Archive for the ‘Weight loss’ Category
Once you feel comfortable doing low-intensity exercise regularly, consider aerobics for greater, faster weight loss. “Aerobic” means “with extra oxygen.” Aerobic exercise is fairly strenuous, but it should not feel exhausting.
Aerobic benefits–weight loss and improved fitness–are possible only when the heart rate is in its age-specific “target range.” A rate below your personal target range doesn’t move enough oxygen into your heart and muscles, and a rate above the target range taxes you beyond prudent limits and leaves you exhausted.
To find your individual target range, first, take your pulse while resting. Press your fingertips (not your thumb) on either side of your neck right below your jaw. Count the number of beats for 15 seconds. Multiply by four to get your heart rate per minute.
Target heart rate is 60 to 80 percent of the maximum heart rate per minute for your age. To calculate your own personal maximum heart rate, take 220 minus your age. (For a 45-year-old woman, 220-45=175.) Then after warming up, try to maintain your pulse at 60 to 80 percent of that number. (For the 45-year-old woman, 175 x .6 = 105 beats per minute, and 175 x .8 = 140 beats/minute.)
For best aerobic conditioning, keep your heart rate within your target range for about 20 minutes three times a week.
Just do it. Think about your schedule today or tomorrow. Block out 20 to 40 minutes and take a walk. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Walking for health should not be exhausting. It should be enjoyable. Walk at a pace that feels comfortable–don’t dawdle, but don’t get yourself winded.
But don’t overdo it. Walking expert Mark Fenton recommends controlling your pace with the “talk test:” “For noncompetitive fitness walking, you should be able to talk comfortably while walking. If you find yourself gasping for breath as you talk, you’re probably pushing yourself too hard.”
Speaking of the talk test, a great way to begin a walking program is to make a walk-date with a friend and have a conversation on the move instead of over coffee. Another is to do an errand on foot instead of in your car. “If you need to carry anything,” Fenton advises, “use a backpack, to allow your hands and arms to swing freely at your sides.
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Prevention:
If you have any chronic medical condition, check with a physician before beginning any exercise program.
Start slowly. If you’re out of shape, start with a 10-minute walk.
Do warm-up stretches first. Hold your stretches. Don’t bounce. Stretch for about 10 minutes.
Exercise regularly. Ten minutes a day is better than an hour on the weekend.
Increase your workout intensity and duration very slowly.
Drink fluids–water or juices–before, during, and after exercise. Electrolyte-replacement beverages such as Gatorade become advisable only during strenuous exercise that lasts longer than two hours.
If you run or do aerobics, soft surfaces–grass, carpet, or wood–are better than hard ones–asphalt or cement.
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Socks are an afterthought in many people’s wardrobes. Color is often the main consideration. But once you become a walker, good socks become a necessity-and they don’t cost much more than plain old socks. Here’s what to look for:
Foot fit. The fit of walking socks is as important as the fit of walking shoes. Too tight, and they become constricting. Too loose, and they bunch up, causing irritation and increasing risk of blisters. In general, the right sock size for you is one to two sizes larger than your shoe size. Read sock packaging for specifics about fit.
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Walking is terrific exercise, and it’s literally as easy as putting one foot in front of the other.
It can be enjoyed indoors or out anywhere 365 days a year. It requires no training, no gym, no forcing yourself to do things you hate, and no special equipment (though a good pair of shoes and some good socks are wise investments).
During an average lifetime, the typical American walks more than 100,000 miles. If you walk just a little farther and a tad faster for a few minutes more each day, you’ll soon be on your way to losing weight and gaining better physical and mental health. You’ll also see some great scenery. “If you think ‘exercise’ means suffering, try walking,” says Mark Fenton, of Cohasset, Massachusetts, a five-time member of the U.S. National Racewalking Team and technical editor at Walking magazine. “Unlike many other fitness activities, there’s nothing yucky about it. You’re already good at it, and if you become a little more organized about it, walking can be both enjoyable and very good for you.”
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Daily activities burn more calories than you might imagine. If you become
a little more active in your daily life, you’re on you way to losing weight.
Daily Activities
| Activity | Calories Burned Per Hour |
| Sitting, watching TV | 100 |
| Standing | 140 |
| Making beds | 135 |
| Housework | 150 to 250 |
| Strolling | 210 |
| Raking leaves | 225 |
| Lawn-mowing (power) | 250 |
| Lawn-mowing (push mower) | 300-400 |
| Gardening | 300-450 |
Exercises
For weight control, walking is great exercise. Depending on your pace and
the terrains, it can burn as many calories as many forms of exercise that
seem much more strenuous.
| Exercise | Calories Burned Per Hour |
| Walking | |
| Level surface, 1-2 mph (strolling) | 120-150 |
| Level surface, 3 mph (leisurely walk) | 300 |
| Level surface, 3.5 mph (brisk) | 360 |
| Level surface, 4-5 mph (fast) | 420-480 |
| Downstairs | 425 |
| Downhill, 2.5 mph | 240 |
| Upstairs | 600-1080 |
| Uphill, 3.5 mph | 480-900 |
| Bicycling | |
| 5 mph | 240 |
| 8 mph | 300 |
| 10 mph | 420 |
| 13 mph | 660 |
| Badminton | 350 |
| Square Dancing | 350 |
| Bowling | 400 |
| Leisurely Swimming | 260-750 |
| Brisk Swimming | 360-500 |
| Doubles Tennis | 360 |
| Singles Tennis | 480 |
| Volley Ball (recreational) | 300 |
| Light Calisthenics | 360 |
| Strenuous Calisthenics | 600 |
| Softball | 280-400 |
| Golf–Riding in a powered cart | 240 |
| Golf–pulling a bag cart | 300 |
| Golf–carrying your own clubs | 360 |
| Jogging | 600-750 |
| Moderate running | 870-1,020 |
| Sprinting | 1,130-1,285 |
| Leisurely skating (ice or roller) | 420 |
| Fast skating | 700 |
| Downhill skiing | 500-600 |
| Cross country skiing | 560-1,020 |
| Basketball | 360-660 |
| Rowing machine | 840 |
Regular low-intensity exercise confers important health benefits, both physical and emotional. On the physical side, exercise physiologists say it:
Helps control weight. In addition to burning extra calories while you’re exercising, physical activity boosts “basal metabolic rate,” the rate the body burns calories while at rest. When you’re physically active, you continue to burn extra calories even after you stop exercising. “You may not lose 20 pounds taking leisurely strolls,” says John Duncan, Ph.D., former associate director of the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, “but you’ll be better able to maintain your current weight. With low-intensity exercise and a low-fat diet you’ll probably lose a few pounds. And if you take long brisk walks and eat a low-fat diet, you’ll lose more.”
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Are you overweight? Flabby? Hate exercise? Would’t be caught dead in a gym? Surprise! You still might be in decent physical condition. Our ancestors didn’t set aside time to “exercise.” They simply led physically active lives. Take this quiz to see how much exercise you get in your daily life. If you become just a little more active, you can shed unwanted pounds.
A) How many flights of stairs do you typically climb each day?
- none: 0 points
- 1 to 5: 1 point
- 6 to 9: 2 points
- 10 or more: 3 points
Adopt habits that automatically eliminate meat intake in the diet can be difficult to swallow, but if you choose this option as a habit that will accompany you for life get informed well before. Many people decide to become vegetarians without first consulting a nutrition expert, unaware of why they do and what they expect from it.
The follow a diet to lose weight .it can sometimes become a real torture if we set realistic goals and we use little tricks to the days when we control our food with greater rigidity are as bearable as possible.