Weight Loss Exercises

Exercises

Almost third of over weight people make efforts to lose weight. It is always better to choose simple and lasting programs. Do not fall for the gimmicks and quick solutions to solve this problem. They do produce results for short runs, but they tend to be harmful in the long run. Best is to choose programs which make you lose weight successfully.

 

Keep a balance between the cardio and strength training workouts. Cardio vascular exercises alone do not help in reducing the weight. The main idea is to burn that fat. Easy options like walking, cycling, swimming etc. alone won’t help. It has to be combined with strengthening exercises for building stamina. These workouts make the body burn more fat, thereby resulting in loss of weight with a toned, leaner and slimmer body.

Care should be given to all small and large muscle groups while exercising. Combine this with healthy diets. Proteins help in a long way in building muscles. Daily calorie intake should be measured and consumed as the body requires.

Stick to wholesome and healthy diet which is rich in minerals and vitamins. Avoid Junk Food. Have three meals with two light snacks or six small meals during the day. This keeps the metabolic activity sustained all day long.

With the strengthening trainings, improvement can be seen within 2-3 weeks, especially around waist and stomach. Significant improvement in the body shape can be achieved in 8-12 weeks, with lean muscle increase up to 6 1/2lb (3kg) and small decrease in body fats.

Cardiovascular workouts: Cardiovascular workouts are known by different terms such as cardio respiratory fitness or aerobic exercises. These exercises demand large muscle action, which increases the heart rate to nearly 50%. Like walking, trekking, jogging, cycling, swimming and biking.

These exercises reduce body fat, lower the LDL (bad) cholesterol, reduce blood-sugar stimulated insulin secretion, boosts lung and heart function, and also minimizes anxiety, depression, stress, and hypertension. Moreover, these workouts set the mood for healthy activities like dancing, skiing, tennis, golf, boxing and many other such sports. They gear up stamina and lessen the fatigue.

But, several precautions are required for the right impact and exercise safety. Cardiovascular exercises should not be done immediately after a full meal. It can lead to gastric uneasiness as it restricts oxygen and nutrient distribution to the working muscles. So wait for 60-90 minutes after a meal and then indulge in these workouts.

Cardiovascular exercise involves using the larger muscles like your legs and arms. So as you can imagine there are many different way to do this. They can be divided up into different categories – Indoors and Outdoors exercises, with or without special exercise equipment.

Outside Cardiovascular Exercise

 

The burning of calories is directly proportional to the contraction and relaxation of the muscles and active use of muscular system. The energy for the muscular activity can be obtained either from free glucose in the blood, or from the stored fat around the respective muscles.

Running, walking, jogging, bicycling, rope-jumping, swimming and some types of skiing are outdoor activities for burning those extra calories.

Bicycling: Bicycling has numerous benefits including theprovision of exercise. Pedaling a bicycle strengthens the upper leg muscles. It has been found that despite toning the leg muscles, cycling tones the buttocks, also. Cycling is especially helpful for those who suffer from arthritis of the lower limbs and are unable to pursue sports that cause impact to the knees and other joints. However, excessive cycling can cause knee damage. Half an hour of cycling burns up to 150 calories.

 

Cross-country Skiing: Skiing exercises the upper body and the legs. Many people enjoy using machines that simulate cross-country skiing, but others find the motions of skiing difficult to master and stressful around the hip joints and inner thighs. Because using these machines requires more coordination than most types of exercise, a person should try out a machine before buying one. Cross-country skiing outdoors is more enjoyable to some people but adds to the challenges of exercising in the cold while maintaining balance. 252 are burnt with half an hour of good skiing.

Hiking: It can be walking a couple of miles or climbing for a few days or a week in the mountains. The best thing about hiking is that it is not a race or competition. You have control over the pace and enjoy the scenic beauty around you. Hiking distresses you from the hustle bustle of daily life. It is a great way to pep up your muscles, lungs and heart into shape.

Jogging: Jogging is termed as “fitness and sociability”. It is a form of trotting or running. Jogging is running slower than 6 mph (10 minute per mile pace, 10 km/h, 6 min/km) It is an excellent means of improving cardiovascular health, bone density, and physical fitness.

Rope-jumping: Rope jumping is an effective way to burn fat, increase stamina, improve coordination and firm muscles, especially your shoulders, arms and legs. It’s a speedy calorie burner too: Jumping at a moderate speed of 70 to120 turns per minute for 15 minutes burns 150 to 200 calories — as much as running a ten minute mile, but with half the impact on your knees and ankles. At first these muscles may tire or even cramp. But they should gain more endurance after a few weeks of rope jumping at least twice a week.

