Exercise is a part of a healthy lifestyle, but it’s not the only key to weight loss. You also need to eat right and make small changes in your daily routine to get moving more. The good news: you don’t have to exercise vigorously every day or join a gym if you’re just starting out — just try adding one or two new activities into your weekly routine. Here’s everything you need to know about exercise and weight loss.
Exercise is a part of a healthy lifestyle.
Exercise is a part of a healthy lifestyle. It can help you sleep better, reduce stress and anxiety, and make you feel happier overall. Exercise also has other benefits like helping to prevent diseases like heart disease and diabetes by keeping your body healthy.
You don’t need to exercise for an hour every day; even just 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week will give great benefits! Try doing some stretches or yoga before bed each night if it’s convenient for you (and take advantage of those free smartphone apps).
Set realistic goals.
You can’t just set a goal and expect it to happen. You have to be realistic about your goals, and make sure they’re measurable. If you want to lose weight, for example, don’t set a goal of “losing 15 pounds in one week.” That’s not going to happen–and if it does happen by some miracle or otherworldly intervention, then that’s not sustainable! You need goals that are achievable over time so that when you do achieve them, they don’t feel like such an accomplishment anymore (which makes them less motivating).
For example: if I’m trying to lose weight while working out every day at the gym but eating whatever I want (and getting plenty of sleep), my progress might look like this:
- Lose 1 pound per week = 52 pounds lost in one year! Not bad!
Start with small changes in your daily routine to get moving more.
In order to lose weight and get in shape, you need to move more. It’s a simple equation: the more you move, the more calories you burn. But how do you actually start moving? Here are some small changes that will help boost your heart rate and get those metabolism-boosting endorphins flowing:
- Stretch before bed or first thing in the morning – stretching helps keep muscles loose so they’re ready for any activity that comes their way during the day. Plus, it feels good!
- Walk instead of taking public transportation – if at all possible, try walking instead of riding public transportation or driving every day (or even once or twice per week). You’ll be surprised at how much time this saves–and it’s great exercise too!
- Take breaks from work every hour – set an alarm on your phone every hour during work hours so that when it goes off, take five minutes away from whatever task is consuming most of your attention at that moment to walk around outside for 15 minutes; go talk with a coworker; stretch out again if necessary…there are so many options here but all involve getting up from where ever it is that we spend most of our days sitting down!
Make exercise social.
Now that you’ve got a workout routine down, it’s time to get social!
- Exercise with friends. If you have friends who also like to exercise, try exercising together. You can go on walks or runs in the park or even just hit up your local gym during off-peak hours (likely early in the morning). This will make your workouts more fun and less of a chore, plus it gives you someone else to talk about how much weight you’ve lost since last week!
- Make it family time. If there are kids involved in your household, try making physical activity part of their day as well–whether it’s playing tag outside after dinner or going for bike rides together every weekend afternoon (just make sure they wear helmets!). Kids love having fun active adventures with their parents; plus this way everyone gets some exercise while spending quality time together!
To lose weight, you can’t just exercise — you need to eat right, too!
While exercise is an important part of any weight-loss plan, it’s not the only piece of the puzzle. If you’re eating a bad diet and burning off those calories in the gym, then there’s no way to lose weight. You can’t out-exercise a bad diet!
To get started on your own weight-loss journey, try these tips:
- Cut out sugar. Sugar is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to extra pounds on your body; it causes inflammation and cravings for more sugar (and more carbs). Take small steps like eliminating soda from your life or cutting back on desserts at dinner parties until you feel comfortable making bigger changes like eating less processed food overall.
- Eat enough protein every day — especially if you’re working out regularly! Your muscles need protein so they can repair themselves after workouts; without adequate dietary sources of this nutrient, they’ll become weak over time instead of strong as they should be! Try adding some Greek yogurt into smoothies for breakfast each morning or adding grilled chicken breast into salads throughout the day as well–either option will provide plenty of high quality fuel without causing spikes in blood sugar levels later on down under insulin response curve during digestion process…
We hope that this article has given you some helpful tips on how to get started with exercise and weight loss. Remember that it’s important not only to exercise regularly but also eat right and get enough rest. If you’re looking for more information on how much exercise is needed for weight loss, schedule a complimentary consultation with our weight loss coach.