Why Longer Workouts Can Keep You Fat

Written by Shin Ohtake on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 • 31 Comments

Time may be the most important aspect in our lives. It keeps ticking away no matter what we do. It’s what we live by, it’s our guideline. It keeps us organized and on schedule. There’s 24 hours in a day, most of us work 40 hours (or more) a week, we divide our day up into hourly increments and so it’s no surprise that we judge things based on time.

If someone worked 8 hours, you automatically assume that person did more work than someone that worked 4 hours…right? The problem is, that assumption neglects a very important component…quality. Quality can’t be defined by time…in fact, more often than not quality has an inverse relation to time. You’re more likely to perform higher quality of work in a shorter amount of time. And the longer you work, the more likely your quality declines. And this holds true for fitness as well.

It may come as a surprise, but working out longer isn’t always good for you, and it doesn’t mean you’re going to lose more weight either. In fact, it can stop you from losing weight all together. There’s reason to believe that your body wasn’t designed to exercise more than a certain amount a day and doing more can actually be more harmful.

So if you’re still stuck in the mind set, that you need to workout out longer so you can burn more calories…you’ve been going down the wrong path and it’ll only lead you to more frustrations.

Quality over quantity. Save precious time by learning to work with your body, so you can lose weight easier and more efficiently and achieve optimum health and fitness at the same time. Believe it or not, it’s much easier than your think.

If you look at how our evolutionary “hunter and gatherer” ancestors lived, their bodies were used efficiently as possible…since they didn’t have any energy to waste. Their days most likely consisted of a lot of walking, looking and gathering for food and intermittent spurts of high level activity in pursuit of an animal during the hunt or perhaps escaping from predators. It’s highly unlikely that they performed moderately to highly intense activities for long periods of time, since it would require too much energy to be depleted. And it’s interesting to note, that our energy systems are divided into three distinct levels which correlate directly to duration and intensity level of activities.

Here’s a simplified look at the different energy systems our body utilizes:

Phosphate Energy System - This is what fuels our quick spurts of activity that require the largest amounts of energy in the shorted amount of time, such as sprints or lifting heavy objects. The activity requires your muscles to produce as much force as possible in the shortest amount of time. It’s the quickest source of energy, but only lasts 10 - 20 seconds at a time, before it gets depleted. And It take 3 - 5 minutes before it gets replenished again.
Glycogen Energy System - Glycogen is glucose stored in your muscles that’s used for energy during activities performed at moderate to high intensity activities. The length of time glycogen can fuel your body, depends on the intensity level of the physical activity. For instance an activity like the marathon can deplete your glycogen stores in 2 hours or less. Once glycogen is depleted, your body will fatigue very quickly making it completely insufficient. Many endurance athletes describe it as “hitting the wall”. Once your body completely depletes the glycogen stores, it takes about 24 hours for your body to replenish normal glycogen levels from consuming carbohydrates to converting it into glycogen for storage.
Fat Oxidation Energy System - The fat stored in your body is utilized to fuel your body. This is done at low activity levels such as walking. Since fat source is abundant, it’s your body’s primary source of fuel for all of your metabolic processes as well. Unlike glycogen, where it can get replenished by consuming carbohydrates, fat doesn’t get stored from eating fat. Fat accumulation occurs when there is an excess amount of energy that doesn’t get utilized by your body.

The glycogen energy system is an efficient system as long as you have carbohydrate foods to replenish your body. Which leads me to the next question…how much carbohydrate foods were available to our “hunting and gathering” ancestors. We can’t be sure, but we can speculate. It’s safe to assume that all available carbohydrate foods during those times were unrefined carbohydrate foods. Unrefined carbohydrate foods contain much higher fiber content and much less sugar content, which is why it’s so healthy - since it doesn’t affect your insulin. But when you look at it from an energy (calorie) perspective, it’s not a very good source of energy. In fact, the combination of fiber and low sugar content would make it difficult for them to consume enough unrefined carbohydrate foods to be able to replenish the necessary glycogen depletion, if they used too much glycogen.

