Why Exercise & Weight Loss Are Linked

Linking exercise to weight loss should seem a simple equation. But for too long men and women that are trying to lose weight effectively and for the long term, have tried to simply change what they eat and drink. With only a minimal increase in daily exercise, this is not a long term weight loss strategy that can work.

Why Is Exercise So Important?

In plain English, to ensure you are using up more energy than you are consuming will almost definitely require some form of exercise. Whether it's a walk every day in the park or a gym session or fitness class, asking your body to do some exercise burns calories. As you get in to it, you will also be adding muscle to your frame. muscle requires more calories to work, so there's a cumulative effect.

Exercise will, thanks to increase in the need for calories, then mean you will start to lose fat as well as tone up. This has the amazing effect for most of providing more motivation and therefore incentive to workout. Not only that, the more you work out and the more weight you lose, the easier exercising becomes. You won't be so tired and breathless any more. It really is a catch 22.

Ways To Increase Your Movement

A matter of routine, if you combine a need to exercise with a desire for weight loss, by doing the following you can ensure you build a little more exercise into your daily routine with the minimum amount of fuss and disruption:

• Cut down the amount of time you spend watching television
   
• Get out of your chair whenever you can at home and at work
   
• Stand up while on the telephone and hide the remote controls for the TV and hi-fi
   
• Seek out the opportunity to be active during your day. Use the upstairs bathroom, park at the edge of the carpark, walk to the local post-box/newsagent etc
   
• Use household chores as an exercise class. Turn up the music and tackle them with vigour
   
• Plan a 20 to 30 minute period of specific activity on most days of the week: for example, walking, swimming or gardening
   
• Encourage the whole family to be active by making it part of your social activities. Take a trip to the park instead of the cinema, or go dancing with friends rather than spending a night in the pub
   
• Take part in a sporting activity. Consider resuming a sport you enjoyed at school, learn how to play a sport you enjoy watching or join a local club
   

Need Motivation?

Managing your weight is difficult and at times you may feel frustrated and disheartened, but there are ways to cope. It helps if your friends and family support and encourage you. Or you might find that attending a commercial weight-loss group helps to maintain your motivation. Your local GP surgery may also hold a weight-management group.

Keeping the motivation to lose weight alive will ensure you are able to push through those times when things don't seem to be going very well. This is particularly important with exercise as there will definitely be times when you just don't want to workout/go for a walk etc.

Having a training buddy is one of the simplest ways to ensure you make it to the gym when you're supposed to be there! That feeling of not letting someone else down is usually enough to motivate most to keep on track. Likewise, if you can afford it, personal trainers are a similar ilk, but can also help with your actual workout rather than just being there.

Keep On Track

As well as leading a more active life, the following may help to make sure you keep the weight off :

• Keep a record of your eating and exercise habits to check that you're not slipping back into the old habits
   
• Record improvements in your health as a reminder of the benefits of being a healthy weight
   
• Don't let a minor lapse from your eating or exercise plan turn into a major one
   
• Be positive - you can control your weight