Dieting is a big part of today's culture. With obesity running rampant, many are turning to dieting as a way to lose weight. However, many diets simply do not work, or if they do, any weight lost will quickly be regained when the diet is over. A big part of this due to lack of exercise. People figure they can cut or alter their food intake and expect to lose weight.
The problem with dieting and not exercising is that the body will automatically adjust its metabolism based on calorie intake. So if you eat fewer calories, your body will burn fewer in response. This results in little or no weight loss. Furthermore, resuming normal calorie consumption can cause rapid weight gain, as the body's metabolic rate is still adjusted to the diet and will take a long time to readjust. What is needed, then, is some way to burn off these excess calories. The best way to do this is through physical activity.
There are many ways you can keep active. Walking, running and jogging are all easy to get into. If you are near mountains, hiking provides a great form of exercise. A gym membership will get you access to a large variety of equipment, and possibly a pool as well. The advantage of working out is that not only do you burn calories, but you also build muscle, and increase your metabolism. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate will be. It is important that you keep your muscles built up, as any benefit will be lost after a few weeks of inactivity.
Working out also has other health benefits as well. Exercise improves heart and lung function, can potentially help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, helps maintain bone density, and reduces the chance of joint and muscle injury. Exercise is also beneficial psychologically as well, as it can improve mood and self-esteem.
Exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Any diet cannot be truly effective without exercise. Not only that, but a diet combined with inactivity can be very unhealthy. Therefore, the best way to lose weight is to have a proper, balanced diet that includes plenty of exercise.