So it would make sense that if you don’t have enough readily available carbohydrate foods that would easily replenish your glycogen levels, you’d be better off conserving your energy throughout the day and only give the necessary extra effort when needed like hunting or escaping. Which is what our “hunter and gatherer” ancestors seemed to have done. Another possible reason that glycogen system may have been used more sparingly or perhaps only used for short durations, even if it was utilized on a frequent basis.

So if the glycogen system wasn’t frequently utilized by our “hunter and gatherer” ancestors, maybe it’s not designed to be used the way we’re using it?

Nowadays, the glycogen energy system is the most commonly used energy system in our body when it comes to exercising. Why? Because many of us are (still) under the assumption that working out for longer periods of time means more calories burned and hence more weight loss. However, working out longer requires more energy (calories) from glycogen. In fact, the more glycogen stores you have available, the longer and harder you can work out.

Have you heard the term “carbo loading”? It became popular back in the 70‘s when long distance running became hugely popular. It requires you to eat lots of carbs, usually refined carbs like pasta and bread, to try and increase the amount of glycogen storage so you can have more energy to run faster and longer. Not surprisingly, at the time the health professionals (doctors, nutritionists, fitness experts) in the U.S. were claiming that daily cardiovascular exercises done at moderate intensities along with consuming 6 - 11 servings of refined carbohydrate foods like bread, grains, pasta and rice per day was the best way to prevent heart disease, weight loss and optimum health. So as a result everyone started running and doing other forms of long moderate cardiovascular exercises and hence “carbo loading” became a popular practice, especially prior to competition.

Interestingly enough, since that time, the incidence of heart disease has not decreased at all…in fact there are now direct correlations of heart disease to obesity and diabetes, along with the metabolic syndrome, which have all risen dramatically. So much for healthy recommended consumption of 6 - 11 servings of refined carbohydrate foods like bread, grains, pasta and rice per day!...although the AHA (American Heart Association) would make you believe otherwise. If you want to know more about it, there are many more eye opening facts stated in a book called “Good Calories, Bad Calories” written by Gary Taubes, which I highly recommend.

So, is there a significant link between overuse of the glycogen energy system, long duration exercises and (refined) carbohydrate foods? In my personal experience…I believe so.

Here’s another take on it.

Long duration of moderately intense exercising uses glycogen almost exclusively as your energy source. And when you train this way, you’re essentially making your body more efficient at utilizing and burning glucose for energy. Which basically means that you’ll be able to perform the same amount of work with less energy as you get more “fit”. That may be good from a performance perspective, but if your goal is to lose weight and get lean…it just means you’ll have to work harder and longer to burn the same amount of fuel (calories). And let’s remember that your burning off glucose…not fat.

Since these types of workouts can significantly deplete your glycogen levels, you’ll need to consume carbohydrate foods in order to replenish it. Now it’s best to consume unrefined carbohydrate foods, but as I mentioned above, the high fiber content and lower sugar content makes it difficult to consume enough food to replenish your depleted glycogen levels. Now being a former endurance athlete myself, I can speak from experience that there’s no way that I could keep up my training by eating just fruits and veggies. You need refined carbohydrates to be able to replenish your energy and recover adequately.

Which brings me to the next important point that often gets overlooked…insulin reaction. Consuming refined carbs will spike up your insulin. No matter how much you workout or how “fit” you may be, if you eat refined carbohydrate foods, your insulin will spike and eventually can lead to insulin insensitivity. Insulin insensitivity is the number one reason for gaining weight, obesity and diabetes, and as stated earlier, there are studies now that indicate insulin plays a major role in causing heart disease as well. Now, you may be thinking that you’re not affected, because you’re not overweight, or perhaps you feel that you’re in good shape from all the training you do. But what you’re not able to see is the havoc insulin spiking causes to all of your metabolic processes. It’s what you can’t see or feel that’s often the most dangerous to your health.

