SJC FIT CLUB PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Why Exercise? Reasons people Exercise Reasons we don’t To get stronger Have more energy Perform better physically To be healthier To lose weight To feel better To look better No time Too hard Tried and it didn’t work Feel weird in a gym Don’t want to bulk up Hate exercising Too tired

Exercise can be short and effective Something is better than nothing You can get the benefits of strength training in as little as 15 minutes a workout 3-4 days a week More exercise is always better 3X10 minute workouts or walks can equate to 30 minutes if you can’t put that much time aside A good beginning strength workout can take 15 minutes A person can do 1 to 2 sets of 15 reps on each body part (approximately 15 minutes) The better shape you get in the longer it may take as you ad weights reps and possibly sets

I want to lose weight Expend more calories than you take in…easy right? 68% of us are overweight or obese and more than that are sedentary in nature. We need at least 30 minutes a day dedicated to MODERATE physical activity Oh yea, exercise can be fun too. Certain programs are meant to decrease fat % and weight in general Weight is not the best goal to focus on You may gain some lean muscle as your body sheds the fat Who read the article in the paper in February about 1 day interval training?

Traditional Adult Physical Activity There are many ways to exercise but people usually equate exercise to lifting weights and cardio. They are, but there are many ways to prescribe those exercises, as well as many others. There are lifting and cardio exercises you may like and some you may hate Pick exercises that make you feel like you are getting something out of it Also pick exercises you enjoy The goal is to get you to do this everyday or almost everyday If you hate what you are doing are you going to make the effort to do something you hate?

This is exercise too!

Getting the picture?

So what is the secret? There is no quick fix. If you are overweight, it didn’t happen over night. If you can lose the weight fast, you can gain it back and more even faster Find your stride and increase it at a speed you can handle Don’t start working out 7 days a week for 5 hours a day The problems with the biggest loser It is not a lifestyle change You take people out if their real life, their normal eating scenarios, and their culture A person needs to make changes in the life they live, the people they work with, live with , eat with, and exercise with Why do you want to get healthier or lose weight?

You need a culture change Obesity is hereditary, but not DNA! When mom and dad eat bad, so do the kids, and their kids, and their kids… We need healthier cultures at home, work, and with our friends What culture is easiest to change? Find the path of least resistance at first Don’t try a total 180 Pick daily battles you are confident you can win After you mater one area start small on another You don’t have to win everyday, just try to win most days

What is your culture like? Is it this? Or this?

Ingredients for success? You need clear, measurable goals (short and long-term) Make manageable changes (this isn’t go big or go home) As you get more confidence, and success, increase your work load (it’s like starting a new job) Be realistic in goals, and results (remember you didn’t get to your current weight overnight) You don’t live in a microwave things wont change instantly It took a while to out of shape, it will take a while to get back If it was easy, everyone would do it

Guidelines for Cardio Work your way up to doing at least 20 minutes of cardio 3-4 times a week (once you can do this it should become your minimum) Find an exercise or exercises that you enjoy The best method to know if you are doing enough is the talk test The “Fat Burner” mode on the machine is not a better way to lose weight than the cardio mode More is always better, but do what you can

Guidelines for Weights Try to do a balanced weight workout 3-4 times a week minimum Make sure to do every muscle group every week If you want to bulk up lift heavy (8 or less reps) To tone-up, do more reps To lose weight you can do interval workouts as well Girls, weights are as important for you as the guys, make sure to add those into your fitness routine Interval workouts are like bootcamps

Alright, Let’s get fit!