Exercise To Lose Weight

Posts Tagged ‘Lose Weight’

The old saying, if you don’t do it now it will catch up with you later”. Okay, I just made that up ) But truer words were never uttered than about our lack of exercise and a fitness program. It is really a life or death situation. What if a trusted friend were to tell you about an investment where you could not possibly go wrong…what would be your reaction? And what if there was a virtual mountain of credible information that supported the investment claims…wouldn’t you be inclined to take advantage of the opportunity and not miss out on the rewards? Although the answer to these questions seems apparent, when it comes to investing in our health and quality of life we often choose to ignore what obviously works. Take for example, exercise…

Physical fitness may be the ultimate investment opportunity. Think of it this way. If you are willing to make the commitment (investment), you will feel and look healthier, have an abundance of energy, be more self-confident, more productive and discover a more joyous and fulfilling life. These are rewards that money cannot buy and the substance of high quality living. And, the investment of exercise becomes even more attractive when you consider that there is absolutely no down-side risk. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. How much better can it get? How many times can you remember ever having a better offer? The honest answer is probably never, and yet many of us fail to act on this extraordinary opportunity. We simply choose to procrastinate or ignore the proven benefits of exercise!

Here are a few reasons that sometimes inhibit our willingness to “step out” and make a change or take a chance:

- Sometimes our vision gets clouded. We lose tract of what is really important. Forget about the less important activities that tend to clutter our daily routine and focus on exactly what needs to be accomplished to reach your goal.

- Looking at the “big” picture can seem overwhelming. And the bigger the task, the more overwhelming it can seem. Break the task apart into smaller pieces. If you want to lose 50 pounds try losing 10 pounds and repeat the process five times! Need to start an exercise program? Begin with short, simple exercises and then slowly expand your routine. Don’t exercise too hard when first starting-out or you will become stiff, tired, disillusioned and soon quit.

- Have you ever not wanted to start something for fear of failure? Take the first step, acknowledge the fear and the next step will come easier. Once fears are acknowledged, they usually quiet down.

- Sometimes we start to think that a task is unpleasant or boring. Just like any other activity, this can also be true for exercise. There are days when we just plain lack the enthusiasm and motivation to continue. It’s part of human nature. On days like these focus on ‘why’ you are doing it. Think about all the people you care about and who may need and rely on you. What would happen if you became ill or disabled and was unable to work for a period of time, or worse, if you were out of the picture completely. How would things change? If something happened tomorrow, how would your family or business manage without you? What do you want your life to be like in the future? There are many tasks or chores we do, that we may not like, but are necessary to live a happen and productive life. Focus on the bigger picture.

- Indecision can be defeating, but doing “anything” is better than doing nothing. There are no wrong choices and very few choices that can’t be undone or done again. Can’t decide on a particular exercise program or routine? Pick a few exercises and start with something simple. If you don’t like it, go on to the next exercise.

- When you lack the confidence to start something new, take a deep breath and try to figure out why. Are you hesitating because you really lack the skill or is it just imagined? If it’s real, try to find out where to gain the skills you need or find someone with the right skills who can help. In the case of exercise, finding a qualified personal fitness trainer can sometimes do the trick, but be wary…some PFT’s are overzealous and tend to start newcomers on programs that are too strenuous.

- Life just seems too busy to find time for some activities. Large, uninterrupted chunks of time are very hard to come by. And if we’re honest, when they do come, we’d rather do something totally pleasurable! Exercise has to become part of your routine. It can’t be an option. Make it a high priority just the same as your career, and other areas of interest. You will be surprised at how easy exercise becomes when approached this way!

- Have you ever subconsciously (or otherwise) invited distractions so that you have a “good” reason not to get something done? Sometimes it’s the simple things like answering the phone or sitting down to watch that “one” TV program, that distract us. When you find yourself doing this, take control of the situation and make a conscious decision to do what you are avoiding.

To reap the benefits of exercise, or any other health related endeavor, you must agree to become a willing participant. This will require due diligence on your part. And remember, as you embark on your mission you are investing in something near and dear to your own heart…your life and a future of healthy living.

There are a lot of myths associated with fitness and weight loss. Indulge in weight training only after you’ve lost weight. This is one of the many myths with regard to weight loss and fitness. If you want to lose weight and get fit soon, see to it that these myths don’t throw you off track.

One of the myths is that fancy exercises on the latest fitness machines burns more calories than any other exercise. While many people are unsure about how many calories are burnt during different types of exercise, the bottom line is that expenditure of calories is related directly to the extent of effort that goes into an activity. The more difficult the exercise feels, the more calories you burn.

The second myth related to weight training is that working out with free weights is much more effective than with machines. For general fitness, weight loss and muscle toning, it doesn’t matter. Doing what you are most comfortable with and on a regular basis offers best results.

