"Apply stress, keep the body guessin'."
This will always work... but don't forget something very important: there are many people running marathons who are.... um... struggling with their weight. Ask yourself, "Why do those people have a weight problem when they run so much?"
That's a tough answer. Could be many things put together: bad diet while having good endurance & stamina, no cross-training to work more muscles, muscle mass has been run off, etc. Remember, the body doesn't want to use up its own muscles in exercise (if that's what's happening to those people). Most likely, they didn't have muscle to begin with, and their inappropriate diet, maybe inappropriate (but lucky?) training allowed them good endurance while they trained. But they didn't have fat-burning happening, or muscle-building (anabolism) happening: only mucle-tearing-down (catabolism).
When in doubt, 'get curious'. Start asking yourself even the hard questions. You'll find the answers through research if you ask the proper questions in situations like the 'big size' marathoners. (By the way, I'm not talking about just 'overweight' marathoners; I'm also talking about the people with a big middle and slim legs.)
After a discussion with my BF last night on the phone, he also reminded me about Zone 1 fat-burning (low intensity). This is similar to what I said about brisk walking, so I'm glad he said it. I know in my heart that this is efficient, but so are cardio intervals (low/high intensity varied) and so is cross-training with other stuff.
Fat loss and athletic performance comes down to:
having a clean, efficient diet,
creating lean muscle mass,
training for optimum multisport endurance with good form, and
getting good rest/recovery. (SLEEP is needed for fat loss also!)
If you were in top shape, you shouldn't need to do extra sessions for fat loss. Unfortunately, that's not the case right now. But you can certainly help the process by cutting out unneeded foodstuff. I can promise you (in my experience) that most people who are having a hard time cutting fat while on a athletic training regimen are actually eating non-beneficial foods. They have very understandable 'reasons' why: "I have to eat what my family eats", "I like these foods", "Can't I have fun because I train so much", etc.... It still comes down to eating only what one's body needs for athletic and metabolic use -- if one wants to be lean, fit, and efficient. If the goal is just to enjoy oneself all the time, I say party on ;)
Example: I used to be heavy. Fat. I ate all the wrong foods and didn't know it. I was even getting headaches and stomache aches from those foods. Yet when I learned what I was eating, I changed to a non-processed diet. I took up weight training. Eventually I was eating SO well that I got "too" slim -- I had to start eating MORE food. Others have done the same thing. It's not starvation: it's food-efficiency.
Oh, and since you mentioned WORK stress:
Everyday stress (bad stress) is a VERY difficult thing on the body as well as the mind. It can keep fat on in a heartbeat!! It has to do with cortisol and insulin. My recommendation (if you are in that capability), is to make sure that you take a break every 90 minutes for 10 minutes. Walk away from your work. If you are in a place with sun, go to a sunny window or go outside. Laugh with people. Give your body a chance to 'come down' a bit, feel like it's not racing [on the inside] too much all the time. There are more techniques for stress reduction, but this is one. Just remember that stress is a major problem that keeps fat on the body.
You'll be fit in no time.
Lauren
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Lauren Muney
certified physical fitness trainer
certified health coach
wellcoach
http://www.physicalmind.com There is no escape from your life... solve the problems and get on with it.
"Just tell her you love her and you think she kicks ass" ~AndrewinNH
"I'm moving [Lauren] to guru status" ~Last Tri in 83