Exercise and Weight Loss You may already understand that no type or amount of exercise can make up for a poor diet or overeating. With that in mind, if weight loss is your goal, you must refine and modify poor eating habits in addition to exercise and activity in order to see changes. Portion control is a place to start, but be sure that when you are paying attention to calories, or portions, you are also choosing quality food. One general, easy strategy for quality control is to make most of your intake minimally processed, “whole foods”. Whole foods are usually naturally low in fat, sugar and salt and high in fiber, vitamins and minerals.

It has been my experience that strength training along with an appropriate diet is key to losing weight. If you don't do some kind of resistance exercise while you're dieting, a lot of the weight you lose will come from muscle as well as fat. It has always been frustrating to me how my husband seems to just “think” about trimming down and it happens. The reason is muscle mass. Men can burn up to 20% more calories doing the same thing a female is doing because they typically have more muscle mass. Muscle utilizes energy even at rest and so calories are used to sustain it.

Aim for at least 2 full body strength training sessions per week and become a more efficient calorie burning machine. With a properly designed resistance-training program you will burn calories (and fat) both during and after your workout. Work your way to a higher load, or weight, and less repetitions for the best impact on post-exercise metabolism. The best and most effective exercises will be floor based, body weight exercises that require balance such as squats, lunges and pushups. Each one is modifiable at your current level of strength and fitness so have no fear from past experience. They may become your favorite exercises when you begin to reap the benefits from doing them.

Lisa Kubiak is a personal trainer and fitness instructor in the Katy area and has been successfully helping people develop and enhance their exercise programs for over 20 years.
Lisakubiak1@gmail.com 713-854-7039

Ok ladies, here’s the scoop….there really are valid reasons to skip a day at the gym! But this article comes with a warning, if the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t try to wear it.....