Bodyweight Exercises: Lose Weight Without Dieting
Losing weight and getting in shape are not the same thing. Warren Sapp, at over 300 pounds, was quicker and more agile than people half his size. And Nicole Richie lost a lot of weight, but clearly does not look in shape. Getting in shape will generally melt away the excess fat you're carrying around. Combining a well-planned routine with a proper diet will heolp you lose (fat) weight and get in shape the quickest. Now, how can you lose weight without dieting?
Losing weight is a very simple equation: burning more calories than you take in == weight loss. So the idea is to burn more calories throughout the day than you take in. The more calories you burn, the faster the weight comes off. But, the more calories you burn, the more stress you put your body under. And stress will eventually break your body down, unless you give it sufficient opportunity to rest. This is the idea behind "split day" routines in weightlifting. Working your biceps hard every day does not give yor body enough time to restore the muscle tissue and get rid of the lactic acid that builds up in the mucsle tissue, and eventually your biceps will cramp up or tear. Ouch!
Bodyweight exercises, on the other hand, do not tear up muscle tissue and, by keeping the flow of blood to the body part being worked unimpeded, can get rid of the lactic acid buildup a lot quicker. A great routine to lose weight quickly is to do pushups every hour during the day. Now, that's impractical for most people. But it demonstrates that bodyweight exercises don't need as much rest time as weightlifting.
There are also bodyweight exercises that focus on working your heart rate and increasing blood flow. Jumping jacks, for example, have almost no other purpose other than to get your hear rate up into the target zone as quickly as possible. Jumping jacks are also easier to do than jumping rope for a lot of people, from a coordination point of view. And they just feel better than squats. They can also be done at the beginning of your routine (as a warm-up), at the end (as a cool-down), or in between exercises (to keep your heart rate up). So incorporating jumping jacks into your exercise routine is another easy way to lose weight.
So one way to lose weight without dieting is to begin a program of bodyweight exercises. Another way is to change your eating behavior. Not the foods you eat - but how you eat them. Don't eat anything after 8 or 9 at night (taking your work schedule into consideration, of course). Plan on eating something every 2 or 3 hours during the day. The "in between" snacks should be healthier foods, not brownies and cookies. Well, every now and then is okay. Drink water instead of diet sodas. And if water is boring, drop a mint or 2 into the bottle for flavor without adding unneccessary calories. Learning a little bit about nutrition will help also. It's not necessary to get a Ph.D. in Dietary Science, but understanding why spinach is so important or why diet sodas may actually cause you gain weight will help you decide what foods to eat.
Jumping on a fad diet may help you lose weight in the short term. Most studies show that people don't stick to the diets, and that most people will gain that weight back. But changing your behavior so that you consistently maintain or lose weight because your activity level and manner of eating - combined with eating better - have you burning calories consistent with how many you eat is the best and healthiest way of weight control. Plus, your energy level will soar, your moods will level out, you'll be happier, and you'll win the office football pool every week. Well, the office pool thing may be a little much. But you will be able to make better picks.
The FITNESS Portal - a variety of exercise and nutrition programs fo ryou to choose the ones that fit your life
Physical Fitness In 30 SECONDS A Day?? FREE report show syou how to achieve your fitness goals in 30 seconds a day, without drugs or supplements.
Losing weight is a very simple equation: burning more calories than you take in == weight loss. So the idea is to burn more calories throughout the day than you take in. The more calories you burn, the faster the weight comes off. But, the more calories you burn, the more stress you put your body under. And stress will eventually break your body down, unless you give it sufficient opportunity to rest. This is the idea behind "split day" routines in weightlifting. Working your biceps hard every day does not give yor body enough time to restore the muscle tissue and get rid of the lactic acid that builds up in the mucsle tissue, and eventually your biceps will cramp up or tear. Ouch!
Bodyweight exercises, on the other hand, do not tear up muscle tissue and, by keeping the flow of blood to the body part being worked unimpeded, can get rid of the lactic acid buildup a lot quicker. A great routine to lose weight quickly is to do pushups every hour during the day. Now, that's impractical for most people. But it demonstrates that bodyweight exercises don't need as much rest time as weightlifting.
There are also bodyweight exercises that focus on working your heart rate and increasing blood flow. Jumping jacks, for example, have almost no other purpose other than to get your hear rate up into the target zone as quickly as possible. Jumping jacks are also easier to do than jumping rope for a lot of people, from a coordination point of view. And they just feel better than squats. They can also be done at the beginning of your routine (as a warm-up), at the end (as a cool-down), or in between exercises (to keep your heart rate up). So incorporating jumping jacks into your exercise routine is another easy way to lose weight.
So one way to lose weight without dieting is to begin a program of bodyweight exercises. Another way is to change your eating behavior. Not the foods you eat - but how you eat them. Don't eat anything after 8 or 9 at night (taking your work schedule into consideration, of course). Plan on eating something every 2 or 3 hours during the day. The "in between" snacks should be healthier foods, not brownies and cookies. Well, every now and then is okay. Drink water instead of diet sodas. And if water is boring, drop a mint or 2 into the bottle for flavor without adding unneccessary calories. Learning a little bit about nutrition will help also. It's not necessary to get a Ph.D. in Dietary Science, but understanding why spinach is so important or why diet sodas may actually cause you gain weight will help you decide what foods to eat.
Jumping on a fad diet may help you lose weight in the short term. Most studies show that people don't stick to the diets, and that most people will gain that weight back. But changing your behavior so that you consistently maintain or lose weight because your activity level and manner of eating - combined with eating better - have you burning calories consistent with how many you eat is the best and healthiest way of weight control. Plus, your energy level will soar, your moods will level out, you'll be happier, and you'll win the office football pool every week. Well, the office pool thing may be a little much. But you will be able to make better picks.
The FITNESS Portal - a variety of exercise and nutrition programs fo ryou to choose the ones that fit your life
Physical Fitness In 30 SECONDS A Day?? FREE report show syou how to achieve your fitness goals in 30 seconds a day, without drugs or supplements.
