn fat.
• To burn more fat, try swinging your arms while you walk on the treadmill. Research shows that vigorous arm swinging increases your fat-burning potential by 50 percent, plus giving your upper body a good workout.
• Don’t forget to monitor your heart rate.
Stationary Bicycle
A popular means of long slow distance exercise, the stationary bicycle is a good fat burner and overall fitness enhancer. It increases your lower body tone and enhances your aerobic power, provided you exercise consistently in your Fat-Burning Zone. Here are some tips to help you effectively burn fat:
• Adjust your seat position so that your knees have a slight bend when your legs are fully extended. Improper seat height can place undue stress on your joints.
• Round over the handlebars to take the pressure off your lower back and increase circulation in your legs.
• If the seat is too hard or narrow, invest in a pair of padded cycling shorts or get a good gel seat cover.
• Use light tension with very little resistance so that the wheels spin easily and you can keep your body in the fat-burning realm.
• Avoid programs that have you going up and down hills; stay level so that you don’t miss out on the fat-burning benefits of stationary bicycling.
• Don’t opt for stationary bicycling if you have very large legs, since this form of long slow distance exercise may build up your legs. Choose walking or jogging instead; these activities are more effective for slimming and toning your legs and hips.
• Stationary bicycling can be tough on the hips, lower back, ankles, and knees if you’re not accustomed to this form of exercise. If it hurts, don’t do it! If you can’t adjust the machine to make it comfortable, go back to walking or jogging.
Step 2. Find Your Fat-Burning Zone—and Stay There!
The next important step in setting up your long slow distance cardio program is to determine your Fat-Burning Zone. This is the heart rate at which your body burns fat. If the rate at which your heart is beating is too slow during exercise, your efforts will have little fat-burning effect. If your heart rate is too fast, you’ll end up burning sugar that is present in the bloodstream (glucose) and less fat. With higher-intensity exercise, your body needs to acquire fuel quickly in order to fuel your fast-twitch muscle fibers; thus, it draws from sugar stores. Your goal, then, is to get your heart rate in the zone that exists between “too slow” and “too fast” so that your body will burn proportionally more fat than sugar. When you exercise in this zone—your Fat-Burning Zone—you give your body more time to break down stored fat and use it as fuel. Using slow-twitch fiber for 30 to 60 minutes is the only exercise that burns fat; all other forms of exercise burn sugar (glycogen).
So what is your personal Fat-Burning Zone? One way to find out is to use a common formula for estimating your maximum heart rate; you then calculate a percentage of your maximum to define your Fat-Burning Zone. This zone is commonly defined as 50 to 65 percent of your maximum heart rate, or all the way to 70 percent if you are well conditioned. To calculate your Fat-Burning Zone, use the following formula:
• Subtract your age from 220 to find your maximum heart rate. Let’s say you’re 35 years old. Your maximum heart rate would be 185 beats per minute.
• Multiply your maximum heart rate by 50, 55, 60, 65, or 70 percent to find your Fat-Burning Zone. Using the same example, your Fat-Burning Zone would be 102 (185 × .55), 111 (185 × .60), or 120 (185 × .65).
Ideally, the closer you are to 65 or 70 percent, the better. However, if you’re very heavy, out of shape, or otherwise deconditioned, you should start at 50 percent of your maximum heart rate. (As you continue exercising aerobically beyond the 12-day period, you’ll want to gradually work your way up to 65 or 70 percent of your maximum.)
If you’re math-challenged and hate arithmetic, use the heart rate chart below. Just find your age, and move across to the column to locate the range you’re after.
