If you want to lose weight, besides following the rules on the diet, you also have to exercise.  In the past, I gave up exercise throughout some jobs or even through college because I was “too busy.”  Busy was true, but also an excuse.  By NOT exercising, I got into a bad habit cycle.

Working too much and picking wrong food LEADS to exhaustion

Exhaustion LEADS to NOT exercising.

NOT exercising LEADS to weight gain

Weight Gain leads to illness.

Illness LEADS to not feeling good enough to exercise

And continued NO exercise leads to depression and more poor food choices and perhaps more illness.

Ya, exercise bores you, but not if you find something you like.  I actually like the things I do now.  What is worse?  Feeling like and looking like crap?

 

FEELING TOO CRAPPY TO EXERCISE!  

Look guys.  I have Hypothyroidism and Fibromyalgia.  At one time, I let all of that happen to me and I fell apart and got fat too.  I had to SLOWLY start moving and changing my diet and moving eventually led me to major changes.  It took awhile, but ever heard of the story of the Tortoise and the Hare?

No matter how slow you are, you will eventually get to the finish line and there is no race here, so stop worrying about your speed!

The moral of all this!  Don’t stop exercising and if you don’t exercise, then start now.  Even if you can find 15 minutes in a break to walk or take stairs, you have to do it every day.

If you are already overweight, ill, exhausted or out of shape, then you have to START to exercise.  Don’t be afraid!  Take baby steps and build up your ability.

Here is a Harvard chart, which shows how many calories can be burned throughout each type of exercise:  http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Calories-burned-in-30-minutes-of-leisure-and-routine-activities.htm

Some ideas for starting exercise for those completely out of shape:

1.  Find something you LIKE to do.   Get an exercise DVD, Zumba, Pilates, Dance, Yoga or anything that interests you.  Do it at home.

2.  Find a friend to join you either at home, at a gym or on a walk or hike.  This walk can start off small and you can work your time and intensity up.  Even if you can do 15 minutes to start out, that is a feat!  Always stretch first to risk soreness and injury.  Drink plenty of water before and after whatever you do.

3.  Reward your movement with some new workout clothes or shoes.

4.  Get some great new tunes and an Mp3 player to listen to while you move.

5.  Walk your dog!  Walk your neighbor’s dog!  He or she will lose some weight too.

6.  I personally do really well if I go over my email and Facebook on my IPAD, while I am on the elliptical.  Kills two birds with one stone!!

7.  Attend picked out classes at a local gym or small exercise studio of classes you might enjoy and put it in your calendar to attend every week like it is a set work time!  I have yoga and Pilates classes weekly and I never miss them unless I am sick.  I have it down as part of my schedule.  And no matter how busy I am, Tues at 6:45, Wed at 5:30, Friday at 5:30 and Sunday at 10am are booked out and I HAVE to go.  It makes me feel obliged and bad if I missed out on it.  I consider them as MY JOB.  You don’t miss your job!

8.  You have to take baby steps, but you continue to take bigger steps, but the goal is CONSISTENCY.  You know you can be consistent if you want to do it.  The question is…do you want to lose weight and be toned looking?  Then, you HAVE to exercise.

And remember:  There was a study.  Sitting kills, not just obesity!  http://time.com/8773/now-theres-another-reason-sitting-will-kill-you/

 

SO GET UP AND MOVE!