So how do you give your metabolism the boost that it needs? One way is by eating foods that are high in proteins, eating them early in the day and drinking plenty of water. All three will boost your metabolism. Then, of course, there is the “E” word. This is the one word that people who are trying to lose weight never want to hear. It is also very misunderstood. The word, of course, is exercise. This is what many diet gurus and those pushing “magic” pills will tell you that you can avoid when trying to lose weight. Trying to lose weight, any amount of weight, without exercise is a colossal waste of time. The good news about exercise is that it happens to be the “magic” potion that you need not only to lose weight, but also to maintain good physical and mental health.
Each year after the New Year, millions of people nationwide make a pilgrimage to health clubs everywhere, signing up for lifetime memberships with the intent to “get healthy” after binging incessantly during the holiday season. By March, most people have given up on the health club and are not going regularly. Attendance at the health club continues to dwindle and eventually drop off completely. Until January when the entire process starts again.
Each year, millions of people purchase expensive exercise equipment for their homes and pay large monthly installments to keep this equipment. This also occurs around January. And by March, many people have very expensive clothes hangers or dust collectors in their house. You can usually find many of these items at garage sales by the summer.
The point I am trying to make is that exercise is not something that you should do on a whim to try to lose weight - it should be a part of your life. And you don’t need to have expensive equipment or join a gym to exercise. Any increase in physical activity on a daily basis will enable you to not only lose weight, but also to feel better. You will find that exercise not only increases your metabolism, but it also gives your immune system a boost.
You do not have to buy equipment or join a club to exercise. And you can use exercise to both boost your metabolism as well as relax you before bed. You can do this right in the privacy of your own home, or close to home, simply by understanding the importance of activity as well as how cardiovascular exercise and stretching can work.
The reason that many people fail at exercising, which is actually a very simple concept, is that they tend to overdo it when they start out. In an effort to lose as much weight as possible, they end up over exerting themselves on machines or at the health club and pull muscles. They also fail to warm up properly or cool down properly as well. This tends to defeat the purpose of exercise as you will be forced to be sedentary while your muscles heal.
You have probably heard that you should not exercise close to bedtime or right after a meal. This is true when it comes to cardiovascular exercises, which are designed to get your circulatory system pumping and allow you to burn fat. You do not want to do this before bed as it will give you a burst of energy that may make it difficult for you to fall asleep.
Exercise can give you a natural source of energy that is better than any so called “energy drink” on the market. And it has no calories or chemicals. It is one thing that is easy to do and is good for you in a variety of different ways. Even if you have a difficult time getting around, you can still participate in some form of cardiovascular exercise.
One form of cardiovascular exercise that will help you lose weight, give you a burst of energy and also alleviate stress (which is a big factor in why many people are overweight) is brisk walking. Taking a brisk walk around the block in the morning before you go to work will get your metabolism working right away and help you burn fat throughout the day. If you are not a morning person and find it difficult to get up a half an hour earlier in the morning to do this quick walk around your block, you can do this when you get home from work. A brisk walk is one of the best ways to perform cardiovascular exercising and is low impact.
Low impact means that it is easy on your knees and back. As we get older, our joints start to stiffen up, making exercising more difficult. Think back when you were a kid and had tons of energy. You never walked anywhere, you ran. You played all day outside, running around, and still had energy to spare. This is not so with adults. As we age, our metabolism slows down, we find we have less energy and it gets more difficult to exercise. When we do not use our muscles for long periods of time except to flip the remote switch on the TV, they tend to get stiff. This makes exercising more difficult.
If you want to lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks, you have to increase your level of physical activity. The easiest way to do this is to take a brisk walk in the morning. Getting your motor running early is the best way to lose weight and is essential for quick weight loss. If you are like most people, however, your morning routine goes something like this:
1). Alarm goes off, you hit the snooze button and sleep as long as possible.
2). You put the coffee / tea on and hit the shower to get ready for work.
3). You get dressed, groomed and drink a cup of coffee / tea while getting ready to leave.
4). You do not allow any time for anything else, you
are on a tight schedule.
5). You get ready and maybe take a cup of coffee with you when you are heading out the door.
6). You rush to work either bucking traffic or taking a train. You might stop for more coffee.
7). You get to work and then settle at your desk.
8). Your body feels like it is just starting to wake up as you get yet another cup of coffee / tea.
