Exercise and Its Power to Help Lose Weight

Dallas Hopper EDUC 526 Capstone Experience in Digital Teaching and Learning Professor Dr. Joanne Gilbreath APU Azusa Campus Spring 1 2014

Dallas Hopper APU Azusa

Action Research EDUC 526

Page 1 Spring 1 2014

Abstract: This project will focus on the benefits of exercise and its effect on weight loss; by exercising for 30 minutes every day I will see if there will be any substantial weight loss reduction. The biggest obstacle for this project to be successful is finding if just exercising will get the results I seek or will a diet by a necessary component. My hope is that my overall health will be improved after this action research project is complete and I will have a new program in place change my life for the better. Over the next four weeks I will go to the gym for 30 minutes each day and do varying workouts that include cardio, core training, and various weight machines.

Section 1: Introduction
Dallas Hopper APU Azusa Action Research EDUC 526 Page 1 Spring 1 2014

My Action Research Report will look into the benefits of working out and how it affects the body including weight loss and body mass. My research will look into the benefits of working out at least 30 minutes a day and how it will affect my body. Since this study is only focusing on the issue of exercising I will not be focusing on issues like diet but strictly how much benefit does it help if one was to work out 30 minutes extra a day. Through the research I will push my body to work harder than it has in a few years. I am an active walker during the day while I teach but I do not exercise enough to feel or look healthier. The problem is that I do not exercise enough to burn off the calories that I am eating on a given day. I have specifically chosen this topic because of my current health situation. I am a 41 year old diabetic that has been told by his doctor that I do not exercise enough and my weight is not ideal for my height or health. This research will either prove that exercising 30 minutes a day has major benefits or that exercise alone is not the answer to my current situation. I believe that there will be measurable results from my research. The real question is how much will I lose? This topic is close to my heart since I am a diabetic and need to find better ways to lose weight and be overall healthier. Section Two: Implementation I implemented my research by working out at my gym near my house for at least 30 minutes each day. This gym has lifecycles, treadmills, and various weight machines. I first weighed myself at home to get a starting point and took measurements of my body. At the end of each day I would weigh myself and chart the progress. My strategy was to be more active and get myself motivated to work out. Here is my daily routine for this action research project. Every day I would go to the gym and work out from 8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. At the gym I would vary my workout from doing cardio one day and weights the other days. Once I got home after the workout, I would then weigh myself to get my weight for that given day. Then I would write the results on my log sheet. In the morning I would write down how my body felt before leaving for work each day.

Dallas Hopper APU Azusa

Action Research EDUC 526

Page 1 Spring 1 2014

Dates 2/23/14 2/24/14 2/25/14 2/26/14 2/27/14 2/28/14 3/1/14

Duration 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes

Weight 194 194 195 194 194 195 196

Exercise Lifecycle, Elliptical Arms,Shoulder,Core Lifecycle, Treadmill Arms,Shoulder,Core Elliptical, Treadmill Shoulder,Core,Arms Lifecycle, Elliptical

Frequency 15min each 3 reps of 20 each 15 min each 3 reps of 20 each 15min each 3 reps of 20 each 15min each

Dates 3/2/14 3/3/14 3/4/14 3/5/14 3/6/14 3/7/14 3/8/14 Dates 3/9/14 3/10/14 3/11/14 3/12/14 3/13/14 3/14/14 3/15/14 Dates 3/16/14 3/17/14 3/1814 3/19/14 3/20/14 3/21/14 3/22/14
Dallas Hopper APU Azusa

Duration 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes Duration 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes Duration 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes

Weight 194 194 195 194 194 195 196 Weight 195 195 195 194 194 194 196 Weight 195 194 194 193 193 193 194
Action Research EDUC 526

Exercise Arms,Shoulder,Core Lifecycle, Treadmill Arms,Shoulder,Core Elliptical, Treadmill Arms,Shoulder,Core Lifecycle, Elliptical Shoulder,Core,Arms Exercise Lifecycle, Treadmill Arms,Shoulder,Core Elliptical, Treadmill Arms,Shoulder,Core Lifecycle, Elliptical Shoulder,Core,Arms Lifecycle, Treadmill Exercise Arms,Shoulder,Core Elliptical, Treadmill Arms,Shoulder,Core Lifecycle, Elliptical Arms,Shoulder,Core Lifecycle, Treadmill Shoulder,Core,Arms