Low intensity exercise helps you burn fat faster and is ideal for weight loss is another myth. Our body contains a mixture of carbohydrate and fat. A little more fat tends to get added on during lower intensity exercise. While this is not a matter of grave concern what is important at any point of time is how many calories you are burning.

The fourth myth is that exercising for just half an hour two or three times a week is enough for weight loss. In truth, that’s better than doing no exercise at all. But when we exercise daily we become leaner, healthier, more active etc. Daily exercise also helps in boosting metabolism.

The fifth myth is that you can lose fat from one part of your body by concentrated exercise on that part alone. But the truth is that you can’t reduce fat in one particular area alone.

Following the right procedure and fitness program entails good results for a long and youthful life.

It seems to me that most of the 97 million or so, overweight Americans have been somehow convinced that they cannot begin to get in shape and lose weight, until they spend a lot of money on home gyms, exercise and fitness equipment or even worse diet pills.  How can I make such an assumption you ask?

Well someone is paying for all of those expensive TV commercials that run 24/7 advertising their particular home gym or piece of exercise equipment.  You know, the ones with the extremely fit good looking man, or the sexy toned lady working away, smiling all the while.  People are buying this equipment otherwise the commercials would cease to run.   

By the way, instead of the fit toned athletes, why don’t they show overweight people huffing away & sweating on those treadmills and home gyms.  It’s all advertising psychology my friend, and yes it does work.  You see, in order to get you to buy their home gym, treadmill or piece of equipment, they must convince you that either you can’t get in shape without their piece of equipment, or that their home gym equipment will make it much easier for you to accomplish your fitness goals.

Here is where I think a lot of people turn this into an impulse purchase.  With a desire to get into shape and lose weight, they buy the piece of fitness equipment as seen in the commercial, with the hope, idea, or thought that it is going to make it easier for them to lose the weight and reach their fitness goals. 

Please allow me to prove my point.  The floor before your feet is absolutely free, and push-ups are an awesome complex (multiple muscles) exercise.  Push-ups involve your pectorals, triceps, abdominals, lower back muscles, glutes, quadriceps and even lats to some extent, (many of these muscles work to stabilize the body in the push-up position, but they are nonetheless being used.)  Now, you can drop down to that free floor under your feet, and do push-ups anytime of the morning, noon, or night, at a moments notice.  So how many have you done today?  And how many did you do yesterday, last week and the week before? 

If you haven’t performed any repetitions of these awesome fat burning, free, exercises, then what makes you think that buying a shiny new home gym is going to suddenly cause you to start working out?  Contracting muscles, building muscles, burning fat, and burning calories is going to take hard work, whether you use a fancy home gym or a more simple basic approach.  Oh, and ladies you need to be doing those push-ups too!

The one thing that doesn’t come with your new exercise equipment is a habit.  And, it is the habit, not a piece of exercise & fitness equipment that is going to determine whether you have a fit lean muscular body, or an overweight out of shape body 5 years from now.  Awesome, now go for it!

We hear a lot these days about being fit. Our society is definitely one that is getting heavier. I do not need statistics to know that, I can just look around at any grocery store or shopping mall and see people who are overweight. Sometimes it seems the overweight outnumber the in shape.

Finding a exercise fitness program is not as easy as you might think. First, everyone has busy lives. We have school, jobs, spouses, family, children and their activities. We have work responsibilities, lawns that need mowing and children who have to get to the dentist. Finding the time to JOIN a gym, never mind actually work out at one can be difficult and require a level of commitment that some are either unwilling or unable to make.

But our lives really do depend on us being fit. While being in shape certainly does not guarantee good health, it has been shown to be beneficial in many areas. And being in shape certainly comes in handy when the escalator is broken at the mall. Or the elevator up to your 6th floor apartment is not working again. So finding an exercise fitness program that works for you is important for everyone.

There is also the matter of self esteem. I know that when I lose those pesky 5 pounds that I seem to love to gain and lose, I feel much better about myself. When I can fit into my skinny jeans, I really do have a skip in my step. Looking good and feeling good are certainly related. Does that mean that all overweight people are miserable? Of course not. It does mean that when you are fit and healthy you feel good about yourself and your life.

SO, what is the answer for the person who would like to get into shape but can not seem to find the time? First, if getting into shape is important to you, you can and will find the time. I run in the morning before my husband goes to work. That means I forgo sleeping in most mornings, but I gain the feeling of having already accomplished something by 730am. Being fit is important to me. For some, joining a gym is the answer. Some need the group atmosphere of a gym to keep motivated. There truly is an exercise fitness program for everyone.

Others are looking for a exercise fitness program they can do at home.. Perhaps they have small children and the gym in their area does not provide child care or is too expensive. Perhaps there is no gym in their area or they do not have transportation. Maybe they want to get started at home because they are embarrassed about their fitness level. For them a home based program is best. The good news is that there are lots of at home programs available. They are for every level of fitness from the beginner to the advanced exerciser. Becoming fit is important for everyone. Take the time to find a fitness exercise program that works for you.