How To Find A Balance To Lose Weight And Exercise
Weight loss programs vary in many ways, but they all have this in common: diet must be accompanied by exercise. Either one by itself is not sufficient. I have a good friend who bemoans the fact that no matter how carefully she eats, she can't get her weight down where it should be. She also refuses to get any exercise. Although this is a common scenario, the reverse is also true. I have seen and know lots of men and women who exercise like maniacs, but they don't reach their target weight because they refuse to give up poor eating habits and their many nights out per week drinking lots of alcohol.
Granted, a balance of diet and exercise must be present in your weight loss program. But between the extremes of the couch potato and the Victoria secret model, how much exercise is enough?
The good news is you don't have to work out like a maniac, you don't have to swallow fistfuls of weight loss medication, and you don't have to eat like a fashion model. A middle-path of reasonable eating patterns (the right foods at the right times) and moderate, but consistent exercise will promote quick healthy weight loss and long-term weight control.
So take a look at this: even 10 minutes twice per day adds up to 200 minutes in 10 days, or 3 hours and 20 minutes! Do it every day for a month, and you have 10 hours of exercise with just two 10-minute sessions per day. 10 hours of fat-burning for just 20 minutes per day. I am sure you can do that, no matter how busy you think you are.
It's ironic that we gain weight (fat) by adding on small amounts of extra calories (that our bodies don't need) on a daily basis, but we're so reluctant to reverse the process and add up the exercise in small daily amounts to burn some of those extra calories and negate the added weight. Incremental weight loss is just as possible as incremental weight gain.
Everybody, EVERYBODY, can find 10 minutes twice per day to simply walk briskly. (Just 15 minutes of brisk walking burns about 100 calories.) I would recommend starting the day, even before leaving for work if possible, by walking away from your home for 5 minutes, then walking back. If possible do it before you eat breakfast for best calorie -burning results.
Another way to get in some walking time: just park farther away from your place of work, or take the stairs instead of the lift. Anytime you have the chance to walk an extra 50 or 100 feet or more, do it. I started doing this several years ago, and now I don't even think about it. (Though often a friend will ask, "Why are we parking way out here?") Again, it's terribly easy to do. If I hadn't been doing this over the last few years, I'd probably be carrying an additional 5 pounds right now.
What you've done is create a process that feeds on itself. Momentum. Sort of like pushing a car on a slight down-hill grade: the difficult part is getting it moving. Once you do, it wants to keep on going. So although it may be hard to get started, do it!
Get moving, a little bit here and a little bit there, and start burning some extra calories. Within a few weeks, it will become a healthy weight loss habit you can be proud of.
If you need any further help and motivation to reach your fitness and weight loss goals and you live in Clapham or in the surrounding area, you should contact me to book in a personal training session.
Amy xx