You know the routine. You’ve been busy all day either attending school, working or taking care of the kids. The last thing on your mind is going through a workout.  All you want to do is relax and unwind. If you’re overweight the effects of a busy day can wear you down even more than your thinner counterparts. 

So how do you make exercise a daily priority?

I have tried to make it a part of my daily routine as so many experts have recommended. For the most part it does help, but I’ve found that it just became one of my many tasks that I didn’t want to do.  Currently I workout 4 days a week 30-60 minutes per session. I have been able to stick to it because I have made exercise a part of my unwinding and relaxing time. Now I look at it as time just for me to do what I want to do and not what I have to do.

The secret is to make it fun and competitive.

Find a physical activity that you enjoy doing like walking, running, biking or even lifting weights and set a realistic goal for that session. It could be anything from the amount of calories you burn to how fast you can complete a set distance.

For example my exercise of choice is running. I have 2 routes a 5 kilometer one and a 10 kilometer one. On each run I set a goal time to beat. (23 or 50 minutes). It’s an awesome feeling to beat or even reach that goal. It keeps me motivated and I look forward to beating that new time on my next workout session.

Cutting out the excuses

There are so many excuses that can trip you up. “I’m too tired, the gym is too far away, my favorite TV show is on or it’s raining outside” are some of my favorites. All of these can stop your momentum, but can be easily overcome. Here are some simple ways to counter those excuses:

1.) Change into your workout clothes right after dinner.

2.) Set a time to meet with a workout buddy. You’re less likely to skip it if you have someone else waiting on you.

3.) Use your Tivo, PVR or VCR and record your favorite TV shows and watch them on your rest days.

4.) Who says you need a gym to workout. Put on a workout video, run the stairs or do some body weight exercises. 

5.) Work out in the morning as a great start to your day.

My favorite excuse is I’m too tired to workout. There is no better cure for low energy than a good 20-30 minute walk/jog. Motion creates energy and increases the oxygen flow to your brain, essentially waking it up.

Regular exercise can improve your overall health, add years to your life, improve your  self-confidence and make you look and feel better. So good luck and get moving.

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Fortunately for those of us with big bellies and skinny wallets can find a ton of really great workout videos online for FREE

Below are some good videos that I’ve found. You really need to wade though a lot of crappy videos to find a few diamonds in the rough on youtube, these are all good, watch the videos, subscribe to their channels and get fit

Enjoy and hopeful you can mix and match the videos to create your own total body exercise plan.

10-Minute Cardio Kickboxing Workout by Coach Nicole from Sparkpeople.com
View her youtube Channel here: sparkpeople

Bex Life: 300 Rep Superhero Workout Cardio
View her youtube Channel here::genghisgirl

Destorm: The Best Home Workout – Exercise Routine
View his youtube Channel here: DeStorm

Leehayward: Complete Chest Workout
View his youtube Channel here: Leehayward

Homeworkoutroutines: Intense Home Ab Workout
View his Youtube Channel here: Homeworkoutroutines

EmpowerYourBody: Sexy Arm Routine
View her youtube channel here: EmpowerYourBody

Brides Made Fit: The Really, Really Good Leg Workout
View Her youtube channel here: Brides Made Fit

This video is by Craig Ballantyne creator of the Turbulence Training Program. He has done a ton of work for Men’s Health Magazine and really knows his stuff.

cbathletics: Great Upper Back Workout
View his youtube channel here: cbathletics

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But I’ve phrased it that way for a very specific reason. Because I believe it’s true.

I have always been amazed at our ability to be comforted by false hope, this is something I have done myself hundreds of times. Let’s face it we all want to believe that there is something or someone looking out for our interests, and that “they or it” will eventually come to our rescue and solve all the problems (or at least the major ones) in our lives.

To be completely honest for the vast majority of us, there is no one coming to save us from our problems, no leprechaun with a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

At first you may think I’m talking about religion and while I’m sure you can apply this argument to that field, that is not what I am referring to here.

The best example that I can think of is the popularity of lotteries! Is Lady luck on your side? (don’t worry this is related to weight loss at the end)

Lotteries – Solutions for your Financial Problems

I live in Canada and we have dozens of lotteries available for us to play daily and weekly. The most popular one is lotto 6/49. Basically you pick 6 numbers between 1 and 49 and for $2 you have a chance at winning a few million dollars.

The odds of winning the jackpot are 14 million to 1. You have a 99.99% chance of not winning the jackpot. Yet, millions and millions of Canadians play it twice a week, some spending hundreds per draw on these tickets. (I’ve been stuck behind them in a line before)

The lottery for so many people is that great false hope. People know that the odds of them winning the jackpot are astronomical but they play it anyway. Why and why is it dangerous?

Besides the lost money, which can add up to thousands over a lifetime, I believe that the lottery and other games like it give people an easy way to avoid doing the necessary work needed to succeed in life. (financially speaking anyway).

Earning a comfortable living* is not an easy thing to achieve, it takes education, it takes a lot of effort on your part and if you are looking to start your own business a lot of time and money.

