E is for Exercise

Physical exercise is a great way to lose weight and is also good for making you feel better. Frequent and regular exercise will help to give the immune system a boost and has also been proven to help prevent heart disease and obesity. Not only that, but it also helps to improve mental health and prevent depression – you usually end up feeling great after a good workout which is one of the main benefits of exercise.

There are 4 main types of exercise

• Aerobic exercise
• Anaerobic exercise
• Strength training
• Agility training

It is more common to do aerobic exercise for healthy weight loss; these types of exercise include swimming, jogging, walking and aerobics. You should aim to do aerobic exercise for 20-30 minutes or more, and 3-5 times a week, but remember that you don’t need to stick to one type of exercise to lose weight. Anything you can do to burn off a few calories will help in the long run. For example, an extra 10 calories a day means that you will burn 3650 calories extra per year, which in theory will result in you losing 1 extra pound of weight. Also rememeber that exercise reduces stress so is a great way to loosen up after a hard day in the office.

You cannot spot reduce with any type of exercise though. This is a common misconception. It is often thought that by doing many abdominal situps that you will burn belly fat and get toned abs but it doesnt work like this. For this reason, try not to focus on a certain exercise, although of course if you want to tone the muscles then you can still do them that way.

I would highly recommend walking to anyone that hasn’t exercised in a while; it’s easy to get into and you can fit it in around your current lifestyle easily enough. Failing that a 30 minute walk in the evening will really help, and it’s something you can do with all the family or drag some friends along instead!