So here’s what I see happening:

Working out longer at moderate intensity causes your body to solely utilize the glycogen energy system.
As you get more fit, you become more efficient at burning glycogen for fuel, which means you can go longer without using as much energy.
This perpetuates a vicious cycle of having to workout longer as you get more fit and lose more weight
And the harder and longer you workout the more you need to consume refined carbohydrate foods to replenish your depleted glycogen levels so you can keep up your “fitness” regimen.
The more refined carbohydrate foods you take in the more your insulin spikes and eventually can lead to insulin insensitivity.
Insulin insensitivity can cause weight gain, obesity, diabetes and even heart disease.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that you stop doing long duration exercises at moderate intensities all together…just that you decrease the frequency and change up your durations, intensities and activities more often. I think doing longer duration exercises once or twice a week is more than sufficient. This way you have plenty of time to recover and replenish your glycogen levels without having to resort to consuming refined carbohydrate foods.

I also recommend doing more short duration high intensity activities. As I’ve written many times before, it’s the best way to burn fat and get lean. Also, shorter duration prevents your body from having to dip into the glycogen storage as much, making it much easier to replenish after working out. This will allow you to keep eating unrefined carbohydrate foods without worrying about not having enough energy to workout. Highly intense short workouts also promotes more efficient fat utilization by increasing your metabolism, so you can burn more calories throughout the day.

Lastly, instead of performing moderately intense activities, I would recommend doing more low level activities instead and switch your body’s emphasis from the glycogen energy system to the fat oxidation energy system to maximize your health and weight loss capabilities. Walking is a great low level activity that utilizes your fat-oxidation energy system so you can burn more fat. The more low level activity you perform throughout the day the more fat you’ll burn. As I wrote in last week’s article, just by implementing walking into your daily activity and minimizing sitting by 2 hours a day, you can burn an additional 350 calories a day or a pound of fat in less than 10 days.

Here’s a quick summary:

Decrease the frequency of longer duration exercises to once or twice a week.
If your body requires you to consume refined carbohydrate foods in order to refuel and keep up your fitness regimen, you’re doing too much.
You should be able to eat unrefined carbohydrates and have plenty of energy to perform the activities/workouts.
It’s better to workout shorter at higher intensities if you want to lose fat, get lean and achieve optimum health.
Implement as much low level activity, such as walking, as part of your daily activity in addition to short intense workouts to really accelerate your fat burning capabilities.

Are you having to consume refined carbs to recover fully and keep up your activities?

Have you experienced fatigue, lower motivation or burn out from doing your activities?

Have you ever thought that what you’re doing may actually be doing you more harm than good?

What are your thoughts on the article? I’d love to hear what you think, so please post your comments below.

About The Author

Shin Ohtake is a widely recognized strength coach and fitness & fat-loss expert. His unconventional, no-nonsense approach to getting fit has made him the go-to source for fitness enthusiasts and trainers alike. Shin is also the author of the world famous, MAX Workouts book, which has transformed and reshaped the bodies of thousands of people across the globe - without requiring hours in the gym. To learn more about how MAX Workouts can help you achieve your fitness goals, visit maxworkouts.com.

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31 Comments

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Mary smith says: 05/20 05:28 AM

Hi I loved this article because I do flog myself and therefore Im not enjoying exercising as much as I should. I have realised of late just recovering from a chest infection the past month that I have been overdoing it. My energy levels are much higher now that I haven’t been able to do as much exercise. I pursume lifting weights would use your fat stores? and sprinting??
but for how long (time) 20 mins!!!! I have trouble fitting in exercise but I have always had to find the time just to keep ontop of my weight.
many thanks Ma

Mrs M Hunt says: 05/20 05:54 AM

This is wonderful news to me. I need to lose weight and tone up but having “creaky knees” and other joints, endurance training, running marathons etc was going to do more harm than good.
I also know that eating refined carbs like bread, pasta ans white rice, for me, gains lBS a week. This isn’t easy as I live in Italy and the pasta, Pizzas and breads!!! But by being careful and following your advice I can at least maintain my weight by eating out once a month instead of piling on the Lbs easily adding up to stones in a year!
Any work outs to burn flab, tone up arm-wings, saggy thighs and belly for the weak-willed, creaky older generation, are most welcome.
Thanks

