WMS Tips to Maximize Your Fitness Gains for Better Weight Loss and Health

First Up…Remember…Be safe!

If you have heart, metabolic, or kidney disease or are over 45 years old and have 2 or more risk factors (like the following)…

• Immediate family member with heart disease before age 55
• Cigarette smoking
• High blood pressure
• Abnormal cholesterol levels
• Diabetes
• Sedentary lifestyle or not used to exercising
• Or obesity

Or if you have any other concerns or questions…

Consult your physician before starting any type of exercise.

Physical Activity Recommendations

Here are the physical activity recommendations for adults from the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

• 150 to 300 minutes per week of at least moderate intensity activity, PLUS
• Muscle-strengthening activities 2-3 times per week per muscle group

Most Americans fall short, but remember: everything helps! If you’re not there yet, adding in a bit can improve health. 

In 2022, only about…1 in 4 men and 1 in 5 women met guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises. 

Why Track?

People tend to overestimate their activity. In one study, 62% of adults thought they met the guidelines, but only 9.6% actually did! (Tucker et al., 2011)

Lark can support you in tracking. 

• If you have a Fitbit tracker, sync it with your Lark app
• Give the Lark app permission to access your Google Fit or Apple Healthkit if you use other devices (like an Apple watch)
• Respond to the weekly questions from the Lark Coach about moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise minutes
• Enter your workouts manually in the app

What Is Exercise Intensity?

Exercise Intensity is the rate of metabolic energy demand during exercise.

1 metabolic equivalent (1 MET) is the amount of energy you burn at absolute rest. Sedentary time is defined as ≤ 1.5 METS (metabolic equivalents). Examples include sitting and lying down. 

Here are the categories of activity. 

• Light-intensity activity = 1.6-2.9 METS - e.g., strolling, shopping, folding laundry
• Moderate-intensity activity = 3-5.9 METS - e.g., brisk walking, relaxed cycling, doubles tennis
• High-intensity activity = 6.0+ METS - e.g., jogging, hard cycling, lap swimming, singles tennis

Don’t Forget Resistance Training!

Resistance training or muscle-strengthening exercises support muscle mass and strength. Muscle gives us strength, reduces injury risk, and supports metablism. We lose muscle mass as we age AND when we lose weight quickly. 

Benefits of resistance exercise: 

• Increasing lean mass     
• Decreasing fat mass      
• Improving blood sugar regulation
• Decreasing insulin resistance 

Just getting started (or re-started)?

“Start Low, Go Slow”

Start slow when you’re just starting (or re-starting after a break from being active). Do not try to go from nothing to meeting exercise guidelines! Remember, every little bit counts, and every little increase counts. 

Benefits of moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise

Exercise has many benefits for mental and physical health. 

• Lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia and Alzheimer’s, several types of cancer, and some complications of pregnancy
• Better sleep, including improvements in insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea
• Improved cognition, including memory, attention, and processing speed
• Less weight gain, obesity, and related chronic health conditions
• Better bone health and balance, with less risk of injury from falls
• Fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Better quality of life and feeling of overall well-being

Source: American Heart Association Physical Activity Recommendations, 2023

Even steps count! They may not be high-intensity exercise, but moving more can help. One recent study showed reductions in all-cause mortality for every increase over 3,867 steps/day and reductions in cardiovascular disease mortality for every increase over 2,337 steps/day. (Banach et al, 2023)

And, moderate to vigorous intensity exercise lower risk of all-cause mortality.

Exercise for Weight Control 

Weight loss can be modest with exercise - diet tends to be more effective. But exercise:

• Preserves muscle mass (especially resistance exercise), which maintains metabolism 
• Contributes to a caloric deficit

Be aware of food intake when exercising. Meals tend to be healthier when people are exercising, but people tend to eat more. (Reily, 2023)

How you can measure exercise intensity

How do you know if it’s moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise?

You can measure intensity with:

• Rating of Perceived Exertion RPE)
• Heart Rate 
• Breathing Rate 
• Speed e.g., Walking Speed
• Resistance or Reps 

What level of intensity should I aim for?

Your heart should beat faster than it usually does, but you should ease in depending on your exercise experience and history.

Your breathing should increase, but you should be able to have a conversation with a friend. If you can break into song, speed it up!

A 4 on the RPE scale is a great place to start for most people.

Example Activities: Moderate Intensity

• Mowing lawn (push mower)
• Bicycling (level ground at 10-12 mph)
• Badminton recreational
• Walking briskly (2.5–4 mph)
• Tennis doubles
• Dancing (ballroom or social)
• Cleaning heavy (washing windows, vacuuming, mopping)

Example Activities: Vigorous Intensity

• Hiking (hills)
• Basketball or soccer game
• Fast walking (>4 mph)
• Jogging at 6 mph
• Bicycling fast (>14 mph) or on hills
• Shoveling
• Carrying heavy loads (>44 lbs)
• Aerobic dancing
• Tennis singles
• Jump rope

Intensity Needs Can Change Over Time

You will adapt to exercise that you regularly do. Track your intensity over time to notice these changes and adjust your effort level accordingly. You can also switch the type of activities you choose to do or try interval training for a new challenge. 

Try This to Boost Your Activity Benefits

Try…

• Increasing your weekly exercise minutes by 30 minutes per week (~5 min most days of the week)
• Tracking your weekly exercise minutes in the Lark app
• One new exercise type to add variety to your routine

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