Losing Weight Naturally and Safely

The most common approach to weight loss is dieting. This is usually defined as restricting the amount of calories we eat each day. Most often people do this by skipping meals or cutting their caloric intake rather drastically. Others start munching on carrots and celery or drinking copious amounts of water.

It's not uncommon to here someone say that they are not taking lunch or have not eaten breakfast. Still others proclaim that they have given up beef in order to cut out that nasty fat that makes them gain weight. More drastically, some go on crash or fad diets that call for everything from eating only cabbage to cutting out all fat or cutting out all carbohydrates. And still others start training for marathons to shed their weight.

All of these approaches to weight loss are unnecessary and in some cases even dangerous. Dieting, as we know it, is usually an ineffective and unhealthy way of taking off and keeping off excess weight. Eliminating whole food categories is also dangerous and except for those of us with metabolic disorders, unwise. In reality, it may not even be necessary to restrict your calorie intake very much if you follow certain guidelines.

How Can I Really Lose Weight?

There are really only two ways in which we lose weight safely and keep it off: exercise and food management. There is no great need for drastic dietary calisthenics. Just old fashioned smart eating and physical activity are sufficient. Let's explore this further.

Why is Exercise Important?

I know that many of you hate to exercise. Relax. I'm not going to recommend five day a week, two hours in the gym regimens so you can look like a Greek God. But physical activity does have an important role to play in weight reduction.

1. Exercise uses up calories. This is pretty simple to grasp. If you use up more calories than you take in you will probably lose weight. Exercise is a great way to burn off calories that other wise would be stored as fat on your body. You don't want that.

2. Exercise increases your metabolism. It's commonly known that you burn off calories while you are exercising but it is not so well known that your metabolism stays high up to 12 - 15 hours after exercise. What this means is that you are burning off calories for a long time after you actually performed the activity. This is a real bonus.

3. Exercise builds muscle. Who cares you ask? I know you might not want to look like Arnold. But the more muscle you have the more calories you burn. A fat person burns many fewer calories just sitting than a better-muscled person. Muscle burns calories very efficiently.

4. Exercise turns your entire body from a fat storage system to a fat burner system. By sitting around our bodies tend to rely on glucose to fuel our activities. With exercise the body turns to fat to meet it's energy requirements.

5. As an added bonus exercise makes you less prone to every major degenerative disease known. I just wanted to throw that in if you're still skeptical.

6. To keep weight off you must develop a life-style and set of behaviors that support it. Weight loss without life-style changes usually fails. Exercise helps you to naturally keep your weight at the desired level for as long as you wish.

What Kind of Exercises are Best for Losing Weight?

The best exercises for weight reduction are ones that use the entire body. This includes the large muscle groups in the legs and hips. Endurance exercises like walking, jogging and bike riding are especially good in this regard. Start modestly and build up your endurance.

When you use your entire body large numbers of calories are burned and your metabolism is increased significantly. You get leaner. You become a fat burning machine. Doesn't that sound good?

To get the most out of the exercise try and work up to over half an hour each session. The more time you spend being active the more likely the body will turn to fat as its source of energy. If you exercise only for a few minutes the body tends to rely on glucose for its energy needs.

When is the Best Time to Exercise?

The best time to exercise is in the morning. The body burns fat most efficiently before breakfast. Try taking a walk before going to work or school. If that's not possible, exercise whenever it's convenient. Taking a walk after dinner is better than not doing it at all.

Are There Other Exercises that are Good for Weight Reduction?

Besides endurance exercises, resistance exercise plays an important role in a weight loss plan. Lifting weights is a great way to build muscle. Remember what I said before, muscle burns calories better than fat. When you use resistance training you are developing muscles. This leads to reduction in fat and a leaner overall appearance.

There is usually a morale boost after people have been using resistance training for as little as a month or so. You tend to feel better about yourself if you have nice lean muscles to look at in the mirror. Muscles also take up less space than fat. They're denser and firmer. You will find yourself fitting into your clothes better as you become leaner. That's a good feeling.

How Much Exercise Should I Do?

Start small and build up. Try and work up to 3 - 5 sessions of walking or bike riding per week. Do more if you are motivated. Find your comfort level. If you're ambitious try resistance exercise sessions two or three times per week. This will round out your program and accelerate weight lose. You don't need to be a fanatic. Consistency is the key. Even if you can only get in a few minutes on a given day, do it. Creating a life style that supports physical activity is important to the long-term success of getting the weight off and keeping it off.

Conclusion

Exercise is a key factor in losing weight and in creating the internal environment that burns calories. As you become more physically active your metabolism will rise and calories will be burned off even as you sit and watch TV. You will feel better and look better.

One added benefit of exercise is that you will not lose your muscle mass while you lose fat. You will not get the gaunt unhealthy look so many dieters have. Haven't you ever told some one who has lost weight how good they look and thought to your self how they look like death. That will not happen with exercise. Your natural athletic and youthful form will unfold.

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