Club Blog

I’m sure a lot of overweight individuals would like to know whether exercising alone or dieting alone is more effective for weight loss. After all, doing just one thing is easier than doing two, right? Here are the advantages of exercising alone and dieting alone — as well as their respective drawbacks in losing weight.

Let’s start with a study published by the Public Library of Science. In the study, 464 overweight women were divided into four groups. The first group exercised for 72 minutes a week, the second for 136 minutes, and the third for 194 minutes a week. The fourth group were asked to maintain their usual activity levels. (All women were asked not to change their diets — just to write down the things they ate.)

The results were surprising — many lost weight, but the differences between the groups were so small it could almost be negligible. What’s more, many women actually GAINED weight!

So does this mean dieting alone is the better way to lose weight?

It would seem so — other studies suggest that people who only diet lose more weight than those who only exercise. But the research is pretty clear on one point — you’ll lose even more weight when you combine dieting and exercise.

So don’t ignore exercise — while it may not be the best way to lose weight, it’s still the best way to keep your muscles toned, your organs healthy, and your immune system performing at its peak. People who work out more often are less susceptible to disease, especially the life-threatening kinds.

Exercise can lower blood pressure. The number of capillaries surrounding each leg muscle fiber increases by 5-10% following endurance training. This not only makes exercise easier but also lowers blood pressure. Numerous studies support that exercise training does indeed lower blood pressure in hypertensive subjects.

Exercise improves heart function. When you start an endurance based exercise program, expect your resting heart rate to decrease by about 1 beat per minute every week during the initial weeks. This is an indication that your heart is becoming more efficient and pumping more blood each beat. Highly trained endurance athletes can have a resting heart rate as low as 40 beats per minute or even less.

Exercise can prevent muscle loss. Sedentary adults lose 6-10 percent of their muscle mass per decade after age 30, leading to a condition called sarcopenia. Regular strength training can delay or in some cases reverse this trend. When it comes to muscle, you must use it or you will lose it!

Exercise can help you live longer. Studies on large populations have discovered the highest death rates in those who are the least fit. Those who are the most fit have the lowest death rates.

Exercise can improve sex life. A study published by the Harvard School of Public Health found that men who exercised vigerously were half as likely to experience sexual dysfunction when compared to men who did no exercise.

Exercise can improve brain function. Research has discovered that the fittest kids generally score the highest on test scores. Older adults who are fit show less cognitive decline compared to their sedentary counterparts.

Exercise can speed up wound healing. A study out of Ohio State found that skin wounds healed an average of 10 days faster in the exercise group compared to the non exercise group.

Exercise can help the elderly. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported gains in leg strength of 374 percent over baseline in men over 90 years of age who began strength training in as little as 8 weeks! Other research has found a reversal in normal age related characteristics in the muscle of seniors who took up weight lifting.

Understand your Goals

The most common goal is to lose weight but other motivators can be to improve self confidence, kick start a fitness routine or meet new people. Whatever your personal motivation, it is important to keep this in mind when you are choosing your fitness provider. If you don’t get the impression that it will be a fun and positive experience for you, then it is probably worth looking at other options.

Timing & Location

Make it easy on yourself. If it is too hard to get there or creates stress in other parts of your life, then it is probably not the right program for you. By choosing a time and location that can easily fit into your routine, you immediately eliminate your barriers to regular exercise. After all, exercise is supposed to be fun and enjoyable, not another source of stress in your life.

Choose your Preferred Training Technique

As I mentioned in the introduction, group fitness is not all about being yelled at. The new direction in group fitness means that:

• Not all group fitness providers will yell at you to ‘motivate’ you

• There are alternatives to running around at the crack of dawn

• Not all group fitness classes are the same

The important thing is to take a good look at your trainers qualifications, experience and fitness philosophy. If you think that it will work for you then go for it. Group fitness can be a really positive experience in a great social environment, so take the time to find a provider that fits your needs.

If you are interested in working out in a group, there are a variety of methods to help you find the group that is right for you. First, you must determine what kind of exercise you prefer the most. If you do not have a preference, then try several different types and select one or two that make you feel particularly enthusiastic about working out.

Next, contact an organization that supplies the type of activity that you seek. If you are a body-builder, then you will want to contact local gyms. If you wrestle, contact local wrestling studios. Yoga practitioners can contact local yoga studios and so on.

Before you commit to an extended membership at a gym or studio, ask to schedule a visit and sample work-out session. During your visit, go through a simple routine or follow along with the class. Ask yourself if you feel comfortable and stimulated in the environment and if the other participants will motivate and inspire you to achieve your physical goals.

Once you have settled on the facility that feels right for you, make a commitment to spend at least one hour three days a week there. Get to know the staff – they will keep track of you and, surprisingly, motivate you to return if you feel you are faltering. Make friends in your class or gym so that you can have casual camaraderie during your session. Feeling social connected and motivated can help you stick to your work out goals, especially when the hustle and bustle of life compels you elsewhere.

Many people find that exercising fills them with energy and a sense of euphoria in the beginning of their new routine. It is exciting to work your body out and achieve daily exercise goals while you strive for a more healthy body and outlook. However, studies prove that after only a few weeks of dedicated exercise, many people who are not avid exercisers begin to lose focus and concentration.

When people begin to lose interest in exercising, it is generally because they allow other priorities in their lives to become more important than maintaining a healthy body. Those other priorities include things like work, family, friends and daily chores. Without a network of people to help you stay focused or to energize you, it can be difficult to stick with an exercise routine for very long.

However, working out in group exercise classes or around others is proven to aid in the motivation of many casual exercisers. Working out with others not only helps individuals feel social included, but it helps them feel that they are part of a group of like-minded individuals that identify themselves as being healthy and good to their bodies.

Furthermore, many people report that working out regularly at a gym or at a fitness class helps them make connections with other like-minded individuals. These connects, just as much as the physical activity, encourage the individuals to return to the place of exercise for social networking just as much as for physical exertion. Thus, working out in groups serves as a sort-of safety net for individuals that have a hard time sticking to a particular routine.