March 2007 Newsletter

Is Your High-Intensity Cardiovascular Exercise Really Effective? Part 2
by James Williams, james@totalfitness.net

The take home message from part 1 of this article was that if you want to get slim and maintain total fitness for the rest of your life, choose resistance training and de-stressing exercise as the key components of your weekly activity program.

High intensity aerobic exercise is defined as any continuous aerobic activity where your heart rate exceeds 100 BPM. You can read part 1 here.

Human Evolution and Cardiovascular Exercise
What would have caused ancient humans to run? In ancient times, we usually ran to escape a predator. It would have been a short run - maybe a sprint, possibly followed by rock climb or even a swim. Our prehistoric ancestors would not have run miles at a time because they would need to find food again, which is also an energy intensive activity.

Our pre-historic ancestors did not run at high intensities simply because they didn't need to unless they were running short distances to save their lives. The only exception to this rule that I have found is among the Australian Aborigines, who, on occasion, ran up to 26 miles to rejoin their group.

In modern times, most people won't run for more than 100 yards to catch a bus or train. During my career as a British police officer, 225 yards was the furthest distance I ever had to run to chase a group of criminals fleeing from a crime scene.

How would you feel when a large animal was chasing you? Scared? Fearful? Threatened? We can sum these up in one word - stressed. Within the last 80 years, physiologists have shown that when we're stressed, the resulting cascade of stress hormones damages our body.

Running or any other high intensity aerobic activity performed for a prolonged period of time makes the reptilian part of our brain think we are being chased, which is stressful. How long is prolonged? For more than one minute.

The opposition to high intensity aerobic exercise did not begin with those of us at Total Fitness. Three of the top leaders in the world of health and fitness, Paul Chek, founder of the CHEK Institute, Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, M.D., who studies the hormonal effects of exercise, and Charles Poliquin, an Olympic strength coach who studies the correlation between body fat and imbalanced hormones, all advise against high-intensity cardiovascular exercise because it produces high levels of stress on the body, depletes our sex hormones and can lead to excess fat around the midsection.

High-Intensity Cardio = High Cortisol = Stress
When your body experiences stress, your adrenal glands produce two major hormones, adrenaline and cortisol. But that's not all. Your adrenal glands also produce as many as 50 hormones, including your sex hormones, according to D. James L. Wilson, author of Adrenal Fatigue, the 21st Century Stress Syndrome. Before menopause in women, our adrenal glands make 40 percent of our sex hormones. After menopause, our adrenal glands make 90 percent of our sex hormones. The adrenal glands also help men produce testosterone. That's why stress management, de-stressing exercise and stopping high intensity aerobic exercise become more and more important as we age.

Cortisol and adrenaline levels rise in response to stress to give you a boost of energy. This is known as the fight or flight response. Cortisol aims to release glycogen, the stored energy in your muscles. When glycogen levels run low, cortisol then starts breaking down your muscle tissue. The more muscle you have on your body, the higher your metabolic rate.

The negative effects of prolonged excess cortisol include rapid ageing of the skin, loss of hair, decreased muscle mass, increased inflammation, poor memory, reduced immune activity, brain cell death, learning impairment, and bad moods - including depression.

Here at Total Fitness, we run adrenal function lab tests on most of our new clients. The average client we see is so stressed from daily life that their adrenal glands would not be able to recover from high intensity cardiovascular exercise.

Stress, Ageing and Fertility
To recap, high-intensity cardiovascular exercise performed for more than a minute raises the levels of cortisol in your body. Scientific research that we reported on Total Fitness radio show indicates that a combination of high intensity aerobic exercise, social stress and poor diets leads to a 70 percent decrease in a woman's fertility rate. High cortisol levels also lowers sperm production in men.

Stress And Addictions
Your fight or flight system is designed to help you get through short-term stresses only. When you get stressed repeatedly throughout your day, over a period of time your adrenals glands become exhausted and can no longer make the cortisol and adrenaline in the quantity required to boost your energy.

Clients with exhausted adrenals tend to rely on artificial stimulants from coffee, sweets, energy drinks, or cigarettes to boost their energy during the day and turn to downers like alcohol to calm down in the evening. When we put together a program to heal a client's adrenals and focus on more effective strength training and de-stressing exercise, they find it much easier to let go of their food, alcohol, and other chemical addictions.

The Effects of Long-Term Cardiovascular Exercise On Mature Women
Performing high-intensity cardiovascular exercise has a huge influence on a woman's hormone levels. You can deplete your sex hormones simply by overdoing cardio exercise. Why do cardio when resistance training can boost your metabolism permanently and de-stressing exercise like yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong can turn off the stress hormones and make you look just as beautiful?

At Total Fitness, we have observed that when women stop exercising, the ones who relied on high intensity aerobics tend to gain fat more quickly than those who lifted weights. We have also noticed that in these circumstances, women who did cardiovascular exercise gain back more fat than those who did resistance training.

For a woman to maintain a slim body shape using high-intensity cardiovascular exercise, the aerobic workout has to be repeated 4 to 6 times per week, every week for the rest of her life.

As soon as she stops exercising this way for a few months, her metabolism will no longer be boosted temporarily. Why do people stop exercising?

• Another part of their life has become more important and they claim they do not have time to exercise.
• They have injured themselves as a result of high intensity repetitive motion and the pain and inflammation isn't going away.
• They become ill.

