Are you a Women over 40? Wouldn't You Like to Know How Much Physical Exercise You Need?



Posted: Tuesday, April 07, 2009

by Perry Permann
Lose Weight Permanently

Losing weight is becoming tougher and tougher after menopause. Many women over 40 have a inactive lifestyle with not sufficient exercise.

Regular exercise is an crucial ingredient to lose weight permanently- however, do you know how much exercise is actually essential to lose weight? In theory, the more you exercise the better you'll do on your weight loss program. Usually, the perception is: If you burn more calories, you are losing more weight.

But in reality things tend to work out otherwise. There is an effect called compensation. The meaning of the term "compensation" is: If you forecast the weight lost according to the calories burned, and measure the actual weight loss reached, you'll often find a gap. It doesn't take a PhD to understand where the compensation effect comes from: When people go on an exercise program, they start to consume more. It's often rationalized by thinking "As long as I am burning off the extra calories, I can allow myself to eat more".

But, most dieters assess the amount of calories burnt during exercising and the amount of calories eaten inaccurately: Calories burnt are overestimated and calories eaten underrated. The mindset "I exercise, so I am granted to eat more" does not help to lose weight permanently.

In scientific research, the amount of exercise was measured and associated to the compensation mechanism. The outcomes are very interesting. Previously sedentary, overweight or obese, postmenopausal women took part in three different exercise programs of 72, 136 and 194 minutes per week.

The first two groups doing a bit over 1 hour of workout a week and a bit over 2 hours a week didn't compensate- their actual weight loss was as expected. So these women did not eat to a greater extent while being on the exercise program.

However, the women on the intensive exercise program (more than 3 hours weekly) lost only half of the expected weight. It could be the case that they were thinking "I am allowed to eat more, because I work so hard on this program".

What do we learn from this? It naturally doesn't mean that a light intensity plan is best. It means if you are exercising hard, there are chances you might feel compelled to compensate and begin consuming more. Observe your calorie intake if you are on an physical exercise program- or the physical exercise might not help you to lose weight permanently after 40.

A positive result of the above-mentioned noted study: All exercise groups had a reduced waist circumference- a leading indicator for healthy weight loss. If you lose belly fat you bring down your risk of getting diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Everybody is different- and you will need an exercise plan taking your particular situation into account. A good weight loss plan should be aligned to your particular situation. Are you a woman over 40? I've created a free, personalized program for women over 40 who want to lose weight permanently. How would you like to get excellent, lasting weight loss results- be attractive, healthy, energetic, youthful? This program adjusts to your specific situation and keeps you motivated while you enjoy healthy eating and exercise.
Sign up for your free, personalized "Lose Weight Permanently" program at http://www.loseweightpermanently.com/ForWomenOver40

Perry Permann

You can read another article from Perry at Woman Over 40? Lose Belly Fat Now - The Health and Beauty Hazard  

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