If you are considered morbidly obese, it is vital to attempt an aerobic exercise regimen to improve your health and lose body fat. Regular aerobic exercise may help prevent heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and hypertension. People struggling to lose large amounts of weight may become discouraged with a weight-loss plan, but several tips can keep you going to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. However, if you are medically obese, consult your doctor before beginning a new exercise regimen.
Aerobic Exercises
Georgia State University defines aerobic exercise as a rhythmic activity that utilizes large muscle groups. Aerobic exercise includes walking, jogging, running, swimming, bicycling and any other activity that uses large muscle groups for a period of time. You should try to perform aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes at a time, incorporating warmup and cooldown periods. If you can't perform 20 minutes of aerobic activity at once, do as much as you can and build on this until you can perform 20 minutes of continuous activity.
Get Moving
If you are used to a sedentary lifestyle, it is often difficult to find a place to start when implementing a new exercise regimen. Start off small by taking a leisurely walk around your neighborhood or a nearby park or track. If you enjoy sports, invite a friend, co-worker or family member to go golfing or play a game of tennis. Join a gym and participate in group aerobic activities such as aerobics, yoga or Pilates. Whatever your physical interests, get involved in an active hobby that you enjoy.
Set Realistic Goals
When beginning a new exercise regimen, it is often tempting to set unrealistic goals for yourself in an attempt to quickly lose body fat. However, this is dangerous if you can't meet those goals. You will likely become discouraged when you see that you are not meeting your unrealistically high goals. Start off small, with obtainable short term goals. Keep a journal of your daily physical activity and build on this from week to week, adding more time and intensity in your daily workout sessions. Even if you lose only a few pounds a week, this amount of weight loss will quickly add up in time, and you are more apt to stick to an obtainable weight loss goal.
Physical Progression
As you see your physical progression build over time, continue to set new goals for yourself. Refer to your aerobic activity journal regularly to be sure that you are continually progressing physically and setting new obtainable goals. This will keep you losing weight and help prevent a workout burnout. Change your aerobic exercise regimen regularly, alternating between different types of aerobic activity to keep your workout program fresh and interesting.
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