There is only two times that you have to exercise to lose weight: when you want to, and when you don’t. A friend once told me, “I don’t like to do it, but I like what it does for me.”
The Benefits of Exercise for Weight Loss
• It burns calories!
• It helps increase your metabolism so you burn calories at a higher rate, both when working out and at rest.
• It helps release endorphins, which stimulate the pleasure centers in the brain. Hence, you feel better.
• It helps decrease depression. A 2005 study found that walking fast for about thirty-five minutes a day, five times a week, had a significant influence on mild to moderate depression symptoms.
• It helps to keep your blood vessels open and unclogged, decreasing your risk of high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, memory problems, and heart attacks.
Tips for Starting Your Exercise Journey
One of my weight-loss goals is to work out for at least one hour per day, five days a week. If you aren’t exercising at all, start with just ten minutes a day and gradually increase time and intensity. If you overdo it the first few times, you’ll end up tired, sore, and discouraged.
Be sure to warm up, cool down, and do some stretching to prevent injuries to your joints. You should also consult your doctor before embarking on a vigorous exercise program.
I started with water aerobics and swimming, which were easy on my joints. Later I added biking and other activities.
The Calorie Control Council has a “Get Moving” calculator on its Web site, where you can enter in any type of exercise, the amount of time you plan to do it, and your weight. It will then calculate how many calories you’ll burn.
Here is the approximate calorie burn for a 200-pound person doing one hour of the following activities. The calculator doesn’t adjust for gender, but men tend to burn calories faster than women, due to their larger muscle mass. Of course, you may not be able to sustain some of these exercises for a full hour, and the calories burned will vary with your weight, how vigorously you exercise, and how many breaks you take.
Best Calorie-Burning Activities for Weight Loss
Aerobics—545
Badminton (singles)—409
Ballet—545
Ballroom dancing, slow—273
Baseball—455
Basketball (half-court)—545
Bicycling, 10 mph—364
Bicycling, 15 mph or vigorous effort—909
36 Tipping the Scales in Your Favor
Canoeing or kayaking on flat water—455
Dancing, disco—552
Dancing, swing—500
Dusting—227
Frisbee throwing—273
Gardening—431
Golfing without a cart, carrying clubs—500
Grocery shopping—318
Handball—1,091
Hiking—545
Horseback riding—227
Housecleaning—227
Ice hockey—727
Ice skating—636
Ironing—209
Jogging—636
Karate—909
Kickboxing—909
Lacrosse—727
Laundry (folding clothes)—182
Mopping/scrubbing the floor—408
Mowing the lawn—409
Ping-Pong—364
Playing piano—227
Racquetball—636
Raking leaves—364
Rock climbing (ascending)—1,000
Rollerblading—636
Rope jumping—727
Rowing—636
Shoveling snow—545
Snow skiing (cross-country)—727
Snow skiing (downhill)—545
Soccer—636
Spinning (bicycle)—636
Stair climbing—545
Surfing—273
Swimming—545
Tae Kwon Do—909
Tai Chi—364
Tennis (singles)—727
Tennis (doubles)—545
Touch football—732
