Mon 4 Aug 2008
You heart is the one thing that will help you lose weight and have a happier life. That old saying of “home is where the heart is” comes back to us. It comes back in both the poetic sense and the physical sense.
Exercise has been advertised as not being important anymore, with the invention of the ever-present diet pill. In advertising, this is the most untrue statement ever released. Without any, even the smallest form, exercise, there will be no weight loss.
The average amount wanted to lose, in America, is 20 pounds. Having not been successful in keeping the weight off, these are the people who have tried working out and dieting. Those 20 pounds will be gone for good with exercise, eating right and a little self-control.
Eating right and moving a round a bit more than usual will help to lose weight but not that average 20 pounds. Cardio and aerobic exercises increase blood flow and oxygen flow, which in turn increases adrenaline and muscle movement and growth. These are the only things that will help you to lose weight.
With the heightening of the heart rate in mind, cardio exercises are performed. 220 minus your age times 75% is the ideal heart rate for a person. A person who is 40 would have an optimal heart rate of 135.
While exercising it is difficult to check your heart rate. Multiplying the number you find by holding your wrist above your thumb and counting the beats for fifteen minutes by 4 is your heart rate. An easier way to do this is by buying a small device to do the counting for you.
To determine if your exercise is at the level you need it to be, counting your heart rate isn’t the only way. You are working out too hard if you cannot hold a conversation with a companion. You are not working out hard enough if you can hold a conversation with a companion and you are not sweating.
As long as you are working up a sweat of some kind, then you are working your heart, this is the difference between cardio and aerobic exercises. In aerobic exercises, gardening and cycling are considered the same type of exercise. Getting your heart pumping is the key to aerobic exercises.
Aerobic ideals are that a good work out is about 10-20 minutes a day. If you are looking to lose more than just slim down, then about 30-40 minutes is recommended. Working out every day for hours on end is not necessary to reach your goals.
An average of 20 pounds can be lost depending upon the amount of time spent exercising. Give yourself at least a year to reach your goal if you have not been active for the last couple of years. An indication to take it easy in the beginning is any form of physical or heart defect.
It is always important to speak to your medical professional before starting any new program. The amount of exercise that is good for you will be dictated by your doctor. There is also a list of exercises, both cardio and aerobic, that your doctor will give you that will be the most beneficial to your goal.