Exercise builds stronger muscles, which burn more calories than fat does even after your exercise session is over. Thus, exercise helps to boost your metabolism, making it easier to burn more calories than you consume. Without a doubt, losing weight with exercise requires discipline. But there are several things you can do to make it easier and increase your chances of success.
Change Your Routine
Supplement your exercise program by adding more physical activity to your daily routine. Some simple first steps may include parking in the farthest parking spot, walking to the corner grocery store rather than driving, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Perhaps you could bike to work or squeeze in a brisk walk during your lunch break. Look for as many ways as you can to add movement, rather than eliminate it, from your routine. Remember that each activity alone may not be that demanding, but the cumulative effect can result in considerable energy use each day, according to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.
Do What You Enjoy
Choose exercise activities that you like and will look forward to doing. A schedule of at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five times a week is much easier to maintain if you don’t dread the activity. You may want to consider a routine that incorporates a variety of activities so you don’t feel as if you are stuck in a rut after a few months, but make sure your selected activities are easy to do. For example, walking doesn’t require any special equipment beyond good walking shoes, and you can usually find a place to walk even if you’re away from home for several days.
Set Yourself Up for Success
Schedule your exercise time just as you schedule other events and meetings so that you’re not continually tempted to put if off until later in the day. Take advantage of the buddy system by finding someone who has similar exercise goals and a similar pace. You’ll be less likely to cancel your scheduled exercise if you have an exercise partner waiting for you.
Identify a Plan B
If you can’t run outside on a cold or rainy day, for example, decide in advance what will you do instead. Develop an alternative exercise plan for those times when your day—or life in general—isn’t going as you had planned. Fitness Magazine reports that women who had a written plan B exercised twice as much as those who did not, according to one study at Columbia University.
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