Rick says: 05/20 06:10 AM

Another awesome article Shin! I started speeding things up in the gym a couple of years ago and now I’m “super-setting” 99% of every workout I do! Super-Sets keep me going and my heart rate high and if done correctly, will not allow me to workout for more than 45 minutes to an hour…I’ll be “spent” in that amount of time!
I see many folks in the gym simply going through the motions and taking 2 hours to do it, then brag about their great 2 hour work out…that’s nuts!!! (But at least they are in there trying, right?) Anyway, I look forward to your uniquely informative articles so keep up the fantastic work!
Paul

William Bila says: 05/20 06:22 AM

Yes its so amazing some of the small things we overlook. I and my wife even have a challenge of who is going to retire first from the workout and the one who endure londer is the winner. but the after effect of long training are evedent i.e. low energy levels even inability to do basic staff at home. I have tried short intence training mixing the

David says: 05/20 06:30 AM

Shin, I appreciate your thought provoking articles; especially this one. I have lost 75 pounds in the past 1.5 years and look forward to losing another 50 pounds in 2010. You have addressed many of the problems I have encountered in my 40(+) year weight loss journey…I just wasn’t bright enough to pick up on this type of information in past years. Keep up the good work because you, and many others notables in the fitness field, are providing invaluable information. Truly knowledge, behind just getting off one’s duff, is most important for results.

Jerry Hey says: 05/20 07:05 AM

Very good points in the last two articles. In fact, I am writing this note standing. I modified my work station to lift the key board to a standing height. I don’t know if I am burning more calories standing, but I immediately experienced an END to lower back pain that went with sitting in front of the computer for lengthly time.

I never do low intensity work outs. Since it is biking season I ride just about every day. I ride at a brisk pace (seventy to seventy-five percent of MHR). Sprinting from time to time provides a combination of medium and high intensity within the same workout. I see no advantage to doing just one or the other. Jerry

Leslie says: 05/20 07:31 AM

I am living proof that your advice on ‘quality over quantity’ really works. I almost feel guilty that I spend much less time in the gym than I used to, and I am leaner than ever. I see so many people at the gym wasting their time like I used to do. Effective exercise and the right diet will transform your body! Yay!
Thank you, Shin! xoxo

Bob says: 05/20 07:41 AM

There seems to be a contradiction in your advice for burning fat. The last two bullet points in your article summarize this contradiction. To restate it, you say first to do more short term high intensity work, then you say to do more low level stuff like walking to accelerate fat loss more. It seems like these two different types of activity should rely on two different energy systems. Clearly, there is some connection I have missed. Perhaps you could explain why short high intensity workouts rely on fat for energy rather than using glycogen until it is gone?

Jake says: 05/20 07:43 AM

What do you consider long-duration exercise? Are there approximate time intervals for long, moderate, and short duration? What about high, moderate, and low intensity?

Jill says: 05/20 07:46 AM

Hi,
I love aerobic workouts & they usually last 40 mins and i feel good. I then like to do 10 mins exersize with hand weights. R u saying this is to much and i should cut them down? I have started running which i do not enjoy as much as aerobics but wanted a exercise change/challenge. I have started to run for 30 mins and then 10 mins of weights, is this the right way to keep fit?
I have a bit of belly but never do stomach exersizes because i hate them.

Prinny says: 05/20 07:55 AM

FINALLY!!! A concise, thorough explanation on why I shouldn’t be spending time socializing at the gym. :p I am all about getting in and getting out, but I’ve been concerned about the efficiency of my workouts these past few months. I am a creature of routine and sometimes I routine myself out of getting the most out of my exercise. I feel it, and ever since I stopped MAX and came back to the US, and got all comfortable in routine…I’ve suffered a brand new plataeu. Suddenly, I’m training to be a marathon runner (without the carb-loading) rather than a buff beauty.

