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Weight Loss - Conquering Obesity
Exercise Management
Exercise is vital to shedding excess weight and keeping it off. The body was meant to be active, and that is often a challenge in today's often-sedentary lifestyles. White collar workers, security workers, and drivers make up a large part of the workforce, and get very little exercise daily. Especially if you fit into this category, a concerted effort must be made in order to ensure that an exercise regimen is followed that will afford you a level of activity that will provide the amount of activity you need to stay healthy and avoid obesity.
People often dread exercise, projecting a grueling task that will leave them without energy and with sore muscles. This does not have to be and should not be the case. It is not necessary to employ a vigorous workout in order to have an effective exercise plan. Any regular exercise plan that is cardiovascular, raising the heart rate for at least a half hour straight, will do wonders for your body. Simply taking a walk, starting slow, then working your way up to power walking, is an excellent method of exercise. If your time is limited, or you live in a location where weather may impede your workout schedule, you may want to invest in a treadmill so that you can work out daily without interruption. Riding a bike, whether a regular bike or a stationary one, can be equally as effective. Again, you may want to employ both options to add variety, yet to make sure that weather does not impede you from your daily routine. Skipping days becomes addictive, and before you know it weeks begin to compile where you have not worked out, so avoid the trap.
In Ayurveda, walking is also highly recommended. Additionally, simple movement exercises are employed. If you have the time, seek a yoga class in your area. Styles of yoga can range from mild to vigorous, and provide conscious movement as suggested in Ayurveda. Such conscious movement is vital to conquering obesity.
If you have children that are not active, whether they are obese or not, you should definitely engage them in some sort of physical activity on a daily basis. Growing the habit of activity is key in avoiding obesity later in life, and controlling it during youth. Sedentary lifestyles brought on by modern phenomena of excess television watching, consuming fast and packaged foods, and playing video games are causing marked increases in obesity amongst children. Be aware of your children's lifestyle and promote activity amongst them. Encourage them to engage in activities away from the television for a couple of hours a day, preferably engaged in an organized physical activity. It is a habit that they will often take with them into adulthood and benefit from for a lifetime.
Weight Training
For those that would like a more vigorous workout plan, weight training is a viable option that can combine building muscle tone and working the cardiovascular system. Weight training tones your muscles and raises your metabolism, which helps your body burn more calories not only when exercising, but also while you sleep. Weight training reverses the natural decline in your metabolism, which begins around age 30; therefore this is something to think about for all those who have reached that age. Working with weights can produce a great deal of energy, and a full workout works almost all of the 650 muscles in your body. Looking toward long-term benefits, weight training strengthens bones, which can reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis. This of course is of very big concern amongst women, since osteoporosis afflicts women much more than men.
Many women worry that weight training will make them muscular and bulky like a man's; yet you must keep in mind that men and women have different muscular structures, therefore weight training will not develop big muscles on women, just toned muscles. Not only is weight training a routine that makes you strong, it is a routine that trains the body to build muscle instead of fat, takes stress off key areas of the body such as the lower back, making you less prone to injury in that area. Since high blood pressure or hypertension is a big concern with those who are obese, it is welcome news that weight training decreases your resting blood pressure. Weight training has also been proven to increase your blood level of HDL cholesterol, which is commonly referred to as "good cholesterol". Overall health is definitely improved through weight training.
It is best to start with a plan, which may be joining a gym where you can regularly go to get a full workout, or purchasing a home workout system that uses resistance instead of weights but produces similar results. You must assess what type of person you are, and make the appropriate decision from there. If you like the idea of going out somewhere daily for your workout, welcoming the change of scenery and benefiting from the comradery of others who are also training, then you may want to opt for a gym membership. However, if you know you are the type that enjoys working alone and will not work out unless its in the convenience of your home where you do not have to get dressed and go out, then the home gym system option is for you. Only you can make this assessment of yourself. Some popular home gym systems include CrossBarTM and BowFlexTM. Many quality home workout systems exist, but of course none work when not used, so be sure that you remain focused and dedicated to your plan.
Whatever exercise plan you choose, it is best to exercise first thing in the morning, every morning. Our bodies were made to be active daily, and when exercise is performed in the morning, people are more successful at exercising consistently. Make your exercise as enjoyable as possible. Consider utilizing music, a book on tape, or watching television during your workout, depending on the type and location of your workout. If you're a walker for example, you may want to get a good CD player to listen to music or books on tape. If you're exercising inside, you may want to setup a television set or a stereo so that you can watch or listen while exercising. Whatever you do, make your exercise experience one you look forward to each day.
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