Exercise is an important factor in weight loss for everyone
When you are exercising:
- Your body burns fat to produce energy, which will help you maintain your
weight or lose weight more easily.
- Your heart pumps more blood and extracts more oxygen, which helps prevent
heart and lung disease.
- Your pituitary gland produces endorphins, which reduce stress, elevate your
mood and moderate your appetite.
- Your bones get stronger, slowing bone loss that can come with age.
- Your bones become less susceptible to certain cancers.
It isn't easy staying motivated to exercise, especially if you're a beginner.
If you're trying to make exercise a habit, you may be surprised to learn that
even veteran exercisers can lose motivation. Some of the most common factors
that decrease motivation are:
- Focusing on the scale
- Working too hard—start easy and work your way up
- Comparing yourself to others
- Giving up too soon.
Here are a few tips for making exercise a part of your daily routine:
- Exercise as early as possible. Sometimes if you wait until
the evening, other things come up.
- Plan indoor and outdoor activities that you and your kids enjoy.
- When shopping at the mall, take a couple of laps around the mall before you head
home.
- Instead of spending hours on the phone talking to friends, make walk / talk
dates.
- Lift arm / hand weights while watching TV.
- Do sit-ups before getting in the shower.
- If you can't spare 30 minutes at one time for exercise, split it into
three, 10-minute segments.
For more information about the family / adolescent weight management programs, contact the Novant Health Maya Angelou Women's Health & Wellness Center at 336-718-3780 or call toll free 1-888-218-1234.