Exercise And The South Beach

Although the South Beach Diet is one of the easiest diets to get fast results from by just eating the correct foods, not having to count calories or limit your portion size, there is a case for adding exercise to your regime to enhance your results.

If you are like me, I hate going to the gym to exercise but studies show that those who substain weight loss over time are those who exercise regularly.The benefit of exercise are that it helps you feel better,and exercise is shown to prevent heart and other disease to help you live longer.

So how do I incorporate exercise into my weight loss program?

The founder of the South Beach Diet, Dr. Agatston recommends interval training and core body training.You can burn more calories in 20 minutes of interval training than by walking for 1 hour continously. This means alternating high intensity periods with recovery.

Agatston claims interval training will speed up metabolism, increase the rate of weight loss and improve your general health. He states that interval training allows dieters to achieve maximum results with a minimum time commitment.

What is interval training?The easiest form of interval training can be done at home or outdoors. No need to go to a gym. It is called interval walking. This is where you walk at a faster pace for a short period of time and then slow down to for a similar period to recover as opposed to walking at a steady or continous pace for or a period of time.

Dr. Agatston recommends you do interval walking for a minimum of 20 minutes to start and go longer as you become fitter. You can use interval training with the South Beach Diet Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 to enhance your results.

Also when you do any form of exercise it is strongly recommended that you drink lots of water before during and after to keep your body properly hydrated.

If you don't like walking you can use a bike,swimming or a treadmill. Just remember to alternate the time and intensity to get the same interval effect of the exercise period you chose.

This type of interval training is not only for the very fit, it is very good for those of us who have never exercised before. If this is you just remember to go at a very easy pace until you feel confident moving forward with more intense sessions.This type of training is used for cardiac patients to get back in shape so just about anybody can do this.

For maximum results you should alternating days of cardio and core exercises because if you try to do both on the same day, you may suffer muscle fatigue.

The online version of the South Beach Diet and the books outline more cardio and core specific exercise programs that have proven results if you are interested.

A word of caution: Consult with your doctor before you embark on a new exercise program especially if you have been inactive at all.

1. Prev:Side Effects Of Weight Loss Pills - Are You Aware Of Them?
2. Next:Boosting Your Metabolism What Is Metabolism Anyway?