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Exercise to Lose Weight

belly-2473_640/If you want to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Sounds easy, right? If you are like other Denville medical weight loss program patients, however, you know first-hand just how hard it can be to actually burn more calories than you consume each day. Reducing food intake – and eliminating high-fat or high-sugar foods – can help. But without regular exercise, even the most extreme calorie cutting will fall short.

Regular exercise is essential to medical weight loss and long-term weight loss management. According to the National Weight Control Registry, weight loss success is directly connected to two key lifestyle factors: diet and exercise. The Registry follows 6,000 successful medical weight loss patients, tracking the habits that help them shed the pounds and keep off the weight. Individuals who combine healthy eating habits with regular exercise are more successful with long-term weight management than individuals who only count calories.

Breaking a sweat each day gets your heart pumping and elevates your metabolism. Depending on how hard you exercise, your metabolism will briefly stay elevated even after the workout is finished. Denville medical weight loss patients should aim for thirty minutes of cardio at least five days per week. Combined with core strengthening and weight training, this exercise program will help tone your body and build lean muscle. Lean muscle mass is also important for keeping your metabolism elevated; the more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you will naturally burn while resting.

Remember, even regular exercise is not an excuse for overindulging in food. In fact, when tempted to hit up the drive-thru or chow down on your favorite dessert, keep in mind how long you will need to work out to burn off the calories. For example, to burn off a Big Mac (560 calories), you’ll need to run for 50 minutes, at a 10 minute per mile pace. That is five miles just to get back to “neutral” for the day! You’ll still need to work out longer to burn additional calories so you can reach a calorie-deficit and lose weight.

Once you get in the rhythm of daily exercise, it’s important to keep your routine fresh and exciting to avoid boredom. Try a new workout class, a jog through the neighborhood, or a weekend hike with the family. The more you exercise, the more energy you will have and the more pounds you will lose!