Presentation by Scott Singleton, MS Exercise Science

Benefits of Exercise & Best Exercise for Weight Loss

Improve aerobic capacity & cardio-respiratory functions

Lower blood pressure Reduce stress Improve appearance & self-confidence Increase energy level Sleep better Weight loss Decrease risk for serious disease & shorter

life span

Why should you Exercise?

Research by University of South Carolina indicates that maintaining or improving physical fitness is linked to decreased risk of death from heart disease and stroke

This study suggests that people need to be more active and not as concerned about weight loss

Increase the volume of exercise and focus on improvement of your physical fitness

Also…

Why dieting alone is not enough!

Dieting is a process that usually has a definite starting and ending time.

Most people can not stay on a diet forever! When you stop dieting how will you prevent

unwanted weight gain? Studies show that people who lose weight,

keep it off over an extended time with regular exercise.

Exercise can decrease weight gain and it can also help the weight loss process.

Dieting + Exercise for best results!

Aerobic or dance class Swimming Biking Walking or Running Weight Training Yoga Golf Tennis Basketball Hiking

What is the best type of exercise for weight loss?

Calories burned per hour

Normally, when a person diets they lose body weight fat but they will also burn lean body mass/muscle.

When you diet, your metabolism is adjusted and slows down due to the reduction in food intake

Your rate of calorie burn is lower with dieting You can offset the effects of dieting with

exercise Physical activity speeds up your metabolism

Weight Training is a good exercise.Why?

Lean body mass/muscle requires energy to function

Your muscles use food to produce energy The goal is to prevent loss of muscle

because you would not burn as much calories with a lower lean body mass %

Maintain or increase your lean body mass % with strength training to maximize your calorie burn.

Strength Train at least 2x per week

Make sure you strength train!

Many people prefer to exercise at a slow or steady pace for a long period of time.

Using this method, your intensity is low, the duration of exercise is high (30-60min), and the amount of calories burned during exercise is high.

Some people exercise at a fast pace that is completed in a shorter amount of time

With this method, your intensity is very high, the time is low (5-30min), and calorie burn is lower than previous method.

Exercise - What’s better?Slow & Steady or Fast & Intense

Interval training is exercise that includes short bursts of high intensity movement followed by a period of physical activity that is lower intensity

Example: 50% effort for 30 seconds, 85% effort for 30 seconds, back to 50% x 30/s

You can vary the time and amount of rest Intervals can be effectively used when doing

cardiovascular/aerobic exercise Can shorten your workout time if you need a

quick workout

Do both with Interval Training

You get a workout that offers the benefits of both methods providing varying levels of intensity, calorie burn, and required time.

Research indicates that slow/steady provides more immediate calorie burn

Although, recent research has found that Interval Training is a valuable method for weight loss because it impacts your metabolism and provides a calorie burning effect hours after you have finished the workout

Thus, you can burn more calories and fat with Interval Training

Interval training is very effective!

FITT = frequency, intensity, time, and type Frequency – how many times Intensity – exertion level can be based on %

of heart rate max or perceived exertion Time – length of your exercise session. Can

be cumulative over multiple sessions per day

Type – any activity that enables you to elevate heart rate and perform work

Recommended: 5F x 30Ti @ Moderate I or 5F x 15Ti @ High I. Type does not matter.

Exercise Guidelines

Variety of exercise is good. Change it up. Give it time to get results. Make it challenging. It should not be easy. Get a friend, co-worker, or your family to

join you to make it more fun and to help provide motivation.

Choose activities or exercise programs that you like to do. Exercise can be enjoyable if you select the right things. It’s up to you!

Final Thoughts about Exercise

Sparkpeople.com Zumba class, M & W, 5-6 pm Fitness Walking, M, W, F, 11:30a – 12:30p.

Join me and the students for a nice walk! Merritt Fitness Center Please contact me if you need assistance or

have any questions: Scott Singleton, ssingleton@mcdaniel.edu,

or 410-857-2432

Additional Resources:

Thanks for attending the presentation!