What Are the Best Activities for Exercise?

Finding the right exercise takes some finesse. Take a look first at what you like to do because it is only the things you like to do that will keep you going back for more. Is it swimming, golf, tennis or a walk in the park that turns you on? If there isn’t a much loved exercise, experiment with those exercises you can do for the one or two that you dislike the least. Have a choice of indoor and outdoor exercises so you can exercise even when there is bad weather. Fitness DVDs are a great way to stay in shape year-round.

Put your all into the exercise. Walk at a brisk pace, run with conviction and swim with all your arms and legs. A good exercise workout has at least one moment in it when you wish you weren’t doing it. You feel that feeling and push past it, like pushing past the wall. On the other side of the wall, you find your stride and it’s not so bad after that.

The Right Activities for Exercise to Speed Weight Loss

Remember, as you lose weight, you burn less calories with every exercise activity you do. For example, leisurely bike riding burns 236 calories per hour if you weigh 130 pounds but burns 345 calories per hour if you weigh 190 pounds. This is why some people use weights to increase their caloric output. You can wear ankle weights or go all out and buy a weighted vest that tricks your body into thinking it is heavier than it is. You can burn more calories that way.

Consider buying at least one piece of exercise equipment that can be one of your indoor choices of exercise. The exercise equipment can be a bicycle, an elliptical machine, a rowing machine, or a treadmill. Plan on using that piece of equipment whenever the weather is bad or when you just don’t feel like going out. Think about where you will put the equipment. If you stuff it in the basement with the clothes dryer, you will be less likely to use it than if you put it in a family room with a television set for you to watch while you exercise. Leave a fitness DVD in the player so all you have to do is press "play" to get started.

How Often Should You Exercise? 

Aim for a bare minimum of a half hour a day, three days per week. Doing more and for a longer period of time is preferable and will help you to lose weight faster. Think about alternating an aerobic exercise with an anaerobic exercise like lifting weights or weight machines. Weight machines don’t burn as many calories as say, running, but it will tone your muscles and if you have a greater muscle mass, you will burn more calories all the time. It also prevents saggy arms and legs that can happen when you lose weightMake exercise your friend during your weight loss process and beyond. Exercising is often a rough start, but once your body gets used to it, you will come to respect it for what it is: a good weight management tool that can actually be fun.  

If your main interest for exercise is to lose weight, get some help with Dr. Pearsall's 500 Calorie Diet Protocol.