5:2 / IF Exercise & Fitness Thread Number 3: Advice and information for those following Intermittent Fasting .... and anyone else too

[BigChocFrenzy]

Why Exercise ?

Maintaining a normal bodyweight and taking regular exercise are 2 major areas of life which we can address to improve our health.

Regular exercise helps reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, some cancers, osteoporosis, dementia, depression.

Increasing your % muscle and / or reducing your % body fat lowers the risk of death from all causes LowerRiskMuscle

Regular exercisers gain the greatest benefits over their lifetime and they can minimise biological aging, i.e. "Bend the Aging Curve BendAge

Recent Research showed that lack of exercise is twice as likely to lead to premature death as being obese (BMI 30 -35)

Body Fat, Exercise & Diet
People who maintain their weight through diet alone without exercise are likely to have major deposits of visceral fat (the more dangerous kind around organs), even if BMI is ok.

They are TOFIs (Thin Outside, Fat Inside)

A MRI study found that:
45 % of women and nearly 60% of men with “healthy” BMI, had excessive levels of visceral fat i.e. clinically overweight

A Can J Card study showed visceral fat can be burned off via exercise, even if weight is unchanged (increased lean mass)

Hormesis

Hormesis, see Mattson , BlackSwan and Stronger is cutting edge science for nutrition & fitness.

Its principles are that alternating between “extremes” - e.g. feast & fast (5:2 / IF) , intense training & rest (HIIT) - makes the body more resilient.

The intermittent stress of lifting an extreme weight or performing at high speed for a short period pushes the body to overcompensate and prepare for an even greater future challenge HormesisTrain , Hormesis-Edge , and AntiFragile
The following recovery period avoids damage from over-stressing.

Fasted training

i.e. training on FDs (Fast Days), seems to increase the benefits of both training and IF.
Most experienced exercisers soon manage fasted training without loss of performance for sessions of up to 90 mins.

TYPES of Exercise

Main types: Aerobic, anaerobic, flexibility.

All exercise will burn fat, the more intense the faster the fat burn

Anaerobic
e.g. HIIT (see below), sprints, strength training
. Shorter training period
. Increases the RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) for up to 48 hrs
. Soon increases fitness
. May help correct insulin metabolism issues & target abs fat.

Aerobic
e.g. walking, running, cycling, swimming
. Longer training period
. May burn more calories during exercise, if it is lasts much longer than HIIT, but burns fewer afterwards
. It is easier to do for the less fit

Flexibility, Stability, Relaxation
e.g. yoga, stretching

The best exercise routine is one you enjoy and is sustainable.

HIIT cardio and resistance training / weight lifting are especially recommended to boost the effect of 5:2/IF, to increase weight loss, reduce body fat, retain muscle and maintain TDEE / BMR.

HOW to Exercise

If you are a very overweight unfit beginner:
. Check with your GP before starting exercise
. Start by walking 5-10 mins twice per day, gradually increase
. Try walk intervals: alternating 1 min faster pace, 1 min normal
. Build up to a brisk 30 mins daily walk and you will significantly improve your health & fitness
. Swimming is also good, preferably crawl or back stroke for less strain on back & joints.

Everyone Else:
Whether you join a gym or train at home or in the park:

• Train as intensively as your time, health and fitness level allow.
• Do not remain in your comfort zone, or you will not improve. But stop immediately if you feel any sharp pain.
• You are supposed to drip sweat and pant heavily !

Efficiency / Intensity: This Study proved that at speeds of 5mph or faster, running will burn more calories per mile than walking

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

HIIT is an exercise strategy which alternates brief intervals of high intensity exercise with less intense recovery periods

. Very time-efficient, producing the greatest fitness benefit in the least time (the advantage of hormesis)

. Increases both aerobic and anaerobic endurance

. May improve insulin metabolism, very important for health and abs fat.

. Reduces risk of heart problems more than doing lower intensity SteadyState , pp. 31-34.

