How to Use Exercise to Help You Lose Weight

Exercise is the key to a healthy lifestyle; doing it the right amount can push you forward to your weight loss goals, in addition to doing favors for both your body and mind. Use exercise wisely as a tool to help you lose weight by selecting a routine that fits you, concentrating on aerobic exercises, knowing how many calories you're burning, and supplementing it with a healthy diet. When you combine these steps, exercise can be a very good tool to help lose the weight and keep it off.

Steps

1. 1 Select an exercise regimen that is appropriate for you. Choose activities that you like, exercise at convenient times of the day, and have a variety of exercises to chose from to avoid getting bored.
2. 2 Familiarize yourself with the benefits and potential risks of the exercises you are considering. You will want to know approximately how many calories are being expended, what muscle groups are being used, and how long you should perform the exercises.
3. 3 Spend most of your time on regular aerobic exercises. Remember that regularly exercising is best for weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. You can burn many calories in doing aerobic exercise 4-7 days per week, and you will continue to increase your metabolism even after training, by doing strength training exercises 2-3 times per week
4. 4 Do include strength training exercise, as well. Building muscle mass is important - especially since dieting can cause loss of muscle mass. Muscles burn more calories than fat over the long term, so consider strength training to be an investment in long-term weight maintenance.
5. 5 Work up to exercising at least 30 to 45 minutes per day, 4 or 5 days per week. Depending on your level of fitness, you may want to work up to that gradually. Lesser amounts of exercise are adequate if your goal is longevity or a healthy body and mind. If your goal is to lose weight, you need to work towards exercising most days.  
6. 6 Know approximately how many calories you are burning. Many exercise machines give approximations and you can find lists of estimates online. Those numbers are never going to be exactly correct, but you never really know how many calories you are consuming either, so consider it an estimate.
7. 7 Avoid eating extra snacks or treats and telling yourself "it's ok, I exercised earlier" if your goal is to lose weight. It is much easier to eat 200 calories than to burn it off with exercise. A small snack could negate the entire workout.
8. 8 Put your all into whatever exercises you choose. You can sluggishly make it through any exercise routine, but if you put a lot of energy into it you will burn a lot more calories.
9. 9 Continue to challenge yourself. If your exercise routine is feeling, well, routine, then it is time to shake it up a bit. Try increasing the intensity, duration, or try some new exercises.
10. 10 Include more natural activity in your daily life. Walk a little extra; don't take the short cuts; find excuses to move. Fidget in your chair. Park further from the door. Take the stairs. Don't count this towards your total exercise time, but consider it little bonus fat blasts.
11. 11 Remember to stretch after your workout, and stop if you feel pain. Talk to your doctor if you have any reason to be concerned about exercising.
12. 12 Try to get a balance game or something. When doing yoga and some forms of aerobics, balance is key.
13. 13 Remember always think positive.

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