When you burn more calories, you lose weight easier, and exercise is a key component to burning calories. This is nothing new, but amazingly very few people find time to do something that’s so important to the body. Our modern society emphasizes ease and comfort, and we forget that burning calories is a natural process of moving around and exerting energy.
Hundreds of years ago, there were no cars, airplanes, elevators, or televisions. Office jobs did not exist and burning calories to lose weight came with something as simple as washing clothes because of the physical labor involved. The body was meant for daily exercise. Unfortunately, very few manage to exercise regularly.
Regular exercise is great for burning calories and will make your body more efficient at burning fat. As a result, your daily metabolism will be significantly higher.
The good news is that exercise does not have to be strenuous to lose weight. A brisk walk for 25 minutes or more is one of the best exercises for burning calories. If you have young kids and leaving the house is a problem, consider riding a stationary bike. Swimming and stationary biking are great for people who suffer from chronic back or joint pain because it exerts the least amount of pressure on the back and joints.
There are other exercises for burning calories such as aerobic dancing to your favorite video or playing sports. Swimming is an excellent way for conditioning and burning calories. Have you ever seen an amateur or professional swimmer with an ounce of body fat?
So, what is the problem?
The #1 complaint concerning exercise is time! How do we find time to exercise?
THIS YOU MUST UNDERSTAND
Regular exercise is a way to help you lose weight and keep it off. It’s not an overnight process. It takes months before you see results. Exercise must become a priority in your life. You should commit 30 minutes per day, 4 to 5 times a week. Exercise should not be strenuous. If it is, you won’t do it! Exercise heals the mind and body. Regular exercise will make you FEEL BETTER physically and emotionally and of course, it is great for burning calories.
Here are 5 Ways to Find Time for Exercise
#1 Schedule Your Exercise in Advance
Don’t just exercise whenever you feel like it because you will never do it that way. Schedule regular times to exercise in the morning, during your lunch break or immediately after work. The best time is after waking up. An early morning routine keeps the hectic pace of life from burning away your time. Another good time saver is to walk 3 to 4 times a week during your lunch break with a friend.
#2 Make Your Exercise Routine Fun
Find ways to make it fun. If you use the stationary bike, then ride while watching your favorite television program. Try an amusing aerobic exercise video. Enlist your neighbor or spouse to take daily walks with you. Take the dog for a regular ½ hour walk. Once your dog gets in the habit of walking with you, they beg for that special time to spend with you. This will keep you motivated to make time to exercise.
#3 Alternate different types of exercises
Consider alternating your exercise routine of walking with stationary bike riding or aerobic dance video. This gives you different ways to exercise, which is the key to burning calories. Try to SCHEDULE YOUR TIME in ADVANCE, preferably in the morning. By alternating different exercises, you will be more likely to do them and therefore make time to exercise.
#4 Use Your Break or Lunch Time at Work to Walk
You can incorporate a walking routine at work by simply using your breaks to walk. Explore a 10-to-15-minute path to walk at your job. The path can be around the building multiple times or even around the parking lot multiple times. The average walking pace takes about 27 minutes to walk one mile. If you can walk one mile per day at work, then you have already got your exercise done for the day. You can even extend your exercise time when you get home but at least you have completed a basic 25-to-27-minute exercise by simply walking at work. You can combine two 10-minute walks during your breaks and a 15-minute walk during lunch for a total of 35 minutes of exercise.
#5 Consider Group Exercise Classes at Your Local Health Club
Many health clubs have group exercise classes that are part of your basic membership. Group exercise classes have pre-established times that you must be there. These classes meet several times per week, and you can pick the days and times you want to participate. You don’t have to join a Spinning Class which, by the way, burns lots of calories but may be too strenuous. Instead, join a stationary bike riding class for beginners or intermediates. These classes will keep the pace much lower than a typical Spinning Class. There’s also group aerobic classes that not only get your heart rate up but improve your ability to stretch. Try to go directly to the health club after work. If you can avoid stopping at home, you will not be distracted from accomplishing your workout !