HIIT can be applied to cardio or to bodyweight exercises, at home or gym.
Most gyms offer HIIT classes, e.g. spinning, circuit training, CrossFit, Tabata, Fartlek (=HIIT with irregular intervals)

FAST Exercise

"No time" to exercise ?
Or want to boost fitness & fat-burning metabolism

Dr Mosely developed a FastExerciseProgram to complement his 5:2 WOE
His Fast HIIT and strength routines can significantly improve metabolism & fat-burning capability

Other scientists like Tabata have developed routines now wisely incorporated in training.

HIIT Fitness Blasts

A few mins per day, 3-5 days per week

START with 2 mins warmup then EITHER

Sprint or Rope-skipping intervals
. 1 minute sprinting / skipping @ max effort +90 secs jogging to recover
. Do 5 intervals

OR

Fast Blasts
Choose from:
Running, stationary bike @ low resistance, rope-skipping, burpees, jumping jacks, spotty dog, punching air or bag, step-ups, swimming, squats, lunges, pressups, tricep dips, situps ... or any combination you like.

Choose type of Blast:

4-minute Blast
. 4 mins @ 90% effort

OR "Tabata" = 8 x intervals of 20 secs @ 100% effort + 10 secs recovery @ rest or slow speed
( FreeTimerApp )

OR 2 x20-sec intervals=
. 20-sec @ 100% effort
. 2 mins walk to recover
. 20-sec @ 100% effort

END any HIIT or Fat Blast with a few mins cooldown walk / jog

RESISTANCE Training / LIFTING

Helps retain muscle mass during weight loss and hence to maintain TDEE.
Lift at home / in the gym weights area / in a pump class.

It is best not to train the same muscle groups 2 days in succession, so have rest days, or cardio, or train different muscle groups on different days.
Try to build up to weight training for 30-60 mins twice per week.

Reps = the number of repetitions in a set of lifts
Sets are separated by brief rests
E.g. 3 sets of 12 reps = 36 lifts
Breathing: Inhale before lifting, exhale while lifting. Don't hold your breath.

WARNING
Do not lift massively heavy barbells, more than bodyweight, unless you are really fit with good technique.
Women who have given birth and / or are aged 40+ have a higher risk of pelvic floor / prolapse injuries when lifting heavy than young non-mums.

Press ups
Video

• The best upper body exercise
• Keep attempting one full pressup rather than doing several dozen girlie ones with your knees on the floor
• Once you can do one pressup, you will soon be able to build up to 5, then 10 etc.
• Tip: keep the abs rigid, so strong abs are as important as strong shoulders & arms
• Hand Release Pressups are good to build up strength for full ones
• Also build up via inclined pressups IncPress , see bottom of wiki page
• To increase the number of pushups IncNum

ATG Arse To Grass bodyweight squat

• The best exercise for the large muscle group in bum and thighs
• Basic principle: It is like having a pee on a public loo - get your bum down low and pointing to the rear, but not actually touching the seat

-Lean back on your heels, so that weight is on them, not on your toes

• Bring your arms forward
• Keep your back straight, but angled slightly forward, not vertical
• Squat down as far as you can without knee pain or hunching your back
• Push up from your heels, exhaling.

Pullups

• Very few women can do full ones, but assisted ones build excellent muscle
• Work the same muscles with the much easier Australian pullup / InvertedRow

If you have access to dumbbells / barbells, then for maximum effect, work the large muscle groups:
Squat BentOverRow (press button "female")
BehindNeckPress (press button "female")
DeadLift

To increase Strength
Lift as heavy as you can, low reps, with 1 minute rest between sets e.g. 5 sets x 5 reps each, i.e. totalling 25 lifts

To Build Muscle
Lift lower weight, 3 sets x 8-20 reps, i.e. totalling 24-60 lifts

To Build Endurance
Lift lower (NOT Girlie) weight for 3-5 mins, preferably without pauses

BUM / GLUTES
Squats & lunges are excellent
Also this 2-min bodyweight workout especially for women, targeting the bum:
WorkYourBum

