Exercise: Your most powerful ally in weight control

**6. Time to exercise!**

In the battle to control weight, exercise is the most powerful ally in controlling your diet.

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Besides controlling sugar intake, not exercising regularly means neglecting yourself in several important ways.

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Just like planning your diet for the rest of your life, regular exercise is like a diet that controls sugar intake: it not only reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, but also improves energy and increases work efficiency.

A common result of losing weight is an increased interest in physical activity. In fact, many of Atkins' followers, like George Osmond, have resumed regular exercise, transforming from lazy homebodies into active, fit individuals.

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These exercises were abandoned during their weight gain period.

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> Canadian George used to exercise regularly and maintain a good physique; at 1.78 meters tall, he could lift 81 kilograms.

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Since separating from and subsequently divorcing his wife in 1996, "I went on a social rampage, was always eating and drinking, and stopped exercising," George said.

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As a professional motorcycle racer, George won the Canadian championship in 1993.

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He believes that "motorcycle racing is a sport that requires racers to be aware of their weight at all times, just like riders, which means that smaller and lighter racers have an advantage."

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By 2000, George's weight had rapidly increased to 125 kilograms, and when he returned to the track, he found that he could no longer compete.

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One day, he ran into an old friend he hadn't seen for two years, who had lost 59 kilograms since receiving Atkins therapy.

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"But what about me? I'm too fat to fit my legs into the leather pants a race car driver wears," he joked.

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After adopting the Atkins method, George lost 38 kilograms and has now resumed physical training in preparation for his return to the court.

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"I have now fully recovered and my daily exercise consists of running and cycling 5 kilometers."

The beauty of exercise lies not only in building stronger muscles, meaning shedding excess fat, but also in improving cardiovascular function. Exercise can also benefit you in the following ways:

The more physical activity you engage in, the stronger your ability to burn carbohydrates without gaining weight.

The more muscle mass relative to fat, that is, the lower the body mass index (BMI), the stronger the body's ability to burn calories.

Even after completing your daily exercise plan, your body's metabolic rate remains elevated and continues to burn calories.

◎After aerobic exercise, the body's sensitivity to insulin's direct fat storage effect is reduced compared to before exercise, meaning it can tolerate a large intake of sugars for 60-90 minutes after exercise.

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During this period, the body replenishes muscles with glycogen (stored sugars) instead of storing excess sugars as fat.

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After exercising, you can eat a few more grams of sugar than usual, which can slightly increase your Atkins sugar balance (ACE) level.

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This doesn't mean you can start eating a lot; on the contrary, it just means you've reaped the benefits of exercising.

Exercise also brings a variety of practical benefits that are good for health and can save lives.

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Let’s look at the positive health effects of exercise as discovered through research: a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine followed 73,000 postmenopausal women for an average of 3 years.

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Researchers have found that women who briskly walk or engage in other moderately vigorous exercise for at least 2.5 hours per week have a 30% lower incidence of cardiovascular disease than women who are almost inactive.¹ Another study published in the prestigious journal *Hawaii Heart Research* showed that a survey of 2,600 men over the age of 70 revealed that those who walked half a kilometer more per day than others had a 15% lower risk of heart disease.

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The evidence presented is convincing enough for us to go out and start exercising.²

How much activity is appropriate?

Until recently, the generally accepted view was to engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, every day or almost every week.

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However, the National Academy of Sciences recommended in 2002 that physical activity should consist of at least one hour of moderate-intensity exercise daily.

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Of course, this is a demanding requirement. But every little bit helps, and something is better than nothing.

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Let's revisit the recommendations and requirements of the two related studies listed in the previous section: The first study reported that 2.5 hours of physical activity per week can reduce the risk of heart disease.¹ The second study suggests that walking more than half a kilometer can lower the incidence of heart disease.²

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No matter who you are or what your life is like, you can find a suitable exercise program.

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Even those with mobility issues can exercise in a wheelchair or do aerobic training in water.

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If you have been overweight in the past, you may find that exercise puts a lot of strain on your cardiovascular system, bones, and joints.

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As you get closer to your weight goal, you may find that exercising is easier and more comfortable than before.

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Weight loss is also very effective in treating joint pain and foot pain.

Americans not only eat a lot, but they also exercise little. With the advancement and development of technology, we seem to be increasingly disliking physical activity.

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This prevalence of apathy towards exercise is believed to contribute to 250,000 deaths in the United States each year, accounting for 12% of all deaths in the country.

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Do we need more reasons to get people to start exercising? A sedentary lifestyle has long been considered a cause of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain cancers.

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A recent study published in the *New England Journal of Medicine* indicates that exercise capacity (treadmill stress test) is a more effective predictor of death from cardiovascular disease in men compared to other currently used risk parameters for cardiovascular disease.

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Finally, it's worth mentioning that, according to research by renowned sports psychologists, regular exercise that strengthens cardiovascular function can improve work efficiency.

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Therefore, the time saved by improving work efficiency is actually the best compensation for the time spent exercising.