Anyway, I’m about to start a new high intensity short time, dare I say it, routine that’s going to help with this problem.

Dave says: 05/20 08:36 AM

Bob-
High intensity excercise causes the body to release more fatty acids into the blood stream.
Low intensity excercise is better for oxidizing (burning) the fatty acids that are released.
I find that short but high intensity weight training followed by walking is a great way to burn fat. Walking is also great because it reduces inflammation

elmethra de bruyn says: 05/20 09:43 AM

good stuff. explains some of my issues. I DO find that, becos i sometimes work 12 hours, i’m too tired the next morning to push myself hard enough and it can sometimes lead to a whole week of tiredness, thus no exercise ........ just to pick it up with renewed vigour the next week. I NOW try just doing 3kg dumbells when I’m really bushed just for the sake of doing SOMETHING! I also walk about 20 minutes to work each day but it feels like it’s too easy to be any good.

Two unrelated questions Shin:
1. I only have a stepper. How do I make maximum use of it?! I do high intensity interval steps BUT i have 15minutes, MAX, every morning and it’s taking longer to feel “pushed”.
2. How long is the average time to recover if you’re out of breathe/feeling the burn? Does one recover COMPLETELY or just enough to resume at intensity level 7-8, or something.

Vic Dale says: 05/20 09:44 AM

Shin, I was once a gymnastics coach and one of my specailties was sports nutrition. I was taken with the work and ideas of Dr Robert Hass, a US sports nutritionist who recommended high carb, low fat and moderate protein as the basis of a good and healthy eating regime. As I recall his ratio of carbs-proteins-fats more or less matches what you are saying.

In order to do the best by my atheletes I tried his regime myself and soon found myself eating 1.5 times more than I had ever done previously and initially thought I have fallen for another rubbish diet. I persevered for the month I had alotted the trial and 5 days into the month I found I had lost 2 pounds. Each successive 2 days I lost another pound and this continued until I had lost a full stone (14lbs). I used his methods for many years though with some of my own modifications, which seem to accord very well with the advice you have been giving. I never supported carb-loading and nor I believe did Dr Hass, though I recall that many were recommending it at one time.

At 62 years of age I am fully fit, can run and jump, pump the weigths and I do not have a single iota of joint pain. This is all because I have maintained a very close watch on how my body works and am sensitive to it’s daily and long term needs. However, since first reading your excellent material I have embarked upon a new period of regeneration and renewal. My body is firming up again and my shape which has always been good is making visible improvements.

I drink only water now (and plenty of it)having finally ruled out tea, coffee and soft drinks as definitely harmful. I can post my method for acheiving that later if you wish. I basically eat fish, eggs and steamed veg (widest possible variety) and salads, with the result that enjoyment of the meal is enhanced by the knowlwedge of precisely how much good it is doing me.

My workouts are short but intense, aiming for the burn rather than achieving a set number of reps, sets or weight stacking, though that does not mean selling myself short of having a good and thorough workout.

I became aware of the value of walking some years ago, noticing that I would put on weight if I did none - bad weather or pressure of work etc.

The value of your work to me is that I am beginning to understand more of the pathology behind what I have learned through trial and error and that understanding sets the tone and points to a clearer way forward.

Many thanks and please keep the good advice coming.

Vic

David says: 05/20 10:04 AM

Kudos Vic. Great response.

felicia says: 05/20 11:04 AM

I, read your, article on why longer work outs can keep you fat.
I, lost 70 + lbs. about a year to a year and a half ago I, got rid of the high cholesterol, got rid of the onset of diabetes. My dr. says my health is superb My triglycerides were up 10 points but he said everything else far out weighed that.
He said keep doing what your doing. But I, was 98 lbs. now I, am 109 unclothed and 117 clothed I still fit in my 0-1 pants alittle more snug I, do not know if I gained weight or muscle?? I, really feel tired I, do sit ups in morning 15 minutes weights 20 minutes then the eyliptical 90 minutes. Later afternoon or evening I will do tummy scrunches, some leg presses maybe more situps and weights some times really 2 hrs.a day total I, know I, am doing too much how much should I,actually do I, am working now only pt 10am- 5pm so far 2 days a week. My bmi is great so what do I, do I, want to get back to 98 lbs if it is fat weight I, have gained .

