If you are serious about getting into shape, then you will need to develop and follow a well-balanced weight loss program. Here are some tips on how to come up with a program that will work well with your current state of health, and help you to incrementally work toward your goals.
Perhaps the best place to start is with your family physician. Before you begin any type of diet or exercise regimen, it is a good idea to have an accurate understanding of where your body happens to be right now. Your doctor can provide you with a thorough checkup, which will help you understand what types of exercises you should include in your program. You will also find valuable information on the state of your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other factors that will be very important in planning out the types of foods you should eat as part of your program.
In fact, you may find that your doctor already has a program that will be just right for your fitness level. It is not unusual for a doctor to have several plans handy that will incorporate lifestyle changes, diet plans, and a list of suggested exercise options that are in the best interests of his or her patient. Doctor approved plans have the advantage of giving you someone to be accountable to as well. You will no doubt need to let the doctor know how well you are doing with the plan, and also need to go back and be checked every so often as part of the weight loss program criteria.
If you prefer to go out on your own, you will find quite a few recommendations for diet plans on the market. You may choose one of those, but make it a point to look for one that recommends some balance in the way you eat, rather than some quick fix diet that promises that, if you stay on it, you will lose twenty pounds in one week. Quick weight loss is not good for your body, especially your heart. Look for a diet plan that incorporates the basics of good nutrition and does not indicate you can expect more than three or four pounds of weight loss in a week. Slow and easy is a much better weight loss program, which will include reasonable consumption of food and a moderate and workable exercise schedule.
When it comes to the exercise portion, you may want to begin slowly if you are out of the habit of regular exercise. Try starting out with a thirty-minute walk daily. In time you can pick up the pace and work in some free weights and perhaps some stretching exercises. As you begin to look forward to the types of exercise you are dealing with, then broaden to include more aggressive modes of exercise. As time goes on, you will find that not only are you losing weight as part of your weight loss program, but your mental state is progressively more positive as well.
There is really no need for anyone to enrol in to any weight loss program or even consider a special diet plan. The keys to losing weight fast are discipline and the will to achieve the desired body weight. This involves no unnatural way of losing weight and in fact, very natural. It will not require you to do very heavy work out and you would not have to starve yourself.
Many would resort to skipping meals and let themselves starve. This is a very wrong way of doing it. Starving yourself will only cause your metabolism to work slower. When you starve yourself, you will lose muscle mass. So your body will start storing up fat, in stead. Remember that muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat tissue. So don’t ever starve yourself because it will just slow your metabolic rate.
The food you eat greatly influences your program. If you want to know how to lose weight eating right there are many diets to choose from. You are wiser to eat smaller meals several times a day instead of three large ones daily. This burns off more calories. It also controls your food intake better as you do not feel the need to overfill so you do not get hungry before your next meal. Stay away from vending machines. They tend to serve higher calorie junk foods. Though there are now some that are aimed specifically at healthy meals and even dispense salads. Meals that are high in fiber and low in fat are especially good for dieters; eat lots of salads.
Include lots of fibers in your diet. Both soluble and insoluble fibers help control blood sugar level, lower blood lipids and manage weight. Make sure that you get more fiber in your diet. The suggested average fiber intake is 25 to 35 grams a day. Some of the healthy fibers you should include in your diet are broccoli, potatoes (include the skin), apples, beans, brown rice and strawberries.
Protein should also be a part of your diet as this helps to keep you full for a longer span of time. It also prevents sugar cravings and it maintains muscle mass, which is a very vital part in burning fat.
In take of carbohydrate should be carefully moderated, as well. Keep in mind that consuming too much carbohydrate causes weight gain. Regulate calorie, fat and protein in take too if you intend to maintain weight loss. But, there is no need to completely eliminate them from your diet. Just eat them in moderation.
Lastly, make sure to drink plenty of water. Water suppresses appetite. Drinking one or two glasses of water before each meal prevents you from eating more than you should. The recommended water intake per day is 8 to 12 glasses. However, depends on your weight and daily activities, you might need more than the said amount.
