Not much going on in the world of weight loss news today, so I thought I would post about exercise.

A lot of people cringe at the word “exercise,” but why?  We perform some type of exercise all the time, don’t we?  We clean our house (you can burn major calories doing chores around the house), we run after our kids, walk our dogs, go swimming, etc.  Those are all forms of exercise, but we don’t think of it as exercise because we enjoy it…except for the household cleaning, of course.  But all of these activities burn calories and are great for our waist lines.  If you want to know how many calories you’re burning doing simple tasks such as mopping or cleaning your windows, check out www.fitday.com Fitday has a calorie burning calculator for everything, right down to how many calories you burn while taking a bath!

So why is exercise important?  First, it lowers blood pressure, improves mental health and well-being, reduces the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, as well as helping us build strong bones and muscles.  For those who are wanting to lose weight, it is a must!  Sorry, but that’s the way it is.  You have to expend more calories than you take in - that is the basis for ANY weight loss program.

But there is good news for those who loathe exercising.  If you exercise regularly for 3 short weeks, you will come to look forward to working out, whether you do cardio or weight training.  It takes 3 weeks or 21 days for an act to become a habit.  So after those first 3 weeks, you will have formed an exercise habit, and like any habit, you will actually look forward to doing it.

Don’t believe me?  Then I challenge you to do a regular exercise routine for 3 weeks and see what happens.  And it doesn’t have to be strenuous exercise - walking is a great exercise that has helped thousands of people lose weight and get in shape.  Riding a bike, stationery bike, jogging, playing tennis or other sport, any activity that gets you up and moving for 30 minutes will have benefits.  Swimming is GREAT exercise that burns a ton of calories and it’s fun!

Give it a try and I guarantee you that after 3 short weeks, you will actually come to love exercise instead of hating it.