Improve exercise efficiency! 3 changes, immediate results!

I don’t know if you’ve ever had this experience: you feel stimulated by something (maybe you see someone lose weight, maybe you’ve been teased about your body shape, maybe your clothes can’t fit into you, maybe you have a physical problem), and then you make up your mind to start exercising.

I was sweating profusely at the beginning, but I felt refreshed after the exercise, and the number on the scale also went down. But after a while, I found that all progress began to stagnate. The needle on the scale doesn't move, the waist circumference number doesn't move, and my mood is no longer good.

So you come to the conclusion that exercise is not effective at all!

To make exercise continue to be effective, the key is not how much "time" you spend, but how many "changes" you make!

The body is smarter than a smartphone. Since ancient times, in order to survive, the body has been constantly learning how to "consume the least energy to complete the required work."

When you first start exercising, running for half an hour may be very tiring for you, but after a period of hard work, you can run for half an hour without getting breathless even after your face turns red. This phenomenon is both a cause for joy and a cause for concern. The good thing is that my physical strength has increased. What I am worried about is a situation like this: the calories consumed by the body will be much less than before, and the effect of weight loss through exercise will stagnate!

At this time, to improve the efficiency of exercise, you need to "change"!

Change Intensity

If you really enjoy a particular activity, try varying the intensity of the activity. Use alternating strength and weakness to cause physical discomfort. For example, when running, you can replace 30 minutes of constant jogging with alternating between one minute of fast running and two minutes of walking ten times.

Change Type

Start trying sports that you are not familiar with! If you normally run three times a week, you might consider running on Monday, swimming on Wednesday, and playing ball on Friday.

If your physical strength allows, you can also try "high-intensity interval training", quickly switching between multiple types of exercise in a short period of time. The best examples are the Japanese program "Extreme Fitness King" or the American Ninja Warrior transplanted to the United States. Of course, it is difficult for ordinary people to participate in such TV programs, but we can search for "high-intensity interval training" on Youtube and find some good videos to follow. (But you should measure your own level to avoid injury)

You can also participate in sports designed with similar concepts in gyms around the world, such as the "Crossfit" (Chinese translation: "mixed fitness") that has emerged in recent years. It is a sport that focuses on overall physical fitness, including physical fitness, strength, explosive power, speed, coordination and flexibility. After I tried CrossFit, I was able to solve the back pain I had been experiencing after a long day of surgery or outpatient treatment.

Change weight

When the exercises you do no longer make you break a sweat, it's time to add some weight! Weight training with barbells and dumbbells is of course the best way, but beginners have incorrect postures and concepts and can easily get injured. It is best to seek guidance from professional or experienced people.

Another option is to perform familiar exercises using weights. Wearing a sandbag vest or leggings is a common method used by athletes. The treadmills, flywheels and rowing machines in the gym also have the function of increasing resistance. Increasing the weight is the best way to break through the plateau!

Finally, I want to remind everyone: If you have free time now, why not get up and exercise! As long as you start changing, the results will appear!

This article is from: Dr. Tai Dawei's blog Ta-Wei, Tai MD

※For more information, please see "Ta-Wei, Tai MD"