If you do not like water so much, there are other alternatives such as green tea. You can add green tea in your diet. According to a study, drinking 5 cups of green tea a day helps in burning 80 calories per day.
Exercise is an essential part of any weight lose program. Put together a good exercise program that will firm those muscles. You need not make it too long, but make sure it is a workout and not so brief you do not even break a sweat. On top of that add in a few extras during your day. Park at the back of the parking lot when going shopping, the extra walking is good for you. The same goes for stairs. If you can choose between the elevator and stairs, choose stairs. A couple of flights up or down will not hurt. As well, walk up or down the escalator. Every extra bit of exercise you can do will help you reach your goal.
Another dieter’s trick is to diet with someone. This does not mean that you should put your partner or kids on a diet just because you are. What it does mean is if your partner, friend or co-worker has been talking about losing weight see if they seriously want to. If so, you can eat meals together, exercise together, and jointly attend classes on weight loss and working out. You can even join a gym together. Sometimes having someone else doing it makes it easier. This also gives you someone to exchange ideas with on how to lose weight.
Showing posts with label exercise and weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise and weight loss. Show all posts
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
EXERCISE AND WEIGHT LOSS
Even with those “miracle” diet pills, you still cannot lose weight without increasing your physical activity. Exercising in some form will help to burn calories that can be converted into fat and extra weight. This is why you need to devise an effective workout plan that will fit into your abilities and interests.
Most people don’t really like to exercise. For them, it seems too much like work. And it is work, but it doesn’t have to be tedious work. There are ways to exercise doing things that you love to do.
First, you need to choose an activity that you enjoy. Do you like riding your bike as the sun sets in the sky? Maybe swimming is more your idea of fun. Even a good round of golf can be a great form of exercise – but only if you leave the cart in the cart barn!
Once you find that activity, you need to pursue it at a minimum of three times a week for at least 30 minutes at a time. The more you exercise, the more calories you will burn, but you don’t have to be fanatical about it!
Start slowly then increase your level when you feel stronger until you are at a point where you think you are at a high level of intensity. It’s OK to rest at intervals to recharge your batteries, but get back up to that level again until your workout is complete.
The ideal exercise plan is going to involve some form of aerobic exercise sustained for 30 minutes at a time. This could be in the form of an aerobic class or something as simple as taking a walk. This will get your heart pumping effectively so that your body can burn the calories that you have consumed!
When should you do this type of workout? Believe it or not, there is a best time to perform your cardio workout for best results.
We want to tell you that the important part about exercise is that you get out and do it! No matter when you exercise, you will burn fat and calories as long as it’s a good workout. But to get the maximum benefit, try exercising in the morning before you eat your first meal.
Early morning aerobic exercising on an empty stomach has three benefits over working out later in the day.
First, your levels of stored carbohydrates and muscle are at a low when you first get up in the morning. This is because during the night, your body is burning any calories that were consumed at dinner the previous evening by performing bodily functions that occur even while we sleep.
As a result, you’ll wake up with lower carb levels and lower blood sugar levels which is the optimum environment for burning fat instead of carbs.
How does this work? It’s actually quite simple. Carbohydrates are your body’s primary and preferred energy source. When this source is in short supply, your body must tap into its secondary energy resource: body fat.
If you do your exercise workout after eating, the body will burn off the carbohydrates you’ve consumed first. It’ll take a little longer to get to that fat you need to burn.
A second benefit to doing exercise in the morning is called the “afterburn” effect. You’ll not only be burning fat during your workout, but that fat burn will continue on even after your workout is finished. How?
An intense session of cardio can keep your metabolism elevated for hours afterwards. Exercising at night won’t give you that extra metabolic lift because once you go to sleep, your metabolism drops dramatically once you become sedentary. When you sleep, your metabolic rate is slower than at any other time of the day.
The third reason for doing early morning exercise is more emotional than anything else. Your body’s endorphins are elevated when you exercise. It lifts your mood and gives you a sense of accomplishment that will likely stay with you all during the day.
