How Not To Get Fat: By Listening To A Groundhog And Sumo Wrestler
In all my college years of writing papers, taking exams and giving lectures, nobody has been more insightful in the field of fitness than good old reliable Mr. Groundhog. This little critter teaches us what not to do when trying to get more physically fit. He uses the tool of hibernation to keep him alive during the winter months.
Hibernation can be defined as a state of inactivity and metabolic depression. He accomplishes this by limiting his physical movement, lowering his breathing patterns and not eating. The lowered metabolism allows fat stores to be burned more slowly (the opposite of what we want). This allows him to survive months and months without food. Good for the ground hog, bad for someone trying to lose-weight. A good solid eating and exercise program negates the starvation mode and turns your body into a calorie burning inferno. I love working out especially with weights, that’s my thing. I realize everybody is different, some people hate to lift weights and that’s fine. The message here is any type of physical activity that pushes your body and forces you to breathe more deeply will help you burn more calories.
We as a society are surely lacking in the physical activity department. Just look at these stats: Only 26 percent of U.S. adults engage in vigorous leisure-time physical activity three or more times per week (defined as periods of vigorous physical activity lasting 10 minutes or more). About 59 percent of adults do no vigorous physical activity at all in their leisure time.( Lethbridge-
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