A healthy diet is only part of the path to achieving results on any weight loss diet plan. Exercise is essential for healthy weight loss, and to maintaining a healthy body. The absolute best time to start getting exercise is now. No matter what excuses you think you have, you will always have more. These 5 exercise tips, along with a healthy diet, will help you achieve long term healthy weight loss.
1 – Start small
Don’t start your exercise plan with the goal of running a marathon. Like with a healthy diet, your body will take a bit of time to get used to exercising. Pick an activity that you can realistically do for at least 30 minutes, and at least 3 days a week.
This could be walking, cycling, swimming, roller blading or anything that gets your heart pumping. From there, you can increase the duration, frequency and intensity.
2 – Incorporate exercise into daily life
There are many ways you can be more active during the day. Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator (even a few flights if you’re on the 20th floor), and walk or cycle to the grocery store instead of driving.
Go for a walk on your lunch break, get up from your desk to ask a question rather than emailing (this can also save time!) and use a stability ball for a chair. Get creative, and make your healthy diet meal plan more effective.
3 – Include strength training
Although aerobic exercise is great for cardiovascular health, strength training is just as important for healthy weight loss. It burns calories while you work, and keeps going afterward as your muscles catch up.
As you build muscle your metabolism increases, giving you healthy diet results faster.
4 – Schedule it regularly
One of the biggest reasons people give for not exercising regularly is that they don’t have time. Eliminate this excuse by scheduling your exercise into your day on a regular basis. If you do this for a month, it will become a habit. Exercise is definitely not wasted time. This is time when you get to focus on yourself, which is pretty rare these days.
It is much better to keep your attention on your form and on pushing yourself, but if you feel the need to multitask you can use the time to think about your healthy diet goals, listen to an audiobook, or watch a tv show. Putting your favorite songs on your ipod can really help you get through a brisk walk or jog.
5 – Team up
Exercising alone is not too fun, so get a friend (or two or three!) to be your workout buddy. Go for walks, jogs or bike rides together, join the same gym and go to fitness classes together. It’s also great motivation when you can share the results of your healthy diet plans together.
Sports are a great way to get exercise without it feeling like a chore. Join your city’s recreational soccer, volleyball or badminton league. They often have a huge variety of sports options, so check out your local program guide to see what interests you.
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