That being said, exercise is something that many consider a tedious chore. We tend to procrastinate and put off doing something we consider to be less than enjoyable. If you commit yourself to morning workouts, you’ll have “gotten it out of the way” freeing your mind from having to do it later. This can create guilt and stress and affect your whole day – don’t let it! Plus, you are more likely to blow off exercising later in the day because you are tired or just don’t feel like it.
You might find it difficult to get up and exercise first thing in the morning. Not everyone is a “morning person”. So how do you motivate yourself to get up and get moving?
First, remember that you are trying to lose weight. You have a goal that you are trying to achieve. That should remain in the forefront of your mind. If you stay focused on your goal, the motivation should come.
Think back to a time when you tackled a difficult task and finished it. Remember how great you felt afterwards. Completing any challenge can give you a “buzz”. When that task is physically demanding, that “buzz” is both psychological and physiological. That’s because your body releases endorphins into your system.
Endorphins are opiate-like hormones that are hundreds of times more powerful than the strongest morphine. Except for endorphins are made by YOU, not a laboratory. Endorphins create a natural high that can make you positively euphoric! Endorphins can reduce stress, improve your mood, increase your circulation, and relieve pain.
This “high” you feel is partly psychological too. When you get up early and get your workout done, you’ll feel a sense of completion that will kick start your day and get it off on the right foot! You will have a sense of completion and accomplishment that will stay with you throughout your day. You’ll feel happy and less stressed when you know that this difficult task is already behind you and you can enjoy what the day has to offer you!
So, you know that exercise is essential to any weight loss program, but what kind of exercise should you do? What kind of exercise is best? We’ve already said that you should choose something you love to do so that exercising doesn’t seem so tedious, but maybe you’re wondering whether or not you should get into the gym and lift the big weights or simply take a walk to get your aerobic exercise in.
There really is no cut and dried answer to this question. Whether you want to bust out the old Tae-Bo tapes, plunk down a bunch of money on a treadmill, or just put on some music and do some leg lifts on your living room floor, the important thing is that you do exercise.
Let’s look at the calorie burning that occurs in certain types of exercises.
The numbers below reflect the number of calories you burn for 20 minutes of participation in different exercises. We should all aim to take 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days a week. This can be a mixture of all types of physical activity, anything that makes you slightly out of breath and raises your heart rate slightly.
This table doesn't only show values for organized exercises, but also for more enjoyable pass times, like walking, dancing and gardening - which many of us enjoy to do.
Almost any activity can be a fat burning activity – as you can see from the above chart. Yes, even having sex can burn calories! However, keep in mind that the number given above is for 30 minutes of activity!
Generally, men tend to burn more calories during sex than women do, but if you’re going to incorporate some love making into your workout regimen (and we hope you do!), be an active participant – don’t just lay there and think you’re burning calories.
Phillips, Bill; Eating For Life;
Most people don’t really like to exercise. For them, it seems too much like work. And it is work, but it doesn’t have to be tedious work. There are ways to exercise doing things that you love to do.
First, you need to choose an activity that you enjoy. Do you like riding your bike as the sun sets in the sky? Maybe swimming is more your idea of fun. Even a good round of golf can be a great form of exercise – but only if you leave the cart in the cart barn!
Once you find that activity, you need to pursue it at a minimum of three times a week for at least 30 minutes at a time. The more you exercise, the more calories you will burn, but you don’t have to be fanatical about it!
Start slowly then increase your level when you feel stronger until you are at a point where you think you are at a high level of intensity. It’s OK to rest at intervals to recharge your batteries, but get back up to that level again until your workout is complete.
The ideal exercise plan is going to involve some form of aerobic exercise sustained for 30 minutes at a time. This could be in the form of an aerobic class or something as simple as taking a walk. This will get your heart pumping effectively so that your body can burn the calories that you have consumed!
When should you do this type of workout? Believe it or not, there is a best time to perform your cardio workout for best results.
We want to tell you that the important part about exercise is that you get out and do it! No matter when you exercise, you will burn fat and calories as long as it’s a good workout. But to get the maximum benefit, try exercising in the morning before you eat your first meal.
Early morning aerobic exercising on an empty stomach has three benefits over working out later in the day.
