Exercise and the Perfect 10 Diet
Having big dreams of being the next perfect 10 top runway model, like Tyra
Banks or Heidi Klum? Or do you simply want to be thin and show off your new
figure in tiny Prada pants? Let me tell you a little secret: I couldn’t care less if
you have a figure to die for. I just want you to be healthy and reasonably fit. But
true perfection has its price, boys and girls, and you have to sweat if you want to
be flawless. Give up the notion that you can have a perfect 10 body while being
sedentary. Diets that promise you miraculous weight loss without exercise will
ultimately deceive you. Join a gym. Short on dough? Join the YMCA. And if
you’re the kind of person who is not into gym routines, how about dancing for
an hour every day? Turn on your CD players, iPods, and iPhones, and let’s burn
some calories, Perfect 10 Diet followers.
Exercise will do more than help you lose excess weight. It will positively
affect your energy, endurance, and stamina. It raises the brain’s level of
serotonin, the neurotransmitter that makes you happy.
But the true power of exercise lies in its hormonal power (Fig. 12.1). When
you exercise, you lower your insulin level and increase your glucagon level.
Remember, glucagon is the fat-burning hormone that opposes insulin action.
Glucagon goes up when you exercise, creating the perfect scenario for losing
weight. When these two hormones are in balance, you shed the pounds.
With exercise, you also increase the production of growth hormone (HGH)
(Fig. 12.2). Growth hormone helps repair tissues and build muscle mass. The
combined effect of having these 3 hormones in perfect harmony dramatically
improves your ability to lose weight, but you have to go to pain level to get some
HGH in your bloodstream. The lactic acid created by intense workouts and
related muscle fatigue boosts HGH secretion, and this can improve body
composition and well-being.
As you continue to work out, you increase your muscle mass, which can lead
to further improvement in insulin sensitivity. The amount of exercise you get on
a regular basis will strongly affect your weight, because muscles burn more
calories. Having muscles is like having a machine burning calories 24/7.
However, many people start exercising, and then they give up. Don’t expect
immediate gratification. Exercising inconsistently may make dropping the
Figure 12.1: How Exercise Affects Hormones