I find it very easy to write and talk about dieting and exercise, mainly because I’ve spent so much time doing both of those things. The last few years has taught me much about diets that work and which do not work. It also taught me which type of fitness workouts keep me exercising in the long term, instead of getting burnt out.
The only consistent diet which has worked, for me, is calorie counting. I maintain this is the best diet I’ve followed and the most flexible. While other diets work, calorie counting is unique in that it doesn’t restrict any food. I’ve eaten brownies, cookies, chips and anything else that I wanted, with no guilt. It doesn’t sound possible, but if you allocate your calories correctly, it’s not only possible, it is the only way to make a lifelong commitment to eating properly. And making a lifelong commitment is how anyone who loses weight, will keep it off. There are other diets that work, like Weight Watchers and The SouthBeach Diet, and if you plan on keeping your weight off, you’ll need a diet you can stick with. That is how I lost 60 pounds, along with exercise. Exercise is the other cornerstone of losing weight.
One thing that trying to lose weight has taught me, is that exercise can be addicting, but also exhausting. If you have any excuses not to exercise, believe me, I had them first. I still have them. Everyday when it comes time to exercise, I find myself with new excuses. Some are real doozies; like my feet might get calloused (yes I actually thought that up one day). The trick to making exercise a daily part of your routine is to find a great fitness workout, and change it every now and then.
A great fitness workout had two things :
Twenty to Thirty minutes of cardiovascular exercise in which your heart rates beats at 50% – 85% of the maximum. You can find heart rate calculators online, or buy a heart rate monitor.
Three to five days a week of strength training or weight training is minimum. As you lose weight, your body loses a certain percentage of muscle. You can offset the loss with weight training. Muscle helps the metabolism as an additional bonus.
If you want to lose weight, follow a specific diet that you will stick with and use an exercise routine that is easy to adhere to daily. If you find yourself making excuses not to exercise here are some tips to get you going:
Put on your running shoes – you’ll feel more inclined to workout if you’re already wearing your shoes.
Turn on the music – When your top part starts grooving your bottom part follows soon after.
Put in an exercise DVD – Watching can sometimes inspire doing.
Losing weight isn’t an easy task but if you learn all the right ways and methods you can find diets that work and a fitness workout that helps.