Too Busy To Exercise?
Feeling overwhelmed by the amount of time your friends and colleagues spend in the gym? Turned off by the idea of a tennis or squash game that entails not only the hour-long match but also getting to the club, changing into a outfit and then showering afterwards? Going to an exercise class or even doing a workout on your own can take just as long. With an already busy work and family life schedule, it’s hard to imagine finding any more time in the day for exercise. Making small changes in your schedule to fit in a little bit of exercise each day will make a world of difference to your health.
A Simple Exercise Program
Instead of ignoring exercise altogether, here’s a suggestion for integrating it into your busy schedule. Think of exercise like you think of a major task in the office. Break it up into tinier components.
Instead of spending two hours in the gym or in the tennis court like your friends do, ask your trainer to divide your workout program.
Suggestion A
30 minutes four times a week, i.e.: 20 minutes cardio, 10 minutes weights (1 muscle group, e.g. legs)
Suggestion B
30 minutes three times a week
Mon: 20 minutes cardio + 10 minutes stretching;
Tues: 20 minutes weights (2 muscle groups, e.g. back and abdominals) + 10 minutes of cardio.
Wed: 20 minutes cardio + 10 minutes of Weights (two muscle groups, e.g. triceps or chest, biceps or shoulders)
Suggestion C
20 minutes 5 days a week.
Week 1: all cardio
Week 2: weights
Week 3: Cardio on Mon/Wed/Fri
Week 4: Weights on Tues/Thurs
Repeat the entire cycle when you get to month 2.
Frequency and Intensity
Ideally, you should gradually increase the frequency or intensity, or both. But if you’re busy, and definitely can’t spare more than 30 minutes a day, then increase your intensity. This means if your cardio involves the treadmill, take the notch up 1 level (if you started with level 3, go on to level 4 on month 2).
For your weight training, if you started with 5-pound weights, graduate into 7.5 pounds in month 2. And then on those days when your day is not filled with meetings, try to stay an extra 5-10 minutes.
Be realistic with your goals, especially when you’re just starting. Increasing frequency and intensity too soon can overwhelm you, making you want to give up.
We all know how important exercise is and it’s often not the desire that’s lacking but the time. By following this simple workout tricks you’ll be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle even if you’re juggling your work and home life.
Have Fun Losing Weight
You know what isn’t fair? The fact that it’s so much more fun to gain weight than it is to diet and exercise. That has to be one of the real reasons why people don’t like to lose weight, right? I mean it only makes sense. If doing what it took to be at your ideal weight was more enjoyable than what it takes to gain weight, we wouldn’t have a problem with obesity.It doesn’t have to be that way anymore. Imagine if it wasn’t such a drag to get healthy, to lose weight, to eat right or to exercise. I’m sure you can see what a positive impact that could have on how much you weigh. Here are some ideas you can put to use to make it fun.
The very first thing you have to do is change your mindset. Don’t worry about what other people think about your jogging, or what your friends will say when you order grilled chicken for lunch. You know why you shouldn’t worry? Because it’s your body! Let them laugh. You can laugh with them or laugh back at them. Either way, you’ll get the last laugh and that’s the best kind.
Alright, let’s face it, you probably already like to eat, otherwise you wouldn’t have to be looking for ways to lose weight. This is just a guess, but what you probably don’t enjoy is eating more of the right foods and less of the not-so-good ones. You can give the good foods funny names, and vice-versa. You’re not eating broccoli, you’re eating “goody goody mini-greens”. And it’s no longer a doughnut, now that you call it a “sweetened lard bomb”. Go ahead, be creative.
Also, don’t deprive yourself. You can still eat all of the foods you enjoy, just not as much. If you try to cut them out all together, that wouldn’t be any fun at all. Instead you would be focusing on the deprivation and bury your head into a half-gallon of ice cream as soon as your willpower wavered. But when you eat a little of the things you like, there’s no need for willpower at all.
When it comes to exercising to lose weight the main key is to do something you enjoy doing. Just get moving. You don’t have to go for a three-mile jog or lift weights in the gym (unless you want to). Get out in the garden, go for a walk, toss the frisbee around, go swimming…any extra activity that appeals to you will burn off extra calories.