HEART RATE CHART
| AGE | 50% | 55% | 60% | 65% | 70% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18–19 | 101 | 111 | 121 | 131 | 141 |
| 20–21 | 100 | 110 | 120 | 130 | 139 |
| 22–23 | 99 | 109 | 119 | 129 | 138 |
| 24–25 | 98 | 108 | 118 | 127 | 137 |
| 26–27 | 97 | 107 | 116 | 126 | 135 |
| 28–29 | 96 | 106 | 115 | 125 | 134 |
| 30–31 | 95 | 105 | 114 | 124 | 132 |
| 32–33 | 94 | 103 | 113 | 122 | 131 |
| 34–35 | 93 | 102 | 112 | 121 | 130 |
| 36–37 | 92 | 101 | 110 | 120 | 128 |
| 38–39 | 91 | 100 | 109 | 118 | 127 |
| 40–41 | 90 | 99 | 108 | 117 | 125 |
| 42–43 | 89 | 98 | 107 | 116 | 124 |
| 44–45 | 88 | 97 | 106 | 115 | 123 |
| 46–47 | 87 | 96 | 104 | 114 | 121 |
| 48–49 | 86 | 95 | 103 | 113 | 120 |
| 50–51 | 85 | 94 | 102 | 112 | 118 |
| 52–53 | 84 | 92 | 101 | 111 | 117 |
| 54–55 | 83 | 91 | 100 | 109 | 116 |
| 56–57 | 82 | 90 | 98 | 108 | 114 |
| 58–59 | 81 | 89 | 97 | 107 | 113 |
| 60–61 | 80 | 88 | 96 | 105 | 111 |
| 62–63 | 79 | 87 | 95 | 104 | 110 |
| 64–65 | 78 | 86 | 94 | 103 | 109 |
| 66–67 | 77 | 85 | 92 | 101 | 107 |
| 68–69 | 76 | 84 | 91 | 100 | 106 |
| 70–71 | 75 | 83 | 90 | 99 | 104 |
| 72–73 | 74 | 81 | 89 | 98 | 103 |
| 74–75 | 73 | 80 | 88 | 96 | 102 |
| 76–77 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 95 | 100 |
Important note: If you are already in very good cardiovascular condition, you are capable of working at 70 percent of your maximum target heart rate.
To make sure you’re in your ideal fat-burning range while exercising, take your pulse by placing your middle and index fingers on the inside of your wrist. Hold them there until you feel the beating of your heart—that is, your pulse. Once you have it, simply count the beats for 10 seconds (use a watch with a second hand or a stopwatch), then multiply that number by 6 to get your heart rate for a minute. Another option for keeping tabs on your heart rate is to invest in a heart rate monitor, a handy piece of technology that costs between $100 and $300.
If your heart rate is slower than where you should be, speed up. If it’s faster, slow down to get back in your Fat-Burning Zone. When you’re in your zone, you should be breathing a little harder than usual, but still be able to comfortably carry on a conversation without gasping for air. If you continue to use long slow distance cardio after the 12-Day Body Shaping Miracle, you’ll develop a sense of the proper pace for your body and won’t have to check your heart rate so often. Even so, you should continue to check periodically to make sure you’re burning the maximum possible fat.
When it comes to melting fat, the longer you work out, the better! Realistically, you don’t start burning much fat until you keep your heart rate in your Fat-Burning Zone for at least 5 to 10 minutes, and you don’t start burning fat rapidly until after being in that zone for 30 minutes.
So the central idea of long slow distance cardio is to work out aerobically for a longer duration than normal—45 to 60 minutes—at a lower intensity, maintaining your heart rate in the prescribed zone, in order to activate your slow-twitch muscle fibers and utilize more fat for fuel. During the 12-Day Body Shaping Miracle, you should exercise four to six times a week. That should be your goal for maximum results. Here is a suggested workout schedule:
SUGGESTED LONG SLOW DISTANCE CARDIO SCHEDULE
| DAY | EXERCISE | WARM UP + EXERCISE + COOL-DOWN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paced Walking, walk/jog, slow jogging, treadmill, or stationary bicycle | 45–60 minutes |
| 2 | Paced Walking, walk/jog, slow jogging, treadmill, or stationary bicycle | 45–60 minutes |
| 3 | Rest | |
| 4 | Paced Walking, walk/jog, slow jogging, treadmill, or stationary bicycle | 45–60 minutes |
| 5 | Paced Walking, walk/jog, slow jogging, treadmill, or stationary bicycle | 45–60 minutes |
| 6 | Rest or Paced Walking, walk/jog, slow jogging, treadmill, or stationary bicycle | 45–60 minutes |
| 7 | Paced Walking, walk/jog, slow jogging, treadmill, or stationary bicycle | 45–60 minutes |
| 8 | Paced Walking, walk/jog, slow jogging, treadmill, or stationary bicycle | 45–60 minutes |
| 9 | Rest | |
| 10 | Paced Walking, walk/jog, slow jogging, treadmill, or stationary bicycle | 45–60 minutes |
| 11 | Paced Walking, walk/jog, slow jogging, treadmill, or stationary bicycle | 45–60 minutes |
| 12 | Rest or Paced Walking, walk/jog, slow jogging, treadmill, or stationary bicycle | 45–60 minutes |
One additional point: An excellent indicator of your aerobic fitness is your heart rate at rest. In a very highly trained aerobic athlete, the heart beats 30 to 40 times a minute at rest; 70 to 80 beats a minute for normal people; and 80 to 100 beats a minute for the sedentary and out-of-shape. Check your heart rate occasionally when you get up in the morning. If it’s low, your heart is beating fewer times, but pumping more blood with each beat. That means it’s working more efficiently.