Add in the easy access and convenience of credit cards to debt amounts that seem to compound every month and you get many people giving up or avoiding the problem all together.

They stop taking action, instead of trying to change their habits they consoildate the debts only to have them pile up again. They are waiting to be saved rather than trying to save themselves. You think the last thing people in this position would do is throw away a few more dollars on the lottery, but believe it or not from what I have seen firsthand in some cases their “lotto budget” increases as their debt gets bigger.

Obviously I’m not a fan of the lottery, but what makes it worse and angers me is the way in which it is promoted. The Lotto 6/49 slogan is “Just Imagine” meaning just imagine what you could buy with millions of dollars, which just fuels the fantasy and imagine the bills/debts you can pay off “if” you win.

6/49 is advertised everywhere and has just become a part of our Canadian culture. While they technically promote winning the jackpot and its ability to dramatically change your life, there is always this underlying fear that goes along with it. “What if your numbers come up and you didn’t play?”

The Answer To Your Biggest Question

Ok Steve enough with the Lottery rant, how does this relate to losing weight and trying to live a healthy lifestyle?

IT relates like this: Just like the lottery people are looking for the easy out when it comes to losing weight, instead of money problems they are waiting for the “FAT” problem to be solved.

1. They want to lose fat without doing the necessary work to burn the fat.

2. They want to eat fewer calories without having to eat less food.

3. They are waiting for someone to answer their biggest weight loss question, “how do I lose weight” and give them the solution to their greatest desire “I want to lose weight”. In essence they are waiting to be saved.

The answer to solving the lottery/money problem is the same for solving the weight loss problem: YOU TAKING ACTION. You already know that you need to exercise to burn more calories, you know that you need to eat at least 1500 calories per day consisting of good healthy nutritious food like Fruits and veggies, lean meats, low fat dairy products, whole grains and indulge with the occasional treat, (1500 calories of burgers and fries won’t cut it).

(For finances I take the “curb your spending and increase your income/investments” approch)

So get off your ass and do it already, stop waiting to be saved and save yourself.

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Over the last 10 weeks I have done everything perfectly in order to GAIN weight. I’ve consumed way more calories than I’ve burnt, exercise has not been a part of my routine at all and my stress level has shot through the roof. Add all that together and what do you get?……..FAT and lots of it.

I have been receiving comments about how much weight I’ve gained and to top it off I need to buy a new pair of suit pants tomorrow for a wedding, since I can’t even get my old ones done up anymore.

Now this may all sound negative but I don’t see it that way. Sure it’s been frustrating and at times depressing but I look at all of these things as lessons and motivation. For example:

1. Not being able to run/walk until now has made appreciate how enjoyable it is just to take a nice slow walk around the neighborhood with my family.

2. Having to buy new pants, give me an actual physical target goal to strive towards. (Fitting into the old ones again).

Most importantly this whole experience has reinforced the principals of weight loss, that diet and exercise are both equally essential to maintaining and dropping the excess fat. Neglect one and the weight comes back slowly but neglect both and weight gain is very rapid.

So that is basically what I have been dealing with over the spring and first half of the summer. I feel that I’ve regained my focus now and I’m looking forward to big changes in the second half of the summer. Also look for more regular post updates as that is part of the plan.

Finally, I turned 32yrs old last week, great time to re-evaluate my goals!!

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That all changed on May 12th when I decided to play in a pick up basketball game after work with some friends. I played for literally 2 minutes before I got injured. 2 MINUTES!!!

Now I have a torn MCL and I have to go through 5 weeks of Physio Therapy just to be able to walk properly again. I’m also wearing a range of motion brace to keep my knee stable.

For the past week I have been sitting and laying down and more sitting and more laying. So this begs the question how do you lose weight while you are injured? Since I have a leg injury I can’t do my usual cardio workouts, running and jump training. So how am I suppose to burn calories? Weight training is very limited no leg workouts and other upper body exercises surprisingly depend heavily on your legs for stability Push ups, dips rows etc…

This has thrown my whole routine off and I need your advice.

What should I be doing exercise wise to keep up the weight loss or at least prevent any weight gain until I’m back to normal? How have you worked around your injuries in the past?

I don’t mean to come off as being a complainer, injuries happen I’m just frustrated and anxious to get moving again. Please leave your comments.

Thx
Steve

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NOTE: This was originally posted in March 2008, the funny thing is that I have changed my mind a little on this I now believe that Diet is a bit more effective. Live and learn right?

When making the change to a healthy lifestyle it can all seem overwhelming. Many of us have been inactive for years and the thought of heavy sweating, muscle soreness and the time commitments associated with working out can be enough to turn anyone away from doing it.

On the diet side of the equation it doesn’t look any easier. You’ll need to stop eating the high fat, high sugar foods that have become a daily part of your life. Then replace them with fruit and veggies and lean cuts of meat. Blah.

The combination of the two will undoubtedly change your body and drastically improve your overall health. But that is not easy to do all at once. I think that it’s easier to concentrate on just one part in the beginning.

So which one is more effective?

Almost all the advice I’ve read or received on this say diet is the most important. Changing your diet can be amazingly effective but I’d have to say that focusing on exercise is the way to go.

