Exercising TOO hard???

Through some of the trainers at the YMCA and a couple of co-workers and friends, I've begun to learn about efficient exercise.  A lot of people aren't losing weight through exercise because they are working too hard.  I know this sounds hard to believe but when you work in the anerobic stage (too hard) you're actually burning sugar and not fat.  Fat of course is what we should burn.  I'm signing up to do a class where they test your metabolism so you know exactly where you heart rate should be while working out to maximize the fat burn.  So if you're really going at it when you're working out you might be doing more bad that good - slow it down a little in that case. Also, one of the things I learned today in this class is that there are MUCH more efficient ways to work out and burn more calories than most people do - walking for example - instead of just walking like we always walk - to burn more calories you need to power walk.  I'll try to describe it.  Shoulders back, tummy tucked in, butt squeezed, arms bent at side, take short quick strides instead of long ones.  Try this just for a minute (remembering to breathe).  We tried this for just a short jaunt in the gym today and I couldn't believe how much more of a workout it was versus just striding along. Oh,and lastly - another they told us - the machines at the gym that calculate the # of calories you burn are ALWAYS higher than what you actually burn.  The manufacturer does that because it helps sell more machines.  UGH - the lies of marketing!!! I'll share more nuggets as I learn them from this class - thought these were great nuggets for all of us struggling to exercise. Take care, Tracy

Tracy which Y do you work out at?

Sent you a PM - the Burnsville one - I'd love to meet you! 

Thanks for the good advice, Tracy.  Your description of how to power walk looks understandable to me.  I'm going to try it!  Kathy

HelloTracy...thanks for the wonderful tips!!  You will be our  exercise informant!!

Hugs sweetie!

connie d

The formula for calculating your ideal heart weight is --- 220 - your age = your maximum heart weight (mine was 170 -- 220 - 50 ~~ I just turned 51) 0.6 X maximum heart rate = your lower-limit exercise heart rate      (Mine 170 x 0.6 = 102) 0.8 X maximum heart rate = your higher-limit exercise heart rate      (Mine  170 x 0.8 = 136) So when I exercise, I will burn many  more calories and my heart works the most efficient if I stay between 102 and 136.   Hope this helps someone -- And when I had my appointment with the physical therapist for exercise, she said I was walking too fast and had to slow down.  WOOO HOOOO!!! XXOO

Great info! Thanks...mine is 115-153... Selena    :0)

Thanks Tracy, I was going by the calories on the machine so that is good info to know, I thought I was doing really good. Did they tell you how to figure out the calories burned?

They say that the only true way to figure out how many calories you burn is to go through this metabolic test (which is part of the class I'm taking, but pretty expensive).  Your metabolism is actually figured out by your oxygen flow in and out of your body and is not figured by height, weight, etc.  Once they can test your metabolism then they can tell you how many calories you burn at different intensity levels.  Sorry there's no real accurate calculation (according to the Y).   The class is really expensive, I'm going to take some of my tuition reimbursement money to pay for it, thankfully the timing is right - but I'm hoping to learn quite a bit that I can share with all of you. have a good day!

Thanks for the nugget!