Weight Loss

Home | Article List | Weight Loss Tips | Assessment & BMI | Programs | Exercise | Menus & Recipes | Women


Exercise Weight Loss Programs :: Exercise

Tips & Guidelines for Effective Exercise Weight Loss Programs

Can exercise help you lose weight fast?

You can achieve faster weight loss through exercise. In fact, health care professionals recommend a unified approach. So why not think of it as all part of the same exercise weight loss programs? And developing good habits of exercise also improves your chances of keeping the weight off once you lose it.

Not only that, but exercise is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself. There are tons of choices and exercise routine possibilities. What you choose depends on your current activity level, how overweight you are, and any other health problems you may have. Remember, it never hurts to double check with your doctor first.

So what are some tips and guidelines for great exercise weight loss programs?

For good health, experts recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity. This doesn't have to be all at one time. Daily is preferred but do this at least most days of the week. Examples of moderate activities are:

Walking briskly (about 3.5 miles per hour)
Hiking
Gardening and yard work
Dancing
Golf (walking and carrying clubs)
Bicycling (less than 10 miles per hour)
Weight training (general light workout)
To prevent weight gain, most of us need about 60 minutes of physical activity on most days.

To keep off lost pounds, many of us need about 60 to 90 minutes of daily physical activity.

As your stamina and conditioning improve, ramp up to some vigorous activities. These provide even greater health benefits and can accelerate your weight loss during your exercise weight loss programs.

Running or jogging (5 miles per hour)
Bicycling (faster than 10 miles per hour)
Aerobics
Swimming (freestyle laps, not wading or floating on your back)
Walking very fast (4.5 miles per hour)
Heavy yard work such as chopping wood
Weight lifting (vigorous effort)
Basketball (competitive)
Exercise weight loss programs come in all varieties. For the beginner, someone who hasn't been active at all and leads a very sedentary lifestyle:

Start slowly because your body needs time to get used to your new activity.

Warm up to get your body ready for action. Shrug your shoulders, tap your toes, swing your arms, or march in place. Even when you go out for a walk, walk slowly for the first few minutes.

Activities to start with include standing more; lifestyle activities such as washing the car (and I don't mean driving it through an automatic car wash), cleaning house, gardening and yard work, and ironing. Special chores such as painting a room can also get you moving again. Take a good look around your home. What fix-up projects or heavy cleaning have you been putting off? Now's the time to get it done.

Exercises to consider are walking, dancing, climbing stairs (go to a high school gym or stadium and climb up and down the stairs in the bleachers), or golfing. These are all weight-bearing and swimming or water work-outs are non-weight bearing. They put less stress on your joints. Again, start slow such as walking 10 minutes at a time, three times a day. Build up time and speed.

This is just the first step or two (pun intended) of ideas and exercise tips to include in exercise weight loss programs. We have a slew of articles coming to keep you moving and having fun as you lose the weight. And also to help you keep it off.

Please bookmark our site, WeightLossAnswersOnline, explore the other categories we've prepared for you and check back every week or so. You've nothing to lose but the weight.

Healthy Chinese Recipes

500 Quick, Easy, Delicious, and Healthy Chinese Recipes from a Master Chinese Chef. Discover the Yin and Yang of fantastic Chinese cooking created for the busy American lifestyle.

More Articles in the Exercise Section


Home | Article List | Weight Loss Tips | Assessment & BMI | Programs | Exercise | Menus & Recipes | Women




All information on this website is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice or care which you should always seek. Diet and exercise programs should not be followed without first consulting a health care professional. If you have any special health conditions requiring attention, you should consult with your health care professional regularly regarding possible modification of programs found on this website. Medical and health related information may change quickly and we cannot verify the accuracy or timeliness of any of this information.