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Message: <blockquote data-quote="nnms" data-source="post: 7649890" data-attributes="member: 83293">Consider my eyes rolled.  I figured that the utility of goal setting and the health benefits of a whole body approach to fitness had hit the point of common knowledge, but I'm still shocked at how much 1960s era exercise science is still engrained in people's brains.  If you want to learn more, get yourself access to a periodical database and start reading up on the current peer reviewed research.Below are some things that people might actually find useful in terms of reducing body fat and improving their fitness level that I won't back up with references.  And I'm going to use "people" a lot too because this is about humans.  Even if Umbran doesn't like it.1) Fat on your body has roughly 3500 calories of energy in it per pound.2) While some exercise can burn upwards of 1000-1500 calories in a single hour, maintaining that intensity is difficult for most people.  So if you only end up burning about 500 calories per hour of exercise, you can still lose a pound every second week from exercise alone if you did half an hour a day.3) A single bad meal can have 1500, 2000 or even more calories in it.  If a person's goal is to reduce their body fat, a single meal can undo an entire weeks work.  The first step in fat loss is getting your eating under control.  If people hit the intensity needed to burn 1500 calories an hour and do that every day, they can undo all that hard work by overeating in the form of an extra sugary snack, a can of pop/soda, a late night snack and a lack of proper portion sizes at lunch and dinner.  An hour of literally working your ass off can bring you no closer to your goal as a result of bad food choices.4) If people find when they start exercising they are gasping and their heart is racing, it's not because they have a weakness in their cardiovascular fitness.  Your lungs and heart, barring other medical complications, are sufficient to supply you with all the oxygen rich blood you need.  The shortfall is in the muscles you are using to do the exercise.  And this is a good thing, even if it is unpleasant!  The increased heart rate allows people to burn fat after burning through the glycogen in their bodies.  And as you do an exercise over an extended period of time, you'll find that it demands less and less of your heart and lungs as the muscles you use to do it strengthen.5) What people find is the best approach is to get used to being uncomfortable.  If your goal is to experience the health benefits of an increased heart rate than you are going to have to experience the unpleasant effects of exercising muscles beyond their current abilities.  If your muscles strengthen to the point where your exercise choices become easy and you no longer feel uncomfortable as a result, congratulate yourself for you progress, but it's time to increase the intensity and change the muscle groups you are exercising.6) Another major advantage people find of taking a whole body approach to their fitness is that it reduces injuries and the stress of repetitive motion.  Lots of people find that regular running or jogging ends up being hard on their joints.  And as your muscles related to a single exercise strengthen, the greater intensity will also mean a great amount of force that is applied to your joints.  Constantly switching the muscles on your body that you exercise gives your muscles time to recover.  People find it also gives them an easier opportunity to elevate their heart rate as they don't become used to the exercises they have chosen as quickly (as they are constantly changing).  People also find it helps them stay motivated and interested as things are constantly new.And if you think any of the above is wrong, do your own research.</blockquote>

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