It is no secret that exercise is a key component to leading a healthy and vital life. There are basically two kinds of exercises that one can do and they are aerobics or cardiovascular training and weight training. Both are very important in order to stay strong and healthy. Aerobic exercise can be done in many different ways.

In fact, if you work at a job where you are on your feet and moving around a lot then you may not even need to do any additional exercise since your job provides you with the aerobic benefit. It is important to not exercise too much, even though this is not a common problem, exercise does put a certain level of stress on your body and if you overdo it you can easily become over trained which can lead to a depressed immune system which can lead to you becoming more likely to get sick.

It is not necessary to sweat significantly during your aerobic exercise sessions. A simple one hour walk outside if the weather permits or on a treadmill indoors can be sufficient. Running too much can put a lot of stress on your joints such as the knees and can lead to future joint problems so if you have to run do it only for short periods and take appropriate rest levels. Aerobic exercise helps to stimulate the lymphatic system which is partly responsible for the removal of toxins from inside your body thus this kind of exercise has is a great way to internally cleanse your body naturally.

If you find doing aerobic exercise to be very physically difficult then consider something like a recumbent exercise bike which is probably the most comfortable piece of aerobic exercise equipment you can purchase. It has very good back support and is gentle on the knees so you can start slow and work your way up as you get fitter and stronger. Also try to keep your heart rate around the 120 beats per minute range during your aerobic sessions.

Weight training is also a very important aspect of exercise that both males and females should perform regularly. Many females are concerned that if they train with weights they will become bulky and unattractive which is not true as long as you stick with lighter weights and do not take growth hormones. In fact, adding a little muscle will make you look firmer, sculpted and more attractive instead of being flabby. Weight training stimulates the growth and maintenance of muscle tissue which is critical for maintaining strength. Weight lifting also promotes greater bone density which can help to fight osteoporosis and it can also make you look and feel younger.

If you have never trained with weights before then it is a good idea to join a local gym and take a few personal training sessions to learn the basic exercises. The bench press is a great exercise for the upper body and the squat or leg press is ideal to train the lower body. If your time is really limited then just doing these two exercises once a week or even once every month depending on how much weight you lift (the more weight you lift the more rest you need) can be sufficient. Become stronger and healthier by doing these exercises regularly.

Exercise can be broken down into two categories: aerobic and anaerobic. These differ in the ways in which your muscles contract during the exercise and how energy is generated within the muscles. Examples of anaerobic exercises include weight training or strength training, and with aerobic exercises, even the well-built bodybuilder will not be able to run, swim, etc for long periods of time.

Aerobic exercises have many benefits. The word aerobic means ‘with oxygen’, when you are performing aerobic exercises your body increases the blood and oxygen supply. This improves your body muscles condition and you are operating at a much faster rate.

Aerobic exercises prevent certain type of cancers, increase the quality or your sleep, improves cholesterol level and reduces fat on your body. Always keep this rule in mind that when you are planning to start an exercise always do some warm ups. This will prevent you from any injury that may occur later one. Spend at least 10 minutes for warming up before starting the exercise.

Exercising helps you achieve or maintain a healthy weight by utilizing and burning the extra calories. And if you exercise, your body works harder and needs more fuel. Even after you stop exercising, your body continues to burn calories at a modestly increased rate for a few hours. The more intensely you workout, the more calories you burn. By burning more calories than you take in, you can reduce body fat, giving you a healthier body composition. Losing body fat can make you look and feel better and can reduce your risk of obesity.

Fat burners, diet pills, nutritional supplements – you know who gets the most out of these products? The manufacturers and sellers. Some of this stuff is extracted from foods and has a role in nutrition, but it’s not a substitute for eating right. And much of the “miracle” drugs you see advertised are exceedingly dangerous to you. Don’t believe me? The next time you see an advertisement in a weight loss magazine for one of these “miracle” products – or if you see a commercial on TV for one – read or listen to the disclaimers and warnings that accompany these ads. A lot of this stuff is dangerous and it has no place in a healthy, permanent weight loss and fitness lifestyle.

The benefit of cardiovascular exercise increases as the time you put into it increases. In fact, the time factor is more important than the intensity. Studies carried out have shown that the body does not start to use fat stores until you have done your exercise for between 25 to 30 minutes during an exercise session. Increasing intensity will cause your body to burn glycogen rather than stored fat.

Your heart is a muscle. The heart needs conditioning and strengthening just like any other muscle. Any kind of stress to the heart can impair its function. Aerobic exercise will lower your number of heartbeats per minute. This is good because as the heart is strengthened each heartbeat will push more blood. The heart becomes more efficient. Elite athletes have very low resting heart rates.