ABS
Choose the exercises & number of reps for your fitness level

The plank
. Start at 2 x 15 secs. Build up to 2 x 45 secs
. Advanced:

1. Use TRX slings, picture 2

Side plank + hip raises
. If you can, keep the side of 1 foot plus 1 forearm on the floor, free arm straight up in the air, picture 3
. Easier - free hand on your hip. Easier still - keep calf & knee on the floor, instead of bent at the knees
. Start at 3 sets of 3. Build up to 3 x 30

Leg raises
. Lie flat on your back, with legs bent to 90 degrees
. Lower the legs one at a time to 1" above the floor (straight leg if you can) then raise again
. Start at 3 sets of 3 each leg. Build up to 3 x 15
. Advanced:

1. Lower both legs at the same time

Situps
. Hands forward to really work abs & avoid pulling the neck
. Alternatively, cross your arms over your chest
. Start at 3 sets of 3. Build up to 3 x 30
. Advanced:

1. Raise legs to 90 degrees & bring them towards you when you situp (double crunch)
2. Legs nearly flat on the floor
3. One leg bent at 90 degrees, the other held straight 1" above the floor
4. Hold a weight disc / dumbbells / barbell above your head

Angled Situps
. Lie on your back and rest one ankle on the opposite knee
. Angled situp so your opposite elbow touches the knee
. Keep the other hand be in the air by your knee, or alternatively supporting your head - do NOT pull on the neck
. Build up to 3 sets of 20 each side
. Advanced:

1. with dumbell
2. Situps with legs rotated 90 degrees to the left, resting on floor. Then repeat set with legs rotated to the right, on floor
3. Lie on the floor, rotate legs 90 degrees to the left. Raise and lower legs like that, keeping back on the floor. Repeat set with legs on other side
4. Keep legs raised & rotated to the left and do situps (double side crunch) Repeat with legs raised & rotated to the right

AVOID OSTEOPOROSIS

To retain bone strength and avoid a painfully disabled old age, start now:
Ideally weight-bearing exercises that load the bone along its length of these types:

Impact exercise E.g. walking, running, jumping, skipping rope, step class, hitting a heavy punch bag

Lifting: squats, press-ups, bench press, overhead press etc

Squats are much better for osteoporosis than lunges, also for knees:
The weight in a squat is transmitted down along the spine, through the hip, and down along the bones of the leg, whereas in a lunge, it is transmitted across the shinbone and puts pressure on the knee joint

Cycling normally does NOT increase bone density, as it does not load bones along their length. Osteo

KETTLEBELLS Kettle
Beginners:
. Two-handed swing
. Sumo Deadlift
. Turkish Getup
. Swing
. Clean and Jerk
. Press

Improve GRIP STRENGTH GripStrength , GripBuild

RUNNERS

. Sprinting improves fitness
. Regular 5 - 10 km runs burn significant fat, especially fasted

Running illustrates the "J or S-curve" effect, where increasing exercise improves health, up to a certain point, after which health worsens e.g. MayoClinic , RiceUni , JMed :

. Running 20 mins improves immune system

. A run of 90+ mins may weaken the immune system for up to 3 days.
With insufficient recovery periods, the damage is cumulative.
Elite runners have immune systems that handle that strain

. Long races 20k+ may cause micro-tears to the heart muscle in some runners, hence a 2-week recovery period is recommended.

CALCULATORS:
Calories Burned for specific exercises: ExerciseCals
Fitness Calculators: 52FastExercise
Estimate fitness age: FitAge
Estimate Vo2Max iTunes App: Vo2APP
Running Calories burned: RunningCals
Running Standards: Age-RelatedRunCalculator
TDEE 24hr activity times & body fat TDEE-Detail

e.g. I'm aged 61 and I have plenty of energy for gym 5 days per week - heavy lifting (up to 149 kg), pump,soin
plus my daily cycle commute to work and then gym

So, energy for strength and cardio work

Other regular 5:2ers manage pretty intense programs, e.g. triathlon training

espresso Well done on losing the weight and doing so with healthy lifestyle changes
Since the loss has stopped for 8 months, you now need to address diet next, to make further progress

