If you are obese or overweight, it's no secret that your overall health can be compromised. Not to mention, self esteem can take a major hit and you can develop issues with public acceptance. A good workout program to lose weight can be your saving grace in this situation. However, if you do not know where to start, you can end up doing nothing at all.
Step 1
Make an appointment with your doctor before partaking in any physical activity to make sure you are capable of exercising without any complications.
Step 2
Write down your goals and be as specific as possible. Include how much weight you want to lose, what size pants you want to fit into, how you want your range of motion to improve and how you want to be able to walk up stairs without being winded. Set a time frame to reach all these goals as well.
Step 3
Step onto a scale to find out your starting weight. Do this first thing in the morning as soon as you roll out of bed. Use the bathroom and then weigh yourself while wearing no clothes to be as accurate as you can.
Step 4
Find out your time of availability. Decide how much time you have to devote to working out and factor in what time of day you are going to exercise. Pencil it into your planner just like you would any other appointments.
Step 5
Add weight lifting into your workout to build metabolically active muscle. Do weight training two to three times a week and perform exercises that target your chest, shoulders, back, triceps, biceps and legs. These are your major muscle groups. Chest presses, front presses, bent-over rows, triceps extensions, biceps curls and lunges are all examples of exercises. Aim for 10 to 12 reps and three to four sets as a starting point.
Step 6
Add cardiovascular exercise into your workout program to burn calories. Running, elliptical training, indoor cycling, stair climbing, swimming, rowing and fast paced walking are all examples. Do cardio four to five days a week for at least 30 minutes.
Step 7
Figure out where you are going to work out. Decide if you are going to join a gym or work out from the comfort of your home. If you are going to work out at home, look into purchasing some home gym equipment like an adjustable bench, dumbbells, Swiss ball, resistance bands and a cardio machine.
Step 8
Make sure to follow a clean diet or your workouts will be canceled out. Eat high quality, nutrient dense foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and low-fat dairy. Keep your calories under control and chew your food nice and slow to prevent overeating.
Step 9
Stick with the program once you get started to achieve the best results. Refer to your goals on a daily or weekly basis to keep yourself motivated to keep pushing on. Remember to be patient and persistent.
Tips and Warnings
- Do exercises that you like to do to keep yourself interested and prevent burnout. If you are unsure about proper form and you want to really get dialed in with your workouts, deploy the services of a personal trainer for a few sessions.
Things You'll Need
- Scale
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