Home
page > Articles > Exercise:
The Key to Weight Loss
Exercise:
The Key to Weight Loss
by Jeff Rutstein
Losing Weight
As we grow older it seems that we are
in a constant battle with our waistline,
The older we get the harder it is to lose
weight. Many of us have tried various fad
diets which may take the weight off in the
short run but undoubtedly it comes right
back. In fact, over 95% of dieters will put
the weight back on plus an extra five pounds.
Diets Just don't work. The key to permanent
weight loss is through exercise and proper
nutrition through behavior modification.
When we diet were losing fat and also muscle.
This decrease in muscle mass will cause our
metabolism to slow down. so we are unable
to burn as many calories. As we age this
naturally begins to occur. After our mid
20s our metabolic rate decrease& by approximately
five percent per decade. One explanation
for this is that our muscle mass decreases
and our body fat increases due to inactivity.
We get caught up in our work and spend our
leisure time in front of the TV instead of
taking care of our bodies. Being overweight
in one of the major causes of hypertension,
high blood pressure, certain types of cancer
and an overall lackluster feeling.
As many dieters know, the weight is going
to come back faster and faster the more you
diet. Whether you're eating pre-packaged
foods, diet shakes. or grapefruits and water,
you're not going to be able to stay with
it forever without going crazy. When you
see that chocolate cake you won't be able
to just have one piece you're likely to cat
the whole thing. It's a vicious cycle.
Exercise
There to good news. Something can break
this cycle--exercise. in order to lose weight
we must create a caloric deficit, that is.
we must expend more calories that we are
consuming. This is done through exercise
and proper nutrition, not fad diets. Through
exercise we are able to burn calories and
add muscle. For every pound of muscle we
obtain, an extra 350 calories per week is
burned in order to sustain this. We'll be
using up extra calories even while we sleep.
Aerobic exercises, such as walking and jogging.
are excellent ways to bum calories. Always
begin with a warm-up period of 3-5 minutes.
gradually reaching your target heart rate.
(Me is 60 to So percent of your maximal heart,
which is estimated at 220-age. For example.
if you are 60 yrs. old your target heart
would be 96 beats per minute through 128
beats per minute.) Always start at the low
end of your target heart rate. Exercising
in this range for 15 through 20 minutes will
allow for fat reduction to occur. A cool
down of 3 to 5 minutes is recommended as
this allow* for your heart rate to gradually
return to normal.
Remember, consult your physician about any
exercise program you are considering.
In order to shape and tone our bodies we
need to do body shaping exercises. This will
add muscle and firmness to our physiques.
Many women tend to deposit fat around their
thighs and buttocks, while males tend to
put fat around their stomachs.
Here are a few exercises that can help
tighten these areas:
Outer thigh lift: Lying on your
right side with your hips and ankles in
line with your shoulders, slowly lift your
left leg as high as possible, hold, then
return to the starting position. Do 10
repetitions and switch sides.
Inner thigh lift: Lying on your
left side with your hips and ankles in
line with your shoulder. right knee is
bent to 90* angle. Slowly lift your left
leg as high as possible. hold, then return
to the starting position. Do 10 repetitions
and switch sides.
Abdominal crunches: Lying on your
back with knees bent and hand behind your
head, slowly curl your shoulders up. pause,
slowly lower to the starting position.
Do 10 repetitions.
You will notice that you will be much more
conscience of the foods you're eating when
you exercise. Since you'll be taking care
of your body you won't want to fill it up
with junk foods.
It is best to eat three well balanced meals
and two nutritious snacks in between. This
will help eliminate the binge eating that
often happens when meals are skipped. Try
to drink plenty of water and eat high fiber
foods since this will give you a full feeling
without adding extra calories.
The key to any exercise program is to get
proper instruction. A competent personal
trainer will make all the difference.
Jeff Rutstein is president of Custom Fitness,
a one-on-one personal training company. Jeff
has a degree from UMass / Amherst and is
a certified personal and weight training
instructor. Visit his website at http://www.customfitness.com and/or
e-mail him at jeff@customfitness.com.
Article provided by Global
Health and Fitness (GHF) |