Finally, as you do these things more, it will get to be even more fun as you do them. And seeing the results is makes it even more worthwhile. So, don’t let others tell you that losing weight is hard. You know better, you now know just how fun it can be….
The very first thing you have to do is change your mindset. Don’t worry about what other people think about your jogging, or what your friends will say when you order grilled chicken for lunch. You know why you shouldn’t worry? Because it’s your body! Let them laugh. You can laugh with them or laugh back at them. Either way, you’ll get the last laugh and that’s the best kind.
Alright, let’s face it, you probably already like to eat, otherwise you wouldn’t have to be looking for ways to lose weight. This is just a guess, but what you probably don’t enjoy is eating more of the right foods and less of the not-so-good ones. You can give the good foods funny names, and vice-versa. You’re not eating broccoli, you’re eating “goody goody mini-greens”. And it’s no longer a doughnut, now that you call it a “sweetened lard bomb”. Go ahead, be creative.
Also, don’t deprive yourself. You can still eat all of the foods you enjoy, just not as much. If you try to cut them out all together, that wouldn’t be any fun at all. Instead you would be focusing on the deprivation and bury your head into a half-gallon of ice cream as soon as your willpower wavered. But when you eat a little of the things you like, there’s no need for willpower at all.
When it comes to exercising to lose weight the main key is to do something you enjoy doing. Just get moving. You don’t have to go for a three-mile jog or lift weights in the gym (unless you want to). Get out in the garden, go for a walk, toss the frisbee around, go swimming…any extra activity that appeals to you will burn off extra calories.
Finally, as you do these things more, it will get to be even more fun as you do them. And seeing the results is makes it even more worthwhile. So, don’t let others tell you that losing weight is hard. You know better, you now know just how fun it can be….
Lose Your Belly Fat
Losing weight is one thing, but there is a more specific question that a lot of people have: How do you lose belly fat? all different kinds of secrets, hints, tips and techniques have been put forth; some by qualified medical professionals, and others by people who don’t have any real understanding of the issue.In other words, it can be difficult to learn what the truth is about losing belly fat. Not to worry, we will take a look at what’s true, and get you well on your way to a flatter tummy.
Let’s face it, a flat, firm stomach is consider as a sure sign of sex appeal. However, medical research has also shown that getting rid of abdominal fat is a strong indication of a longer, healthier life. See, even though you are probably well aware that carrying too much fat on your body isn’t good for you, where you carry it has an effect on your health. Those who have the most fat in their abdomen have increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and other conditions than those who have extra fat in their thighs, hips and buttock.
It’s not going to shock anybody to hear that the best way to lose belly fat is through eating right and regular exercise. Plus, there is an ever-increasing amount of data pointing out that the fastest way to get rid of the fat around your tummy is by combining aerobic exercise and weight training.
One particular study kept tracked of thirty overweight women for a period of six months. Each was assigned to one of the three following groups: aerobic exercise, combined exercise, or the control group. The first group did a sixty minute cardio workout for six days per week. The second group did cardio exercises three days a week and weight training three days a week (alternating days for each). The control group made no changes.
After the six month study period was over, the researchers had their results. The women in the aerobic exercise only group had lost 23 cm of subcutaneous fat in their abdomens; not bad. But the group that combined cardio and weight workouts lost close to 62 cm, nearly triple the amount of the aerobic only group! When it came to measuring visceral fat in the abdomen, there was a marked improvement as well. Where the aerobic group lost 82 cm, the combined lost 93 cm. As expected, the control group showed no statistical change.
What does this research mean for those that want to get rid of their belly fat? It means they need to get moving. But exercising harder is only part of the bigger picture. You also need to exercise smarter. In this case, that means alternating days of aerobic workouts with days where you focus on weight training. But the real key isn’t just the exercise, it’s burning more calories than you take in.
To lower your total amount of body fat, and thereby a flabby tummy, you need to eat right, too. The main thing you have to be able to do is maintain your muscle mass, this requires protein. Then 20% to 30% should come from predominantly healthy fats. Finally, the rest of your diet can be rounded out with carbohydrates. Again, remembering to eat fewer calories than you’re able to burn.