Why exercise helps weight loss in more ways than one

March 7, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

iStock 000003748633XSmall 150x150 Why exercise helps weight loss in more ways than oneHow exercise helps to accelerate weight loss

Exercising has a lot of benefits, if you are on a weight loss program. One great benefit is that while you are exercising, you will be burning additional calories over and above those that you have been using previously.

As a result, exercise will help to get rid of the additional weight you are carrying. If regular exercise and you have become strangers, it is time to start getting yourself reacquainted with doing some exercise.

However, there is more than actually burning off more calories when you are participating in exercise, because activity helps also to speed up your metabolism. This is another major benefit.

In essence, once you start a regular workout program, your body might actually burn more calories even when at rest, so that there will be an all-round improvement in the speed at which you are using up the calories. In fact, this improvement can go as far as burning off more calories when you sleep, because although your body is at rest, the “speed up” effect in your metabolism is a 24/7 thing.

What kind of exercise is best?

There is no one answer to the question of what kind of exercise is best, because to a large extent it will depend on what you want to achieve while getting rid of the surplus poundage.

For example, while most overweight people are likely to be primarily interested in getting rid of their surplus fat and not a great deal more, there will be some people who are equally interested in building their musculature.

For anyone that falls into this category, the exercises that you choose to do will be different from those that work best for people who are just trying to shed the extra pounds of fat. As an example, if you are trying to replace fat with muscle, then lifting weights is going to be more appropriate than would be swimming or running, although of course, all three forms of exercise would have significant benefits.

Before deciding what kind of exercise program is best for your, you need to know what your primary target is.

There are essentially two different types of exercise, aerobic and anaerobic.

Aerobic exercise is called this because it encompasses the exercises that make you “out of breath”, so that you begin breathing more deeply as a way of replacing the depleted levels of oxygen in your body and blood. Aerobic exercise works your lungs and speeds up your heart, and it is therefore generally better at burning fat than is anaerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise takes in such things as running or jogging, swimming, cycling and even walking.

Anaerobic exercise is the opposite, the kind of exercise that does not get you out of breath or make you “‘puff and pant” Falling into this category would be the weightlifting. As previously suggested, anaerobic exercise does not burn off the fat as quickly as does aerobic, but it does have the benefit that it is more effective for speeding up your metabolism, leading to the effect of burning more calories even when at rest.

Aerobic exercise works as part of a fat burning weight loss plan, because your body normally turns to carbohydrates to provide the energy that you need. However, when exercising, your body starts to look to the stored fat to provide some of the necessary energy as well, hence the weight loss effect.

Anaerobic exercise on the other hand will generally be almost entirely fuelled by the carbohydrates in your body, and therefore the fat loss effect is far less noticeable. It does however have the advantage of speeding up your metabolism.

Do not wait any longer, start your exercise program today. It will help you a great deal to achieve your weight loss goals.


Proven Methods For Safe Weight Loss

February 7, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 


There are numerous ways to lose weight, some good and some not so good. You will read here about some of the better ways for safe weight loss.

- It’s important for everyone with a weight problem to realize that since the weight didn’t all come on overnight, it’s best not to try to take it all off too quickly. Therefore, it’s imperative for you to have a plan of losing just a few pounds per week. Realize that you are on a life changing mission and not some kind of diet or routine for just a few weeks or months.

When establishing the amount of weight you want to lose, and the timeframe you wish to do it in, set achievable, realistic goals. If its 30 pounds in 3 months, for example, determine how much per week you need to lose (2-3 lbs.). If its 50-100 pounds or more, than the time frame has to be increased.

This will make the goal seem much easier to reach, and will also enable you to see that since it’s not that much weight per week, you can do it in a healthy, natural manner.

- Skipping meals is not the way to go. You may feel content at first, as if you’re losing weight this way, but that method actually has an adverse and opposite effect on your body. Instead of getting rid of fat, it eliminates muscle and stores the fat!

So, plan on 3 main (but not big) meals per day, with 3 healthy snacks between. This eating routine tends to eliminate overeating and boosts the body’s metabolism. This causes you to burn more calories quicker.

- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It jump starts your metabolism, and giving your body food at this time is giving it energy when it most needs it. What you eat after you first wake up it will be used to consume fat all day.

- Drinking lots of water is crucial to your body. Water acts as a diuretic, eliminating water weight from your system and constantly flushing out impurities. In addition, it helps to give you a “full” feeling and helps to keep your cells healthy and hydrated. Eliminate the sodas and fruit drinks and drink 10-12 glasses of water per day.