But It Feels Good---But It's Actually NOT Good Long-Term
Many people say that cardiovascular exercise must be good for them because they feel more refreshed and energised when they leave the gym. This is only because the adrenal glands have been overstimulated and have secreted enough adrenaline and cortisol to create a wake-up effect to keep the exerciser alert so they could survive and escape from the gym! As Dr. Schwarzbein says, it feels good to break your body down. But notice how you feel 6 to 8 hours later - depleted and exhausted.

What About My Heart?
If you've done a resistance training workout to the most effective intensity, you'll be out of breath by the time your one minute set is up, and your heart rate will definitely be elevated, giving your heart and cardiovascular system a good workout too. Charles Poliquin's testing shows that those who lift weights have healthier hearts and better circulation than those who do high intensity cardio. To improve the circulation of your organs and cells, choose low-impact, low intensity bouncing on a minitrampoline or go for a relaxing walk around your neighborhood.

Resources

1. Listen to our Feb. 23, 2007 interview with Dr. Wilson talking about recovering from adrenal fatigue.
2. Listen to the May 5, 2006 interview with Charles Poliquin about weight training vs. cardio.
3. Listen to the Nov. 11, 2005 radio show about the science of de-stressing exercise.
4. Listen to the Dec. 22, 2006 interview with Dr. Diana Schwarzbein.
5. Listen to the Oct. 14, 2005 radio show about how to fire up the engines of your metabolism.
6. Look for our upcoming April interview with Dr. Schwarzbein about the hormonal effects of exercise.

To listen to the archives of these radio shows, click on the following link: http://www.totalfitness.net/radio_show_past_shows.htm

Country Captain Chicken
Recipe by Elissa Lorenzen

Ingredients:
Chicken breast
1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
1/2 onion
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup parsley
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Directions:
Place all the ingredients except the chicken and almonds in a skillet and simmer. Add the chicken, cover and simmer for 35 to 45 minutes. Serve over hot rice topped with the almonds.

Elissa Lorenzen is a personal chef and Pilates teacher in Atlanta. She generously contributed this recipe for Total Fitness radio show.

Do you want to be a famous chef? Send your recipes to Catherine Carrigan or Nina Lynn. You can find more great, healthy recipes at the following link: http://www.totalfitness.net/nutrition recipes.htm.

Client Testimonial: Elissa Lorenzen,
Pilates Teacher and Personal Chef

TF: How did you feel before coming to Total Fitness?
EL: I felt very lethargic and was extremely moody. I had no energy and had suddenly put on weight in the past month.

TF: How do you feel now?
EL: I feel better than I have ever felt, honestly, I stopped drinking coffee in the morning and have more energy now than before. My moods are a lot more even and I am more aware of my stress levels.

TF: What are some of the improvements you have noticed?
EL: I have more energy, I sleep better and feel more rested when I wake. Less moodiness, my weight does not fluctuate, I lost weight since I started the program. I am never hungry and my cravings are pretty much nonexistent. If I do have a craving it is easier to satisfy than before.

TF: What had you done before to try to get better?
EL: I tried to change my diet by myself but there are so many different "diets" that it is so hard to find out what is best for you. I tried high fiber, low calorie etc. At Total Fitness it is so easy - it comes down to wholesome fulfilling foods that are given to us naturally.

TF: What advice would you give others who are facing similar challenges?
EL: Eat a balanced diet of fat, protein, carbs and veggies. It is amazing how much nutrition affect our bodies.

TF: Is there anything else you would like to say about your experience with Total Fitness?
EL: I went in to fix a problem and came out with a new life that I love. No more diets, hours in the gym, or stressing over life. Total Fitness gave me the tools I needed to live life to the fullest.

Upcoming Guests, Total Fitness Radio Show

Tune in every Friday at 7 a.m. PST/10 a.m. EST for the latest edition of Total Fitness. Have your fitness, nutrition and healing questions answered for FREE by Catherine and James and our guest experts by calling toll-free, 1-866-472-5792, during the LIVE broadcast.

Afterwards, listen to the archives for FREE, 24/7, by visiting this link: http://www.totalfitness.net/radio_show_past_shows.htm

April 6 : David Getoff, Naturopath, Electromagnetic Fields
April 13: Caroline MacDougall, Caffeine and Its Effects
April 20, Dr. Dan Kalish, naturopath and chiropractor, Food Sensitivities
April 27, Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, M.D., The Hormonal Effects of Exercise

Yoga and Qi Gong Classes in Atlanta

Yoga Classes: Every Tuesday and Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
4465 Northside Drive, Atlanta, GA.
$15 per class or $65 per calendar month.

NEW Yoga Classes: Every Wednesday at 3:15 p.m.
Atlanta Speech School
3160 Northside Parkway.
For more information about this class, please call 404-350-8581.

Qi Gong Class: Every Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. 1951 Northside Drive, Atlanta, GA. $15 per class.

Booking appointments with Total Fitness

To schedule an appointment to find out about a personalized fitness, nutrition or healing program that will help you get results, please contact us:

In Atlanta

Catherine Carrigan catherine@totalfitness.net

James Williams james@totalfitness.net

In California

Nina Lynn nina@totalfitness.net

You can also visit us on the web at www.totalfitness.net