This is undoubtedly one of the eternal questions on the minds of dieters. Although the media and countless fitness programs have attempted for years to convince you that you can have "this body" with just three 20-minute workouts a week, reality paints a different picture. There are no shortcuts to weight loss--only diligence, prolonged intensity and a desire will take you to your goal.
General Exercise Durational Requirements
Dr. John Berardi, Ph.D., is a biochemist and nutritionist from Canada who works with a variety of clients to help them achieve their goals. Berardi's baseline requirement for exercise duration: To achieve your ideal, athletic physique, you must perform at least five hours of exercise weekly.
Exercise Type for Weight Loss
That five hours need not consist of a single form of exercise. Berardi says the exercises should be a mixed bag, and condition of variety of muscle qualities. Try mixing weight training with low-intensity cardio with some interval training with some aerobics (yoga or Pilates). A diverse schedule will help you achieve your five-hour goal without having to sit on a treadmill for hours.
What Happens When Weight Loss Stalls?
If you have been performing your five hours a week of exercise and your weight refuses to drop, Berardi recommends the following--increase exercise duration by another hour per week and leave food intake static. Too many people make the mistake of dropping calories recklessly, which only slows metabolism. Increasing activity and maintaining food intake will keep the metabolism fueled properly.
Exercise Duration and Decreasing Calories
After increasing exercise duration from five to six hours, eventually your weight loss will stall once more. Now would be the time to leave activity level constant and decrease daily calories by roughly 200 to jump start fat loss once again. Continue following this cycle of first increasing activity, waiting for weight loss to stall, then decreasing calories by 200 until you reach your final goal.
Considerations
Even if you follow this plan to the letter, food choice will still have a dramatic effect on your final results. If you stick to clean, natural foods, your weekly hours of exercise will not be in vain. But if you continue to eat unhealthy, processed foods, you will soon find that no matter how much you exercise, you cannot outrun a poor diet. Only through a combination of diet and exercise can you achieve your goals.
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