 How to lose weight without relying on exercise
Think exercise alone is enough
to shed the pounds? Think again. Exercise is a key facet of a healthy
lifestyle and it helps you burn off calories — but it also can stimulate
hunger, which can contribute to weight gain.
People need to spend between 60 and 90 minutes exercising each day if
they hope to use physical activity to lose weight, according to the
American College of Sports and Medicine. But it’s what happens after the
workout that can negate the results of all your sweaty labor. Here are
some key tips on how to lose weight and make sure you don’t undo all
your good work in the gym.
 Step 1 - Skip the High-Calorie Rewards
Getting through a tough workout is a huge feat — but many people are
bulking up with high-calorie foods after their workouts as a reward.
Putting on more calories than you burn in your post-workout meal will
negate your results. And eating large meals after you sweat it out isn’t
so great either. It is amazing how many calories are in some foods,
especially those coined as healthy. Is exercise good? Absolutely. But
not because it burns calories. Diet is about weight. Exercise is about
health.
Step 2 - Choose Smarter Refueling Foods
When you’re starving after a workout, turning to smarter foods will
help you refuel without packing on extra pounds. After a workout, your
muscles require material to recuperate. Choose a light meal within two
hours after working out, and make sure to have something balanced with
protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats too. Foods with
potassium such as bananas, potatoes or raisins can help replace the
potassium that is lost by sweating during a workout.
Step 3 - Don’t Stop Working Out
Exercise still has a number of positive effects, especially for heart
health, cognitive function and overall mental health. Recent studies
show older people who exercise at least once a week are 30 percent more
likely to maintain cognitive function than those who do not exercise as
much. People with chronic back pain who exercise four times a week
experience a 36 percent less disability than those who exercise only two
or three days a week. So, the results are there—you just have to apply
exercise with smart eating habits.
Exercise can help you lose weight. You must burn about 3,500 calories
to lose a pound. If you burn 300 calories in one workout, it will take
12 workouts to lose a pound, but you’ll also be eating in the meantime.
Eat lower calorie meals and you can see better results more quickly. To
lose weight, aim for about 200 minutes per week of moderate intensity
exercise and be consistent with your eating.
Step 4 - Keep Moving
It’s hard to tell whether outright sweating and rigorous exercise
triumphs more leisurely activities such as golfing and gardening. Recent
studies show kids moving intensely all day sometimes get more tired
after school, while children that engaged in moderate activity all day
are more likely to be active after school hours. Moreover children
moving in short bursts, such as running to catch a ball, are just as
healthy as children that take part in sports that require sustained
exercise.
An hour of exercise per day yields an average fat loss of just six
pounds over the course of several months. And because most people only
exercise 30 minutes a day, that’s just three pounds. It’s no reason to
skip the gym but it does show that the gym isn’t the only option.
Exercise is great medicine for general health and a great add-on to
dieting. But it isn’t essential, and by itself doesn’t do much. All the
evidence suggests that exercise is less important than what goes in your
mouth, and when.
Step 5 - Eat a Healthy Diet
Even what you think may be healthy can be loaded with calories and
fat, so read labels. So, what works? It’s a good idea to research
healthy, mindful eating and talk about your diet with a professional to
see what works best for you.
- www.ehow.com |