- Make sure to include plenty of vegetables and fruits with your meals. Many of them also act as diuretics. For your carbohydrate fix, include grainy breads, rice or pasta. It’s best if you only eat carbs for lunch or breakfast, as that’s when your body needs the energy from them. After that, they turn to fat.

- Of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention exercise. Walk as much as you can. You’ve probably heard something about taking 10,000 steps per day. This seems to be the amount of walking steps that can have a tremendous effect on weight loss.

There you have it- some very simple and safe weight loss tips. Tomorrow never comes, so begin making your plans to start today, and if you can work on this with a partner, you can encourage each other along the way.

lost30pounds Proven Methods For Safe Weight Loss

The Quickest Way To Lose Weight – Cut Calories And Exercise

February 4, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 


Cutting Calories And Exercise Is The Quickest Way To Lose Weight

For those seeking the quickest way to lose weight there are some effective measures to take. You must remember though that since it usually has taken time to put on weight it is best to not try to lose it too quickly. You are more apt to keep it off if that way.

But to lose weight quickly you will need to at least do a couple of things. First you must limit the amount of calories you take in each day. There are many healthy low calorie menus that you can follow with meals that are actually quite tasty.

Another element to add to this type of eating is to do it in five or six meals each day rather than just two or three. In other words rather than eating the standard breakfast, lunch and dinner you’ll need to eat a full breakfast and then add two smaller meals (healthy snacks) between the main meals.

What this does is keeps your body from becoming hungry, causing you to eat more (and quicker) at the other meals. Your body will also strive to store fat rather than burn it when you are hungry.

So the more you eat each day but in smaller portions the more you will actually burn fat rather than store it.

The other thing you must do for the quickest way to lose weight is to properly exercise. A side benefit to daily exercise is that it will actually give you additional energy. This in turn will further enable you to lose weight because you’ll be less inclined to be a couch potato.

The type of exercise does matter. However if you are currently doing little or nothing at all at least begin with a daily walk. If your time and schedule allows it’s best to exercise before you eat your meal, as exercise is a natural appetite suppressant.

Try to get in at least 30 minutes per day to start. But again if you want to lose weight quickly you will do as much as you possibly can. You don’t want to endanger yourself so if exercising is a challenge for you please check with your doctor first.

Exercising to lose weight will include cardiovascular exercising which works the heart and also some weight resistance. Good cardio examples are the use of an elliptical machine or ski machine or even walking stairs. Do this for 45 minutes to an hour per day.

Weight resistance would include the use of free weights or a bow flex type machine or something like the Total Gym often advertised on TV. But if you don’t have those you can do push ups, either on the floor or against a wall (if you’re new to this).

One last thing:  Drink water.  Lots of it every day.

Walking For Weight Loss

January 20, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 


ist2 6552758 healthy living1 150x150 Walking For Weight LossWalking Will Help You To Lose Weight Naturally

Who would have thought you could just use your legs to lose weight. There are so many people that do not like to walk because of cars, computers, and bikes. People do not like to walk but you can lose one hundred calories in one mile when walking for weight loss.

It is very easy to get a great pair of shoes and open your door and start walking. You do not need expensive equipment and you can have a little alone time to think about your day or problems in your life that you could solve when you are walking.

The fresh air in the morning will open your lungs and make you breathe fresh air.

Breathing in good air is healthy for any one. You have time to think about your day and what is coming up.

To start walking you do need to find the right walking shoe so it will help your arch in your feet. If you go to a sports store or have some one help you can find a very good shoe.

Walking can add years to your life. When it is cold outside just make sure you bundle up real good you will get warm after a few moments of walking.

To walk indoors does not give you the benefits like walking outside. When you are inside you do not get the fresh air, and you cannot walk the stride you do outside.

A thirty minute walk three times a day is very healthy for walking and the morning is the best time. But if you can not walk in the morning that is o.k.  Just open your door and start walking for weight loss you will start seeing the weight come off.

Eating right is also a good to combine to your walking regime. Just cut out fat and eat a lot of fruit and veggies.

Fresh fish is good also. If you eat every four hours and put a thirty minute walk three times a week you will see a weight loss. You burn calories the more you walk. The more you weigh the more weight you will lose.

Walking helps even out your weight loss so you lose weight in every spot that you want gone. The best part about walking is every one can do it from age five up to ninety five.