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Being too busy with work to find time for exercise is not a good excuse.

**Personal Fitness Plan**

When exercising, pay attention to both aerobic and anaerobic forms.

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Aerobic exercise increases heart rate and oxygen consumption capacity; it includes brisk walking, running, tennis, swimming, and other similar sports. Anaerobic exercise, or resistance exercise, is a type of exercise that helps increase muscle strength but has a lower oxygen consumption.

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The most effective exercises are weighted stretching and resistance training using elastic resistance bands.

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In addition to reducing body fat, both aerobic and anaerobic exercise can improve the body's sensitivity to insulin, lower blood sugar and blood pressure, and increase high-density lipoprotein levels.

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Once we see the benefits of weight training for improving the cardiovascular system, we can start doing this exercise.

**Enhances Heart Function**

Regardless of your fitness level, you can estimate your heart rate by calculating your pulse, allowing you to achieve the best results with the least amount of time spent exercising.

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Some people believe that heart monitors worn on the chest that can display heart rate in real time are more practical and mobile.

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Regardless of the method used, the primary goal should be to understand your maximum heart rate and the various goals you intend to achieve.

To determine the energy consumed during exercise, you need to calculate the effort exerted during exercise and then multiply it by the exercise time.

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> The training context that targets heart rate is based on bringing the heart to a certain percentage of its maximum heart rate level during exercise.

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This method can objectively monitor exercise intensity to ensure that any physical exercise can achieve the corresponding effect (including total calories burned).

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Maximum heart rate can be roughly predicted; it is related to a person's age but not to the intensity of exercise.

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Rough calculations usually take age into account but not the actual intensity of exercise. Everyone's exercise intensity is different, and everyone has their own maximum heart rate.

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Therefore, you and your friend of the same age may have the same heart rate after exercising, but your exercise intensity may be much higher than theirs.

**Calculate your expected maximum heart rate**

Calculating the maximum heart rate (MaxHR) is a very complex process.

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The purpose of predicting your maximum heart rate is to determine how your heart should work during exercise.

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The key point is that a faster heart rate is not always better for the body.

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In fact, an elevated heart rate is usually not good because it is difficult to maintain the intensity of exercise for long periods of time, and you have to stop if you don't see any results.

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In addition, it is difficult to recover from excessive exercise within one or two days after the workout.

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To achieve the optimal exercise intensity for your heart rate, you need an appropriate amount of exercise. You should also tailor your workout to your cardiovascular system and calorie expenditure to achieve the best results, rather than overdoing it or underdoing it and wasting your time.

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The exercise curve is bell-shaped. When the amount of exercise reaches the upper part of the curve, you will benefit from the exercise and have more energy.

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When the amount of exercise is in the downward part of the curve, it means that you have exercised but have not benefited, or that you have exhausted your energy due to excessive exercise, which reduces work efficiency.

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This is why it's important to understand each person's maximum heart rate (MaxHR).

The following are the four levels of exercise intensity or a percentage of maximum heart rate:

◎Daily basic activities

◎Light exercise: Warm-up and regular fitness exercises

Fitness exercises to enhance cardiovascular function

◎High-intensity training conducted as planned

Unless you are an exceptionally talented athlete, the training intensity of the second and third levels will allow you to exercise for a long enough time to meet the requirements of a full-body workout and improve your body composition.

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People who adopt a controlled sugar lifestyle often do this because these exercises make the body more sensitive to the effects of insulin.

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If you have recently consumed sugary foods before exercising, your energy levels will fluctuate significantly, so it's better to exercise on an empty stomach than to quickly eat snacks.

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More important than not eating an hour before exercise is drinking water after exercise.

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Drink water even if you are not thirsty or sweating.

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In addition to other harmful effects on the body, dehydration can lead to increased lactic acid production and pain in muscles.

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In addition, to prevent electrolyte imbalance caused by excessive sweating, it is important to supplement with sufficient calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

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Please remember to consult your doctor before starting any exercise program; if you have a history of cardiovascular disease or are sedentary, it is necessary to consult a cardiologist before starting any exercise program.

**About Walking**

Walking is an excellent form of exercise, but it has certain limitations.

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> Consider whether it's time to supplement the effects of walking with other forms of exercise.

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However, if you haven't exercised for a while, or have a history of sprains or knee problems, you should take the advice regarding regular exercise: start walking.

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What's so amazing about walking? It helps us begin natural functional exercise, minimizing stress on our joints.

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Walking is an exercise that can be done anywhere, and does not require sports qualifications, special equipment, or professional guidance.

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While walking cannot replace weight training, it is a form of weight training-it carries the weight of your body.

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The slight pressure this exercise puts on your bones is beneficial.

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Other forms of exercise that rely on equipment do not have this advantage.

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Exercises where the body is supported by other objects, such as cycling, where the weight is supported by a comfortable seat and backrest.

Since walking has so many advantages, why do we need to engage in other sports? The reason is that no sport-not even walking-is a sufficient form of exercise.