The South Beach Diet is a low-carb eating plan meant to help a person achieve weight loss. The plan was developed by Dr. Arthur Agatson as a way to eat low-carb food without adding a lot of saturated fat to the diet. Most of your meals focus on lean sources of protein, such as chicken, beans, turkey, fish, egg whites and reduced-fat dairy products. To lose weight effectively, you need to develop a workout plan along with dieting. Speak to your doctor before you start a new diet or workout routine.
Benefits
According to the book "South Beach Diet Supercharged," you should plan to exercise for at least 19 minutes most days of the week. The workout that the book promises will boost your metabolism is an interval training routine. During interval training, you exercise at a steady pace for most of the time but add in short intervals of high-intensity exercise. The book states that the high-intensity sessions help your body burn more calories all day, even after physical activity has ended.
Features
A sample interval walking routine would be to start off with a two-minute easy warm-up at a slow and steady pace, then walk for 30 seconds at a very fast pace. After 30 seconds, walk at a moderate pace for 60 seconds. Repeat the pattern for a total of 10 minutes and end with a two-minute cool-down.
Considerations
On the days you are not interval training, focus on your core with strength-training exercises. An example of a core exercise you can perform is pelvic lifts. To do a pelvic lift, lie flat on a mat with your arms at your sides. Bend your knees and lift your buttocks off of the floor to form a bridge. Hold for 15 seconds and release. Repeat the move 10 times.
Criticism
The benefits of certain forms of exercises with the South Beach Diet might be exaggerated by the author, according to "USA Today." Although interval walking can be beneficial, it does not burn calories all day. If interval walking is not for you, you can use other workouts, such as cycling, jogging and swimming to exercise while following the diet.
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