10 Most commonly asked exercise questions answered

#1 What is the best time of day to exercise? The best time of day to exercise is the time that works best for you. If you were to make non-morning people wake up at five o’clock in the morning for a work-out, it might last a day or two for them. On the other hand, if those same people were to work-out in the evening when they naturally have more energy, they have a much better chance at sticking to it.  For more information see: The best time of day to exercise

#2 What is the best kind of exercise? The best kind of exercise is the kind you enjoy doing and motivates you to continue. If you do not enjoy your exercise time, you will not stick to it. However, most experts do agree that it is best to mix it up and do a variety of exercises so that your body does not become accustomed to just one kind.  For more information see: The best kind of exercise

#3 How frequent should you exercise? Most fitness professionals agree the minimum to maintain health is exercising three times per week. However, if you have a goal of losing body fat, gaining muscle mass, or training for a specific fitness event, it will most likely require quite a bit more.  For more information see: How frequent to exercise

#4 How long should your workout last? This depends on your fitness goals but overall the standard is typically 30 minutes to maintain your fitness level and 45 minutes or more to realize improvements.  For more information see: Exercise duration

#5 Do form and range of motion matter? Absolutely! Both are actually much more important than how much weight you are lifting. Form is the way we position our body and move through space to perform the exercise. Range of motion is the amount of movement (extension and contraction of the muscle) we do for each exercise.  For more information see: From and range of motion

#6 Can I turn fat into muscle? No! You have both fat and muscle mass within your body. They are two entirely different tissue sources and they are not interchangeable. You cannot turn body fat into muscle mass. What you can do is decrease your body fat and increase your muscle mass simultaneously. However, one tissue source does not change into another.  For more information see: Fat versus muscle

#7 What matters more, BMI or body composition? BMI is a great measure for a starting point, but it does not take into consideration the percentage of body fat versus muscle mass. Therefore two people could have the same BMI but one is in much better shape with much lower body fat than the other. A body composition profile will give you the percentages of lean muscle mass and body fat which is a more accurate tool to determine your physical fitness.  For more information see: BMI and body composition explained

#8 Does my heart rate matter? If you have specific training goals, it is a good idea to monitor your heart rate during exercise. This can be done with the use of a heart rate monitor. However, if money is an issue and/or you have no specific fitness or training goals, go ahead and assess your exertion using perceived exertion.  For more information see: Heart rate monitoring explained

#9 How much does diet matter? A lot! Diet and exercise are not mutually exclusive and actually depend on each other in order for long-term results to be realized. If you exercise without cutting calories, you may see results initially. However, in order to lose weight (body fat) you must consume fewer calories than what you are expending. Likewise, dieting without exercising may provide you with initial results. However, in the long-run your metabolism will slow down, causing your body to burn fewer calories, and ultimately result in much more weight gain than where you initially started.  For more information see: Diet matters

#10 When should I start exercising? Now! Exercising on a regular basis definitely does have its benefits. However, to reap the benefits in the later years, exercising must be done on a regular basis throughout the life span.  For more information see: Lifelong exercise for lifelong wellness

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