New books pop up every day with the newest fad diet or a better workout to burn fat. Weeding through this tsunami of information can be overwhelming. All you really want to know is how to lose weight. Some of you may have thought you found the answer to this in the last program you followed. For many, the plan required buying and preparing foods you will never eat. Worst of all you may have gained back the weight you lost and then some. The reality with weight loss is that there is no magic pill. Regular exercise and healthy eating are the lifestyle changes needed for weight to come off and stay off. How to lose weight can be distilled into one phrase: burn more calories than you eat.
Exercise is a way to burn calories, in addition to its overall strengthening of our body. To achieve weight loss, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends about 5 hours of exercise each week. This can be done as an hour most days of the week or short bursts of 10 to 15 minutes throughout each day--whatever it takes for you to get moving. Counting steps using a pedometer is one way to increase the amount you exercise. Researchers have found that regular pedometer use can result in a 2,000 step increase each day. This equals walking about an extra mile a day. Tracking steps and tracking time are two tools you can use to increase physical activity. Your job is to find some form of exercise that you can consistently do most or every day of the week. Certain types of exercise may decrease the number on your scale sooner. Click here to see how different forms of exercise compare.