How to Lose Weight Through Exercise - 3-Step Approach

Many of us look for quick weight loss, but, unfortunately, that often leads to trying fad diets and eventually gaining a couple of pounds more on top what we already have… We have to admit that extra weight is usually a result of poor eating habits and lack of exercise, and that permanent weight loss is a slow process which involves changing our menu and enhancing metabolism through regular exercise.

Exercise also helps burn calories and maintain lean muscles when we are on a diet. With as little as 30 minutes of exercise 3 days a week we can shed off up to a pound of fat a month (which is about 12 pounds of fat a year!). Eat a healthier diet - and the results will be even more terrific!

Effective metabolism is a key to weight loss. Metabolism is an ability of your body to turn the energy in food into the efficient work of all body systems. Metabolic rate is a measure of how fast you burn that energy (calculated in calories). Strict diets without exercising just throw your metabolic rate into a tailspin. This process certainly reflects a protective body mechanism of our ancient hunting and gathering ancestors: when your body is deprived of food, the metabolic rate slows down and the body tries to conserve its precious resources of energy (stored in accumulated fat).

Majority of fad diets also lead to loss of lean body mass (see our article Protein Requirements for Successful Dieting). When the body is starved, muscle protein together with fat is broken down as a source of fuel. On most quick diets, weight loss is mostly water and a valuable muscle mass; relatively little body fat is lost.

What is the optimal solution? A balanced, nutrient-rich and carbohydrate-low diet for life, and exercise. Exercise keeps metabolism on a steady level, even when you eat less food. It also maintains and even enhances your lean body mass when you are dieting. Whereas fad diets and occasional workouts ultimately end in disappointment, maintaining optimal body composition entails regular exercise and a diet based on wise nutritional traditions of our ancestors.

What is the best exercise for losing weight? The most efficient approach is to combine weight training with an aerobic-type workouts and stretching:

1. Go to your local gym 3 days a week for a half-an-hour weight training. The best would be to hire a personal trainer, especially if you have not exercised before. Apply the principle of progressive resistance training (http://exercise.about.com/cs/weightlifting/g/proresistance.htm) and try not to lift weight two days in a row, to allow your muscles to rest.

2. Actively move at least three days a week, preferably at those days when you are not engaged in weight lifting. Depending on your preferences and current degree of fitness, you can choose from the following list of the best weight loss aerobic-type workouts:

- brisk walking - you can walk in a park or even in your favourite mall! ;
- jogging or running;
- cycling;
- swimming;
- aerobics;
- tennis or badminton; or
- skiing or skating - especially in you live in Canada ;

3. Stretch. I recommend that you gently stretch every morning for about 10 minutes to prepare your body for your daily activities, and also for about 5 minutes before weight lifting or moving workouts. Stretching will warm up your muscles, prevent injuries, and add its part in trimming your thighs and belly. The best stretching exercises can be found in:

- Yoga;
- Tai Chi (see our article TAI CHI - Ancient Martial Art and Modern Way to Wholistic Health); or
- Pilates.

Enjoy your healthy diet and regular workouts, and get prepared for your new body - lean, fit, and fabulous!

Amanda Brown

Herbal Phentermine (SlimFast) stimulates the central nervous system (nerves and brain)