You're Still Fat Because You Exercise Too Much.
Learn How to Exercise Less to Torch Fat at Home with No Equipment
I must apologise, I've been quiet on the blog for the past couple of weeks. I have an excuse though, I've been swamped putting together something that I believe will be valuable to you my readers.
As you know, I'm not a fan of sensational headlines like the one above; unless they are authentic.
Before I reveal what I've been working on, let me authenticate the main blog title for you.
You're Still Fat Because You Exercise Too Much.
First, let's define exercise:
"Exercise is physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive for the purpose of conditioning any part of the body. Exercise is used to improve health, maintain fitness and is important as a means of rehabilitation."
Sticking with this definition, it means time spent exerting oneself with purposeful exercise. We'll include things like gym sessions, playing sport, running, brisk walking as part of this definition.
We will, therefore, exclude all incidental movement from this definition. Incidental could include things like cleaning, gardening, having the sexy times, walking the dog, walking to work, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, fidgeting, or kicking a ball in the park with your kids.
First World Problems
The problem today, particularly for us first worlders, is that many of us try and make up for lack of movement by exercising.
We think that by going to the gym and smashing ourselves for an hour, we will make up for the other 23 hours that we sit on the arse and do nothing.
Unfortunately, it isn't that easy.
I know, I hurts.
It's time to hit you with some science.
According to a study conducted by the University of Wisconsin, a human can burn approximately 400kcals in 20-minutes while exercising (20.2kcals per minute which is considered a very high rate of calorie burn).
To achieve this, study participants had to snatch a kettlebell using a 15 sec on 15 sec off protocol.
Imagine for a second that you could keep that up for one hour (you won't be able to) and burn 1200kcals.
The cost of being alive
The resting metabolic rate for a 45-year-old male who is approximately 180cm tall and weighs 85kg (Hey that sounds like me? What are the odds?) is 1800kcals.
So if I were silly enough to do an hour of snatching each day, my energy expenditure would increase to 3000kcal. Woohoo, quick, someone order me a pizza!
I'll be on the lounge, possibly sitting, possibly holding a side plank, doing nothing for the rest of the day if you need me.
I'll also be gloating about how much exercise I've done.
A not so imaginary scenario
If I let this play out for a few weeks, rest assured the following would happen.
Early days
I'm enthusiastic, I love snatching, I'm eating pizza, I'm losing weight. I often ponder the idea that the rules of weight loss no longer apply to me.
"This snatching is incredible, I can eat whatever I want to still lose weight! I'm a scientific anomaly, I now defy the law of thermodynamics. Watch me fly!"
A week or so later
I start thinking
"This snatching every day is kind of a drag."
Simultaneously thinking
"I really like pizza though, and wine, oh and ice cream, chocolate, chocolate and ice cream, yeah that's the shit. Quick help me get up off the lounge, I've snatches to do!"
A couple more weeks pass
Fat loss slows, stops and reverses. I'm incredulous
"I defy the laws of thermodynamics! How is this happening to me!?"
I console myself with 3 litres of ice cream and a litre of wine. It's okay I'll just snatch it off tomorrow.
A couple more weeks
I repeat this cycle for a while. Still snatching away more calories than I'm shoving in my face.
Until...
Then one day I wake up and say
"Fuck! All this snatching and I'm getting fatter? I guess I'm not a scientific anomaly...just delusional idiot."
Was this all a long-winded way of saying you can't out-exercise a bad diet? Perhaps, but there's more to it.
Let's turn back time and play this out another way.
An alternative ending
Firstly, if you don't get the movie reference above, you're probably younger than my usual target market. I predominantly train people over 40 and we all watched this movie on a VHS.
Oh sorry, you probably don't know what that is either. A VHS is a machine that allows you to play a movie on a thing called a televison. You put in a giant-sized cassette in the VHS and a poor quality picture appears on the screen...oh hang on you won't know what a cassette tape is either. Never mind.
Where was I? I feel like I've lost track, do you ever get confused? Or feel like you're losing your marbles?
No?
Just me then.
Well that was weird.
As I was saying...
The resting metabolic rate for a 45-year-old male who is approximately 180cm tall and weighs 85kg is 1800kcals.
Sticking with the example of a person that sounds a lot like me, let's now imagine that I walk to work at an average pace, and it takes me 30 minutes each way.
Calories burned walking: 300kcals
I work at a gym, so I'm reasonably active. I stand around and look important, I bark orders and occassionally have to pick things up and put them away. As you might imagine this can be quite taxing.
Calories burned to do work-related activities: 600kcals
I like to do a short workout each day, which takes up no more than 20 minutes. Let's pretend I do 20 minutes of snatches using the 15/15 protocol in the study.
Calories burned: 400cals
Adding this up so far our person, okay it's me will burn approximately:
(1800 + 300 + 600 + 400) = 3100kcals
3100kcals to keep my heart beating and complete a day of work and a short but intense workout.
Not only is that a higher calorie burn than when I did an hour of snatches, but it is also a much more civilised way of living life.
The moral here is that by moving more and exercising less, you can burn more calories, more sustainably, without the risk of burning out and or getting injured.
It's science!
Now to quickly address one more thing. None of the above matters if you're eating like a child. You cannot out-train a bad diet, if you eat 4000 calories a day and burn 3100 calories per day, you will get fat. That's regardless of whether you choose an insane exercise protocol or a more sensible approach.
Got it? Good!
"Learn How to Exercise Less to Torch Fat at Home with No Equipment"
Now to reveal what I've been working on. I've put together a 14-Day Bodyweight Challenge that requires no equipment so that you can do it at home.
The workouts in this program vary in length from 8 to 16 minutes. They are intense, but they are over very quickly.
If you combine them with a healthy dose of non-exercise related activities (like walking, etc.) and a sensible eating plan, you will lose fat.
Here is a little taster.https://youtu.be/_eBvrfFyRNI
And the best bit.
It’s 100% FREE
No equipment required: No need for expensive gym equipment. All you will need is a small space to workout and your body.
Simple: These workouts are easy to follow and are scaleable to any fitness or ability level
Efficient: No hour long workouts. On average you will only exercise for 10-12 mins per day.
Effective: Don’t let the short workout time fool you. When combined with the nutrition guide these workouts will help you cut the fat.
Here's what's included
14 Days of Workouts delivered to your inbox
Daily Videos for each workout
Exercise Manual
Nutrition Manual
Recipe Ideas
Access to the new Renew Fitness Facebook Challenge Group
Do the workouts, follow the nutrition guide, get results!
Why is it free?
It's free because I'm on a mission to help as many people as I can to realise that there is a better way to stay fit and healthy.
Exercise should be treated as a supplement to everyday movement, not a treatment for lack of it.
Try the challenge, follow the nutrition plan, join the Facebook Group, add extra movement to your life and begin to learn how to find a healthy balance that is sustainable long term.
It's been a lot of work putting this together, but if it helps a bunch of people start to live healthier lives it will have more than paid for itself.
Challenge goes live tomorrow.
I'll announce it on the social channels as tomorrow when we go live.
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