I am not trying to be a “smarty pants” by saying that the best exercise to lose weight is the one that you’ll do. The best type of exercise in the world won’t help you at all if you don’t do it. An expensive gym membership is worthless if the only time you ever set foot in the door is the day you signed up. The fanciest treadmill in the sporting goods store is nothing more than a dust collector if you never do more than “think” about getting on it and using it.
I’ve been there. I’ve purchased several gym memberships that have gone to waste because I stopped going after a couple of times. I owned a treadmill that sat unused for 5 years before I finally realized that I wasn’t going to use it and got rid of it because I was sick of dusting it.
Any exercise that gets your heart rate up and gets you sweating will help you lose weight. And strength training has double the positive benefits because you’ll burn calories while doing it and you’ll continue to burn more calories while resting as you build more muscle because muscle burns more calories than fat.
After many years of finding excuses to not exercise (too tired, too hard, too busy, too poor, too fat) I finally realized I was sick of making excuses.
I still hated the thought of exercising. But after reading a story about someone who lost 150 pounds by riding her bicycle I got inspired. The lady in the story talked about how she was only able to ride a couple of blocks the first time she got on a bike but was now riding in 50 mile events. She said that finding an activity she liked to do was key to her weight loss and well-being.
That got me to thinking back to when I was a kid and spent every minute I could outside riding bike, swimming in our pond, building forts in the backyard, batting a tennis ball against the garage, running around with our dog, and exploring along the stream by our house. I literally exercised for hours every summer day when I was a kid but never once did I say to myself “hey, I’m exercising!” Nope, I was just having fun.
So I went out and bought myself a “wide butt” seat for my bicycle and started riding it. My first bike ride was about 1 mile long and I thought it was going to kill me! I was so tired afterward. Now, I can ride 35 miles! Yes, I get tired but I can do it. And the best thing is that I like doing it.
I’m also walking regularly but not on a treadmill. My dog and I walk together but instead of putting her on a leash and walking on the sidewalk we walk on a gravel trail where she can be off the leash to sniff and smell to her heart’s content and do the one doggy thing I hate – roll in dead animals (I will never understand why a dog wants to smell like a dead animal –it’s revolting!). While she’s doing her “doggy thing” I’m enjoying the fresh air and the scenery. My husband and I or my sister-in-law and I also go for hikes on trails in area parks.
Of course the weather isn’t always conducive to outdoor exercise so I have a gym membership again. But it’s now at an all-female gym where I don’t feel self conscious or out of place and where they don’t have any dreaded treadmills but instead have a 30 minute workout routine with music that I don’t mind doing and that is helping me get stronger.
The mall is my friend on inclement weather days. The time and miles go by pretty fast while I’m window shopping and people watching.
I’m not saying that I now love to exercise because I don’t. I do love what regular exercise does for me though. Because of it I’m losing weight faster than with a diet alone, have more energy and sleep better.
Even though I don’t love to exercise and probably never will I no longer hate it either. I don’t mind doing it and only have to remind myself of the good things it’s doing for me or remind myself how I like to get out in the fresh air to get myself up and moving.
So do that for yourself. Find activities you used to enjoy or try some new ones. When cold weather and snow show up where I live I plan to swim at the local YMCA and also plan to take a dance class because I’ve wanted to learn line dancing for a long time.
But don’t think you have to go from doing nothing at all to “super exerciser” in two weeks. Take it slow so you don’t injure yourself. It took me almost a year to build up to 35 mile bike rides.
If you’re not sure what type of exercise to try, here’s some fun exercise ideas:
Bike riding
Tennis
Golf (no golf cart)
Swimming
Tubing
Walking: along the beach, in the woods, with your dog, with your family.
Ice skating
Rollerblading
Skiing
Snowboarding
Dance class (jazz, belly dancing, line dancing, salsa
Wii Fit
Dance Dance Revolution
Jump Rope
Hula Hoop
Also, don’t underestimate the power of music to help you through an exercise routine. Many experts say music helps people exercise better and longer. For me, listening to music while I work out at the gym makes the time go by faster and if I didn’t have a horrible singing voice I’d probably sing along to the songs once in a while too!
Get yourself the proper gear for whatever type of exercising you’re doing as well. I invested in a comfortable seat for my bicycle, bought bike shorts and a pair of biking gloves and they’ve made my bike riding a lot more comfortable. I also have a pair of shoes that are made for walking which my feet appreciate every time I slip them on.
It may take a couple of tries to find the types of exercise you don’t mind doing but don’t give up. It’s worth the effort. It will help you with your weight loss efforts and help you feel better overall.
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