City Geisha

Friends and colleagues often ask me what is the best way to get fit and lose weight and I often have to tell them it’s better to use the phrase “lose fat” rather than “lose weight”.  The reason being weight loss can be contributed by fat as well as muscle and you do NOT want to be doing the latter as muscle is indispensable for strength, for that lean, toned look and most importantly, for burning calories even at rest. Oh and not to mention the fact that you can afford to eat MORE as you need more calories to maintain the muscles. Fat, on the other hand, requires less energy.

Hence, I always strive to make them understand that fat loss is more of an appropriate term. So rather than aim to lose weight, they should be aiming to LOWER their fat percentage. As they gradually do so, they will put on more muscle mass and will look better, slimmer and more toned. Muscle, as most of you will know, weighs more than fat so you will consequently see an increase on the scales when you weigh yourself but also know that muscle takes up less space. A pound of muscle is like a gold nugget whereas a pound of fat can be referred to a big pile of feathers…that’s my analogy.

Interval Training, That’s Where It’s At!

And what better way to get fit and lose fat fast than interval training! Rather than spend hours running on the treadmill like a hamster at a constant pace, mind numbed by sheer boredom, interval training is my preferred method of exercise.  Interval training is basically exercise which consists of activity at high intensity for a period of time, followed by low intensity exercise for a set amount of  time. These ’sets’ are then repeated again and again.

The high intensity portion consists of sprinting intervals which may be anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds at ABSOLUTE FULL SPEED.

The low intensity portion consists of the recovery period which follows immediately after the sprinting interval. During this period, you do not stop altogether but continue running for example, at a lower intensity to allow your body to recover.  The length of this period all depends on your fitness level and the type of activity you are doing.

An example would be to sprint at full pace, as fast as you humanly can for 30 seconds followed by 1 minute of active recovery whereby you jog, repeating the cycle.

Also note that by maximum effort, this is merely the maximum amount of effort a person can safely expend for that particular interval. So if you are just starting out, getting out of breath after a brisk 1 minute interval walk would be your maximum effort. Every one’s different, fitness level varies so just do what feels comfortable but at the same time, push yourself out of that comfort zone to give you body a bit of a shock.

Do this 3-4 times a week for 20 minutes at a time and I promise you that you will be hurting by the 10 minute mark as it is quite intense. Combined with weight training, you will see visible results in your body and the way your clothes fit much quicker than if you were to have followed the masses and done 45 minutes-1 hour of steady state activity (yaaaaaaawnnnnn!).

I used to enjoy running on the treadmill and going for runs outside but I soon hit a plateau and was not seeing any changes to my body.  I had my body fat percentage done in January 2009 and I was at 16.8% (44.9kgs of lean weight vs. 9.1 kgs of fat weight), measured with a pair of callipers. I was very  pleased with this percentage as I was classified under the “Athletes” category =). However, I was bored with my routine and set myself the goal of lowering this number, just to see if I could do it.

I recently had it tested again this week and can say that after all the interval training I’ve been doing past several months, I have achieved my goal of 15% and have put on 2 kgs of solid muscle.  Yayy!!!! I have done this through a combination of interval training (sprinting, boxing, jumping rope, etc.) and resistance training, i.e. free weights and body weight exercises, 4 to 5 times a week, eating lean and clean most days of the week with treats here and there and off days where I eat anything I want. Goes to show that moderation is key to everything and there is no need to deprive yourself.  Click here to see my earlier post on Cheat Your Way Thin, whereby you can still eat your favourite food and get the body you want.

Here is my current shape, as of today, Sunday 16th August 2009, having achieved my goal of 15% body fat, yay!!!

With natural sunlight in the room

With camera flash

It’s also good to change your routine every 4 weeks or so as your body becomes complacent after that, so best to rev it up so that it doesn’t know what’s hit it! I have been enjoying my circuit training classes immensely at Gymbox and the boxing classes are ace too as it’s all about interval training: high bursts of energy followed by active recovery and the cycle gets repeated. By the end of it, I look a total mess and it’s one of the reasons why I don’t go to my work gym as I’d rather not be seen by my fellow colleagues. I work pretty damn hard at the gym, go RED in the face and I sweat buckets…not a pretty sight…seriously, I look like a completely different person by the end of it, I am virtually unrecognizable.  But then I take my shower, put my face back on and I emerge out of the changing rooms like a butterfly as if nothing happened =)

Soon to come on the health and fitness thread,the best weight exercises for women that will give you a total body workout: from shapely strong legs, bootylicious buttocks,  to rock-hard abs and toned arms. Stay tuned!

P.S: Also remember to take your vitamin C effervescent drink as soon as you finish an intense workout. Read my earlier post to find out why!

P.P.S: I get all my workout tops from either Lorna Jane in Australia or from Sweaty Betty, like this one worn here in the pics above.

xoxo