Just take your time on getting your speed of walk going and build up to a brisk walk. In about one week you should be at a great speed.

There are times that you will go to a party or gathering and there is great food to eat. Go ahead because you know the next day you can just go outside and take a walk.

How To Exercise To Lose Weight

January 2, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

Anyone serious about weight loss needs to know that one must exercise to lose weight. It can’t be done properly through diet alone.

The question then is:  What kind of exercise and how much?

It’s important to note that whether you attain weight loss or not through physical activity there are numerous other health benefits. Imagine having less abdominal fat and lower blood pressure.

Through proper exercise you can improve the ratio of good blood fats to bad ones and can increase protection from heart disease and cardiovascular diseases.

In short with proper exercise you’ll feel better and increase your chances for a longer life. The weight loss is just an added benefit!

An exercise program must be something that continues forever and not for just a few weeks or months. But don’t worry. This doesn’t mean you have to follow a rigid diet and exercise plan constantly. It just means that it needs to be a consistent element in your life.

The challenge with weight loss exercising is:

- determining how much we need to do for weight loss purposes.

- arriving at the place where we truly enjoy physical weight loss activities.

To actually lose weight through exercising there needs to be a certain level of intensity involved in the activity. Simply taking the dog out for a 30 minute walk isn’t going to do much good for weight loss purposes. It is better than doing nothing at all though.

You’ve probably heard that walking 10000 steps in a day is a good goal to shoot for. A good brisk walk of 30-60 minutes will accomplish that.

However to really lose weight through exercise you must do more than aerobic exercising. At some point you’ll need to add resistance training or some kind of weight lifting.

You actually burn 50 more calories per day with muscle than you do with fat. So you must begin to replace your body fat with muscle. You can only do that through some type of weight program.

You can even accomplish this without a home gym or weight set. Push ups are a great form of resistance training. Start slowly and gradually build to as many as you can do each day. Of course if you can go to a gym 3 days a week do it.

The best way to exercise to lose weight is if you can make it fun. Exercise with someone. Go dancing. Ride a bike. Play tennis. The more you do the better.


Resistance Training Contributes Greatly To Rapid Weight Loss

December 30, 2009 by · Leave a Comment 

iStock 000003748633XSmall 150x150 Resistance Training Contributes Greatly To Rapid Weight LossIt can be confusing when trying to understand how rapid weight loss can be permanent. So let’s make one thing perfectly clear: The best weight loss program must include regular exercise.

We’ll not get into eating routines in this article other than to say that eating correctly will definitely aid in rapid weight loss. So will drinking lots of water each day. Exercise and eating right go together very well.

However if you had to choose one to improve upon first you should improve upon your lack of daily exercise. Walking is good but not good enough. It just doesn’t increase your metabolism much following exercise.

Don’t get me wrong. If you’re just getting started with exercising and are in poor shape walking briskly is a great way to start. But for rapid weight loss the exercising has to be more intense.

You must combine aerobic exercising like walking and running or biking and swimming with anaerobic exercises. A real key to rapid weight loss is resistance training (some form of weight lifting).

The reason is that only resistance training has the ability to add muscle to your body. Aerobic exercise won’t do it, and dieting certainly won’t either. Only regular weight lifting workouts will add the muscle you need to burn fat and keep it off forever.

One single pound of muscle burns about fifty calories more per day than a pound of fat. The more muscle you have the more calories you’ll burn around the clock even while you’re sleeping.

You don’t even need weights. The Total Gym or other types of Pilates fitness benches give great resistance training.

A key to succeeding with any goal is to share it with someone. This is true with exercising. You need to have someone to not only encourage you but to also challenge you. It’s too easy to take a day off. Then another and another. For rapid weight loss you can’t miss workouts or take it easy.

You can be a challenger and encourager for each other. Don’t take this point lightly.

To help with rapid weight loss you must be able to find a place that will provide a good workout for you. It’s not imperative that you go to a gym or health club. For some working out with equipment at home makes more sense. Either way find what works best for you.

If you don’t have the time on some days to get in a full workout at least do something! Every activity you do burns some calories and if you want rapid weight loss you can’t miss. Take the stairs when possible.

Finally, get started and don’t stop. It takes 30 days to develop a habit and then you’re on your way. You can’t experience rapid weight loss and keep it off just by diet alone. Consistent exercise and particularly a weight lifting program will preserve muscle and burn more fat.


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