*When Melissa Smit said that 20 minutes of slow exercise a week can produce significant benefits I was somewhat skeptical. After all I had spent years running, jogging and walking most days and was still having trouble getting my weight down (and it needed to come down).
When she said that muscle burns energy my first thought was ‘Yes, everyone knows that.’
A few minutes later the penny dropped and I realised that if I was to build my muscle mass then maybe I would be successful in reducing the weight I had not been able to deal with.
(My legs were in great shape but the rest of my body was out of tone).
So, I decided to give it a ten week trial (this being the minimum period 101 Fitness recommend).
Here is my twenty week report:-
Posture
Since I spend much of my working week in front of a computer my posture was far from good – and I knew it; but did not know what to do about it.
Perhaps this was the first improvement I noticed. I began to stand straighter and sit better.
Body Tone
After a few weeks I noticed an improvement in my muscles. Being well “insulated” nobody else noticed, including my wife. However this was the beginning of improved muscle tone.
After about 12 weeks my wife began to say that my muscles were becoming more defined.
Weight
During the first ten weeks I noticed improved muscles and a loss of fat – but the scales did not show any change. At least 12 weeks went by before the scales began to show any improvement. Over the last couple of months the scales say I have lost 2 kg. I think I have lost more fat than this but of course muscle weighs heavier than fat. This is an encouraging start.
Pot Belly
Just in the last few weeks has my belt begun to feel a little looser. Progress has been made – but this is definitely a work in progress.
Credibility Gap
When Melissa first said that 20 minutes of slow exercise a week would provide significant improvement to your body I thought “Yeah, Right.” There was definitely a credibility gap. However, I now acknowledge a significant improvement over a 20 week period.
So I see myself as a work in progress – and this as the 20 week report. *
Brian Taylor
Lynfield,Auckland
*Individual results may vary from person to person