The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies - Meri Raffetto [137]
When you exercise, you start to build more lean body mass while decreasing body fat. Your natural shape is the result. You begin to look more trim and shapely as this shift happens — even if you don't really need to lose weight.
A pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh the same — 1 pound. However, a pound of muscle takes up a quarter of the space that fat does. So even if you don't see drastic number changes on the scale, pay attention to your body shape and how you look and feel in your clothes. That's more important than a single number on a scale. By switching your focus from numbers to body shape, you may find that you feel better with your progress.
If you're really into measuring, take a measuring tape and measure your waist, arms, and thighs. Most people find that they lose inches faster than the scale changes numbers. Monitoring your inches in addition to your pounds can help reinforce that you really are making progress.
Increased energy
Do you ever catch yourself saying you wish there were more hours in the day? Well, I can't make that happen, but I can tell you how to have more energy during the day to do all that you need to and feel great. The secret doesn't lie in the latest energy drink. It's found in exercise. Just lace up your tennis shoes and go for a walk to find that spark of energy you're looking for.
Research shows that exercise helps to improve energy, even among people with chronic illnesses that increase fatigue. As a matter of fact, more than 90 percent of studies show that people who live a sedentary lifestyle improve their energy markedly when they start an exercise program compared to those who don't.
Wondering how exerting more energy can make you have more energy? Well, the best answer is that your body and heart become stronger and more efficient with exercise. That translates into improved energy in the long run (not to mention weight loss and body shaping).
Perhaps you've tried an exercise program for a few days only to come home exhausted. That's expected, especially if you were fairly sedentary before that. It may also be a sign that you're trying to do too much too soon. Give yourself at least a week to get beyond this initial start-up hump, and you'll soon feel more energized throughout the day.
Finding the time to exercise requires personal motivation. To help keep you motivated, maintain a log of your exercise and rate your energy level on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being low and 10 being high). Then you can monitor how your energy level progresses as you incorporate more movement into your life.
Squeing exercise into your mornings
Many people find that the only time they can exercise is in the morning, meaning they have to address that dreaded question: How can I possibly get up any earlier? Many of my clients have faced this issue head-on and found that they actually have more energy when they wake up early and exercise. Yes, the first few days (even weeks) can be difficult because your body isn't used to waking up 30 to 60 minutes earlier. But your body can get used to early rising just like it can get used to any other change. Before you realize it, you're in a comfortable routine of getting up first thing for a little cardio and a little strength training. What a great way to start the day! You can then walk confidently through the day, knowing that you already checked this important habit off of your to-do list.
An improved mood
Exercise can greatly affect your overall mood. This fact may not sound like a big deal, but if you're an emotional eater, exercising may hold the key to preventing you from polishing off that pint of ice cream because you feel sad or depressed.
Exercise improves mood because it releases a cocktail of feel-good