Exercise Plan

As discussed previously, diet is most important for weight loss, but that doesn't mean that exercise is not important in order to be healthy. It certainly aids in weight loss as working out and being active certainly burn calories in addition to your BMR. It also boosts energy levels, aids in burning fat, and makes your heart function at a higher level.

If you are looking for weight loss as your primary goal, your cardio work outs and activities are the most important. Some weight training is still a good idea but for pure calorie burn, your high level of cardio is definitely the way to go. (You can look at the list of activities link I posted yesterday and see that the cardio activities burn the most calories Activity List)

My Current Workout Routine
Recently, I have become more and more "obsessed" with working out and being active. It has just become habit for me and part of my recreation and leisure time. I really like to change up and do different activities in no certain order. Like I said before, I definitely concentrate almost solely on cardio. Currently, I average about an hour of working out per day, anywhere from 30 minutes up to 2 hours on rare occasions. I feel like it has gotten to this level for a few reasons: I love the results I see, I have found  a variety of activities that I enjoy, and feel awesome after working out.

Here are some of the activities that I do on a regular basis:

• Road cycling- I fixed up a 30-year old Ross that was my dads and have ridden it for hundreds of miles so far. I usually ride this around my neighborhood, the streets around where I live, and a nearby business. I feel like I enjoy riding it because you can consistently ride at high speeds.
• Mountain Biking- I "mountain bike" around my neighborhood and have enjoyed exploring the greenways around Raleigh on it (here is a link Capital Area Greenway including a map). I look forward to getting more into riding off-road and seeking out local and not-so-local trails. Between my road and mountain bike, I generally ride between 70 and 100 miles per week.
• Running- I used to hate running, I still don't really like it, but it is a good way to get up your heart rate and get a good sweat going pretty quickly. I also meet up with a friend almost every Wednesday to run a 5k in Cary at the Hibernian. Altogether, I average about 10 miles per week running.
• Lifting Weights- I usually get in a strength work-out at home 2-3 times per week. The technique I am currently using is to run circuits of slow-motion reps (5 seconds up, 5seconds down) until I burn out on low weight (I use 15 lb. dumbbells). This gets in a pretty killer workout in about 15 minutes.
• Jumping Rope- I got a jump rope and will do either sets of 200 jumps and jump for 2 minutes straight and it definitely gives a good quick cardio burst.
• Punching/Kicking Punching Bag- I will do this in timed sets, usually a minute at a time.
• Push-ups/Sit-ups- Generally do sets of 50-60 daily.

Earlier Workouts/Tips to Get Started
I know that most people will not want to/can't find time to work out an hour a day (although I would argue you can always make some time) and might not want to start an intense routine so here are some things that started me on my path:

• Walking/Hiking- I started out in January walking in around the lake that was behind my house in Cary. It was easy and reasonably scenic. I would suggest walking somewhere that has an interesting setting if possible and keep you pace up as much as you can. When I walk, I target at least 3.5 mph.
• Do activities with others- Whether with a group or individual, I always find it easier to push myself when someone else is there.
• Play a sport- Even when I was at my biggest, I was playing soccer year-round. I am sure that this level of activity kept me from being even bigger. And going along with this one...
• Try to link "working-out" with you leisure activities- If you can participate in activities that you truly enjoy, it will seem less like working out. I always used to say that the only time I would enjoy running is if I was chasing a ball, this is still sem-true.
• Plan/Set goals for yourself- Try to plan and set time aside for being active every day. It helps me to have stuff as part of my routine and it will become habit.
• Choose activities that take little preparation/travel- At least for most of your daily activities, try to have them be something that you can pick up and do at a moments notice. This will limit your excuses of not having time. And this is why things like: sit-ups, push-ups, running, biking, etc. are so good because you can do them for as much or little time as you want and can do them almost immediately after making your decision.

I still struggle with making myself work-out at times, but once I start, it's totally worth it. I definitely get a "runner's high" after activities and you certainly feel better about yourself after doing it.