| By :
David King
Weight loss is really a simple formula. Calories eaten minus calories burned equals weight gain or weight loss. In other words, if you eat more than you burn then you'll gain weight. And the opposite is also true - if you eat less than you burn then you lose weight. When individuals are looking for true weight loss - that which stays off the body for weeks, months and years - they are also making permanent changes in the way in which they eat and exercise. Because, let's face it, the more we exercise the more calories we burn and the greater weight we lose. OR the more food we can eat without gaining weight. Exercise plays a vital role in the entire process of both losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For instance, did you know that exercise is one of the single easiest thing that you can do daily that will help to improve your health? By doing some simple exercises, such as walking for 30 minutes, you can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. But exercise is also inextricably tied to weight loss. Each of us has a basal metabolic rate. This is the base number of calories we burn on a daily basis to just pump our hearts, run our brains and breath. This means that we burn a base number of calories if we only lay in bed all day long and press the remote control on the television once a day. Those calories are called the basal metabolic rate. In order to lose weight we have to eat less than the basal metabolic rate plus any other calories we happen to burn during the day. So if you sit at a desk all day and then in front of the television all night your daily caloric rate is pretty darned close to your basal metabolic rate. But, if you get up and walk for 30 minutes, swim, jog, climb stairs, cook a meal, walk the dog, go to the gym, play with the kids, make love to your spouse, or stretch every hour or two you are burning more calories. Researchers tell us that eating less than 1200 calories a day is dangerous because it throws the body into survival mode. All of a sudden the body thinks it's being starved and metabolism slows to a standstill. But when we eat more than 1200 calories and less than what we burn we are 'in the zone'. One of the biggest weight loss secrets and lies is that weight loss can happen by using a 'system' when the system is really only decreasing your calories and increasing the amount of exercise you get daily. AND, by including weight training in that exercise routine, and gaining muscle mass, you also increase your basal metabolic rate. This means that your body burns even more calories - even while you are SLEEPING! So secret number two is that while exercise is important, gaining lean muscle mass is even more important to increase calorie burn and decrease your risk for developing osteoporosis. It is a wise person who incorporates exercise into their daily routine, whether to lose weight, maintain their weight, or improve their overall health. Your body craves exercise - so go get it!
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