The Workout That Keeps on Working

By Al Sears, MD

My PACE®exercise program prevents heart attacks. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. It's also the most effective way to burn fat.

Check out these results ...

When Mike first came to my clinic, he weighed 324 pounds. When I measured his body composition, he was 44 percent fat! I put him in the PACE® program - and in six weeks, he lost 37 pounds. In 18 months, he lost 107 pounds. His body fat went down to an amazing 6 percent ... and he still looks fantastic. The fat never returned.

So how can a 10-12-minute workout burn so much fat? Because the most important changes don't occur during exercise, they occur afterward.

As reported in the InternationalJournal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, a group of men and women in a Colorado State University study exercised for two minutes and then rested for one minute. They continued these intervals for a total of 20 minutes - and continued to burn fat at an increased rate for 16 hours.

I recommend that your exercise sessions never last more than 20 minutes. Keeping it brief programs your body to burn fat after the session. Long-duration "cardio" routines burn fat during the session - but when you finish, your body starts to make more fat to prepare itself for your next workout. This locks you into an endless cycle of burning fat, only to make and store more.

Here's an easy PACE® program to get you started:

INT	Rest	INT	Rest	INT	Rest	INT	Rest	INT	Rest
1 min.	1 min.	1 min.	1 min.	1 min.	1 min.	1 min.	1 min.	1 min.	1 min.

If you're in the gym, choose any machine you like: elliptical machine, stationary bike, recumbent bike, stair-stepper, etc. During your first interval, find a comfortable level of exertion - something that gives your heart and lungs a gentle challenge. After one minute, rest. (But when I say "rest," I don't mean "stop." It's better to stay on the machine and go at a slow, easy pace, equivalent to walking.) Then repeat.

This whole workout only takes 10 minutes. When you're done, you should feel like you've given yourself a challenge. But don't overdo it. Take it slow at first.

[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears, a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure and 12 Secrets to Virility, is a leading authority on longevity, physical fitness, and heart health.]

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Word to the Wise: Daedal

Something that is "daedal" (DEE-dul) is ingenious in design or function. The word is derived from the Greek for "cunningly created."

Example (as used by Percy Bysshe Shelley in "Hymn of Pan"):

I sang of the dancing stars,
I sang of the daedal earth,
And of heaven, and the giant wars,
And love, and death, and birth.
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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #1799, 08-04-06], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.