How To Exercise For Weight Loss

Exercise isn’t for everyone, yet everyone should really make an effort to participate in some form of physical activity.  Learning how to exercise for weight loss, can deliver great benefits.  Especially, if it becomes a part of your regular exercise regime.  Which as been medically proven to improve all round health. But not many people know how to exercise for weight loss correctly. I’ve always said the key to losing weight is to live a healthy lifestyle. But living a healthy lifestyle as a few sections to it.

In this post I’m going to talk about weight loss and all the important elements, that adds to living a healthy lifestyle. I know for some people exercise can cause feelings of stress and ill health, I will endeavour to keep all levels and abilities in mind.

How to exercise for weight loss.

I’d like to start by saying that most people can do some form of exercise, in some cases we might even need some help. But there’s no harm in this, in fact I see a positive in it. Who would have thought, that we would need to be instructed on how to exercise for weight loss.  Well, we do and there’s no shame in that. The only shame would be to want something.  Such as to lose a portion of your body weight and not commit yourself to trying to achieve it.  You have the power to achieve your goals!

The basics to weight loss isn’t difficult but some view it as an impossibility and impossible it’s not! The key elements are:

• Workout regularly, if possible daily.

• Have a target and a plan of action.

• Understand your limits.

• Be realistic to achieve real goals.

The real secret is all in the planning, plan on what you’d like to achieve and then work on how you’re going to achieve it. The above elements should be used as a guide to help you get things moving.

Workout regularly.

Exercise can be like a drug, when I say that I mean it can become very addictive. Especially, when you start seeing results. When you enter this stage, I urge you to remain grounded and to focus on the end goal. You should do your best to participate in some form of physical activity 3 to 4 times a week, for a minimum of 30 minutes per workout. Your workout should be sufficient to raise your heart rate, bearing in mind the recommended safety levels, which is:

• 220bpm – Your age = Maximum heart rate.  EXAMPLE  220bmp – 40 your age = 180bpm.

Depending on your ability, I would advise you to start with a physical activity that you can sustain for 30 minutes, at a reasonable level. This could be running or walking.

Have a target and plan of action.

How much weight would you like to lose and how much time have you calculated, it will take you to achieve your target? Once you have the answers to these questions, you’ll have a greater understanding of how to exercise for weight loss. You should also have a plan of when you intend to exercise and when you plan to rest. Your training regime doesn’t have to be set in stone but to achieve lasting results, you’ll need to be strict with your approach and execution.

Workout – Fuel – Stretch – Rest – Repeat.

The exercise you choose is of your choice, but please remember the rules.

Understand your limits.

Unfortunately, we are not immortal or bodies can only withstand a certain amount of stress before it starts breaking down. Whilst in pursuit of how to exercise for weight loss, we often forget the basics. Even though this post is about how to exercise for weight loss, cannot forget that in order to exercise to our potential our body will also need the basics, which is food, water, sleep and in general, rest before and after a gruelling workout.

Getting a sufficient amount of sleep is vital to weight loss, as well as living a healthy life. You should be aiming for 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night and try to consume approximately 1 to 1.5 litres of water per day, my advice is to take small sips throughout your day and try not to gulp or drink for the sake of drinking!

Be realistic to achieve real goals.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks to successful weight loss is doubt, and doubt is stimulated by setting unrealistic goals! In planning how much weight you would like to lose, don’t try to trick yourself. Take an honest stand with yourself and be realistic in how much weight you can lose. And how long it will take you!

To lose 1 to 2 stone can take up to 28 weeks depending on how much weight you lose per week. But if you’re unsure of how to set your weight loss goal click here.

How to exercise for weight loss, for beginners.

Being new to exercise can be challenging, mainly because beginners will dive head first into a new project. Often enough without adequate thought to what they are trying to achieve or what the consequences might be to their body, especially in the days to come! When it comes to physical exercise and weight loss, the sensible approach is to take it slow.

Focus on the end game and not on the exercise you’re about to undertake. Choosing the right kind of exercise should do more than just make you sweat, it should also raise your heart rate, burn calories, improve your balance and increase muscle tone.

The first exercise I would suggest is:

• Squats.  Quads, core and gluteus maximus, will be tested.
• Burpees.  All over body workout.

• Press – ups.  Upper body back, chest, shoulders and core stand to benefit from this workout.

• Lunges.  Thighs, balance and core will benefit.

Squats.

Squats are very good for working the major muscles of the legs, which in turn will lead to burning more calories.  The only drawback I have found with this exercise is it can cause sore knees.  So, if you already suffer form knee problems, approach this exercise with caution!

Burpees.

I simply love burpees and I haven’t come across any drawbacks.  Now, this does really depend on how you perform them!  The easy way is to drop your hands in front of you on the floor and push your legs out behind you, at this point you can either perform a press up or bring your legs back in and jump in the air, raising you hands above your head.

Press ups.

Press ups have been performed by many a athlete and I have a love for them too.  To be honest, everyone should be able to perform at least 10 repetitions.  But if you find them difficult, 10 is now your target!  Press ups are good for building strong arms, shoulders, core, back and chest.  If you’re keen to learn how to exercise for weight loss, this exercise is a must for everyone.

Lunges.

In most weight loss programs you’ll find that there’s always a lot of leg drills.  I like I said previously, your legs are on of the biggest and strongest muscles in the human body.  To make these muscles work, takes a lot of calories.  So, when you throw a punishing exercise such as lunges into the mix, a lot of calories are burnt and with regular exercise, weight loss can be gained.

The basic rule applies to all routines, not just the ones above and that is, to start with small numbers and slowly build over a period.  That way you can monitor your progress and recovery, ready for the next session.

Final thoughts on how to exercise for weight loss.

There’s no quick way on how to exercise for weight loss but it can be made easier, if you utilize the right approach. I have spent over 40 years training and giving training advice to anyone who as asked, my approach to exercise and knowledge as changed and this is purely down to a friend. Who told me that I had too much knowledge not to share it!

I listened to his advice! My advice to you is, to lose weight and get your body into great shape, change your lifestyle. Eat healthy, get plenty of rest and enjoy your life. That’s your foundation for success, add regular physical activity and you can’t fail to achieve your goals.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this post and you have obtained a better insight into how to lose weight sensibly. I would be very grateful for any comments or questions you might have.

Your weight loss and training confident.