 

Rowing: Rowing strengthens the large muscles of the legs and upper arms and back. Rowing outdoors adds the challenge of coordinating the oars and the joys of spending time in a boat. However, if the boat does not have a sliding seat, the leg muscles will not be strengthened. People who have back problems should not row without a doctor’s approval.

Running: Running isn’t for everyone, but it’s one of the best exercises you can do for your heart, your body and to burn extra calories. All you need is a good pair of shoes and a place to run…no fancy equipment or special skills. However, it isn’t always easy starting a running program. It takes time to build up the endurance to run for even a short period of time, even if you’ve been walking, cycling or doing other activities. But don’t give up! There’s a way to become a runner without killing yourself if you’re patient. Before you get started, visit your doctor and get the okay to start a running program. Running burns up to 650 calories in an hours’ time.

 

Swimming: There is no doubt that swimming is good exercise to build endurance, strengthens muscle and cardio-vascular fitness. It exercises the whole body—the legs, arms, and back—without straining the joints and muscles. Before a land workout, you can use the pool for a warm-up session. Swimming will gradually increase your heart rate and stimulate your muscle activity. Swimming does burn calories at a rate of about 3 calories a mile per pound of bodyweight. If you weigh 150 lbs. and it takes you 30 minutes to swim one mile (1,760 yards or 1,609 meters), then you will be using about 900 calories in one hour. However, many swimmers do not swim that quickly, and many cannot swim for that distance or duration. If weight loss is one of the main goals of exercise, swimming is not the best choice. Exercise out of water is more effective because air insulates the body, increasing body temperature and metabolism for up to 18 hours. There are other psychological benefit to swimming. Relax and swim, let your mind wander, focusing on nothing but the rhythm of your stroke. This form of meditation can help you gain a feeling of well-being, leaving your water session refreshed.

Walking: Walking is a well-balanced form of exercise for most people, regardless of age. Walking is relatively easy on the joints. It places fewer demands on the heart. However, walking expends fewer calories than does running and places fewer demands on the heart. If you are a beginner, everyday walk for at least for 20-30 minutes.Keep your chin up, back straight and arms swinging at 90 degree angle. Moving the arms faster helps the feet move faster. However, walking expends fewer calories than does running or jogging.

Indoor Cardiovascular Exercise

Your heart will be protected if you do a moderste level of physical workout throughout you life because regular exercise helps you to keep your body healthy. This is also the secret for permanent weight loss.

Using treadmills, stationary bicycles, stair climbers, rowing machines, elliptical trainers, and ladder climbers for indoor exercises.

Elliptical Trainers : Elliptical trainers offer a non-impact cardiovascular workout that can vary from light to high intensity based on the resistance preference set by the user. It is a stationary exercise machine used to simulate walking or running without causing excessive pressure to the joints.They work on upper and lower body. An elliptical trainer is designed to provide a cardiovascular workout rather than build muscles. The user should adopt a comfortable standing position with his or her spine in a neutral position (with a straight back). The knees, hips and ankles should be kept in alignment. Weight should be distributed between the heels and the balls of the feet.

Yoga

• Yoga is a system of exercises that encourages the union of mind, body, and spirit. It is mental and physical relaxation used to stretch muscles. Many people enjoy yoga. Try practicing yoga with some friends. So that if any day when you are not motivated, the enthusiasm of your friend will carry you along. To get the maximum benefits of yoga, you should practice it everyday. So try to reserve some time for your yoga practice and meditation. When one starts practicing yoga, one can hold for three full breaths through most yoga poses. If you feel comfortable in the pose, hold for longer, if uncomfortable, you should come out of the pose immediately.

Different Types of Yoga Poses

Seated poses – These poses are useful for practicing breathing exercises and relaxation or meditation techniques. They are also often used as a warm up or as a starting point for other poses. Performing seated poses can help improve your posture and open your hips.

Standing poses – This pose is often used as warm up or as a starting point for other poses. Standing poses are beneficial for strengthening your legs, opening your hips and improving your sense of balance.

Back bends – Bending backward helps strength your back and keep your spine strong and supple. Back bends also open the front of your body, especially your chest.

Forward bends – Forward bends stretch the entire back of your body, especially your hamstrings. They are often used to release tension, calm your mind and soothe your nervous system.

Balancing poses – They are great for improving your balance and coordination as well as developing your ability to remain grounded in a pose. It also encourages you to focus, quiet and balance your mind.

