Amke
No. Yes.
No, you don't "have" to exercise to lose weight. But, it is great for your cardiovascular health and to help you maintain muscle, etc, etc. Find some type of physical activity you enjoy, walking, hiking, swimming, biking, zumba, tennis, it doesn't matter what you do. If traditional workouts aren't for you, find something else :) Plus burning those extra cals lets you have more wiggle room in your eating as well.
Original Post by anya1229:
I don't think anyone enjoys exercise when you first start, eventually you learn to find the mental challenge, feeling of accomplishment, the stress relief and mental relief from the excretion itself...and eventually the runners high from the endorphins (if u are lucky).
^This. I disliked exercise but after making great progress with weight loss and 10-15lbs away from my target I decided I wanted body fat loss and it can be better achieved with eating at a deficit and strength/weight training. I soon have become religious with&nbs p;my exercise, though I still don't run/hate running (maybe that will change too) :P :)
Original Post by anya1229:
I don't think anyone enjoys exercise when you first start, eventually you learn to find the mental challenge, feeling of accomplishment, the stress relief and mental relief from the excretion itself...and eventually the runners high from the endorphins (if u are lucky).
I disagree
Original Post by littlesimongeorge:
Original Post by anya1229:
I don't think anyone enjoys exercise when you first start, eventually you learn to find the mental challenge, feeling of accomplishment, the stress relief and mental relief from the excretion itself...and eventually the runners high from the endorphins (if u are lucky).I disagree
I have to agree. I have always enjoyed it. It is just after you haven't done it for a while you forget, get lazy. Personally, I really don't get why you would NOT enjoy moving.......that is what our bodies were meant to do, not lay on a couch.........but then, that's just me I suppose........and I am thankful for how I feel.
Whether you like exercise or not the problem with just dieting and not exercising (especially resistance training/lifting) is if you only diet you are not going to change your body composition.
Ever see a before and after of a diet only weight loss story where the person looks the exact same shape just a smaller version of it? A scaled down version of their fat self.
If it is cardio that you hate then I totally understand and that can be offset with calorie reduction in your diet but I wouldn't recommend anyone pass on a strength training program.
When I started 'exercising" it was hard and uncomfortable, I was fat and a smoker I could barely walk around the block. As I kept at it it became fun. It was my stress reducer and as the weight came off it became a motivator to keep at it.
I can not imagine my life now without doing some sort of exercise I enjoy every day. Whether it just be taking the dog for a walk, riding my bike or hitting the weights.
I think the key is to try different things until you find that one activity that makes it worthwhile.
weightloss is really about your diet...but there are so many benefits to exercise I would encourage you to do it regardless.
You don't have to exercise to loose weight, but there are so many health benefits to exercising that you should do it! It prevents heart disease, keeps your body strong and even helps with depression and anxiety!
The key is to find something you like. I always thought you had to spend hours at the gym doing boring repetitions and what not to exercise. I made sure I had a movie, music, anything to distract me from exercise. Then I found something I love, running, and I actually enjoy the experience even without music.
I think as mammals our brain chemistry is wired to enjoy exercise, but if you haven't for a long time the challenge of exercising while out of shape may make the experience feel a lot worse than it should. So my advice is to keep at it and experiment with different exercises until you find one you like.
Honestly, if you have a lot of weight to loose, it may take a while before you get over the "out of shape" difficulty. You should be able to adapt though and eventually get into a groove
That's debatable.
