Are You A FOODIE?

Exercise for Energy?

Life With Lisa

by Lisa Klein

Exercise Gives You Energy?

Well yes, this is a true phenomenon sometimes…..

So does this sound familiar? “I know I should get up and move but I don’t feel like it.” This is all of us at one time or another. The best thing for us is to exercise the right way in the right amount. Sounds tricky huh?
Many studies have shown that once a person begins to move-even just walking around the house- they will have more energy and will feel like moving more. The University of Georgia performed a study in 2008 that found inactive people who complained of fatigue could increase energy by 20% and decrease fatigue by as much as 65% by doing regular, low intensity exercise.

How this happens is pretty cool science. This increase in energy occurs on a cellular level. In each cell of our body we have these little organelles called mitochondria or the “powerhouse”. Our energy comes from diet, (so eating too few calories will slow the metabolism), and the number of mitochondria we have.

The more mitochondria we have the more energy we have. The more you exercise aerobically, the more mitochondria the body makes to produce more energy to meet the demands. Ha!
So, regular cardiovascular exercise creates more energy for the body.

Remember in the beginning we said the right kind of exercise and in the right amount?
So, there is “tense energy” and “calm energy”. Exercising using highly stressful or intense workouts (like a really hard cardio workout that really makes you struggle) doesn’t do much to create energy. These workouts usually leave us wiped out and fatigued. While exercise that requires a high physical and mental energy level combined with low physical tension, offers more energy. Like walking, yoga, Pilates, core, strength training or even Tai Chi. The goal is to exercise in your low to moderate heart rate range to prevent over exercising and depleting your energy.

Now this will vary from person to person, depending on the fitness level of the individual. If the individual is at a higher fitness level then they will tolerate higher intensity exercise, still avoiding pushing too hard and over exercising. Training in the low to moderate range is why someone new to exercise will enjoy mat exercises (Yoga, Pilates, Core) as a way to begin an exercise program. After this type of workout they feel energized and will actually look forward to exercising again. Don’t get me wrong mat classes can be very challenging also; it just depends on the goal of the class.

The argument is that the harder we work the more calories we burn. Well, this is true. But if a person doesn’t feel good after and enjoy the workouts they won’t do them. Now how many calories are we burning?
At our studio many of our classes, even advanced ones, will begin by lying down and breathing, gently warming up. Stretching out tight muscles and contracting the core muscles then it will build slowly in intensity until we are up and moving vigorously getting our heart rate up and burning tons of calories. We are careful that each individual avoids pushing their body too intensely for too long, just enough to increase the fitness level. This is important to feel great at the end!

So just move your body regularly and eat modestly! For help doing this call me at Integrated Fitness 635-1920. Check out our web site at www.ifitwestcoast.com for a discount coupon for a class.