One of the questions I have been repeatedly asked by those new to aerobic exercise is how to tell if they are getting the most from their efforts. They are unsure if they are at the ‘right’ heart rate to get the most effective aerobic benefits.

First, a brief explanation of what ‘aerobic’ exercise is and why it is so important to your health. Your body converts food into energy by two very different forms of metabolism. Aerobic – with oxygen, and anaerobic – without oxygen.

Anaerobic metabolism is the creation of energy through the burning of carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. This happens when the lungs cannot supply enough oxygen to the blood to keep up with the demands from the muscles.

Anaerobic metabolism is most generally associated with short, very intense, forms of exercise, mostly with weight training or sprinting. Anaerobic metabolism is crucial to increasing muscle mass. This why you will hear from weight lifters that they do very little, if any, aerobic types of exercise.

The biology of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism is very complex and with very little research you can quickly become lost in the complexity without a degree in biology.

I am going to simplify this complex process as the vast number of people who are interested in improving their health are not necessarily interested in becoming biologists.

The primary fuels used by the body for energy are glucose and fatty acids, with protein used when the first two are depleted. The first two are burned by the body aerobically during most of our normal activity, including moderate exercise. When the activity intensity reaches approximately 80% of the maximum possible the body switches to anaerobic metabolism.

Aerobic metabolism is very efficient and produces few negative byproducts. This is not true of anaerobic metabolism which produces lactic acid which causes muscle pain and is the reason our muscles ‘burn’ after intensive weight training.

Aerobic metabolism is like burning natural gas, clean hot flame with little waste.

Anaerobic exercise is like burning old tires, with lots of thick sooty smoke. Which one do you think is better for your body?

As long as you can breath without gasping for air you are burning your fuel aerobically. There are different formulas for figuring out your ‘correct’ aerobic threshold. Look on the wall of most gyms and you will see one of these formulas on a chart comparing age with intensity.

These charts are clinical formulas based on countless measurements of people exercising at different rates to come up with an average. These numbers are good as a general indicator, especially when first beginning your exercise program.

Far more accurate is your own personal aerobic threshold and you can figure this out fairly easily. Your own personal number is the heartbeat you have when you first become breathless…when you can no longer tell someone your name without gasping for breath.

This is the level that you will get the most benefit from your efforts. Keep your heart rate a few beats per minute below the point where you are beginning to gasp for breath. You need to maintain this level for a minimum of 15 minutes to attain the benefits of aerobic exercise.

Clinical studies have shown that doing aerobic exercise at least 3 or 4 time a week will increase the left ventricle- the chamber of the heart that pumps the freshly oxygenated blood into the body – by 15% to 20%. It will do this in four to six weeks!

As you continue to train your body you will be able to do more work, or go longer without exceeding your aerobic threshold. This very positive feedback will be helpful in keeping your commitment to stay with your program. You will have proof that your efforts are having a positive effect.

Another very important benefit of aerobic exercise is that when you have substantially raised your heartbeat you are moving a lot of blood through the body. This improves the nutrient flow to the cells and helps to get rid of waste materials that accumulate during normal cell function.

It also helps to move hormones and other necessary complex chemicals produced by some cells for the benefit of other cells located throughout the body. The cardio-vascular system, and its health, is the single most important factor in your good health.

 
10 Strategies for permanent weight loss
1.   Exercise is essential for weight loss

It’s nothing new, but exercise is probably the most important predictor of whether you will succeed at long term weight loss and weight loss maintenance. In order for exercise to be helpful in weight loss, you should strive for a minimum of five 30 minute sessions per week. The good news is that recent research has shown that three 10 minute sessions in a day are as good as one 30 minute session. This helps many in combating the old “no time for exercise” excuse. Be certain to find something you enjoy. You’ll be more apt to stick with it. Try walking with a friend, joining an intramural sports league, participating in outings with a group like The Sierra Club, or trying some classes at your local gym. Once you give exercise a chance, you will begin to enjoy its positive benefits on your psyche as well; you will literally become “hooked.”

2.   Weight loss and weight training

We chose to list this separately from the “exercise” category because of the significant weight loss benefits attached to weight training in and of itself. The basic equation is this: the more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you will burn. This is why world class weight lifters must eat thousands of calories a day to maintain their weight. Muscle is active tissue, fat is not. Thus, muscle “burns” a significant number of calories each day for its own maintenance. In her book Strong Women Stay Slim, Miriam Nelson, a Tufts University researcher, showed that a group of women who followed a weight loss diet and did weight training exercises lost 44% more fat than those who only followed the diet. While aerobic activity can help burn calories, muscle’s where it’s at when it comes to giving your metabolism a significant daily boost even at rest.

