Instead of lapsing into a food coma after dinner, take a short walk. A 10 minute stroll after eating gives you a double boost of energy and speeds up your metabolism. Studies have shown that three 10 minute walks a day have the same benefits as a
30minute walk and it also helps lower cholesterol counts & acieve a slimmer belly.

This post has been edited by Starluv: Mar 5 2008, 10:06 AM

Actually, from what I've read, 12 minutes is the minimum amount of time needed for an aerobic exercise to build the fat-burning muscles that are the primary cause of weight loss (no, dieting is not what most results in weight loss, but exercise). Plus, it takes more time for less-intensive aerobic exercises like walking, so 30 minutes would be more effective I would think.

My mom showed me a book she liked, "The New Fit or Fat" by Covert Bailey, and the main point he makes, which I agree with, is that exercise is the primary cause of weight loss. Dieting can actually cause long-term weight gain because while it results in short-term weight loss, the weight lost can be partly in muscle, muscles which burn calories; and thus people will have harder and harder times losing weight after the dieting.

I know from personal experience that no matter how hard I try I can't get my weight over 170 lbs. because I stay physically active. Another friend of mine is in cross country and he too can eat whatever he wants but has almost no body fat percentage and gains no weight.

2 of my brothers used to be very chubby but after just 1 summer of playing baseball with me every day lost a ton of weight and since then have been in track and cross country with no signs at all of gaining the weight back. One has so much extra skin though that he can bend it and twist it in weird ways from all the weight he lost.

Bailey in his book makes the point that if you want to be in shape, go to a person in shapeand see what they do. He suggests finding a 12 year old boy and imitating him. When he jumps up and down, you jump, etc. It's the physically active people who are in shape, and what's more, once they get in shape, they do exercise naturally. They don't try to park close to stores, they might jump around while walking; they do what Bailey calls "insensible exercise." (I think that was his term anyway)

This post has been edited by Joshua: Feb 26 2008, 07:07 PM

Its true that dieting doesn't get you any slimmer, it might actually make you fatter than before you were doing it. This is because our bodies are naturally 'programmed' in such a way that when we suddenly cut down on the food we take, it will launch itself into 'survival mode' and slow down metabolism to conserve energy. After a short period, that metabolism level will not go up anymore and one will actually gain weight because the body is trying to conserve energy.

So the best way would be to be physically active. Exercising builds more muscles, which in turn burns more calories. This is the only proven way to stay fit. 10 minutes walk are best done 3 times daily, or it could be done in one go, i.e. a 30-minute session. Either way, moving around your body is definitely better than to stay put and do nothing.

Joshua I love your "imitate a 12 year old" bit. However if I were to imitate half of what my highly energetic 13 year old ( he just turned 13 recently) does I might throw something out of place! LOL! There are some days ( particularly when it is very rainy) where it is all I can do to keep him from throwing himself off my furniture ( he likes to pretend he is a wrestler and his sister and our dog make tempting luchadore partners). LOL!

Good post though. Gave me some to think on.

In response to walking after a meal I would na suggest it. You need time to digest your meal. You have two types of muscle in your body. Fibrous ( like arms and legs and the rest of your body muscle) and smooth ( such as your heart and digestive organs). You would think that your blood supply and oxygen supply would be evenly distributed but......not necessarily. When you eat your smooth muscles need the extra attention to digest. When you work out ( run, swim, play actively) your fibrous muscles need that extra attention. If you try both activities at the same time on group is going to have to give. This would be why parents are always telling their kids "If you've eaten you have to wait 45 minutes before swimming!!!". Nothing worse than having your gut wrench up or a breathtaking charlie horse in your leg while swimming eh?

Just my two guatalajaran centavos.