Obesity is on the rise all over the world. It is so prevalent in the United States that it has been termed an epidemic by our health authorities. Worse, those that are putting on the dangerous extra pounds are getting younger and younger that it is not anymore unusual to hear of people in their twenties undergoing gastric bypass surgery as a final solution to their battle with obesity.
Thus, it’s important to lose the few extra pounds you are carrying while you still can. With all the risks associated with any form of surgery, it is always wiser and safer to manage your weight through non-surgical means. Of course, this means diet and exercise.
Dieting is easy. It’s only a matter of eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and cutting back on all the processed junk. The more challenging aspect is with exercise– especially the kind of workouts that can initiate weight loss.
Before we give the most effective exercises for weight loss, it’s important that you know where your current fitness level stands and if you can keep up with your chosen regimen.
If you are morbidly obese, are above 50 years old and have any preexisting medical condition, you need to consult with your medical health professional who can prescribe the best regimen for you or approve of one you’ve already chosen. It’s important to keep in mind that while performing your workouts, you should always listen to your body. When it is telling you to stop, you should.
Interval training is a very common exercise that can initiate weight loss. This type of exercise showcases quick bursts of high-intensity exercises followed by seconds of rest. Commonly short-span activities that last for about 15 to 20 minutes, this type of training is ideal for those who do not have too much time for the more prolonged regimens.
One of the advantages of interval training is that it produces quick results in terms of burning calories and shedding excess the fat. An example of an interval workout is one minute of high-intensity sprints with thirty seconds of rest or slow jog or walk done alternately for 20 minutes. This is also a good way to shake your system out of an exercise plateau which usually happens when you’ve been doing the same boring workout for a long period of time.
Because it builds muscle, resistance training is another great exercise for jumpstarting weight loss. Muscle uses more calories than fat and if you continually build muscle, you are in effect burning more calories even after the activity. The burning of calories extends for twenty four hours after the workout, making it even more beneficial for fat loss.
Always make it a point to do weight training exercises for at least twice a week on alternate days from thirty minutes to an hour so that your muscles can have time to replenish and re-grow more fibers for that lean look. Rest is essential so that you don’t over train which could lead to injury and halt your efforts at losing the fat.
Enroll in boot camps when you can. Boot camps normally offer a load of good cardio and circuit training with the added plus of exercising with people of the same weight-loss goals. It’s a great way to workout because the peer support is simply amazing in these classes.