Obesity
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EXERCISE AND WEIGHT LOSS
Benefits of Exercise
90. The calorie burning power of our metabolism increases during moderately intensive exercise and play, and can remain high for many hours afterwards. Your metabolism increases if you have more muscle tissue as a result of exercise, since it burns more calories just to stay “alive” in addition to its biological functions. Exercise, therefore, should also include movements that stretch and strengthen your muscle. Sitting in just one position stores lactic acid in muscle and mass. Any weight loss programme without exercise will lose both muscle and fat which is counterproductive because muscle loss significantly reduces basal (resting) metabolic rate.
91. An exercise plan should incorporate both cardiovascular (aerobic) exercises and moderate strength training. Exercises should be performed before breakfast or after dinner. By exercising before breakfast, the body utilises its stored fat. By exercising after dinner, you burn off sugars and starches you have consumed during the day thereby forcing the body to access fat stores for energy while you sleep. Do your weight training first, followed by your cardio. This will ensure that your strength is at a maximum for lifting and you will continue to burn fat during your cardio session. You should work on strengthening your legs, abdomen and lower back. Legs are home to the largest muscle groups, so by strengthening them, you are maximising your ability to build lean muscle mass and to burn more calories through improved metabolism.
92. Benefits of exercise are immeasurable. Regular exercise makes the body healthy, increases digestive fire, gets rid of laziness, gives stability; help evacuate faeces and other wastes / toxins. Exercise can change your body, it can tone, firm, trim, tighten, lift, strengthen muscles and joint structures, mobilise and define your body helping you to improve stamina and reduce fatigue and stave off the effects of ageing. Once you give exercise a chance, you will begin to enjoy its positive benefits on your psyche as well, you will literally become “hooked”! But be careful – don’t get addicted to exercise for hours at a stretch!
93. Exercise improves the functioning of all the body systems – it can stimulate digestion, improve your circulation, aid detoxification, strengthen your heart and keep bones strong and stimulates the nervous system. Your brain and mental capacity can also benefit with an improvement in memory, coordination, clear thinking and speed of learning.
