An overwhelming number of people in the Western countries are becoming overweight and findings from the latest CDCP data show that as much as 66% of Americans are way above their ideal body weight. This can be credited to the eating habits we’ve adopted as well as our daily activities that entail sitting on our butts the whole day- from the office to our cars and on the sofa at home.
Indeed, as the pace of life becomes increasingly faster, our waistlines are growing and wearing tight, sexy clothes have ceased to be an option for most folks. Working the daily grind has made it quite difficult to stay in shape these days but not at all impossible if we really put our mind to it.
Keeping our weight down through constant exercise is the fastest way to trim the inches around our bellies and fit in those favorite pair of denims exiled deep in our closet. True that maintaining a regular workout regimen seems impossible with our hectic schedules, but with the myriad of benefits we get through regular exercise it’s ridiculous not to.
Aside from the ability to sport the tight clothes often featured in today’s top fashion magazines and catwalks, exercising regularly also gives us a potpourri of health benefits. Lowered blood sugar and cholesterol levels, an enforced immune system, improved endurance, balance and joint strength (making us less susceptible to injury and osteoarthritis)- these are just a few of the advantages we get from staying in shape.
Regular exercise is also a perfect stress reliever- quite useful in these financially hard times. Hypertension brought about by too much stress is one of the major causes of death right now in the world’s top urban centers. Aside from lengthening our lives, working-out and getting lean will give us a more positive outlook because of endorphins released by the brain after intense activity. Remember- positivity begets productivity and happiness.
A well-defined, nicely toned abdomen, confidence, and a happy life- all this just by squeezing in a workout session into your daily itinerary. Folks that have hectic schedules need not worry as there are ways to intensify cardio and anaerobic workouts and shorten exercise time.
Cardiovascular exercises have long been known to be the best way to burn calories from body fat, but one needs to keep at it for at least an hour in order to burn enough calories and facilitate fat-loss. For folks whose schedules are packed, intensifying cardio and muscle-building routines will let them reap the same weight-loss benefits for less than an hour each day.
Fact: Fat burn doesn’t occur until after the first 10-15 minutes of conventional aerobic exercise. The heart rate and metabolism need to reach a certain point for our bodies to start burning energy from calories. Starting cardio sessions at higher intensity will jump-start our metabolism- resulting in immediate fat burn. Shortening rest periods in between weight-lifting sets will also increase our heart rate during anaerobic workouts- allowing us to get the benefits of cardio while building muscle.
