I borrowed this book called "Fast Exercise [by Dr Michael Mosley with Peta Bee]" from the library recently, and I wish I had read this much earlier! Do you get a clue what this book is about judging from the title?
This book describes the benefits of high intensity training [HIT] and all the related researches done on it. The many benefits includes better aerobic fitness, endurance, reduced body fat, increased strength and better insulin sensitivity. It also mentioned about intermittent fasting [Fast Diet] and as we all know, diet and exercise are complementary.
Previously, I wrote about my jogging experience and just as I thought all my effort were wasted, the book explained that exercising for a longer duration has its advantages still. It is better for our general and mental health but how much of moderate exercise is enough? It stated that many of us don't even do 2.5 hours of moderate activities per week, and that is so true given that I don't run very long.
The book provides explanations on why weight loss cannot be obtained by going long and slow [moderate but long duration of exercise]. We do not burn much fats this way unless we do a lot and a lot. We can easily consume back that 200 calories we just lost. After we go for a long workout, somehow we feel more tired and our bodies are tricked into thinking that we have burnt a lot and we need more food. We also think that since we require energy to exercise, we should eat up first.
In the past, the hunter gatherers were much more active than we are. Given our work requirements now, many people have become sedentary. The hunter gatherers as I have learnt during university do very intense work like climbing trees, chopping wood, hunting for food. However, they spend the rest of their time resting a lot too.
"We benefit from short bursts of intense activity and we need rest days to recover or we undo all the good work."
The book provides explanations on why weight loss cannot be obtained by going long and slow [moderate but long duration of exercise]. We do not burn much fats this way unless we do a lot and a lot. We can easily consume back that 200 calories we just lost. After we go for a long workout, somehow we feel more tired and our bodies are tricked into thinking that we have burnt a lot and we need more food. We also think that since we require energy to exercise, we should eat up first.
In the past, the hunter gatherers were much more active than we are. Given our work requirements now, many people have become sedentary. The hunter gatherers as I have learnt during university do very intense work like climbing trees, chopping wood, hunting for food. However, they spend the rest of their time resting a lot too.
"We benefit from short bursts of intense activity and we need rest days to recover or we undo all the good work."
Research also seems to show that HIT curbs the appetite and you are less likely to feel more hungry and tired as compared to a long duration exercise. I put this to the test and it really is the case. Because I do short burst of fast run, I don't spend so much time exercising and persevering, I feel less tired overall.
HIT seems like a very risky and dangerous thing to try. Like if your heart beat goes too fast or if you sprain your ankles. Personally, I think it is very strenuous on my feet when I sprint. The muscles feel tighter than usual. That is why the rest has to come in. Strangely, the research reveals that HIT is more effective in terms of recovery for people with chronic diseases like heart failure as compared to the conventional way of exercising.
The book outlines the different types of exercise we can do with intensity. They have several methods and timings to follow accordingly. Exercises aimed to train our muscles can also be done with intensity. It is suggested that late afternoon to early evening is the best time to exercise. It is hardest to perform in the morning because our body temperature is at the lowest when we wake up, that is no wonder I cannot get myself to run in the morning. It is also best to fix a consistent standard time for exercise so we will follow through with more discipline.
One of the concluding points is that we also need to be more active on an overall basis! This is not exercising. It is how much we move around rather than being seated all the time. The busy-working-face-laptop-always lifestyle is making us forget that we have been sitting for too long. It is time to add more movement into our daily life. Start standing up while on the train or walk up an escalator. Take small steps at first and slowly increase.
And I really mean it, to start everything little by little. I have pulled a muscle some time ago after trying their high intensity workout. The doctor told me that I need to stretch, warm up and warm down. Really important! It has been about two months since I first started this. I haven't really see much weight loss [say about 1kg so far as my weight keeps fluctuating] but I'm not giving up just yet. Of course, weight loss can come from other factors and not 100% a result of HIT workouts.
This is such a time efficient exercise and you would probably feel less lazy to workout! You might want to grab this book and give this a shot :D.
HIT seems like a very risky and dangerous thing to try. Like if your heart beat goes too fast or if you sprain your ankles. Personally, I think it is very strenuous on my feet when I sprint. The muscles feel tighter than usual. That is why the rest has to come in. Strangely, the research reveals that HIT is more effective in terms of recovery for people with chronic diseases like heart failure as compared to the conventional way of exercising.
The book outlines the different types of exercise we can do with intensity. They have several methods and timings to follow accordingly. Exercises aimed to train our muscles can also be done with intensity. It is suggested that late afternoon to early evening is the best time to exercise. It is hardest to perform in the morning because our body temperature is at the lowest when we wake up, that is no wonder I cannot get myself to run in the morning. It is also best to fix a consistent standard time for exercise so we will follow through with more discipline.
One of the concluding points is that we also need to be more active on an overall basis! This is not exercising. It is how much we move around rather than being seated all the time. The busy-working-face-laptop-always lifestyle is making us forget that we have been sitting for too long. It is time to add more movement into our daily life. Start standing up while on the train or walk up an escalator. Take small steps at first and slowly increase.
And I really mean it, to start everything little by little. I have pulled a muscle some time ago after trying their high intensity workout. The doctor told me that I need to stretch, warm up and warm down. Really important! It has been about two months since I first started this. I haven't really see much weight loss [say about 1kg so far as my weight keeps fluctuating] but I'm not giving up just yet. Of course, weight loss can come from other factors and not 100% a result of HIT workouts.
This is such a time efficient exercise and you would probably feel less lazy to workout! You might want to grab this book and give this a shot :D.
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