Inversions – Inversions are also believed to reverse the ageing process and reduce the effect of the gravity on your body. It is an excellent pose to perform to improve your blood circulation, quiet your mind and improve your overall health.

Relaxation and restorative poses – It is important to take time to relax your body and mind and allow energy released by the poses in your practice to move freely throughout your body at the end of each yoga practice.

Twists – Twists are to stretch and strengthen your back and abdominal muscles, increase the flexibility of your spine and improve your circulation. It improves the functioning of your internal organs by providing them with a fresh supply of blood as you twist and release your body.

However, yoga does not benefit the heart, increase endurance, or help build muscle or improve muscle function.

Pilates

Pilates, originally created for injured war veterans, but the moves can teach you proper alignment so you move gracefully while working out your powerhouse muscles — abs, lower back, thighs and buttocks. Pilates increases flexibility, strength and muscular endurance and improves posture, alignment, coordination and balance — all without building bulky muscles. Pilates increases flexibility, strength and muscular endurance and improves posture, alignment, coordination and balance — all without building bulky muscles. Pilates can be expensive, especially private lessons on machines designed for Pilates. Learning Pilates is a long-term, evolutionary process. You should round out your exercise program by including more aerobic activity, and don’t abandon traditional weight training altogether.

This method concentrates on sculpting long, lean muscles that are strong and flexible at the same time. There are two formats: One involves highly specialized machines with a private instructor, and the other is done on a mat as a group class.

Stationary Bicycles: Cycling on a stationary cycle is often advocated as a suitable exercise for rehabilitation, particularly for lower limb injury due to the low impact that it has on the joints. Mostly used within knee rehabilitation programs. the tension on the bicycle wheel should be set so that the rider can pedal at a cadence of 60 rotations per minute. As they progress, riders can gradually increase the tension and the cadence up to 90 rotations per minute. A recumbent stationary bicycle is both secure and comfortable. It has a contoured chair that even a person who has had a stroke can sit in. Also, if one leg is paralyzed, toe clips can hold both feet in place, so that the person can pedal with one leg. A recumbent stationary bicycle is a particularly good choice for older people, many of whom have weak upper leg muscles. Having weak upper leg muscles makes getting up from a chair without using the hands, rising from a squatting position,or walking up stairs without holding on to the railing, difficult.

Stair Climbers :

Stairs provide a quick and readily available workout that can be easy or intense. High calorie burning aerobic exercise. It is the fastest and most convenient way to get an excellent aerobic workout, no matter what your fitness level. The stairs can be anywhere-at home, in an office building, an apartment building, a park, or even a hotel or cruise ship. is great work for the leg muscles and butt muscles. It’s more work than running because each step requires the lifting up of the entire body’s weight through the height of the stair, using just one leg. You get even more of a workout going downstairs which involves negative contraction of the quadriceps, intensifying the workout considerably. Using the stairs as an alternative to the elevator or escalator is excellent exercise and can burn about 500 calories per hour, depending on your weight.

If you choose to do a stair climb, treat it as a serious work out and do a warm up that includes quadriceps and calf stretches and a few flights of stairs at an easy pace. Drink water, keep hydrated. Always wear good running shoes. Concrete stairs can be especially hard on the joints. Be careful of corners and knee alignment, being conscious of how you take corners can prevent a twisted knee or ankle. Do a cool down that includes a walk as well as hamstring, calf and quad stretches.

Don’t go crazy the first time out, set a goal of increasing the workout by one flight of stairs per week. There is the beauty of stairs, you can start with one or two flights and then take the elevator the rest of the way.

Keep these safety precautions in mind: Let someone know what you are doing, where you are doing it and when you should be back.

Don’t forget to have a fun!

Treadmill: Treadmill is a great way to perform cardiovascular exercises. It not only helps you exercise, but regular use of treadmill also boosts your endurance and provides a wide variety of health benefits. Exercising on a treadmill can reduce the strain to the ankles, knees and lower back that would be involved in running on a normal surface. The intensity segments of this workout involves both hills (or resistance, depending on the machine you’re using) and sprints so you work the heart and body in different ways. This workout can be done on any cardio machine or outside. The speed of running may be controlled and measured.

People who would not run/walk outdoors (e.g. due to unfavorable weather conditions, uneven road surfaces, dangerous neighborhoods or unwanted attention) or do not wish to join a gym, may use an indoor treadmill. They can do other things while exercising, such as watching television or reading.A treadmill you also get to calculate step count, heart rate monitors and amount of calories burnt.

Treadmill also increases your aerobic capacity.

