The “move more eat less” is the wrong paradigm to lose substantial weight. That being said, a little bit of exercise is essential for overall health. Too much exercise has negative consequences especially for older people. The reason why, significantly increase your daily caloric burn through exercise and you will impact your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Bottom line, hard physical exertion means you need to eat more, otherwise your body will go into starvation mode and lower your metabolism. This is a lose-lose situation. Once your metabolism drops it can take months if not years to return to its previous state. A lower metabolism means that even if you eat the same calories as before you will get fat. Worse, as soon as you stop exercising you will gain weight. In all likelihood, if you exercise hard without eating more, your will gain muscle with a layer of fat over top and weigh more than before you started working out. How’s that for depressing?
The TV show “The Biggest Loser” is a perfect example of what happens to BMR when calories are with held. Metabolic testing showed contestants on the starvation level meal plans and heavy daily exercise regimes reduced their BMR in some cases by half. Their metabolism years after they left the show still remained low. The end result, nearly all contestants regained the lost weight and in some cases more. There is a rumor of a class action suit against the show for the damage done to the health of the contestants.
Cardio
Pick any activity that gives you 15-30 minutes of low impact movement. (Walk the dog, walk your cat, run, swim, bike, dance, be romatic.) The goal is to achieve a slightly elevated heart rate 80-140 bpm to improve circulation and flexibility. Other than burning the immediate glucose stores in the blood and cells, aerobic activities have little long term effect on weight. To lose weight you need to speed up your metabolism, which happens when you put on muscle. A muscle cell will burn 3 times the energy of fat cell.
Resistance or weights
The exercises chosen are simple, yet provide a good balance between time spent and overall benefit. Two areas are focused on, core and appearance. Any resistance exercise that strengthens your core will work. Then something for the biceps, triceps and legs to help define shape. The take away is you don’t need to be in a gym for hours to lose weight. Remember the body always wants to store calories unless tricked to give them up. Do only a single set for all the exercises, as many as you can do. Until that muscle group is exhausted. Limit the entire weight session to 15-30 minutes In the book the “4 hour body”, the author calls this the MED (Minimum Effective Dose).
Push ups – Using pushup bars or on your knuckles to do a push up, which will allow your arms to bend 90 or more degrees. Do them on your knees if the plank position is too hard.
Superman V situps –
On your back, hands over your head, do a sit up and raise your feet at the same time. Touch your feet with your hands. Never let your back or your feet touch the ground, repeat until exhausted. If the superman situps are too hard. Put your feet on a chair, bend your knees, hands overhead touch your knees, try to keep your shoulders off the ground.
Upright row – waist – 10-100 lb plate, With both hands lift the plate from your waist to your chin. 30 reps or until exhaustion.
Upright row – ground – 10-100 lbs Plate, Bend over, pick up weight on ground, lift over head, bend arms and touch your back, hold for a count of three. Bring the weight back over your head, extend arms straight out as you lower it to the floor. Make sure you lift with legs, not your back. 30 reps or until exhaustion.
Pick and put away – This is a p90X exercise, Weight 5-30 lbs, Feet shoulder width apart, Reach with right hand pick up weight by left foot, lift and pivot, pretend to put the weight on a shelf above your head. Pivot, put the weight back on the ground by your left foot. Put the weight by the other foot and repeat. 30 reps each side or until exhaustion.
p90x Lunge – This is a P90x exercise, modified lunge with weights. 5-40 lbs weight x 2. Take lunge step, lean forward, chest of knee, curl weight to shoulders, extend arms fully rearward, lean back . Curl to shoulders, military press weights over head, fully with arms fully extended, stand up. Drop the weights to your sides, repeat twelve times as you can. If you can easily do more than twelve steps increase the weights. [Link to P90X Lunge Kickback Curl Press]
Curl pushes – This is a p90x exercise, 5-40 lbs weight x 2. Hold weights at your waist, curl to your shoulder, drop the weights to your waist, curl to your shoulder, press and turn barbell 180 degree to a full arm extension above your head. 30 reps or until exhaustion.
Abwheel – 10 reps or until exhaustion