FITNESS AND EXERCISE : How to Avoid Becoming a Fat Thin Person

Whether your goal is to lose weight or just "tone up," your objective should be the same:
to lose fat without sacrificing muscle. Otherwise, you'll just end up as a fat thin person. In
past issues of ETR, we've told you exactly how to do this: Base all your meals around a
healthy source of protein and add resistance exercise to your workout routine. Recent
research published in the Journal of Nutrition confirms this approach.

Researchers at the University of Illinois divided 48 obese women into two groups. One
group was put on a higher-protein diet, while the other group consumed more
carbohydrates. (Both diets contained the same number of calories.) All of the women
walked several times a week, but the "high-protein" group added two sessions of
resistance exercise.

When the study concluded, the high-protein group had lost an average of 22 pounds -
almost all of it from fat. The women on the high-carbohydrate diet lost only 15 pounds,
and more than two pounds of that was muscle. In other words, 15% of their weight loss
was from muscle!

Dr. Donald Layman, the author of the study, summed it up this way:
"Both diets work because, when you restrict calories, you lose weight. But the people on
the higher-protein diet lost more weight. There's an additive, interactive effect when a
protein-rich diet is combined with exercise. The two work together to correct body
composition; dieters lose more weight, and they lose fat, not muscle."

To maximize your fat loss while maintaining or building muscle, cut back on carbs, base
all your meals around a healthy source of protein, and combine interval training with
resistance exercise. You won't believe how quickly your body will respond.

FITNESS AND EXERCISE : Who Doesn’t Have Time to Exercise Now?

What if you could get the same results with six minutes of cardio exercise each week, as
opposed to six hours? Well, if recent research is any indication, you can.
In a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, 23 reasonably fit men and
women were timed to see how fast they could cycle 18 miles. They were then divided
into three groups. One group cycled two hours a day at a moderate pace. Another group
biked 10 minutes a day in one-minute bursts. The third group biked for a total of two
minutes a day - an all-out sprint for 30 seconds, followed by several minutes of rest
(repeated four times).

After two weeks, the subjects repeated the 18-mile test - and all of their times improved
to virtually the same degree. Additional tests showed that their muscle enzymes (essentialfor preventing diabetes) and the ability of their muscles to absorb oxygen also improved
to the same degree.

Granted, this is a small study. But it does show that you can reduce your workout time
(and get the same or better results) if you're willing to endure some discomfort.

FITNESS AND EXERCISE : Fitness Tips for Travelers

A few ideas that I've gathered from reading, from fellow travelers, and from trial and
error:

• Other than a glass of wine or beer with dinner, don't drink on the plane. It will
dehydrate you, which may give you a headache. (And besides, only obnoxious,
loud people drink heavily on planes.

• Force yourself to exercise while you're away from home. Although I exercise like
crazy when I'm in my regular routine, I find it very difficult to exercise when
traveling. I've gotten better recently by making it easier. My new routine is 10
minutes of yoga movements in the morning (before showering), and 10 minutes
of Hindu squats and push ups in the early evening (before dressing for dinner). By
asking less of myself, I've been able to do more.

• Eating well is another challenge when traveling. Between the rush, the junk food
that's being pushed at you during meetings, and the tendency to have breakfast,
lunch, and dinner meetings, I tend to put on weight. The only solution I've found
is to stick to a zero-carb diet until dinner. It doesn't work all the time (it's tough to
keep saying no to those cookies), but when I fail I don't worry about it. I know I'll
take the extra pounds off right away when I get back.

• Get some sunshine. It's easy to get into a routine where you are out of the sun for a
week when traveling for business. That's not good for you. Schedule some time to get
out and walk in the sun every day.

FITNESS AND EXERCISE : The Sedentary Lifestyle of Today's Youth

Football in the backyard ... kickball in the street ... sweaty games of "capture the flag"
with every kid in the neighborhood taking part. These are all memories of my youth.
When school was out, the last place we wanted to be was inside. But today, with
computers and TV replacing outdoor activities, a majority of today's kids are already on
the road to developing weight issues and degenerative disease.

British researchers at the London Sports Institute recently monitored the activity levels of
4,500 11-year-olds. The children were outfitted with sophisticated motion sensors to
monitor their activity. The study found that nine out of 10 of these children are not doing
enough exercise to ensure that they grow into healthy adults.

FITNESS AND EXERCISE : What Every Man (and Woman) Should Be Able to Do in an Emergency

Most people who exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet do it because they want to
enjoy a long life, they want to improve their appearance, and, in the case of exercise,
relieve stress. But there's another important reason to keep yourself in peak physical
condition. In a recent issue of his daily e-zine, Matt Furey (see Ed. Note, below) quoted
fitness pioneer Earle Liederman, who wrote:
"Every man should be able to save his own life. He should be able to swim far enough,
and run fast and long enough to save his life in case of emergency and necessity."
How do you know if you have enough functional strength and endurance to save yourself
(or someone else) in an emergency? According to Liederman, you should be able to:
• swim at least half a mile
• run at top speed at least 200 yards
• jump over obstacles higher than your waist
• pull your body upward by the strength of your arms 15 to 20 times.