Manageable Weight Loss Techniques

Baby Steps to Cardiovascular Health and Muscular Endurance

Jan 5, 2009

These five steps to weight loss, muscular toning and overall health incorporate cardiovascular activity and muscular endurance without the need to join a gym.

Fitness can be achieved without purchasing expensive exercise equipment or joining a gym. The key to weight loss is setting manageable goals. Commencing an exercise routine that is too intensive and unrealistic to maintain is not the answer. Instead, it is beneficial to start with a couple exercise activities and to aim to do them three or four times a week. As this becomes routine, more exercise activities can be added to the routine.

Baby Steps to Fitness

To commence a manageable exercise regimen, one or two of these five great activities can be turned into a regular routine. When doing those three or four times a week becomes a habit, more activities can be added to the routine. The key to fitness is setting realistic goals that can be maintained in the long term.

Daily Half-Hour Walks

This can be done outside, at an indoor track, or even at the mall as long as a brisk pace is maintained. Good posture should be practiced, by keeping the back fairly straight and the head upright. For added endurance training, small weights or soup cans can be carried.

Basic Weight Training

Various sizes of soup cans work well as make-shift hand weights, as long as both are the same weight for balance. Hand weights can also be purchased at fitness stores in several sizes. For maximum benefit, weights should be lifted no more than every other day as the tissue needs to repair itself for further growth and development. Besides the traditional bicep curls, weights can be lifted out to the side, above the head, or behind the head with elbows bent in repetitions of 10 or 15. Knees should be bent slightly, the back should be straight and shoulders should not move up and down. If this is difficult, use lighter weights. The slower the weights are lifted, the better the results.

While the standard push-up is difficult, there are a couple variations that are still effective. With knee push-ups, the shins and knees stay on the floor while the body from the knees up is maneuvered. Wall push-ups are done standing up with hands placed on the wall and elbows bent. The rest of the body is kept erect while push-ups are done. The further the feet are from the wall, the more difficult the push-up. The distance from the wall can be increased as strength increases.

This is a workout for the abdominal muscles and the lower back. A crunch is like a sit-up, except the head is lifted only 3-4 inches from the floor. Exercisers can do 25 repetitions straight ahead, 25 to the left and 25 to the right. For maximum results, abs should be kept tight and the back should be kept straight.

Running up and down the stairs for 15 minutes is a great cardio workout. 15 minutes can be the end goal – there is no harm in starting with 5 minutes one week, increasing it to 10 minutes the next week, and reaching the 15 minute mark after that. Stretching before engaging in cardio fitness helps prevent muscles from being pulled.

Workout routines are most effective when they last in the long-term -- baby steps are the key!

The copyright of the article Manageable Weight Loss Techniques in Weight Loss Methods is owned by Julie Atchison. Permission to republish Manageable Weight Loss Techniques in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.