Weight Training

Weight Training builds muscle, fastens metabolism, burns fat and is the basis of a strong, firm muscular body. It is a type of strength training that uses weights rather than elastic or muscular resistance to increase strength.

Before you start your Weight Training Programme

Have Measurements of:

Body Weight ______ lbs

Percent Body Fat _____ %
Chest ______ in
Arms ______ in
Waist ______ in

1. You must make a firm commitment with yourself that when you will get started you will never give up. There is no point in half hearted attempts. And remember I am only an email away. Ask any help you can through the contact me page.

2. Get your Body Fat tested, and Consult a Physician if you have any illness, like hypertension, diabetes, or any Heart Illness.

3. Visit a near by gym and enquire the registration formalities, check the gym equipments and rest areas.
4. Remember that Weight Training is the best way to change the way you look but it takes time. It takes about at least 2-4 weeks before you see noticeable difference.
5. Do understand that the only difference between you and other who have great physiques you admire is your ability to get started and persist until you achieve your goal.
You are responsible. And share with me the story of your amazing transformation.
Aerobic training needs to be performed within the fat burning zone. The fat burning zone formula is the following:

Fat burning zone=220-(Your Age) x (.75)

This will give you an approximate value of how fast your heart should be beating per minute. For example, a 22-year-old would need to reach a pulse of 150 beats per minute in order to be in the fat burning zone. Remember that this is not an absolute figure, this is an approximation. As long as you are plus or minus 10 beats, then you will be burning fat.

Aerobic Dancing: This popular type of exercises the whole body. Lively music makes the workout fun. People can exercise at their own pace with guidance from experienced instructors. Committing to a schedule and exercising with friends can improve motivation. Dancing with light to moderate weights can offer extra benefit since it increases the demands on the muscles. Low-impact aerobic dancing eliminates the jumping and pounding of regular aerobic dancing, thus decreasing strain on the knee and hip joints. However, the benefits of aerobic dancing, especially in terms of weight loss, are proportional to the intensity. Consequently, muscle strengthening does not increase much with this type of activity.

Step Aerobics: Step aerobics works primarily the muscles in the front and back of the upper legs (the quadriceps and hamstrings) as a person steps up and down on a raised platform (a step) in a routine set to music at a designated pace. As soon as these muscles start to feel sore, exercisers should stop, do something else, and return to step aerobics a couple of days later. High-intensity step aerobics can strain the joints, particularly the knees and hips.

Water Aerobics: Water aerobics involves doing various types of muscle movements or simply walking in waist- to shoulder-deep water. It is often used for people with arthritis and sometimes for injury rehabilitation. Water aerobics is an excellent choice for older people and for those with weak muscles, because it prevents falls on a hard surface and provides support for the body. Aerobic exercises done out of the water, however, are more effective for weight loss.

Best Times To Perform Weight Training Exercise

In The Morning On An Empty Stomach: This is the best time to do your cardiovascular workouts on an empty stomach after drinking 16 to 24 ounces of water, to prevent dehydration. You burn 300% more body fat that at any other time in the day because your body does not have any glycogen (stored carbohydrates-sugar) in the system to burn. Therefore, it goes directly into the fat stores (adipose tissues) to get the necessary energy to complete the exercise results

Right After Weight Training: When exercise is not performed on an empty stomach in the morning, it takes the body 20 to 30 minutes to start burning fat. This is because that it how long it takes the body to deplete its glycogen stores and switch to a fat burning. So, you need to perform it for 20-30 minutes just to get to the fat burning stage and for an additional 20 minutes just so that you burn fat. This would total of 50 minutes a day and in my opinion, aerobic exercise should not be performed for more than 6 sessions a week of 20-45 minutes a day for males and 30-45 minutes for females since this would put you at a risk of losing muscle mass.

Calories Burnt by Physical Activities

Physical Activity	Calories Burnt (in 1/2 hr)
Aerobics exercise	178
Basketball	258
Badminton	125
Brisk walking	150
Cycling	150
Dancing	130
Driving car	50
Fishing	114
Gardening	150-200
Golf	108
Hockey	249
Horse riding	255
House work	75-125
Ice skating	315
Jogging	300-450
Judo	363
Kissing (Lips locking)*	6.4 cal per minute
Lawn Mowing- Power	125
Lawn Mowing- Push	150-200
Mountain climbing	270
Rowing	378
Roller skating	315
Running	325
Sitting at the desk	50
Skiing	252
Squash	325
Stairs- Downstairs	210
Stairs- Upstairs	300-500
Swimming	250
Tennis	261
Volley ball	93
Watching TV	50