Smart Approach to Exercise Leads to Weight Loss
How to Ensure You Don't Waste or Sabotage Your Time at the Gym
Aug 20, 2009
Time Magazine's article "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin" has many worried that the countless sacrifices they've made to get to the gym and exercise in the name of weight loss were in vain. Can exercise really make you gain weight? Are we too often compensating for our gym time with calorie-laden treats and relatively motionless evenings on the couch?
It is Tough to Lose Weight on Exercise Alone
The facts can be sobering, and they need to be understood. To lose one pound, you need to burn 3,500 calories. If a 140 pound woman were to lose one pound by running a 10 minute mile, she would have to run for 312 minutes! Given that most people have neither the time nor the inclination to exercise at such lengths, exercise cannot be the only means that one uses to support weight loss. It would take too long and be too frustrating for anyone.
Perform Every Day Activities that Burn Calories
We need to resist giving in to the comforts that make us a sedentary people. In addition to traditional gym exercise, it would behoove people to build more everyday activity into their schedules. This means combating the tendency to take elevators, sit on the couch for great lengths of time, or drive short distances that could easily be walked or biked.
The 140 pound woman mentioned above burns a mere 66 calories watching an hour of television. If she washes the dishes or goes shopping, she burns 156 calories during that hour. If she plays pool or cleans her house, she burns 168. These activities and the calorie expenditures for each add up.
Factor Diet into Weight Loss Efforts
Exercise burns calories, which is central to losing weight. But it is important that we understand how diet plays into weight loss as well. A typical run on the treadmill at a moderate pace is likely to burn between 250 and 300 calories. Therefore, following a morning workout with a 400 calorie bagel and cream cheese sandwich not only negates the workout. It actually sets the exerciser back. Being aware of the calories that we take in and balancing them with those we expend is crucial if we are not to sabotage our efforts.
In the July issue of ACE Certified News, Cedric X. Bryant reviewed research conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine. The study found that people consume more calories on the weekends, which causes them either to stop losing weight or even gain weight on those days. We need to be vigilant and conscious of our diets all the time. Being too strict during the week so that we cannot sustain our efforts on the weekends will never allow us to reach our goals. Likewise, deciding to take the weekends off from watching our diets can lead to overall frustration when we don't lose weight as we'd like to.
Losing Weight Requires a Lifestyle Change
Losing weight is difficult. To lose it safely and consistently requires a lifestyle change. Weight loss needs to be factored into the many decisions that we make throughout the day: decisions about our meals, our exercise, and our activities before, during, and after work hours. Be aware of calories taken in and expended. Monitor your activities and meals so that you have a broad picture of how your actions affect your efforts. Doing so will help you lose weight and become a healthier, happier version of yourself.
You may also be interested in Online Diet and Fitness Tools, Jazz Up Your Home Fitness Routine, Exercise Doesn't Have to be Weight Loss's Silver Bullet, and 6 Simple, No-Recipe Healthy Salads.
 |
