There is no way around it, if you want to lose weight you have
to be active. Recently a study was done focusing on people who
owned dogs. It was found that the dog-owners, who were obliged
to take their dogs for a walk every day, lost up to 14 pounds
because of this extra activity. 14 pounds is more or less the
amount of weight that is lost in most weight loss programs.
So what can we learn from this study? That you have to get a dog
to lose weight? No, the study shows that just a little bit of
extra walking can make a big difference.
Examine your current life style. Do you walk a few steps to your
car in the morning, and then arrive at work and walk a few more
steps to your office or workplace and then sit down? Do you walk
a few more steps at the end of the work day to reach your car,
where you sit and drive home. Do you then walk from the car to
the house and enjoy dinner and spend the rest of the evening
watching TV? If your life is like this, or resembles this
sedentary pattern, then you have to do something about it.
You can sign up for some exercise classes. Join a sports league.
Get some fitness equipment and do workouts. You can go jogging
on a regular basis. These are some of the usual means of adding
activity to modern life styles.
But if you are not the athletic type there are simpler ways to
do it, similar to the dog walking. Here are a few ways to add
the extra exercise to your present life:
1. Walk whenever you can
If you have an errand that can be done by walking, then leave
your car in the garage and walk to fetch your child, buy a loaf
of bread or drop a letter in a mailbox
2. After dinner take a walk
An old proverb says "After lunch, rest a while. After dinner,
walk a mile". If you haven't gotten any exercise during your
daytime activities then go for a walk after dinner. It will help
you to digest your evening meal, which is extremely important
for your overall well being, and it will help you to burn some
calories as well
3. Skip the elevator, escalator and moving walkways
Instead of using the elevator for one or two flights of stairs,
use your feet! In the airport, walk to the next gate instead of
getting on the moving walkway.
4. Get a dog!
Why not? If you like animals, then the time you take to walk
your dog will help you a lot.
How much walking is necessary? If you walk around 45 minutes
every day then you will keep fit and lose weight. If you walk 60
minutes every day you will probably live to be 100.
About the author:
Dada Vedaprajinananda is yoga teacher and writer. He is the
author of "Yoga Weight Loss Secrets", available at
http://www.yogaweightlosssecrets.com and is the publisher of the
Life Weight Loss Article Directory -
http://www.lifeweightloss.com - where you can find articles and
information about health, fitness and weight loss.
