The Best Exercise Program for Natural Weight Loss

There are many activities that can improve your fitness and assist natural weight loss.

Doing both aerobic workouts and strength training is the optimal way to lose body fat and gain muscle.

Strength training involves several sets of multiple repetitions using moderate weights. This will not result in huge muscles, instead it builds bone mass and increases your metabolism, as well as toning and firming the muscles, rewarding you with a leaner look.

Walking Is Best For Weight Loss

If it has been a while since you did regular exercise start out with a simple fitness program. You do not need to punish yourself with exercise.

Walking is one of the best overall activities. Even twenty to thirty minutes every day is fine. Just make sure you do this – no excuses.

Walking can be done almost anywhere. It places very little strain on your joints and involves all the major muscle groups. It can be done alone or with a group at your individual pace.

Tips On Walking

• Walking is a great fitness activity to assist weight loss. Here are some tips for success:

• Walk as fast as you can. Walk within your limits, gradually increasing your workout time and pace.

• Conquer some hills. Walking up and down hills adds to the intensity of the workout. This increases your capacity to burn fat and will help tone your butt and thighs.

• Walk whenever you can. Think about leaving your car at home when you go to social activities or shopping, walk for 20 minutes in your lunch break and take the stairs instead of the lift. Incidental exercise over a day does add up.

• As your energy levels and health improve you will be able to tolerate a greater amount of exercise, which leads to increased weight loss.

• When doing any form of exercise it is important to warm up and cool down. A warm up can be as simple as starting your activity at a low level and then gradually increasing the intensity over a five-minute time span.

• When you are cooling down decrease the intensity of your workout. Stretching can be incorporated in to a cool down.

Running

Check with your personal trainer or health practitioner to see if running is advisable for you. If so, running is a great exercise to boost the intensity of your exercise session.

Running works major muscle groups and burns lots of calories so is great for weight loss. It also boosts blood flow, defends against the loss of fast-twitch muscle (the kind you lose with age) and decreases the risk of diabetes.

Start off slow as running places more force on your body and always work within your limits. You may find interchanging running with brisk walking works well for you until your fitness levels improve.

Strength Training

The body burns calories in muscle cells, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest. So add some strength training into your exercise routine.

Tips On Strength Training

• Find a Fitness Trainer who can provide personalised weight training instructions for you to follow.

Remember to Stretch

Do you have trouble touching your toes? Do you suffer from back pain? If so, you could benefit from regular stretching to improve flexibility.

Stretching reduces muscle tension after exercise and prevents injuries. Stretching is convenient and can be done at home.

Stretching as part of your cool down after exercise is recommended. You may also want to try Yoga or Pilates to improve flexibility.

Tips on Stretching

• Take your time stretching. Relax into the stretch and hold the stretch for at least 20 seconds.

• Do not bounce in the stretch. This increases the risk of injury and actually tightens the muscles.

• Remember to breathe while stretching. This improves circulation and oxygen supply to the muscles.

• Stretching should not cause pain. Stretch to the point where you can feel the muscle lengthening. If you are sore and your muscles feel tight the next day you may have overstretched your muscles.

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