Does that sound like you? You’re far from alone. This is how most people start their day. Then they wonder why they are stressed out and tired all the time. If you tell someone that they should exercise in the morning, the first thing they will say is that they “don’t have time.”
Think about it - you have time to take a shower and get fixed up for work, right? You have time to put a pot of coffee on, right? Exercise in the morning should be just as important to your health and well being as taking a morning shower and should take precedence over the coffee. Try this routine instead:
1). Alarm goes off 10 minutes ahead of schedule.
2). You actually get up and toss on some sweats.
3). Dressed for the weather, you head out your door and take a brisk walk around your block for 10 minutes.
4). You shower and groom, getting ready for work.
5). You drink a glass of water and eat instant oatmeal for breakfast without the sugar (you can sweeten it with pure maple syrup or honey which is less fattening).
6). You head out the door and drive to work, feeling a lot more energetic. Okay, you can take your coffee with you.
4). You get to work and feel more awake, less grumpy and ready to work.
5). You drink another glass of water while you are at work.
The first scenario will not aid you in losing weight. The second scenario can make all the difference and can easily help you lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks. Oatmeal is a good whole grain that is also good for your heart. You are giving your body fuel and boosting your metabolism with food, exercise and water. You can take two people and give them the same diet and activity for the rest of the day, and the one who starts the day off with scenario two will lose more weight and be in better shape than the person who practices scenario one. Not only will they be in better shape physically, but mentally as well.
Exercise gets your motor going. Feeding the motor with fuel (the oatmeal, for example) does not take a long time and will actually help you burn more calories throughout the day. Remember that your metabolism is always burning calories, even when you are traveling to work. When it is revved up, it burns them faster. This is why a good morning routine is essential if you want to lose weight.
Now if you are just not a morning person, you can still help yourself by exercising when you get home from work. You should still eat something in the morning that is good for you (a boiled egg is another excellent way to start the day) to boost your metabolism. Your body has shut down for the night and your metabolism has slowed down. In order to rev it up, you need to give it fuel. That is why breakfast is given its name. You are breaking the fast. You are giving your body the energy it needs to start your engines and burn off calories.
Any type of exercise that gets your heart pumping such as running, jogging, speed walking, walking, stair climbing, can be considered cardiovascular exercise. You do not have to overdo it. You do have to increase the level if you are going to lose weight. If you have been used to jogging in the morning, for example, you should either jog for a longer period of time or run. The main thing that you want to remember when you exercise is that you want to increase your level of activity to enable your body to burn more calories.
Walking is the best exercise for someone who is used to being inactive. It is low impact and will still manage to boost your metabolism. You can walk at a brisk pace and get your motor going. If you can do this in the morning, the weight loss will be easier.
Get into a routine when it comes to exercise and make it easy on yourself. Start out slowly and gradually build up your routine. As the pounds start to come off and you feel better about how you look, you will start to look forward to your routine and will also be able to increase your level of activity. Not only will you be able to lose weight, but you will feel more energized throughout the day.
If you are planning on running or doing strenuous exercise, make sure that you warm up first by doing a series of stretching exercises. This will get your muscles ready for exercise and decrease the chances of causing damage to the muscles. You can lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks without overdoing it when it comes to exercise.
Exercise can also be used as a way to relax you so that you get a good night’s sleep. Many people today are so stressed that they complain of trouble sleeping. Take a few minutes each night to do some stretching and some yoga exercises and you will feel more relaxed before bed time and will get a better night of sleep.
While we are on the subject of sleeping, it is also a good idea to try to maintain a regular sleeping schedule when you are trying to lose weight. This is actually a good idea for anyone. You should try to go to bed around the same time each night and wake up the same time each morning. This is good for your internal body clock and will aid in regulating your metabolism.
So, while it is important exercise when you are trying to lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks, you do not have to buy a gym membership, get fancy equipment or over exert yourself. You just have to increase your level of physical activity through some form of cardiovascular exercise, preferably in the morning, in order to lose weight.
After you have lost the 20 pounds that you want to lose, do not give up on exercise. You should continue to take your walks and perform relaxing stretching techniques as this is a good way for you to not only keep the weight off, but also stay physically and mentally healthy as well.
Tomorrow;s section will be: Mind Over Matter
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