Step 3. Schedule Your Cardio for Optimum Fat Burning
Anytime you can fit long slow distance cardio into your schedule is the best time! For fat burning, however, some times are better than others—like after your last meal, because you can burn everything off. It has been my experience and observation that you can drop fat rapidly if you do your cardio after your last meal. In fact, researchers have found that exercising aerobically between one and three hours after a meal burns up to 15 percent more calories than if you just plop down on the sofa after eating. If your schedule permits, try that approach.
Another recommendation is to perform cardio after doing your sculpting routine. Stored glucose and glycogen supply the energy you need during your sculpting routine. But afterward, you have less of these energy sources available. When you do your cardio after sculpting, your primary fuel source then becomes fat—exactly what you want to burn. However, don’t do this if you have hypoglycemia or are very out of shape.
Step 4. Always Warm Up and Cool Down
Before beginning your exercise program, prepare your body for the activity with a proper warm-up. Warming up increases the flow of blood to your muscles and connective tissue, causes a gradual elevation in your heart rate, increases the temperature of your active muscles for a better supply of oxygen, and positively affects the speed of muscular contraction. Basically, the warm-up readies your body for action and reduces the possibility of muscle injury and soreness later.
The best way to warm up for long slow distance cardio is simply to begin your routine, but at a slower, easier pace. For example, if you’re doing Paced Walking, start by walking at a deliberately slower pace, just to get your blood pumping. Or if you’re doing slow jogging, jog in place. Two to three minutes at this slower pace should provide a sufficient warm-up.
Never neglect your warm-up! Sudden exertion without a gradual warm-up can lead to abnormal heart rate and inadequate blood flow to the heart, along with possible changes in blood pressure, all of which can be dangerous, particularly for older exercisers.
After you’ve finished exercising, be sure to cool down in order to allow your body time to readjust. Slow down gradually by decreasing the intensity of the activity to bring your body back to its resting state. Take an extra lap around the track, pedal the last five minutes slowly, or walk for five minutes after you’ve jogged.
Never stop suddenly after exercise. This can cause blood to pool in your muscles, reducing blood flow to your heart and brain. You could faint or experience abnormal rhythms in your heart—both of which could be dangerous.
Your Cardio Status: Special Guidelines for Special Situations
If you have already been exercising on a regular basis without any problems, by all means start out by exercising for 45 to 60 minutes. Other people may have to take it a little more slowly and not start the exercise portion of the program at full blastoff. Some of you need to take it slow and let your body gradually adapt to the new stress, particularly if you haven’t exercised much in the past, if you’re very overweight, or if you’re advanced in age. There are several special conditions that may warrant tweaking your exercise prescription. If any of the following situations rings a bell with you, please don’t take this lightly. Following these guidelines is vital to your overall health and well-being.
• If you have a cardiovascular problem or any sort of health problem, get your physician’s blessing before you begin an exercise program. If you’re approved, have your physician determine your Fat-Burning Zone and the level of intensity that is appropriate for you. Only then should you proceed.
