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Consistency Is Important When Exercising To Lose Weight

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed

Losing weight is not an easy thing to do. If it was, then the weight loss business wouldn’t be the multi-billion dollar industry that it is. Let’s be honest, dieting is no fun – you need to deny yourself all the things that you love and it seems to take forever before you can see any results.

If you would like to see results more quickly – and who wouldn’t – then the addition of exercise to your weight loss program makes a lot of sense. The good thing about exercise is that, not only will you burn off additional calories due to the fact that you are taking exercise, but since you are exercising regularly you will increase your metabolism. You will burn off calories more rapidly, even if you aren’t exercising but just going about your normal daily activities. If you’re sitting reading a book, surfing the internet, watching TV – or even while you’re fast asleep – you will burn calories faster than if you weren’t exercising.

If you are over 40 years of age, if you have any medical conditions, or if you just haven’t exercised for a while, then you should seek the opinion of your doctor prior to taking up any new exercise program. When it comes to what the best type of exercise is, you will hear a huge variety of suggestions. When all’s said and done, the optimum exercise plan for you is whatever you are able to do and will be able to motivate yourself to do on a consistent basis. It may very well be true that riding a racing bicycle at a speed of twelve miles per hour will burn off a lot more calories per hour than walking at 3.5 miles per hour or jogging at 5 miles per hour. However, it’s a pointless distinction if you really dislike cycling and won’t be able to motivate yourself to get in the saddle on a consistent and regular basis.

One of the best starter exercises is, without any shadow of a doubt, walking. It’s something that everyone knows how to do and which requires no special equipment. It’s also a low injury risk, low impact way to exercise which can be undertaken by a wide range of age groups and which has a very low dropout rate. You can fit it into your daily routine whenever it’s most convenient for you – you can even ramp up your daily step count in two, three or four discreet sessions over the course of the day if that suits you better.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that, because walking is a low intensity workout, it can’t provide you with a number of significant health benefits. Health professionals recommend 10,000 steps a day to achieve a whole host of health and fitness benefits – including weight loss. That number of 10,000 includes all of your normal walking activity. Get hold of an Omron pedometer and record precisely the total number of steps that you take every day. It will also show you distance covered and calories burned if that helps to keep you motivated.

There’s no need to get up to 10,000 steps in one fell swoop. Look for convenient ways to include walking as part of your everyday activities and gradually build up to the target figure over time. You’ll be surprised how easy it is. When you’re talking on your mobile or cordless phone walk around – you can fit in an extra 1,000 steps during a fifteen minute telephone call. Get off the bus one or two stops earlier than usual and finish your journey on foot. Use the stairs instead of taking the lift. You will be surprised at just how rapidly this type of small change can ramp up your step count. You’ll also be delighted at how much faster you are able to see, and fell, the benefits.

About the only other piece of equipment you need for a walking exercise program is a good comfortable pair of shoes. Be certain that your shoes don’t cause you any discomfort or give you blisters when walking. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult to motivate yourself to keep walking. If you like, you can take advantage of the latest fitness footwear. Shoes like Reebok Easy Tones, Skechers Shape Ups and Fit flops sandals are all engineered to maximize the amount of work carried out by the muscles in your lower body. They raise the effectiveness of your walking workout routine and help you to trim and tone your lower body even quicker.

Whatever exercise you opt for, and however you choose to accommodate it in your daily schedule, the critical thing is consistency. A small amount of extra effort, if undertaken on a consistent and regular basis, will help you to burn calories faster – both due to the exercise itself and the increase in your metabolic rate. You’ll see results much more quickly than by dieting alone and – most important of all – you will feel great.

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