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Read the most frequently asked questions to dietitians and physical activity experts, and most importantly, their answers which can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight.


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Exercise

9 questions
Q: How many calories would I be burning if I worked out on my ellipticle for 40 minutes at a pretty intense rate? I currently weigh 153 pounds. - Laurieann
A: Hi,

Intense workouts on machines like the elliptical, the treadmill, and the bike can burn up to 600-700 calories per hour, so they are a very efficient way to burn calories quickly. In order to achieve that your heart rate should be at approximately 150-165 beats per minute. You want to be just a little out of breath, (still able to talk a bit). You may also want to integrate interval training, so out of your 40 minutes you could do five at 140, then two at 170, then three at 150, two at 175, three at 150, etc. until the last five minutes where you go back to 140 to cool down. And you can alternate between workouts where some you do at the same intensity and others where you change it to get a more intense workout overall. It is a really efficient way to maximize the heart benefits.

Enjoy,

Nathalie Lambert


Q: What is the most effective kind of exercise to reduce waistline? - sundaystrip@hotmail.com
A: Hi,
It is impossible to reduce only one part of the body. To effectively reduce the waistline, you have to do a cardio workout that will use the energy from fat cells located all over your body, and you also have to do muscle toning exercises specifically for your abs and obliques. Ideally, your cardio workouts should last at least 30 minutes and you should do them three times per week at an intensity where you are a little out of breath but can still talk briefly. The muscle toning exercises should include a variety of ab crunches and sit-ups and also side sit-ups (for the obliques) two to three times per week, 3-4 series of 25 to 30 repetitions. Be patient, it takes time to see results but once you see them, if you keep at it, the results are lasting. Nathalie Lambert


Q: Hello; I work out at a gym 3 days a week plus walk about 12 miles a day doing a job I love.I weighlift app 45 minutes at the gym but find I cant get my abs to form. What am I doing wrong. Maybe not enough crunches or pushups. The other parts of my body is starting to look good. Am I to old to have a toned body at 50 years old. Help. - horseback
A: Hi,
No, you are not too old to have a toned waist. If the other parts of your body are starting to slim down and have more definition, then you are doing something right. You’ve got to give yourself more time. When losing fat, there is a genetic component as to where we will lose it first and last. Generally speaking, when we burn more calories than we eat, especially when we exercise, we will use energy coming from fat cells from all over our body. Depending on our genes and our body proportion, we will see results in some areas more than others, but in reality we lose it from all over. Walking is great for you, and at the gym make sure you work all major muscle groups (leg, back, arms and abs). Specifically for the abs, make sure you do at least 3-4 series of different ab exercises for 25 to 30 repetitions. This will insure that the muscles under the fat cells get tighter (creating more of a waist line). You still have to lose the fat in the cells to really see definition and you will do that with your cardio and your overall weight training.
Be patient, what you are doing is great.
Nathalie Lambert


Q: I am exercising 5 days a week doing 40-45 minute cardio and also weight training on top of that but not loosing any weight. I need to loose my tummy which is actually getting bigger than smaller..I don't know what I am doing wrong - Leena sohal
A: If you have been doing that for awhile now (a couple of months) with no results, then you need to look at two things: your overall caloric intake and what you are eating. Maybe the quantity or some of the food choices are impeding your fat cell loss. It may be worth investing in a nutritional consultation to take a look at what you are typically eating and if there is a need to make some changes there. Also, you may want to monitor the intensity of your cardio workouts, just to be sure that your heart rate is high enough to maximize your efforts. Ideally, it should be in the range of 140 to 160 beats per minute. This way, you are really burning energy from fat cells and enough of it to make a difference.
Hope that will help you,
Nathalie Lambert


Q: Hello. I've heard of the word 'spinning' mentioned before as a form of exercise. I don't understand what this means or how it may be beneficial. I love exercising but I'm having some trouble with weight and changing up my routine. If you could tell me what this spinning is I would be truely grateful. Thank you. - mick
A: Spinning is a group workout that is done on stationary bikes. A lot of fitness clubs have classes at many different times of the day. It is a really efficient way to get into shape and exercise. The teacher creates a cycling path by telling the participants when to increase resistance (as though they were actually climbing hills), when to sprint, when to stand up on the bike, when to sit back down. The fact that it is done in a group with an instructor and music makes it more motivating and it can become a challenging workout. Since each participant controls the resistance on their stationary bike, the workout can be adapted to all levels of fitness.
If you like cycling, it is worth looking for a place near you to try it.