• If you are 100 pounds or more overweight, consult with your physician before beginning this program. Find out medically what you can do to start. Many people who are overweight get winded just walking to the mailbox. Carrying extra pounds forces your heart and body to work overtime, and consequently you can reach your Fat-Burning Zone very quickly. Shoot for just 50 to 55 percent of your maximum heart rate and walk for at least five minutes. Slowly add a minute or two to that time, or as much as your body will comfortably allow. Keep adding minutes beyond the 12 days of this program so that you can begin to incorporate fat-burning exercise into your lifestyle.
• If you are out of shape, are 50 pounds or more overweight, and/or are advanced in age, start with 5 to 10 minutes of easy walking or stationary bicycling at 55 percent of your maximum heart rate (but get your doctor’s okay first!). Slowly add to that time as your body becomes more accustomed to exercise. Continue to exercise beyond the 12 days of this program, gradually adding time to your routine, for optimum fat-burning effectiveness.
• If you have done little or no cardiovascular exercise in the past, but are otherwise in good health, start with only 10 to 15 minutes at 55 percent of your maximum as your Fat-Burning Zone. Add as many minutes as feels comfortable and doable to you. Beyond the 12 days of the program, work toward increasing your time to 45 minutes. Then slowly increase your prescribed heart rate in 5 percent increments until you reach 65 percent of your maximum. That way, you’ll keep your body in a fat-burning mode each time you exercise.
• If you are in reasonably good shape, and 50 pounds or less overweight, start with 20 to 30 minutes at 60 percent of your maximum. Slowly add 5 to 10 minutes to your time as you are able and as you become aerobically more fit. Eventually, work your way up to 45 minutes to an hour per session. At the same time, shoot for increasing your intensity to 65 percent of your maximum in order to reach your Fat-Burning Zone.
Make It Fun
For long slow distance exercise to be maximally effective for fat loss over the next 12 days, you must do it four to even six times a week. But if you’re like many people, you probably get bored to tears doing a repetitive activity for 45 minutes to an hour. Here are some pointers on how to avoid boredom while performing long slow distance exercise:
• Strap on headphones and use a lightweight portable stereo to listen to your favorite music, books on tape, or Body Makeover motivational audiotapes and CDs (see appendix B for information) while you’re walking or jogging outdoors. Caution: Make sure you can still hear traffic noises. Ignoring what’s going on around you can be risky.
• Watch television while pedaling on a stationary bicycle or walking on a treadmill. Or listen to music, motivational audiotapes, or CDs. If your equipment has a reading rack, read a book or a magazine.
• Change the scenery. If you get bored by your treadmill workout, take a walk outdoors instead.
• Vary your path. If you walk or jog outdoors on the same route every day, consider changing your path to alleviate the sameness.
• Find a makeover buddy. Recruit a friend or friends to do the 12-Day Body Shaping Miracle with you—including the long slow distance exercise program. You can support each other, help each other when one of you wants to quit, and be inspired by each other’s success and progress. Exercising with a buddy is motivating and provides the support you need to see the program through. Plus, it can make the next 12 days fun!
TO ACCELERATE FAT LOSS … AVOID THESE WORKOUTS!
Surprise: Some of the most popular workouts that are effective for cardiovascular fitness are not effective for burning fat. If you really want to burn fat, stick to long, slow, rhythmic workouts such as Paced Walking, slow jogging, a walk/jog, treadmill exercise, or stationary bicycling. Any exercise that has you working too strenuously burns sugar, not fat. A number of these are listed below.
Stair climbing
Elliptical machines
Aerobic dancing
Aerobic step classes
Kickboxing
Stair-step machines
Circuit training (with weights or machines)
Climbing machines (or vertical climbing walls)
Rowing machines
Martial arts
Boxing
Power cycling (Spinning-type classes)
Use long slow distance cardio to reveal your natural sexy curves. This one small change in your activity level adds up to big results—in terms of your fat burn, fitness, and endurance. By the end of the next 12 days, you’ll clearly see why this form of exercise is worth the effort—and you’ll be very proud of what you’ve accomplished and how great you look.