Frequency 3 reps of 25each 15 min each 3 reps of 25 each 15 min each 3 reps of 25 each 15 min each 3 reps of 25 each Frequency 15min each 3 reps of 25 each 15 min each 3 reps of 25 each 15min each 3 reps of 25 each 15min each Frequency 3 reps of 30 each 15 min each 3 reps of 30 each 15 min each 3 reps of 30 each 15 min each 3 reps of 30 each
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Section Three: Results The results of my study were varied; my weight fluctuation was steady from 196-193 lbs. I definitely ate worse on the weekend; I would eat all three meals (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner). During the week I would usually skip Breakfast and eat two meals with light snacking. This eating pattern definitely affected my weight and altered possible positive body gains from the exercise program that I was doing. I expected to see some weight loss from this program but learned that a proper diet is indeed necessary to accompany this type of program. The results that I did see were in the number of reps I was able to complete in the same time as the beginning of my research program. Results showed that by the end of the second week I was increasing the distance in my cardio program and I was able to do more reps in the weight machine portion of my program. My initial distance in the beginning of my cardio portion was around three miles in 15 minutes on the Lifecycle, on the Elliptical I could only go about 1.8 miles in 15 minutes, and under 2 miles on the Treadmill in 15 minutes. By the start of the second week I was seeing an increase in distance on all machines. Near the end of the fourth week I was able to ride over 3 1/2 miles on the Lifecycle in 15 minutes, over 2 and half miles on the Elliptical, and little over 2 and 1/2 miles on the Treadmill. The results at the end of the trials showed I could ride faster and farther in the same amount of time. There definitely was a lack of motivation to do this exercise program in the beginning. It took until week two to finally get my body comfortable and keep a positive attitude going. Once week 3 was here I was really motivated to get the best results I could and by week 4 I found that I really enjoyed exercising. Starting Weight Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 194 lbs. 194.5 lbs. 195 lbs. 194.5 lbs. 193.5 lbs.

Dallas Hopper APU Azusa

Action Research EDUC 526

Page 1 Spring 1 2014

Cardio Portion
4 3.5 3 2.5 Lifecycle 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Elliptical Treadmill

Section Four: Conclusions I have come with a few conclusions from this study. First thing was that exercise can be enjoyable once you get past that initial lack of motivation, especially if you have been inactive for any long period of time. I have never really enjoyed working out in the past; any exercise I got would have come from playing sports like baseball, tennis, basketball, or roller blading. As I have gotten older and my family has increased, I have noticed those sport opportunities are now gone. I now find myself watching my kids be active while playing sports. The only adjustment I would recommend is adding a diet program next time and increasing the time of work out to 45 minutes to an hour. My lack of weight loss was definitely affected by my eating habits especially on the weekend, because of those extra meals. I would have had to work out twice as much to just burn the extra calories that I consumed on those days. Also an increase in workout time might have helped me get better results. At the conclusion of my action research program I have learned some valuable lessons on being healthier and more active at my young age of 41. As for the future I hope to continue with these practices but certain tweaks in scheduling might be necessary to get my family more involved in my overall program. One has to have balance when juggling work, school, family, friends, and especially their health. The only barriers that I faced were with me, as I am getting older my body doesnt recoup as fast as it did when I was in my twenties. In the beginning of this project I was quite sore in both my arms and legs. As the weeks
Dallas Hopper APU Azusa Action Research EDUC 526 Page 1 Spring 1 2014

went by my tolerance picked up and my body didnt ache as much, by week 3 and 4 I was feeling really good. Section Five: General Comments What I liked best from this project was getting myself out of the house and getting exercise. I have forgotten how good it feels to exercise. I might not play the sports that I played when I was younger but I still get a good workout through exercising. I can keep up with my 4 year old a lot better now that I have been working out. He is full of energy and is hard to keep up on a daily basis. I really learned that exercising is not hard to do when you put a little time aside and put in some effort to get a good workout. A diet is a must if I want to get to my goal weight. For now I am really happy with the results and have learned a lot from this project. As I get older my body makes more noises than ever before. My bones tend to creak less and I do not cramp up as much. I am more flexible and I seem to be in a better mood, (This is what my wife and daughter said). Here is my link to my presentation. http://prezi.com/sgznxpfxdi35/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Dallas Hopper APU Azusa

Action Research EDUC 526

Page 1 Spring 1 2014