Fast Fitness Forecast is False, it Takes Time

Posted on January 24, 2009  Comments (4)

Fitness Isn’t an Overnight Sensation

“To make a change in how you look, you are talking about a significant period of training,” Dr. Kraemer said. “In our studies it takes six months to a year.” And, he added, that is with regular strength-training workouts, using the appropriate weights and with a carefully designed individualized program. “That is what the reality is,” he said.

And genetic differences among individuals mean some people respond much better to exercise than others

Now, said Mr. Antane, who runs with a group in Princeton on Thursday nights, “everything changed — my outlook on life, who I hung out with, how I felt about myself.”

Our bodies evolved under conditions with much more exercise than we currently get if we sit in an office all day. And we had less food. It is no surprise with more food and less exercise that we gain weight. And given that the benefit of fat was to help us survive when we had little food out bodies don’t change overnight. If they did then our ancestors would have had much more difficulty surviving – the whole point was to provide a resource to tap in bad times. If that resource dissipated quickly it would not have helped much.

Related: Active Amish Avoid ObesityBig Fat LieEat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.Reducing Risk of Diabetes Through Exerciseposts on exercise

4 Responses to “Fast Fitness Forecast is False, it Takes Time”

  1. Chris Bradley
    January 24th, 2009 @ 12:37 pm

    He is partially right about the 6 months. It comes down to intensity of our workouts and the strictness of our diets. I was always skeptical of the before and after pictures of people after 12 week type of body transformation contest but I can tell you, I did it in 12 weeks. i let myself go in the beginning and in 12 weeks, lost 26lbs, 6 inches in my waiste and put on about 10 lbs of muscle. it shocked me and i was in my mid 20’s at the time.

    now for the new year and after getting married this year and now in my early 40’s, I am attempting the same again.

  2. Anonymous
    January 29th, 2009 @ 5:10 am

    Diet Diet then exercise. Any one need to eat 5-6 small meals a day. Eat some protein with each meal! Cut out all refined sugar!!! Also add more fiber. The fiber and protein will fill you up, helping you to cut down on your unhealthy eating. Also by eating more than 3 meals spread out through the day you will kick your metabolism in high gear.

  3. Anonymous
    February 11th, 2009 @ 12:41 pm

    Nothing works if you are going to expect a significant difference in a short time. A solid diet, good exercise, sleep and keeping a positive attitude all go a long way to good health.

  4. Anonymous
    March 27th, 2009 @ 3:09 pm

    Everyone is right. I simplify it like this…

    Simple math: burn more fuel than you take in and you’ll weight. Simple as that. Running is GREAT as a fat burner and as a metabolic boost. When you add in the right amount of calories and type of fuel, you’ll lose weight fast…

Leave a Reply