First, your levels of stored carbohydrates and muscle are at a low when you first get up in the morning. This is because during the night, your body is burning any calories that were consumed at dinner the previous evening by performing bodily functions that occur even while we sleep.
As a result, you’ll wake up with lower carb levels and lower blood sugar levels which is the optimum environment for burning fat instead of carbs.
How does this work? It’s actually quite simple. Carbohydrates are your body’s primary and preferred energy source. When this source is in short supply, your body must tap into its secondary energy resource: body fat.
If you do your exercise workout after eating, the body will burn off the carbohydrates you’ve consumed first. It’ll take a little longer to get to that fat you need to burn.
A second benefit to doing exercise in the morning is called the “afterburn” effect. You’ll not only be burning fat during your workout, but that fat burn will continue on even after your workout is finished. How?
An intense session of cardio can keep your metabolism elevated for hours afterwards. Exercising at night won’t give you that extra metabolic lift because once you go to sleep, your metabolism drops dramatically once you become sedentary. When you sleep, your metabolic rate is slower than at any other time of the day.
The third reason for doing early morning exercise is more emotional than anything else. Your body’s endorphins are elevated when you exercise. It lifts your mood and gives you a sense of accomplishment that will likely stay with you all during the day.
That being said, exercise is something that many consider a tedious chore. We tend to procrastinate and put off doing something we consider to be less than enjoyable. If you commit yourself to morning workouts, you’ll have “gotten it out of the way” freeing your mind from having to do it later. This can create guilt and stress and affect your whole day – don’t let it! Plus, you are more likely to blow off exercising later in the day because you are tired or just don’t feel like it.
You might find it difficult to get up and exercise first thing in the morning. Not everyone is a “morning person”. So how do you motivate yourself to get up and get moving?
First, remember that you are trying to lose weight. You have a goal that you are trying to achieve. That should remain in the forefront of your mind. If you stay focused on your goal, the motivation should come.
Think back to a time when you tackled a difficult task and finished it. Remember how great you felt afterwards. Completing any challenge can give you a “buzz”. When that task is physically demanding, that “buzz” is both psychological and physiological. That’s because your body releases endorphins into your system.
Endorphins are opiate-like hormones that are hundreds of times more powerful than the strongest morphine. Except for endorphins are made by YOU, not a laboratory. Endorphins create a natural high that can make you positively euphoric! Endorphins can reduce stress, improve your mood, increase your circulation, and relieve pain.
This “high” you feel is partly psychological too. When you get up early and get your workout done, you’ll feel a sense of completion that will kick start your day and get it off on the right foot! You will have a sense of completion and accomplishment that will stay with you throughout your day. You’ll feel happy and less stressed when you know that this difficult task is already behind you and you can enjoy what the day has to offer you!
So, you know that exercise is essential to any weight loss program, but what kind of exercise should you do? What kind of exercise is best? We’ve already said that you should choose something you love to do so that exercising doesn’t seem so tedious, but maybe you’re wondering whether or not you should get into the gym and lift the big weights or simply take a walk to get your aerobic exercise in.
There really is no cut and dried answer to this question. Whether you want to bust out the old Tae-Bo tapes, plunk down a bunch of money on a treadmill, or just put on some music and do some leg lifts on your living room floor, the important thing is that you do exercise.
Let’s look at the calorie burning that occurs in certain types of exercises.
The numbers below reflect the number of calories you burn for 20 minutes of participation in different exercises. We should all aim to take 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days a week. This can be a mixture of all types of physical activity, anything that makes you slightly out of breath and raises your heart rate slightly.
This table doesn't only show values for organized exercises, but also for more enjoyable pass times, like walking, dancing and gardening - which many of us enjoy to do.
Almost any activity can be a fat burning activity – as you can see from the above chart. Yes, even having sex can burn calories! However, keep in mind that the number given above is for 30 minutes of activity!
Generally, men tend to burn more calories during sex than women do, but if you’re going to incorporate some love making into your workout regimen (and we hope you do!), be an active participant – don’t just lay there and think you’re burning calories.
Phillips, Bill; Eating For Life;
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