Exercise and Lose Weight

You don't have to focus all your energies on dieting and calorie counting to lose weight. Many people become obsessed with sticking to a very restrictive diet, believing this is the only way they can possibly lose weight. However, there are two sides to weight loss – the number of calories you put into your body and the number of calories your body expends – so that it is worth taking into account your calorie expenditure as well. The more physically active you are, the greater the number of calories you are able to consume without gaining weight. It is definitely something worth thinking about if you want to shed those extra pounds.

Unfortunately, talking about doing exercise is easier than actually doing it. You may not feel inclined to do any exercise if you are lazy or you may simply not have the time to do any. However, if you really want to lose weight and keep it off, it is worth making time for exercise in your daily routine. You ought to be doing some form of exercise, anyway, just to stay healthy, so that weight loss is not the only issue you need to consider. By doing more exercise you will be keeping your heart and lungs healthy and potentially extending your life, which is something to bear in mind if you lack motivation.

Endurance athletes, such as cyclists and runners, are able to consume thousands of extra calories when they are training because they expend so many more calories than they would if they did very little activity. You don't have to work out for hours a day to be able to appreciate the benefits of leading a more active lifestyle. You may not be able to get away with consuming thousands of additional calories, but you should be able to eat more than you otherwise could, especially if you add some intensity to your workouts. If you don't have lots of spare time to do exercise you obviously have to make the most of what little time you do have.

If you focus on increasing the intensity of the exercise you do, you will be able to burn quite a few more calories without having to spend hours and hours working out. If you decide to run instead of walk and to incorporate intervals into your training, for instance, you will not only burn more calories that will help you to lose weight; you will also actually feel fitter. The harder you push yourself, the further you will be able to go. You will become leaner and more toned and it won't be so tough to motivate yourself, because you will already be able to appreciate the benefits in terms of your fitness and your weight loss.