When it comes to weight loss, it really is all about routine. Like most things in life, it's very difficult to achieve lasting results without developing some sort of a day to day weight loss routine. This goes for weight loss diet programs and weight loss exercise routines as well. This one aspect alone probably keeps more of us from succeeding with our weight loss goals than any other factor. Sure, many of us hit the road running. We buy the latest books, tapes, Dvds, special foods and cookbooks and so on - basically everything under the sun that will help us to reach our weight loss goal. But, unfortunately, most of us quickly fall back into our old daily routines and never give the new programs enough of a chance to actually work.
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I myself have begun a vigorous weight loss routine on several occasions, only to fall completely out of step with them within a short week or two of starting. And let's face it - most of us aren't going to ever see any significant results in that short of a time frame. So where do we go wrong? Why do people start and stop their weight loss routine over and over? Well there are many reasons, but I personally think it all boils down to one thing - lack of a committed effort to stick to a regular routine. So what can we do to beat this obstacle?
The first thing to do is to set realistic weight loss routine expectations. Start off with baby steps, if need be. Let's just assume that you already have a pretty full schedule and aren't sitting around the house with nothing to do all day. Why would you start off with a weight loss routine that requires you to spend an hour per day working toward your weight loss exercise goals? Sure - wouldn't it be great if you could do that, and how much further would you be a month or two down the road if you stayed with an aggressive plan like that? But are you really going to go from zero minutes per day to sixty minutes per day just like that? Maybe - but for most of us, probably not.
So why not try this approach? Let's take this down to the absolute bare minimum. How about you spend a mere five minutes each day, or even every other day, performing some sort of low impact exercise, just to start. Five minutes on the exercise ball, elliptical, treadmill, or bicycle - you name it - is better than nothing, but it will go a long way toward helping you to develop a weight loss routine that you can stick with. If five minutes is too short for you and you can easily bump it up to ten, fifteen, or even twenty minutes every day or every other day, then all the better. But whatever you do, it has to be something that you can do day in and day out. Don't start out with a half hour routine if you know that there's no possible way you're going to be able to fit in another thirty minute workout routine the rest of the week. Five minutes of exercise every day will get you to your goal more quickly than a thirty minute routine that you get in once and then never again. Make sense?
Once you have developed your own weight loss routine, be it five minutes or thirty minutes or more, and you are managing to stick with it consistently, then and only then should you consider bumping up the length of your workout routine. The trick to this is that you need to push yourself to keep up your effort, but not to the point that the commitment becomes so grueling that you find yourself making excuses to avoid the workout altogether. This will lead to the death of the workout routine, and to any weight loss exercise results that you would otherwise have achieved. And whatever you do, make sure you write down your goals, your activities, and your actual results.
This doesn't have to be anything fancy, either. Although there are some excellent exercise log books and even pc software programs out there, a simple plain paper notebook will do just fine. Map out your upcoming week or two. Schedule the time and length of your workouts, and a very brief description of what you hope to accomplish. Once the workout routine is complete, write in your log the actual time you spent and any additional comments you deem necessary. Also be sure to weigh and measure yourself at least once per week and log those results as well. This will provide you with a way of helping you to stick to your plan and monitor your progress. Don't make your weight loss exercise goals any harder than they really need to be. Develop a realistic weight loss routine, stick to it, measure it, and monitor your results. Tweak it and adjust it, but don't push it to the point that you abandon it, and you will achieve the results that you so desire.
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