Starting a weight loss program takes courage. You have to look at yourself in the mirror and say, "Today I'm going to make a change. I'm going to consistently exercise and eat healthfully. I will not beat myself up if I make a mistake. I will get up and keep trying because my future and my livelihood depend on it." Then you have to follow through on the promise to yourself. If you have not been exercising regularly, talk with your doctor to get clearance for exercise and talk with a fitness professional to get tips on adhering to a weight loss program.
Walking for Weight Loss
The Mayo Clinic cites weight management, lower cholesterol, improved mood and a lowered risk or improved management of type 2 diabetes as just a few of the benefits of a regular walking program.
To start a walking program, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of walking each day. If you haven't been exercising and you don't think that 30 minutes of consecutive walking is feasible, that's okay; break your exercise up into segments and perform them throughout the day. Take a 10-minute trip around the block before breakfast. Use a portion of your lunch break to walk the halls of your building, and meet a friend for a short walk in the evening.
As you find yourself adjusting to your exercise program, try to go a little bit longer or push yourself a little bit harder each day. Identify landmarks to help yourself set mini goals. For instance, you could say to yourself, "I'm going to pick up my pace from here until that light post up ahead, then I can slow back down again." Or if you want to walk farther, identify a landmark that you want to make it to, and gradually work your way to that point.
According to the Mayo Clinic, walking briskly at a 3.5 mile per hour pace will burn 277 calories in an hour.
Circuit Training for Weight Loss
The Free Dictionary defines circuit training as "a method of physical conditioning in which one moves from one exercise to another, usually in a series of different stations or pieces of equipment." Circuit training workouts can be done at home or at a fitness center, like Curves, but typically involve weight training exercises that focus on different muscle groups and don't allow for much rest.
Preset programs like Curves are often the best bet for beginners. The American Council on Exercise determined that the Curves workout was good for individuals who had been sedentary and the workout burned calories in a similar fashion to a moderate-intensity walk.
If you want to start your own circuit at home, warm up by walking or jogging in place for five minutes, then move between different weight-bearing exercises timed at a minute each. Move back and forth between exercises that work your lower body and upper body and continue moving until you have performed 30 minutes exercise.
Listen to your body. Expect to feel a little discomfort, but if you feel pain, stop the exercise and try something else. The purpose of the circuit is to keep moving in order to keep your heart rate elevated, but if 30 minutes of consecutive exercise is too much, shoot for 10 minutes, and gradually increase the time until you can perform a full 30-minute workout.
Swimming for Weight Loss
Swimming is a non-weight bearing activity that makes it a good choice for individuals who have joint ailments, or are overweight or pregnant.
If you haven't been swimming in a while, be prepared to initially feel like a fish out of water. Ask a swim instructor to watch your form and give you a few pointers to ease the transition back into the pool.
Aim to swim for 30 minutes, five days a week. The first few weeks you may want to set aside an hour of your time so that you allow yourself plenty of time for breaks. Warm up with a slow and steady stroke for roughly five minutes, then work yourself up to a moderately difficult pace. You don't want to be working so hard that you have difficulty catching your breath. Every length of the pool, switch up your strokes so that you don't overtax yourself. Swim down the pool freestyle, back breast stroke, down again with a kickboard doing flutter kick, back again with breast stroke kicks. Try to keep moving between lengths rather than stopping at the end of the pool.
Initially, set time goals, such as swimming for 10 minutes straight, followed by a five-minute break. As that becomes easier, see if you can go a little bit longer, and work your way up to swimming for 30 minutes straight. Once you can swim for 30 minutes, start setting distance goals. Aim to complete a certain number of laps within the 30-minute time frame.
According to the Mayo Clinic, if a 160-lb. person swims laps for 30 minutes, he will burn just over 250 calories.
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