Losing weight through exercise is recommended for people who are obese. Although exercise is important, not everyone knows where to begin or what to do. It is important for an obese person to decide which exercises to do, how often, and consult with doctors, nutrition professionals and exercise professionals to prepare a workout plan for weight loss.
Increase Physical Activity
If you are currently inactive or are not very active, slowly increase your physical activity. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week or 75 minutes of vigorously intense physical activity per week. Not all of the physical activity has to be done at once. You can still get the benefits of exercise with 10 minute segments of exercise throughout the day. As you lose weight and get stronger, your segments of exercise can increase until you get to the 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity. It make take more time per week for you to control your weight--as much as 300 minutes of moderately intense aerobic exercise or 150 minutes of vigorously intense aerobic exercise. How much you need will depend on how much weight you need to lose and how intense your aerobic activity is.
What Aerobic Exercises to Do
An aerobic exercise is an exercise that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe hard for a sustained period of time. Examples of aerobic exercise include walking, running, cycling, swimming, and dancing. Games of basketball, soccer, and football are also aerobic exercises. Choose an exercise or combination of exercises that you will enjoy. If you do not enjoy the exercise, you will be less likely to continue. If you do not know what exercises you would like to do, start with walking and then try out another form of aerobic exercise until you find what you like.
Include Strength Training
Include strength training in your workout schedule to build lean muscle mass. Lean muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, so by adding lean muscle mass to your body, your metabolism, or rate of calorie burn, increases. Aerobic exercise burns fat as well, but adding lean muscle to your body keeps your metabolism higher for a longer period of time. Do strength training no more than 3 days per week and give at least one day's rest before training the same muscles again (See Reference 1). Use free weights, weight machines, your body weight, or resistance tubing for strength training. Consult a personal trainer before beginning a strength routine so that he or she can familiarize you with the proper form of exercises, use of machines, and create a program for you to use at home or the gym (See Reference 1). Make sure the trainer has a certification that is recognized by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) such as American Council on Exercise (ACE) or the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). See the Resource Section for a complete list of personal trainer certifications recognized by the NCCA (See Resource 1).
Getting Started
Before you start any exercise program, get clearance for a doctor or other medical professional for both aerobic and strength training exercises. This is important also if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, or another chronic illness. Getting clearance from your doctor will help you to understand any medical limitations you might have and any signs and symptoms to look out for in case your health is compromised during exercise. Simple things to do to increase physical activity include: taking a walking break during work, mowing the lawn, taking a beginner-level group exercise class, and going for a walk after dinner. Combine your new level of physical activity with an improved, lower-calorie diet to make sure your body has enough fuel for your activities and to create a calorie deficit that will result in weight loss.
Expectations
Average safe weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds per week. During the first couple of weeks of exercise, you may lose more weight due to your body getting used to increased activity and loss of water weight. Using the guideline of losing 1 to 2 pounds safely per week, you can create a weight loss goal that will encourage your success. An example would be setting a goal to lose 60 pounds in 32 weeks, or 8 months. This gives you room to adjust your exercise and diet to facilitate weight loss and take into account life changes and any weight loss plateaus.
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