Slim-Fast Fitness Chat

February 27, 2001

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Laura: What is a good exercise to start with? Exercise makes me hungry and then I am more tempted to overeat.

Karlyn Grimes: Exercise generally should actually suppress appetite because a lot of times people are hungry for a number of reasons. They may have real genuine hunger or they may have a depression hunger or happy or boredom or remote control hunger, but the way to fight this hunger is generally to get yourself out and exercise. Your calorie needs will go up when you exercise. Therefore, you will be required to eat more and as long as you eat complex carbohydrates, low fat, moderate protein-containing foods, a little more is okay. Hopefully exercise will help get the happy hormones cooking and leave you feeling more relaxed and focused. Your best bet is to get moving to help recognize genuine hunger and as a result beat the weight management monster. Any type of activity that you enjoy and know you can maintain is a type of exercise you should choose. So as long as you get your heart rate elevated and get a little sweat going. Then you can assure yourself that you're going to reap the benefits of exercise regardless of what the type of activity is. And if you choose something you enjoy, then you'll stick with it.

Lhazen: What exercise alternatives are there when it's too cold during the winter months to get outside and be active?

Karlyn Grimes: Things you can focus on are swimming--obviously indoor swimming. You can go to the gym and do biking or a spinning class or try the treadmill if you're a big walker. You could also try the elliptical trainer or the Stairmaster. As I mentioned in the last answer, as long as you get your heart rate elevated and get some sweat going, the type of activity you perform doesn't really matter. You could also head out to the mall and do your walking in the mall where it's nice and warm, just don't do too much window-shopping. And if the mall has stairs, which I'm sure they do, go up and down the stairs a couple times. You could even use the stairs in your home as a way to get your heart rate up in a warm environment. Videotapes are also a great option for indoor exercise. So you can check some out at your local video store and try to find ones that focus on aerobics, strengthening and flexibility. Then you can be nice and warm in your own home and still see the results that you want. You can also contact Collage Video at 1-800-433-6769 and request their catalog of exercise videos. They also have video consultants that can help you choose the right video for what your goals are.

Louise: I exercise at least three times a week with a combination of hi-lo aerobics, step and body pump; is this enough to burn fat, as I seem to have reached a plateau?

Karlyn Grimes: Louise, your current routine is great! But there might be a few things you might want to include to bring you to the next level and get off your plateau. It sounds as if you're doing body pump, which is strengthening but try to do this at least 2-3 times per week so you can increase your muscle mass. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat tissue, so even when you're just sitting around, you'll burn about 50 more calories per pound of muscle that you have. So focus on strength training, continue your cardiovascular workouts, but mix them up as I mentioned in previous answers. Vary the intensity and duration so that some days you work a little harder but maybe for a shorter time, and other days you go a little easier for a longer period of time. This will help boost you off the plateau you're on.

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