Exercise is easier to start and stick with hands down. When you finish a workout you get a real sense of accomplishment and pride. Can you say that about finishing a salad?

The most amazing thing about setting up an exercise program first is that it will almost force you to want to eat healthier food. Your body will begin to crave water instead of sugary drinks and fruit instead of chips and chocolate. It sounds crazy but I’ve seen it happen to even the most hardened junk food addict.

On top of this you will notice changes in your energy levels good and bad which is a great motivator. If you’re not eating properly you’ll notice that your workouts will suffer and you’ll feel tired, all day. That will ultimately lead to you looking for ways to fuel yourself instead of just filling yourself.

I’ve found that healthy eating doesn’t necessarily encourage or motivate you to exercise.

Final Thought

To sum it up when you feel like a complete lifestyle change is too much to handle all at once, choose exercise first and add the diet after.

Let me know what you think. Which do you think is more effective?

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Do you know why so many people aren’t able to lose weight? Do you know why they keep failing? Well, like most things, it’s all in the head. What I mean is that the battle to lose weight isn’t fought at the gym or at the kitchen.

These are simply mediums to lose weight. I’m not undermining the importance of working out or eating healthy. I’m simply saying that the real fight to lose weight is in the mind. What you need to do is change your mindset regarding weight loss.

You see, people want a quick fix because they are too darn lazy to work for what they want. So many overweight people out there think that there are diet pills which can magically help them melt the fat away. And that way, there would be no need for them to change their diet or exercise. Now these are huge misconceptions, and unless you get rid of such a mindset, the fat will never go.

Now, the first step to changing your mindset is by identifying the causes of your obesity. After that, you just have to take counteractive measures against these causes. It’s as simple as that! Now let me share with you the 3 biggest causes of obesity and how you can counter them effectively.

Reason #1- An inactive life

Counteractive Measure #1 – A little change in lifestyle here will help you.. For example, if you drive to your local market. Instead, you can walk there. You’d be doing some form of exercise, and trust me, you’ll feel a lot better.

In fact, I usually walk to places like the gym. And I always walk to the market or mall. Bottom line is, more active you become, the faster you’ll lose weight.

Reason #2 – Hereditary traits

Counteractive Measure #2 – If you notice that many of your family members are overweight, it might mean that your cause of obesity is that you have more fat cells because of hereditary traits. Now this in no way means that there is no way you can lose weight.

You just have to work harder to lose the weight. Write your goals down, and work towards achieving them. Don’t let “bad” genes deter you from your objectives.

Reason #3 – Emotional eating

Counteractive Measure #3 – Emotional eating. Do you think eating actually helps you get over pain? Seriously. I mean, emotional eating is a huge waste of money. You are wasting time and money eating for no reason. Naturally, you will get overweight!

Now whether you are into emotional eating or you are just eating for fun, there is a solution. What you need to do is get a hobby! For me, I enjoy working out and playing guitar. I taught myself how to play and my band plays fairly regularly. And because of this I frankly don’t have the time to indulge in food unnecessarily. See how easy it can be to overcome this problem?

As you can see, just about every problem relating to obesity has a simple solution. Now go

back and write down your causes obesity on paper. Then use the tips above to fight

against it!

__________

And now, I’d like to invite you to get your free report guaranteed to help you burn fat at http://secretstoburningthefat.blogspot.com

Mario John Da Silva is an avid gym-goer and is passionate about weight loss and fitness. He has written articles on these subjects. At his college, he is also regarded as the go-to guy when it comes to fitness, and he’s helped numerous friends get started on working out. http://secretstoburningthefat.blogspot.com

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I will concede that you can burn slightly more calories after a good rest and on a somewhat empty stomach.

The short answer: The best time to workout is when you have the time to do it. Fitting workouts into your already busy life can be difficult but it’s essential to losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Here is the long answer. This is just from my experience and the results I’ve seen. When it comes to aerobic activities like running, biking, rollerblading etc. the rule I follow is that – motion creates energy – So I do my cardio workouts when it’s most beneficial to have or create lots of energy. This means first thing in the morning. I need that energy boost to start my day.

I’ve found that an early a.m cardio workout wakes up my whole body, reduces any anxiety or stress I have about upcoming tasks that day and makes me more creative and productive. This is of course after refueling with a good healthy breakfast and a hot shower

Weight training or strength training workouts are best suited for the early evening/night. The reason is you’re breaking down your muscle fiber during these workouts. If they’re done properly they should leave you feeling a little shaky and a bit weaker. Your body’s reaction to this is that it wants to rest and rebuild. What better way is there to listen to your body, than to give it 8 hours of sleep!

Final Thoughts

I have found that cardio sessions done at night keep me up all night and I just can’t get a good rest. Weights in the morning make me tired and I do nothing but yawn all day.

Experiment with your schedule and see if you can fit this way of exercising into you routine. You can remember it like this – Burn in the morning, build at night – It’s worked for me.

If you’re thinking that I am just a morning person? Wrong, I’m the snooze button King.

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