One of the best ways to lose weight and keep it off is to incorporate aerobic exercise into your daily life. For those who have not exercised much before you will need to take it slowly with exercises that are low impact such as rowing machines, elliptical trainers or exercise bikes. You don't need to join a gym at first as you can start with fast, power walking instead. Start slowly and don't try to do too much too soon. You are much more likely to keep up the exercise routine if you begin with short sessions and slowly increase both the intensity and time.
Starting High Intensity Aerobic Exercising
Once you have made a good start and are exercising regularly it is time to step up the intensity and length of time you do aerobic exercises. High intensity aerobic exercise classes are available that will burn a lot of calories in a short time, sometimes as much as 700 calories an hour. Classes are fun and exercising with a class can help you to stay motivated. Classes are usually held at a local gym where you can also use the exercise machines that will help you to lose weight quickly and improve your health at the same time
Low impact aerobic exercise machines, such as elliptical trainers and rowing machines, are great for burning calories and losing weight and are ideal for anyone that has joint problems. They will not put pressure on knees and backs and are fun to use. Make sure you exercise in your 'heart rate training zone' so that you burn up the calories and maximise the benefits of your exercising. You can calculate your target heart rate with this Target Heart Rate Calculator. Using a treadmill is a popular way to exercise aerobically but is not so low impact so is not so suitable if you have knee or other joint problems.
If you don't want to join a gym there are many other options to incorporate aerobic exercise into your life. You can exercise at home with DVD's. Some are great fun and include kick boxing, hip hop dancing, fitness ball workouts even exercise DVD's based on 60's, 70's or 80's music. Pick your favorites and dance off the pounds! There are many different types of dance classes you could join including jazz, salsa, flamenco etc that are all great for aerobic exercise.
Another alternative is to buy some running shoes and start power walking in your neighborhood or local park. Once you are fitter you can progress to jogging. Don't forget the exercise opportunities in your daily life. A great way to do aerobic exercises at home is to run up and down the stairs instead of walking!
How Often Should You Exercise for Maximum Weight Loss?
To have an effect on your weight you need to exercise for at least 45 minutes five times a week. At this rate, and combined with a healthy diet, you may start to see some results in about a month.
How Can You keep Motivated?
Aerobic exercising is a great way to lose weight if you keep it up so choose exercises that you find fun to do so you don't get bored and give up. Exercising with a friend is a good way to keep motivated. It's much easier to go out for a run if you arrange to do it regularly with a friend and help to motivate each other.
Conclusion
When combined with a healthy, low calorie diet aerobic exercising is an effective way to lose weight and improve your general health. It is easy to start an exercise routine but much tougher to keep it up so make sure you enjoy the type of exercise you have chosen so that you stay motivated and make an aerobic exercise routine part of your daily life.
image by Ed Yourdon
