Exercise can be a lot of hard work for very little reward if you're just relying on exercise alone to help you drop weight. At the end of the day, sometimes it can almost seem like it's not even worth the energy.
If that time paid off on the scale, no one would complain. It's when the scale stands still people want to give up. So how do you make it pay off for you?
I find most people beginning an exercise program don't really change their diet as much as they rely on the exercise to do all the work. It seems to make sense. I mean, exercise is very hard - it should melt the calories away. Right?
While exercise is important, I think you'll be shocked to see just how slow the weight loss process can be with exercise alone.
Let's say you workout 4 days a week and each time you exercise you burn 400 calories. If your diet remains the same you're in for a long haul.
Unfortunately, most people who start working out eat more because their appetite increases due to the extra activity. People also tend to splurge when they workout because they feel they deserve it - ultimately replacing calories they burned off in the gym
I'll explain. Since someone needs to burn 3500 calories if they were to lose one pound of fat, the 4 day workout would burn off less than a half a pound a week. Yet, one order of cheese fries at a popular restaurant (a whopping 2900 calories) could erase 7 days of exercise.
So how can you boost results? Increase your caloric deficit by reducing your calories. If you reduce your calories 500 calories a day, plus continue working out four days a week, you will lose an extra pound a week. Most people can reduce their intake by 1,000 calories and still eat 1200 calories a day.
Next, become as protective over your calories as you are over your money. You work hard to erase those calories so don't squander your hard earned caloric deficit on eating poorly.
Lastly, stay consistent with your exercise routine. It's a lot easier to stay disciplined with your diet when you're disciplined in the gym.
If you want to feel great and get fast results you need to combine exercise and diet together so your hard work in the gym pays off once and for all.
About Bonnie Lee Pfiester
Health Club Owner, Wife to TV Fitness Trainer and Host, Health & Beauty Columnist, Keynote Speaker, Model, Musician, Artist, Automotive/Motorcycle Enthusiast and Community Leader.
