Medical professionals agree that a regulated exerciseroutine is a great way to prevent weight gain and lead a longer, happier and healthier life. If you are currently overweight, it is vitally important that you incorporate exercise into your daily routine along with a balanced and healthy diet.
Exercise has so much more to offer you than losing weight. Although for many this is the desired result, working out will also reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. But where do you get started if you are overweight and new to start to exert yourself physically?
Overcoming your barriers to exercise
For many people who do not currently exercise, there can be many barriers that keep them from getting started. One of the most common excuses for avoiding exercise is the amount of time it takes. The problem with this opinion is that is suggests that exercise needs to be done inside of a gym. This is simply not the case. Exercise can be done anywhere and at anytime. You can receive activity from your household chores, or instead of driving to the store that is just around the block, walk there instead. Exercising at home is a great way to overcome the problem many overweight people have about exercising: feeling self-conscious about their body. Try dancing to the radio at home, spending less time sitting down and more time moving, try reorganizing your home, all of these are great ways to be active in the comfort of your own home.
Keeping to an exercise routine
Plan, plan, plan. It is not enough to simply exercise, you need to keep exercising, and this is going to involve setting goals. Try setting both short and long-term goals. Think about what you want to get out of exercise in the long term and think about what you feel you are capable of in the short term. Buy a diary specifically for your exercise. Plan out your month, plotting days you should exercise and what activities you plan to do. Start gradually; do not try a full thirty minutes of intensive workout straight away. The more you work out, the easier it will become. When you reach a goal, tick it off on your calendar. This is going to give you a great feeling of accomplishment and encourage you to continue.
Is the exercise at the gym right for you?
As we said previously, exercise does not need to be confined to the gym. There are many types of activities you can do that do not require handling equipment or an advanced degree of fitness. Water workouts are a very good idea because they do not put any stress onto your joints because you are not lifting or pushing your own weight; in fact, working out in water is considered the best type of activity. Having a personal trainer at a gym will ensure that you receive the exercise routine that is perfect for you. Personal trainers are great motivators and understand exactly what your body needs and what it can and cannot do. There are many programs specifically designed for people of a certain weight. If you want to know more, you should contact your local gym or talk to your health care provider. They will be able to advise you on the workout programs that could see you undergoing a positive and permanent transformation.
Obesity is an accumulation of excess fat and is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30. It results in many medical complications.
Obesity – A Dangerous Issue
It is a fast spreading epidemic which shortens the life span and reduces the quality of life. It has affected the children to a great extent. One in every 5 children is noticed to be over weight. They are susceptible to juvenile heart disease, hyper tension, stroke, type II diabetes, osteoarthritis and coronary diseases.
Causes of Weight Gain
Weight gain is due to the intake of excess calories with less physical activity. Initially the fat cells increase in size but after a certain stage, they start multiplying. When the weight decreases, the cells diminish to the normal size while the multiplied cells do not disappear.
Several exterior factors are responsible for weight gain:
· Genes can be one of the major reasons for weight gain.
· Emotion and stress in an individual can result in bad eating habits. They tend to eat more when they are stressed out.
· Lifestyle disorders tend to make them satisfy their hunger pangs in a fast food joint or starve.
· Women are more prone to gain weight because they have fewer muscles than men to burn out calories.
· As we grow older we tend to gain weight rather than develop muscles. Metabolic rate slows down and so the intake of calories has to be reduced.
· Women tend to gain weight after pregnancy. They add 4 to 6 pounds in each pregnancy due to the hormones and reduced physical activity.
Medical Condition and Diagnosis of Body Fat
Certain medical conditions like thyroids, depression and hormonal imbalance can cause weight gain. Some medication like steroids and anti-depressant drugs are prone to add fat. Eating disorders like excessive eating and binging bulimia can cause flabbiness.
A measurement called BMI is used to diagnose obesity. An individual’s weight in pounds is multiplied by 703 and divided by twice the height in inches. A reading of 25.9 to 29 is considered over-weight and above 30 is considered as obese.
The low calorie diet and disciplined lifestyle can tackle the problem. A lot of drugs and surgery are available to reduce weight.
Obesity poses a great risk not only to men but also to women all over the world. Even though men are seen as being physically more active, they also tend to ignore their health at times. Family pressures and hectic work schedules are the main reasons why most men fail to take care of their health.
The above, along with an incorrect lifestyle, is enough to trigger obesity. Heaviness in men is the main reason why they are more prone to heart diseases than women. Not only heart disease, men who are chubby are also more likely to suffer from diabetes, prostate cancer, and even impotence at times.
So if you too are obese, then do start actively looking for methods and means to tackle your problem. Here are some ways through which you can reduce weight and enjoy a healthier life.
Some Simple Steps
Try and follow these simple steps and see the results bringing a smile to your faces:
- Remove junk food entirely from your diet. Junk food is high in its fat content and gives too many empty calories to the body, something that it does not require.
- Try and also reduce the amount that you eat, gradually. Do not do so all at once as you might suffer bouts of tiredness or dizziness.
- Take in only the amount of food that is required by your body to perform its daily activities. All extra food taken in just keeps collecting around your abdomen and poses several threats to your heart.
- Regular exercising is essential while fighting obesity. Other than aiding in weight loss, exercising would also help in the overall functioning of the body.
- Set small weight loss goals that are easy to achieve. Realistic goals, when achieved, would help you gain the incentive to lose even more. Reward yourself with something that you had wanted for a long time once you achieve a milestone.
- Maintain the healthy diet plan even after you lose all that extra flab. Obesity has to be fought with on a regular term as all the weight that you lose is bound to come back if you do not maintain it. You could talk to a diet counselor to form a diet plan for you.
You could also form a support system to fight against obesity. By a support system we mean that you could ask your family members or your friends to join in your struggle to lose weight. Ask all your support system members to check you whenever you slacken and stop following your diet and exercise plan.