Exercise and weight loss tend to go hand in hand. It is possible to lose weight without exercising, but your progress will be much slower and it will be more difficult to keep the weight off once you have lost it. Exercise burns calories and fat, making it much easier to lose weight. It will also help you to tone up and build muscle so that you look leaner. Muscle tissue uses more calories to function, so your metabolic rate, the rate at which the body burns calories, will be increased. Keeping to an exercise regime after you have lost weight will reduce the chances of the weight going back on.
However, some people hate the thought of exercising, and think that it means flogging themselves in the gym for hours at a time. This is not the case- you don’t have to become a fitness freak; it is perfectly possible to fit exercising around your daily schedule.
You should choose an exercise that you enjoy. There is absolutely no point in forcing yourself to go to the gym or running through the streets if you hate it – you will find it really difficult to motivate yourself to do it and will just give up. Find an activity that you do enjoy, or at least can tolerate. Do you like going for walks in the countryside, or swimming? Maybe you prefer dancing round your sitting room to your favorite music? Any form of exercise counts! If you don’t have much opportunity to leave the house, for instance you may be a carer or a stay at home mum, you can purchase a range of exercise equipment for use in the home.
Involve others; if you have someone to workout with, you are more likely to commit to doing it and to enjoy it. Go for a family cycle ride, or arrange to workout to an exercise DVD with a friend.
A lot of people make the excuse that they haven’t got the time to exercise, but it is easy to fit it into your daily schedule. Starting off with just a 20 minute exercise session 5 times a week will make a difference. Work out to an exercise DVD at home before you go to work, or take a walk in your lunch hour. Some work places even have scheduled exercise classes you could join. Find ways to be more active in your daily life; take the stairs instead of the elevator, park at the furthest end of the car park and walk to the store, or get off the bus a stop earlier and walk the rest of the way.
You need to make exercise a habit. Once you have decided on an activity, commit to exercising regularly and it will soon become a part of your life. As well as the benefits of faster weight loss and increased muscle tone, you will feel so much fitter and healthier.
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