Move it and Lose It

Move It to Lose It
In weight-loss terms, fat is energy and the best way to lose it is to use it. You have to do it with diet and exercise. If you diet without exercise, the majority of your weight loss could be from muscle. The minute you stray from your diet, the weight will come right back on.
The only way to lose it for good is to get moving! Exercise not only helps you burn calories, it also helps build, strengthen, and maintain lean muscle. Exercise has another benefit called afterburn. A great cardio routine keeps burning fat not just during your workout but for hours afterward. Not bad, eh?
The rule of the game is increasing your intensity. The exercise afterburn is also referred to as "excess post-exercise oxygen consumption." It represents the calories used up to return the body back to its pre-exercise state, or resting level, which can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 48 hours, depending on the intensity and duration of the workout. What's more, if you do a moderate workout in the morning and in the evening, you will reap the benefits of a twice-a-day afterburn without overtraining your muscles.
Doing any type of physical activity is healthier than sitting on the couch downing a bag of chips. And activities like bowling and golf do burn calories — but not enough. To see dramatic weight loss, you must do heart-pumping cardio. Cardio is any activity that is rhythmic, continuous, requires the movement of large muscles, and raises your heart rate. While bowling and golf get you moving, the action is stop-and-go. There's no reason to give up those activities, just be aware that you must still put in time on the treadmill (or doing some other cardio activity) as well.

Not Seeing Results?


People are inherently different, and that's why some respond to a workout regimen more quickly than others. However you respond, it's important to keep your head up and your butt in gear. Stick with it, and your clothes should be fitting differently by the end of the week. In another week you could see dramatic changes in your physique, and the week after, you'll be feeling more confident, strong, and fit than you ever have before. The key is to keep it up!