Bob says: 05/20 01:03 PM

Dave, Thanks. That’s a useful reply.

Dave says: 05/20 01:10 PM

Bob…it’s OK, my mother calls me David, so I know who the comment was directed towards =)

Bob says: 05/20 01:11 PM

Sorry, I meant to type David, not Dave.

Bob says: 05/20 01:14 PM

NO!!! I’ll get it right, darn it! I am saying thank you to Dave for his reply.

Steve says: 05/20 11:32 PM

Thanks for the article. Trying to figure out workouts that get you in shape and keep you there are sometimes a difficult task. The information in your articles is welcome knowledge.

Eileen says: 05/20 11:56 PM

Dear Shin
I’ve been working out more often & generally harder compared to a year ago and I’ve not seen any results in months, plus I’ve been giving in to incredible sugar/refine carb cravings lately. I no longer enjoy my sessions because I feel exhausted when before, I would feel energized. Your article may be the reason why..

Eric says: 05/21 12:17 AM

I love the type of high intensity, compound/functional weightlifting you promote. . . it is the heart of my workout regiment. I bought and worked through your Maxworkouts e-book and I’m very glad I did. So understand that this comes from a fan, and that’s why I’m bothering to comment.

You’re not making any sense. Longer, moderate duration exercise does not keep you fat, it is a great way to get lean. That is from personal experience. When I added 3 20-30 minute jogs/ cardio machines a week (at the intensity I could maintain for that time period) on top of your workouts I got leaner, noticibly faster. Probably because I was burning more calories, while consuming the same amount. If I had been willing to run even more I would probably would have lost weight even faster.

First, doesn’t depleting glycogen stores mean that more of the carbohydrates you consume go into replenishing glycogen stores rather than being available to be converted into fat? And who says you have to eat extra refined carbs just because you do longer duration exercise more than once or twice a week? . . . Of course you don’t. You probably already get at least 50% of your calories from carbs if not more.

Second, short, high intensity exercise may be best for a lot of things (I believe it is) but I think you are overstating its value for getting lean when you imply that it is best for that too. See J Sports Sci. 2006 Dec; 24(12):1247-64 (Effects of exercise intensity and duration on the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. LaForgia J, Withers RT, Gore CJ.)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17101527
“a prolonged EPOC (3-24 h) may result from an appropriate exercise stimulus (submaximal: >or=50 min at >or=70% VO2max; supramaximal: >or=6 min at >or=105% VO2max). However, even those studies incorporating exercise stimuli resulting in prolonged EPOC durations have identified that the EPOC comprises only 6-15% of the net total oxygen cost of the exercise.”

Bottom line is that getting lean (if that is your goal) is a matter of calorie intake versus calorie use, regardless of your thought experiment about our hunter gather predecessors. And if time is your concern I hardly see how going for a walk is a good workout strategy.

People have different goals and priorities when it comes to body composition/ weight loss, cosmetics, power, conditioning, flexibility and the amount of time they are willing to spend exercising. I say, give them good information and let them make their own choices. If your point is just that eating a lot of refined carbs can keep you from losing weight - of course. But saying that means don’t do moderate cardio more than couple times a week is just a non-sequitor.

joe says: 05/21 05:59 AM

body composition needs to be the new replacement word for weight lose. Shin you are the man and you know your stuff but i understand were this person is coming from. I personally went through the max workout program and didn’t see much eye popping muscle but i dropped 50 pounds of FAT and increases ed my speed agility and flexibility, i feel awesome and after I actually wasn’t ashamed to walk into a gym thinking im the weak fat guy.I actually had guys trying to workout with me because they dont do or even know how to your many multi functional exercises .this ebook has turned me into a rel life actual athlete and not a guy with just awesome guns. But im now am taking a step back from full body so i can focus on looks and after about 3 months im going back to rapid heart rate make you puke workouts.thanks shin keep the faith baby.