Fasted training will not lose muscle, at least not in 2 FDs per week
Many studies have shown that fasting actually preserves muscle, compared to standard calorie reduction diets
e.g. Dr Varady's,studies on ADF (fasting every other day) found that muscle is preserved for sedentary people and actually increases slightly for those who do lifting

Your trainer sounds old-fashioned and not up to date with the last few years of peer-reviewed exercise science.
In fact, many advanced lifters now specifically do fasted training in order to boost muscle

Several of us on 5:2, or maintaining longterm on 5:2, have built fasted training into being an integral part of our WOL

Tips to boost_ loss_

• Add HIIT
  . The Fat Blasts in the OP are an ideal start, as they are only about 5 mins on 3-5 days per week
  Studies show these can help correct insulin metabolism issues that could be hindering weight loss
  . Also add in say a spin or martial arts class, for a longer HIIT session which will burn a lot of calories
  HIIT will also shake up your routine, which can often help burn more calories

• Cut out snacks / grazing - eat meals, with at least 4 hours between without calories
  Snacks or frequent meals are suited to big male lifters trying to cram in 4,000+ cals to bulk up
  However, some old-fashioned trainers keep pushing the same plan of eating 5-6 x daily for every gym-goer.
  Very few women need to do this, with their much lower TDEEs, especially those wanting to lose a fair bit of weight

• Cut out fizzy drinks, because even sweeteners can spike insulin
  If you can't cut them totally, then restrict to no more than 1 x 330 ml glass / can
  Coke is the unhealthiest of all fuzzies, as I discussed on the main 5:2 thread - a seriously bad combination that can eventually damage kidneys and bones.

Just heading over from the 5:2 fasting thread as recommended by BigChoc

Particularly interested in the preventing problems in old age part of the OP so I'll go away and read that carefully.

I've always been a little overweight but was fit until I had children (6 years ago), lots of running.

My DM was practically anorexic in her 20s but is my body shape and is now pretty overweight. Her DM was the same too. She's probably a 16 now at 72 and my nana was probably an 18 for the last few years of her life. My DM has just had a knee replacement, a foot operation, has a femeral nerve problem so is fairly immobile which is sad because she was a good walker.

I'm desperate to avoid all this and am 40 so it seems a good time to get on with it.

So weightloss is one thing and I think that's in my control.

Before picking BigChoc's brains I'll read the OP properly. I'm toying with the idea of 1 run, 1 swim, 1 pilates a week. And 2 weights sessions.

That seems a good balance to me of cardio, flexibility and weights.

Sounds a good training plan to start with, cheshire
You can always tweak later, as you get fitter

Exercise is important for health, but for most people it's what you eat & drink that 90% determines weight, or enables loss
Look forward to seeing you on the main 5:2 thread - we've just started a new one - 5:2 / IF Thread # 72 !

Several of us who've been maintaining on 5:2 for a few years now originally came to 5:2 because of the healthy aging research into IF.
Weight loss was a happy bonus

Also 5:2 ers on our threads have reported major improvements in IBS, PCOS, T2, asthma, acne and other skin conditions.

Bump

Too busy to exercise / Hate exercise ?
Check out the OP for Fat Blasts, which just take a few minutes, 3-5 days a week.
You can do it at home or in the park, just wear comfy clothes, bra and training shoes, usually no need to shower afterwards.

Those few minutes doing Fat Blasts genuinely boost fitness and can help correct problems you may have in insulin metabolism.

bump

Urgh some depressing research :(

www.msn.com/en-gb/health/mindandbody/surprising-study-suggests-exercise-may-make-dementia-worse/ar-AAxnVU6?ocid=spartandhp

I am taking it to mean that we need to get started exercising before dementia sets in .

Initially, that seems surprising, since we have good evidence that exercise helps older people avoid dementia.
However, not so much once I read the study and pondered a bit

My hypothesis is:
We know that too much exercise - i.e. overloading the body / mind with more than it can cope with - can damage anyone at any age, even a young elite athlete

We also know that for many people with some significant illnesses - e.g. with fever or food poisoning - illness will worsen their health and slow recovery, because their body is too weak to cope with any more load.