3.   Keep a diary for triggers that hinder weight loss

Keeping a food diary can be a huge asset in successful weight loss. Devote some time each day to record what you have eaten and how much, your hunger level prior to eating, and any feelings or emotions present at the time. A food diary can provide a large amount of self-awareness. It can identify emotions and behaviors that trigger overeating, foster greater awareness of portion sizes, and help you discover your personal food triggers. Study any patterns that emerge from your food diary and identify where you may be able to make more healthful changes. A food diary provides an added benefit of keeping you focused on and committed to your goals. Start keeping a food diary today by printing our food diary.

4.   Stay focused on being healthy, not on becoming thin

Many people become more successful at long term weight loss when their motivation changes from wanting to be thinner to wanting to be healthier. Change your mind set to think about selecting foods that will help your body’s health rather than worrying about foods that will affect your body’s weight. The Food Pyramid offers a basic outline of the types and amounts of food you should eat each day to give your body the nutrients it needs for optimal health.

5.   Find out why you overeat

All too often overeating is triggered by stress, boredom, loneliness, anger, depression and other emotions. Learning to deal with emotions without food is a significant skill that will greatly serve long term weight control. The Solution, a book and national program developed by Laurel Mellin, RD, helps participants to identify their eating triggers and respond to them without food. A research study showed that the participants in this program demonstrated a better rate of long term weight loss maintenance than those who simply diet and/or exercise and don’t address behavioral and emotional issues. Chronic over-eaters and “emotional eaters” can be significantly helped by learning new behavioral skills such as those Mellin presents. You can also seek help with behavioral and emotional eating issues from a licensed counselor or psychologist in your area.

6.   Weight loss support: join a weight management group

A big key in long term weight control comes from receiving encouragement and support from others. You can check to see if groups such as Jenny Craig offer programs and resources in your areas. You may also wish to check with your local hospital to see if their registered dietitian conducts group weight loss programs.

7.   Weight loss and portion control

With the advent of “super-size” meals and increasingly huge portions at restaurants, our concept of normal serving sizes is a distant memory. Be mindful of the amounts of food you consume at a sitting. When necessary, divide your food in half and ask for a take home bag. It is all too easy to be a “plate cleaner” even when served enormous portions. Learn to pay attention to your hunger level and stop eating when you feel comfortably full, not stuffed.

8: Lose weight slowly with small changes

Try to remember that “losing 15 pounds in two weeks” is nothing to celebrate. It is important to realize that the more quickly weight is lost, the more likely the loss is coming from water and muscle, not fat. Since muscle tissue is critical in keeping our metabolism elevated, losing it actually leads to a decrease in the amount of calories we can each day without gaining weight. Fat loss is best achieved when weight is lost slowly. Strive for a weight loss of no more than 1-2 pounds per week. One pound of weight is equivalent to 3500 calories. By making small changes like eliminating 250 calories a day from food and expending 250 calories a day from exercise, you can lose one pound (of mostly fat) per week. You can calculate how much time you need to exercise to burn 250 calories by clicking here. You can calculate your caloric needs by clicking here, and then subtract 250 from that number.

9.   Eating slowly can lead to weight loss

Did you ever notice that thin people take an awfully long time to eat their food? Eating slowly is one method that can help take off pounds. That’s because from the time you begin eating it takes the brain 20 minutes to start signaling feelings of fullness. Fast eaters often eat beyond their true level of fullness before the 20 minute signal has had a chance to set in. The amount of calories consumed before you begin to feel full can vary significantly depending on how quickly you eat. So slow down, take smaller bites and enjoy and savor every tasty morsel.

10.   Weight loss through eating less fat - but do it wisely

We’ve known for some time that limiting high fat foods in the diet can be helpful with weight loss. That’s because fats pack in 9 calories per gram compared to only 4 calories per gram from proteins or carbohydrates. To many, the message to limit fats implied an endorsement to eat unlimited amounts of fat-free products. Just to clarify, fat-free foods have calories too. In some cases fat-free foods have as many calories as their fat laden counterparts. If you eat more calories than your body uses, you will gain weight. Eating less fat will help you to lose weight. Eating less fat and replacing it with excessive amounts of fat-free products will not.