Shin Ohtake says: 05/21 06:12 AM

Hi Eric,

Thanks for your comments.

I think you may have misunderstood the article…perhaps I wasn’t clear. The point of the article was that it’s more efficient to take advantage of your body’s energy systems rather than just abide by the typical “calories in calories out” scenario.

I think it’s great that you’ve had such success with your fitness routine, but working out more while not changing your calorie intake is not realistic for everyone. Calorie deprivation is not a long term plan. This is why I wrote this article, to inform people that there are smarter and more efficient way to lose weight.

Learning how your body operates is the best way to combat weight gain and implement a long term plan that you can stick to.

If you deplete your glycogen stores the carbohydrate that you eat will be used to store glycogen. However, when you start depleting a lot of glycogen storage it’s hard to replenish it from just eating fruits and vegetables. Again, this depends on each individual. The point I was making was that the tendency for people to consume refined carbs to replenish their glycogen levels increase exponentially as you train longer and deplete more glycogen. The idea being that it’s best not to eat refined carbs at all, so it’s better to workout shorter with more intensity and be able to comfortably keep up a diet composed of unrefined carbs rather than working out longer and increasing your chances of wanting refined carbs. Keep in mind that I’m talking about a long term sustainable fitness plan.

Lastly it’s true that walking for longer periods may not seem “time efficient” to you, but it doesn’t have to be all at once. As I stated in the previous article just switching up little habits like taking the stairs and walking an extra block to work a day adds up to quite a lot.

Shin

Vic Dale says: 05/21 10:03 AM

Dear Shin.

A recurring problem for many who take up training or who complain of being over-weight is the craving for highly refined carbs - namely foods with a high sugar content, or sugar itself. Consumption of these foods will interfere with the best fitness programme and the fat they lay down will mask good results, by covering healthy muscle with thick layers of unwanted subcutaneous fat.

By your leave I will briefly outline my own story;

For many years I had a terrible sweet-tooth and despite following the best of fitness regimes did not acheive the fine muscle definition I was after. I was very fit and strong but lacked the cut which would have made me stand out.

As I aged I developed a highly embarrassing conditon - over production of muccous - which became a real problem and seemed to coincide with the consumption of milk. I did not believe I was lactose intolerant but researched along those lines all the same and eventually lit on a fabulous article about a micro-organism in the digestive tract called Candida.
Ref; CandidaSociety.com

There are plenty of other sites on the net with good information, so members here can do their own research without me making recommendations without proper diagnosis or qualification.

Basically Candida is a yeast infection which can cause thrush and other embarrassing conditions. The yeast may colonise the colon and replace the natural flora which reside there and perform essential functions. Candida replaces the natural flora and takes over it’s task, but does not do an adequate job. It also sends out hunter cells into the bloodstream which hunt down hormones secreted by the Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland under regulation from the brain. These hormones circulate in the blood stream to find organs of the Endocrine System for which they have keys so they can regulate key organs such as the Adrenal Gland and Pancreas - to name just two - regulating their function according to the body’s needs as identified by the brain. The Candida cells intercept these hormones and knock the keys off so they cannot regulate these organs, but it releases it’s own cells using duplicate keys. Candida then regulates these organs itself according to it’s needs effectively bypassing the brain. It may turn up insulin production telling the brain that the body is starved of insulin and the brain in turn sets up the craving for high sugar foods, on which the yeast most easily feeds.

Candida is linked to a number of disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), leaky bowel, Arthritis and even Spondylosis and others. It can colonise after a course of Anti-Biotics or simply as a result of consuming extremely strong yeasts which are used in the bread-making process these days. Candida is also a greedy feeder and demands far more sugar than it can use at any one time and we know where that will wind up and in what form - fat around the belly.

