We Gain Weight By Eating too Much and Moving Too Little

It has been said often enough – a weight loss program will work best if it combines diet and exercise. We gain weight not just by eating too much, but by moving too little. As we get older, we become less active, our metabolism goes down, so the pounds just keep creeping into our bodies. Even if we eat less, we will just continue putting on weight unless we start burning calories and building muscles to further speed up fat burning – which we can accomplish only through exercise.

Integrate Exercise Into Your Daily Routine

But a word of caution: if you have been basically a couch potato for several months (or years) and are over 35, check with your doctor before taking on a new exercise regimen. Once you get the “go” signal, your initial goal should be to gradually integrate exercise into your daily routine. If you had balked at exercise before, you certainly won’t be able to do this overnight. There’s such a wide variety of physical activities to choose from, from online skating to soccer to bicycling. If you enjoy the form of exercise you’ve chosen, you will then be looking forward to your exercise session instead of dreading it.

Next, get to work setting up a routine. As much as possible, do your exercise at the same time every day. This is an important consideration because you want to make it a habit. The best times to schedule your exercise sessions are two hours after meals and at least 30 minutes before your next meal.

Remain Consistent With Your Goal

Having established your exercise routine, your goal now is to remain consistent. Do your exercise at the times you have scheduled it. However, since this is not a perfect world, you may not always be able to follow your timetable. What you can do is split your exercise routine into two equal halves and fit them into your schedule the same day. If you miss two or three consecutive sessions, you just might slip back to your old ways, and it will be difficult to start over.

Two to four weeks later, you can raise the level of intensity of your exercise routine. If you’re doing resistance training, you need to add a little more weight every few weeks. If you’re walking or jogging, increase the distance every time you go out to walk or jog. It is important to keep pushing your body harder to maximize fat burning.

Once You Get Into A Healthy Lifestyle It Will Become Easier to Lose The Weight and Keep It Off

The important thing is to get the habit of exercise firmly entrenched so that it becomes automatic. Once you get to that point, half the battle is won and you’ll reach your weight loss goal sooner than you expect.