Good luck

Nathalie Lambert


Q: I'm a 19 year old female and I would like to lose weight. I'm currently about 160-170 and my idea weight is about 120. I walk everyday for about an hour, and i try to eat healthy. My weight all seems to fall on my stomach, hips, and thighs though and nothing I've done has ever changed that. I can't find any type of physical exercise that helps target those areas. Is there any type of activity you can suggest? - Melissa_D
A: Hi there,
No matter what type of exercise, it is impossible to choose where exactly we lose the weight. When using extra fat as fuel, the energy comes from fat cells all over the body. But that doesn't mean it's not possible to lose the extra weight that you want to get rid of, and it doesn't mean that those areas you mention won't slim down. Basically it means that you will lose the weight from all over and if you do have extra fat in those areas, then it will come from there also. Now, what is really important is that you walk efficiently. In order to do so, you have to walk at a pace fast enough to not only really burn calories but also to really get your heart rate in the ideal zone. At your age it is approximately 140 to 160 beats per minute. That is the aerobic zone. You can still do some good work with a slightly lower heart rate (130-150) but it is not ideal. So, maybe your walking workouts are not fast enough and that is why it doesn't seem to help reach your goal. Here are ways to increase the intensity: use your arms more to really increase the pace and use muscles from the upper body; put some weight (like cans of tomatoes, books, dictionary, or other heavy items) in a backpack and walk with it; walk uphill if possible. Try this for a few weeks, and if the weight is not changing, then maybe it is worth investigating with a dietitian to see how you can make small changes in your food choices that would help. Good luck,
Nathalie Lambert


Q: After delivering my two kids I have a fat belly.Iwant to know what exercise you recommend for reducing weight especially the tummy area. Any abdominal belt would be good enough. - Minikota
A: After having kids, there are three things that happen. Women are often left with extra fat in that region, they have lost a lot of the muscle tone, and very often are left with extra stretched skin.
We can work our way into the first two, but the third one is a challenge.
Two ways to tone up and lose fat: Combine cardio exercises like jogging, cross country skiing, biking, aerobics, etc., three times per week for at least 30 to 45 minutes at a heart rate of at least 120bpm. Three times per week, add some muscle toning exercises like crunches, leg raises, side sit-ups, V sit-ups, etc. In order to find those exercises, you can do a search on the Net with words like "good ab exercises." You will find good sites that show some examples, or you can invest in a good fitness book that not only provides descriptions but also shows pictures of how to do the exercises properly.
Be patient, with time, you will see changes.
Nathalie Lambert


Q: I'm 45 yrs old male. I find my heart rate high (rest 80beats/minute, tread mill walking @ 3.8Km/hr 120bpm. My blood pressure is within normal range 110-120. Any exercise could improve my heart rate ? - James_M
A: If your resting heart rate has always been a little high, then it is probably just normal for you. Genetics are responsible for our basic resting heart rate. We can improve it significantly by doing regular cardio activities that are high intensity enough to have us work in aerobic power. So in order to work in that zone, you need to do intervals where you bring your heart rate up to 160-170 and keep it there for periods of 2 to 5 minutes, alternating with slower paced minutes where your heart rate will go back to 120 bpm. Or, you could maintain a regular pace but really bring your heart rate more in the 140-160 bpm zone. In order to be able to do that, for approx. 30-45 minutes, you need to progress slowly, by adding minutes every week and also by increasing the intensity; not all at once, but progressively.
Good luck!
Nathalie Lambert


Q: Where would I find some basic exercises to reduce my waist,? I walk with my dog each night, do basic rowing exercises with a few sit ups, but the waist size is always the same. Any info would be appreciated.. thank you - Nancy
A: Hi there,
The best way to shrink the size of the waist, is to do rigorous cardio exercises. Walking is probably not high intensity enough for you, so you would need a cardio workout that would bring your heart rate to the 150-160 beats per minute range for 30 to 45 minutes, three to four times per week. Then you would burn a lot of the fat cells from all over your body including the region you are interested in. And to tone the muscles of that region, you need to keep doing what you are already doing, which is the sit ups and rowing exercises. If you have been doing them for awhile, you need to do other abdominal exercises. After a period of time, the body adapts and the same exercises become too easy to have any affect on getting stronger. Changing exercises every month is the best way to tone up. To find new exercises, you can surf the Internet or try working out with a stability ball. (You can also buy a book on stability ball exercises that will provide a large variety). There are also great DVDs for core training, such as Shelly MacDonald's toning DVD and also "Core Pilates." Good luck!
Nathalie Lambert


 
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