Lose Weight - Living with your Exercise Routine

Your exercise routine travels hand in hand with your weight-loss diet. That partnership is what will make the whole thing work. Unlike dieting, exercising for weight loss is something you do instead of not doing. It will keep your spirit buoyed at a time when you might otherwise feel deprived. Still, being more active involves making changes, and that takes time, persistence, and patience. This chapter will help you make those changes in a positive and fun-filled way.

Dedicate time to be active

Activity should be more than an afterthought, something you do after you've done everything else. If you put it last on your list of to-dos or think of it as optional, chances are you'll never get to it. Instead, make activity an essential part of your day. Like eating, brushing your teeth, and other personal grooming activities, exercise is a must Socializing, watching television, and shopping are the extras.

Make sure you schedule a specific block of time for activity.

Decide in advance what you will do each day and set aside a time for it. Write it on your calendar or in your appointment book, and don't cancel out. When scheduling exercise the obvious choice is some time that is "free." After school, after work, and on the weekends are popular choices.

Turn dangerous times of day to your advantage by scheduling an exercise session for a time when you tend to act or eat irresponsibly.

For example, if the middle of the afternoon is a low-energy time for you and you usually spend it watching daytime television or zoning out at your desk, pick yourself up and take a walk or an aerobics class instead. If you fill your evenings by filling your stomach, get out of the house, away from the refrigerator, and go dancing. Not a morning person? Maybe a wake-up swim or stretching session will get you ready for the rest of the day.

Take a look at both your food and activity diaries and see if there are "dead spots" in your day. It may sound backward, but times when your energy is at its lowest are exact the times active. Energy feeds energy.

These periods of low energy indicate that your metabolism is slowing. Remember the best, safest, and most natural way to rev up your metabolism? That's right: by exercising.

Get specific Take out your weight-loss notebook and start a new page titled "My Exercise Schedule" and date it. Leave space for revision, since you will want to review and make changes as time passes.
Divide the page lengthwise into three columns. Label one "Goals," the second "Means," and the third "Notes." Begin by filling in the goals; add a timetable for each one. The goal is a long-term one; the timetable will contain the steps you'll take to get there, which are short-term goals. You might want to highlight the long-term and short-term goals in different colors.

Next, fill in the means: specific exercises or activities you will do on a daily basis. You can plan it as a one- or two-week chunk. Finally, make notes about information, assistance, and equipment you'll need. Add anything else you want to keep in mind as you embark on this program.

Don't get hung up on the details. If you're not sure exactly what your goals should be, write down a general idea. If you're not sure what a reasonable time period is, make an estimate and give yourself permission to change the dates as You go along. The idea is to sketch out a plan, not to hand down a life sentence.

On the next page is a sample notebook page. Your goals and specific plans will probably be different and you may prefer to organize your page in another way. Do it however it make sense to you.


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