Achieving a healthy body weight is important to reduce your risk of certain diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. It will also help you maintain a positive self image and improve your mood and focus. By combining cardiovascular exercise with strength training, you will burn fat and build muscle, making your weight loss goal of 20 lb. attainable.
Weight Loss Basics
MayoClinic.com states while you can lose weight without exercise, exercise can help you burn more calories than you would with just dieting. To achieve weight loss you need to burn more calories than you consume. To lose weight the healthy way you should aim to lose 1 to 2 lb. per week. This will put you at your weight loss goal of 20 lb. in 10 to 20 weeks.
Recommendations
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a healthy adult under the age of 65 needs to engage in cardiovascular exercise at a moderate intensity for 60 to 90 minutes five days per week to achieve weight loss. Moderate intensity means you are working hard enough to sweat and raise your heart rate. Examples of cardiovascular exercises are running, walking, swimming or using the elliptical. For strength training ACSM recommends doing eight to 10 exercises during your workout to work each muscle group. You should perform eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week. This can be done using your own body weight, free weights or weight machines.
Workout Options
It is important to warm up before beginning strength training to prevent injury. Your warm up can include walking on a treadmill or using the elliptical. Perform your warm up for five to 10 minutes at a comfortable pace. If you are a beginner you should start with weight machines to learn proper form and technique. For example, use the chest press, seated row and leg extension to build muscle. As you progress you can incorporate free weights into exercises -- such as dumbbell bicep curls, dumbbell shoulder press and dumbbell lunges and squats. As you advance, the American Council on Exercise recommends doing exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once to burn more calories and decrease boredom. Since many people claim they don't have time to exercise, combining muscle groups can decrease the time you spend in the gym.
Considerations
Without proper nutrition it will be difficult and take much longer to lose 20 lb. then by exercising alone. Choose healthy food options, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. For protein sources, choose lean cuts such as chicken, turkey breast, fish and lean ground beef. Avoid sugar and saturated fat. Instead, consume healthy fats such as olive oil, vegetable oils, nuts and nut butters. When choosing dairy products, avoid the full fat versions and consume low fat or fat-free, such as skim milk and low fat cottage cheese.
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