Atkins and Exercise

 

Much attention is paid in the Atkins diet plan to food and cooking. It is true that your dietary food choices are of the utmost importance.

But many people make the mistake of ignoring exercise. The newly launched Atkins Food Pyramid shows the importance of exercise. Shows an increase in food choices with increased activity. Exercise is important on the Atkins diet and is important for everyone's overall health.

Exercise is beneficial for the body, mind and soul. It has many important benefits, even at limited levels. Not only does it burn fat, it speeds up your metabolism and increases circulation.

Daily exercise helps your body eliminate toxins through your sweat glands and lymphatic systems. It is especially important for all low carbohydrate weight loss programs because it regulates blood sugar levels.

Physical exercise is essential to the success of the Atkins diet. Without exercise, your body is not set up to process carbohydrates successfully. Research has shown that sedentary people have extreme insulin reactions even to moderate amounts of carbohydrates.

This means that not only does exercise help you lose weight, it will also help keep it off. Exercise will teach your body how to process the carbohydrates in your diet. When you exercise regularly, you will be able to eat more carbohydrates over time because your body will use them efficiently.

There are two basic types of exercise: aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise. The best regimen combines these two forms each week.

The main goal of aerobic exercise is to increase your heart rate. This causes your body to consume more oxygen and gives all your cells a new supply of oxygen.

If you've been out of physical activity for a while, many of those cells have been deprived. Aerobic exercise will regenerate them and help you feel better at times when you are not exercising.

If you've been inactive for a while, it may take some time to get used to your new aerobic workouts. You may want to get some advice from your primary care physician or a professional aerobics instructor. Make sure to start slowly to give yourself time to adjust to your new movements.

It is essential that you learn to stretch and warm up correctly to avoid muscle tension. Some aerobic activities for beginners include walking, golf, tennis, and dancing. These activities won't put a lot of stress on your body, but they will get your heart racing.

Start slowly and set small goals for yourself. For example, if you are starting a walking program, start by walking four blocks. Then increase your workout to five blocks, then six. Your body will respond well to exercise ... after all, your body was meant to move!

Anaerobic exercise includes any activity that is not technically aerobic. Most exercises in this category build muscle mass. Weight lifting and strength training are examples of anaerobic exercises. Exercising with weights is an important part of losing weight.

As you lose fat, you will have to replace it with muscle to stay lean. Don't be afraid to exercise with weights. You don't need to become a bodybuilder.

Weight-bearing exercises, such as isometric and resistance exercises, will help improve your bone density, your posture, and your potential to burn fat.

If an exercise program is not part of your weight loss efforts, you are setting yourself up for failure. Commit to incorporating exercise into your weight loss efforts and you will see results immediately.