After losing weight from the 7 day diet, the most important part is maintenance. Apart from following the maintenance tips outlined for food choices, it is essential to do some form of physical exercise – that is, if you are already not doing some.
Depending on your condition, you can do something strenuous like running or mountain biking or if you have knee trouble or are older, you can take on low-intensity exercises such as walking, biking, swimming and rowing.
The bottom line is you need to get cardiovascular exercise – this is exercise that increases the activity of your heart and lungs. Your body should get 30-40 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 4-5 times a week to be effective.
The benefits of cardiovascular exercise are multifold:
- reduces the risk of heart diseases
- improves overall muscle mass and makes you look lean
- promotes weight loss by burning fat
- reduces cholesterol in the blood
Keeping yourself motivated to exercise 4-5 times a week is key. Here are some tips to help you stay on track.
Determine your need and capacity
You need to figure out what your need and capacity for cardiovascular exercise is. Are you young or older? Are you fit or trying to get there? Do you have back or knee trouble? All these questions will help you determine the level and intensity of cardiovascular exercise. If your need is low-intensity you can choose between walking, swimming, rowing or biking. If you have a higher fitness level and no medical conditions then you can opt for running. Your zeal to continue with the exercise is directly proportional to the appropriateness of the level of exercise for your condition.
Select the time and day of your exercise
To make sure you stick to your exercise regimen and succeed in maintaining your exercise goals, you need to decide the exact days and times of your exercise. You need to make it a priority in your life and once you commit to a time, it will be easier to just show up and do it. If you try to fit exercise into your day without planning it in advance, it will never happen because something always gets in the way. You should plan on 4-5 days of cardio exercise – at the very least you should do 4 days. Remember, weekends are generally times when you have more time on your hands. You might want to fit your exercise for both days. This way, you only need to work out 2 days during the week.
Enlist the support of family & friends
Telling your family and peers about your new exercise regimen will support you in sticking to your goals because they will serve as reminders on a daily basis asking about it and keeping you honest. Oftentimes, peers who have similar goals get influenced and start on their long-awaited exercise plans.
Yoga
Yoga is another form of exercise that involves stretching and breathing techniques. It has become extremely popular over the years due to its multitude of health benefits.
The benefits of Yoga are:
- Increases flexibility
- Massages all organs and glands of the body
- Promotes detox
- Increases blood circulation
- Tones muscles
- Increases efficiency of respiratory and gastrointestinal function
- Slows down aging
Yoga can be done in addition to cardiovascular exercise and not in place of it.
Related Topics:- Living healthy
- After 7 Day Diet