I found a preparation at my local Health-Food store which was designed to hunt down and kill yeasts - there are many available and I may not have used the best, so I won’t recommend it on the knowledge I have available. Surprisingly just two doses of the preparation knocked out my craving for sweets and I have consumed nnoe for more than two months - I simply have no craving for them now and the knock-on effects on my general health have been out of all proportion to expectation.

It would be a pity to see a marvellous fitness programme such as that presented here to be upset by a condition caused by a simple micro-organsim of which we may not even be aware. If a good workout drives you to consume sweet things to replace energy, then that may just be an indicator of the presence of Candida.

Your recommendation about walking is the best advice you could give, but please - not on a treadmill in a stale and lonely appartment or gym, get out into the air and breath some oxygen, walk near trees and your will feel the benefits even as you walk.

Walking pace is also important - the faster you go the more oxygen you will take in and over time oxygen saturation in the blood may increase improving the general feel-good factor.

Vic

Cynthia says: 05/21 12:46 PM

Thank you!!!!! I’m a personal trainer and the hardest thing to get through my clients heads is longer is not always better. Great article.

Shirley says: 05/23 04:00 PM

Hi There Shin,Just love your article,as I do love walking,come rain or shine,but I also love doing 3 times a week with some friends,step,45min,bodypump 60mins and stretch 30.Do you think
it’s too much? I also run twice a week,I eat normally(vegetarian), and and have walts my way through,menopause,without the excess weight,I was warned about.Your article is very interesting!
Thank-you Shin.

Shin Ohtake says: 05/23 05:46 PM

Mary Smith,

Lifting weights and doing sprints don’t burn fat while you’re doing it, but it will enhance fat burning after the workouts are over. I generally recommend 20 - 30 minutes of exercising as long as it’s done at a high level if intensity.

Mrs M Hunt,

Try and incorporate weight lifting and interval workouts done at short but higher intensity levels…I think you’ll find it quite effective and it’ll be much better for your joints as well! Combine that with low level activities like walking.

Jake,

Anything between one hour to two hours or more performed at moderate to high intensity would be considered long duration. But this will vary according to individual fitness levels as well. My recommendation is a general guide so you’ll have to go find what works best for you.
20 - 30 minutes - high intensity (3 - 6 times a week)
60 - 120 minutes - moderate intensity (1 - 2 times a week)
Low intensity activity like walking (daily)

Jill,
As I mentioned above, the actual duration of the exercise will vary according to each individual. You can take a look at the general guideline above, but as I recommended for Jake, you’ll have to try it out yourself and tweak it out to best fit you and your needs. BTW, you really don’t need to do any ab exercises if your doing functional full body exercises, you’ll be working your abs/core plenty…plus, it’s much more effective in burning fat.

elmethra de bruyn,

Instead of doing the stepper, you can try doing something else that that’ll get your HR up faster, like running outside or if your doing at home, running in place with high knees, bodyweight squats, squats jumps, jumping jacks, mountain climber etc.

The amount of time you need to recover will depend on you and what the goal of the workout is. But in general, when you’re doing a typical interval session it’s best to recover until you catch your breath.

felicia,

Assuming you’re eating a well balanced diet composed of unrefined foods (protein, vegetables and fats) you may want to change up your workouts to do more short duration (high intensity) workouts using full body exercises using weights.

paulo says: 05/25 04:02 AM

well said.
Namaste for sharing your knowledge.

To empower another, is to empower yourself.

To celebrate another, is to celebrate yourself.

And to free another, is to free yourself. I say empower, celebrate, and free them all.

acne treatment products says: 05/25 08:55 PM

That’s a very good piece of information. I liked the way that you provided ample of explanation to support your verdict on “quality over quality”. This something that applies in most of the cases and even applies to our dietary habits. Though the fact was known to me, but wasn’t aware about the detailed level of the scientific explanation about this subject.

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