The best kind of Exercise

When it comes to finding the best kind of exercise - don’t listen to anyone and definitely don’t listen to the commercials selling you crazy, insane workouts or diet shakes when they know you’re tired, vulnerable and your resistance to their selling is weak.

Advertising people know how you and I think. They get inside your brain and hit emotional buttons that encourage you to buy. They’re very clever. (I appreciate their skills in their chosen field). Now all these guys are trying to sell you something (and right now I’m trying to sell you on the idea of eating better and exercising), which is why everyone claims to have THE BEST fat burning program EVER, and every gym has “the best fat loss program” from Bootcamps and Combat to Kettlebells and Zumba.

The honest truth is most exercise programs are about as good as a fad diet. No one really sticks to them, and the creators/advertisers know this. They create these products with a shelf life (because there’s a lot of money in making a brand NEW craze)

I’m sounding cynical…so let me tell you a few hard truths then you can go and make your own mind up. If you really want to burn fat, if you really want to lose weight, it is all about creating a negative energy balance. Let me say that one more time (in case you’re skimming this, looking for a hot tip)…“Losing weight is all about creating a negative energy balance”. That’s it. Simply put, it boils down to eating fewer calories than you burn, and that’s it, that IS the science.

Does it matter how you burn those calories? Nope, not really. All that matters if you create a caloric deficit. If you don’t believe me then have a look at track and field athletes. Does the 100 meter runner look any fatter than the marathon runner? No, they’re both ultra-lean and they both exercise very differently. Is a soccer player fatter than a swimmer? No, they’re both lean. What they all have in common is energy balance. Neither athlete eats more calories that they spend. They might look different because their training is different - but they all have very low body fat.

So does it really matter what exercise you do? Nope. Not if weight loss is your end goal. Although if you'd rather look like a sprinter than a marathon runner, get on short explosive training and vice versa.

I hope this is making sense. Exercise programs speed up the weight loss because they increase your daily calorie expenditure plus, they stimulate muscles, improve your health and will stop you from becoming one of those skinny, fat people!

The question you really need to ask isn’t “What’s the best kind of exercise for weight loss?” The question is what exercise program are you most likely to stick with? It’s all about sustainability and keeping your training consistent. It’s important you enjoy your exercise whether it’s hard-core MMA training or the latest fad down at the gym. Just keep it up and keep it consistent.

Now you might not be happy with my answer, maybe you wanted something a little sexier, a secret or a quick fix perhaps? Maybe something new or undiscovered? Well the truth is that’s what the commercials sell. Sexy, secret and NEW. They’re the buttons they push to trick us into buying and millions of people fall for them every single day.

Just make sure you’re energy in is less than the energy out and you’re on a winner.

Now go and pick something you enjoy