So it is possible that those who already have dementia are too weak to cope with the extra stress of 3 exercise sessions per week, as specified in the study.
That sounds a tough program for elderly people who are unwell.

Maybe a gentle 20 minute walk outside most days would be beneficial - walking is known to help the brain's "executive functions", but the chosen exercise program was just too much.

That is a good point it didn't seem like a very typical plan someone would undertake 60 -90 minutes twice a week - I wouldn't fancy that.

Exercise is important for health
So, get exercising !

BigChocFrenzy I posted this on the other thread but I think it got missed amongst other posts.

In your opinion what is the best exercise or exercises to get rid of saddlebags? My backside is several inches lower than it should be...

openup Saddlebags are excess fat and you can't really spot-reduce fat, by exercise or by diet
Where fat is burned is very individual, mostly genetic, hormonal etc
but if you burn enough fat, you'll eventually reach the toughest areas, which for women is often the saddlebags.

What you need to do is burn fat via fasting, both on FDs and - if you stop snacking - some on NFDs too
It will be 90% down to what you eat & drink

What helps as always:
Avoid junk carbs, especially sugary crap, keep to NHS alcohol guidelines
and drink lots of water - it helps efficient fat-burning

As for exercise:
As you burn fat, exercising the large lower body muscle groups can tone up flabby bits and help avoid loose skin

Best exercises for that are bodyweight, always keeping back straight:

• Deep squats, weight on heels
• Lunges, going no further down than is comfortable for your knees Build up to 3 sets of 10 reps each, doing for each leg wrt lunges

Add some HIIT - the Fat Blasts in the OP only take few minutes and don't burn many cals, but they increase fitness and can resolve some issues of insulin metabolism that may be hindering fat-burning
You could also try Shred, free pt 1 video online

If you can, add a couple of runs weekly, build up to say 45 minutes per session, for calorie burning and working the lower body muscles to tone.

Yeay! another 1lb bites the dust
All this talk of exercise is making me tired shall stick to walking the dog and swimming for now, feel so full of energy with this WOL

Great to hear you have so much energy now, hoochy and well done on your SV
Sounds like you get quite a bit of regular exercise, which is good

Made a NY resolution to get the bod moving ?

Lots of science and advice on exercise in the OP

Just started today!

Have decided to eat nothing on fast days, just black coffee, mint tea and lots of water.
Am 54 and need to lose at least 2 stone...
I'm quite active already with swimming & walking. Have just started to go to the gym too once a week.
Hope to find inspiration and companionship on here.

Oh sorry, think I should be posting in the 5/2 bit.

Want to get the eating/losing weight bit sorted out before I try and tweek my exercise routine...
Shall I re- type it?

As we stated on the main 5:2 thread
Do NOT do zero-calorie FDs

That is taking fasting to extremes and there is no research on longterm effects

For a fasting WOE with 2 FDs weekly, your body needs adequate nutrition on FDs to maintain muscle and good health

Studies on different FD calorie allowances have shown that about 500 cals (600 for men) gives the optimum results for muscle retention and weight loss

If you like / need to exercise at home ..

VIDEOS:

2-min workout for Glutes
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh4PXfQiz4UU___

JM SHRED
https://www.izlesene.com/embedplayer/7259997/?

JM Yoga Meltdown
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjo5saKcSyYY_

JM Circuit Abs
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AeRP9eT3Yoo_

JM 6 week 6-pack Abs
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VV0cRbxgkFAA_

JM Killer Bum & thighs
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jmDFer-LrVII_

10 minute transformation
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IZFAGyP-oKUU_

Billy Blanks TaeBo Blast 8 mins
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LsFW5qHbNmAA_

Billy Blanks TaeBo cardio 40 mins
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jJLkzjeU5FUU_

Jeanette Jenkins 600 cals in 60 mins
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s3F6R92s66_o