Too much exercise????
Moving too much and pushing yourself too hard can be just as detrimental to your fat loss efforts as not moving or pushing yourself enough. Here's two main reasons why:
**When you engage in aerobic exercise your body's main goal is to put out the greatest amount of energy as efficiently as possible. As a result of putting in long cardio sessions while increasing volume and frequency, your body will dump unnecessary extra weight but conserve energy for your next workout. This may sound good right? SHED EXTRA WEIGHT? Well guess what type of weight is not necessary for long cardio sessions? Muscle. And guess what type of weight is preferred for stored, usable energy? Fat. This means to prepare for each session your body gets rid of muscle (which decreases your anabolic hormones - the hormones that help you stay lean) and stores fat to ensure it is functioning as efficiently as possible. As if that weren't enough, muscle tissue activates stored fat to be burned as energy, especially when you are resting (which is the majority of the day), so the more muscle you lose, the less fat you burn.
**Remember last week when we talked about stress and exercise potentially being a chronic stressor? Excessive exercise can lead to excess cortisol (fat storage hormone specifically around your waist) and inflammation and as a result we are surrounded by people with hormone dysregulation and cortisol just spewing out their crevasses. And they JUST CAN'T LOSE WEIGHT!
**What's the first stop in reversing this dysregulation in the body? Cut back workouts to no longer than 40 minutes. Choose quality of workout (go HARD for SHORT spurts) for no longer than 20 minutes total over quantity. What about weights? Lift HEAVY and to failure to stimulate your anabolic (think burn more fat calories!) system. Take rest days. Choose sleep over a workout. What about walking? Walking is not considered chronic cardio. Walking is a great addition (bonus points for outside!) to a weight and/or hit workout. SWITCH up your type of exercise to prevent exercise efficiency!
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Healthfully,
Katie Nelson, RD, CSCS
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