How to Lose Weight: Exercising

 

1-Start doing basic aerobic and cardio exercise. Start with a small goal of 30 minutes, 3 times per week if you aren't exercising at all currently. Try these steps to get yourself going:

• Buy a pedometer. Attach the pedometer to your belt and try to take 5,000 steps daily. Move up to a goal of 10,000 to 15,000 steps as you get in better shape.
• Start by walking to lose weight. Walking around your neighborhood costs nothing and is a great way to start moving. You can also try other low-impact exercises like swimming, riding a bike or jogging.

 

2- Try machines at the gym. You can use a treadmill, an elliptical trainer, a stationary bike, a rowing machine or a stair climber. Start with short sessions and gradually add minutes as you get more fit. Also, use the settings on the machines to increase the intensity as you lose weight.

• Do a variety of different machines until you find something you like. Consult a personal trainer to make sure you're using proper form to avoid injury. They're there to help, not to intimidate you.

3- Take an aerobics class. You can take a traditional aerobics class or try any number of movement-based exercise routines. These are great ways of keeping yourself motivated in a group, having fun moving around, and losing weight. Try any of the following:

• Kickboxing
• Jazzercise
• Zumba
• Pilates
• Yoga
• Martial arts
• Crossfit or Bootcamp

 

4- Get into strength training. Start small, aiming for one or two 15-minute sessions per week until you feel motivated to do more. Exercise large muscle groups to burn more calories and lose weight, instead of focusing on specific muscles. Try some of these examples:

• Start with squats paired with an overhead dumbbell press to work your lower body and upper body at the same time.
• Perform resistance exercises while sitting or reclining on an exercise ball. You'll strengthen your core while simultaneously working on other areas.
• Use machines and free weights. These tools tend to focus on particular muscle groups like the arms, shoulders, thighs, glutes and upper back. Do these more focused exercises after you work on exercises for multiple muscle groups.
• Rest at least one full day between strength training workouts so that your muscles can recover. Recovery will help you to avoid pain and injury.

 

5- Play a sport. If you're not into the idea of exercise for the sake of exercise, try finding a fun activity that you enjoy, which has the added benefit of getting you moving. Find an intramural league in your town, or just get together with some friends to play a pick-up game every now and then.

• If you don't like competitive sports, try doing something that you can do by yourself. Swim, or play golf, or go hiking instead of playing a game with a ball and a net.
• Get a bicycle if you want to find a great way to get around and exercise at the same time. Don't spend all that time sitting down in your car when you could be burning calories.