Before you pick up a free weight or take off jogging down the street you should first set your goals for your weight loss program. Without this crucial step you are likely to become frustrated and discouraged with the activity and your progress. The obvious goal is to lose weight, but you must give it more thought than that. How much weight? How quickly can I lose it? What equipment do I need, if any? How long do I spend working out? For all these questions to be answered you need all the information.
Weight loss should be viewed as a series of steps you take to reach a large goal. What is important is that you make each of those steps a goal in themselves. The recommendation these days is to only work on losing 5% to 10% of your weight at one time. That is, set your goal at these levels and celebrate victory when you achieve it. If you then want to continuing dropping the pounds, set a brand new goal of another 5% to 10% of your new body weight. This has been found to encourage slow and steady loss while giving the person that necessary sense of accomplishment.
We all know that weight loss is a result of burning more calories than you consume. You should look at your body type and determine what areas you need to focus on. If you have an office job and are fairly inactive you will want to add an aerobic component for your heart and lungs. If you are focusing on one particular part of your body to reduce mass, then choose extended aerobics without the use of weights. It you are interested in toning, choose weight lifting. This is also a great choice for older folks since it encourages bone strength as well.
For moderate fitness routines, you should spend 20 to 30 minutes, three times a week on your chosen goal. For healthier weight loss you should also adjust your diet to include more nutritious foods. It is a good idea for a pick-me-up at a later date to take a photo of yourself before you start. Give it six weeks and take another picture. This will help you see the progress that you cannot see by looking in the mirror every day. Keep a chart of your activities – this is also encouraging. Set those goals, and you will reach them.