Exercising for Weight Loss
When it comes to successful and lasting weight loss, eating well is only part of the battle. Physical activity will help inch you closer to your goal by both burning calories and building muscle. However, this isn’t the only reason to make exercise part of your day-to-day life. Exercise decreases stress, prevents disease, and simply makes you feel better.
How Much Is Enough?
You don’t need to join a fancy gym or buy pricey home equipment to build a good fitness program. Daily activities that count as physical activity include:
cleaning the house
walking to and from work
taking the stairs instead of the elevator
gardening
shopping
To really burn calories, however, you’ll want to get your heart pumping and break a sweat.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends healthy adults net at least two hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, using the elliptical machine, or swimming. Alternately, you can net one hour and 15 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity like running or cycling. This should be spread throughout the week. For most people, an exercise plan will mean 30 to 60 minutes of cardio on most days. In addition, recommendations call for strength-training exercises at least twice a week.