When you’ve put on a lot of weight and been extremely physically inactive for years, then it’s difficult to even contemplate starting an exercise regime. When you’re obese, just walking around causes the muscles to ache quickly and the joints to creak, and the level of general discomfort is considerable. Being out of your comfort zone is an immediate reality when you’re very heavy because you feel the extra weight everywhere, which impedes your ability to rigorously exercise.
Do Little and Often
The concept of little and often was introduced in the book Do It Tomorrow by Mark Forster. It’s not an original idea per se, but it’s a useful one to bear in mind with fitness. Exercisers, especially men, have a tendency to try to do too much too soon. The concept of doing a little bit of exercise, every day or every 2-3 days, is likely to get better results (the little and often approach) because it allows the muscles, joints, and bones to adjust to the fact that they’re getting used more regularly now.
Not doing too much initially is good for obese people who wish to lose some weight and improve their fitness because it avoids injury setbacks that could place them right back on the bench (or hospital bed in a worst-case scenario) by not being sensible in their actions.
Choose Exercises that Don’t Stretch You Too Far
Most larger people, along with the extra weight, have seen a loss in overall flexibility. Bending down to pick up something off the floor can be a real issue because the stomach gets in the way. Similarly, it’s important to choose the exercises that you feel capable of doing. If you have doubts that you can stretch that far, don’t do so. Take tentative steps to allow your muscles and tendons to get used to the movement. They’ll likely start off tight and inflexible too and will need time to extend out comfortably as the days and weeks progress.
Adjust Your Eating Gradually
Crash diets never work. At best, they cause you to lose some water weight but not much else. The water comes right back on when you respond to your thirst. When your body goes into starvation mode, it signals the survival mechanism where the body stores fat for burning and doesn’t let it go easily. The body hunkers down for the long haul, which makes it much harder to shed the pounds.
Cutting out your favorite food and drink items also leads to a feeling of deprivation and the question, “How long do I have to do this for?” A diet should be an adjusted eating plan and not a temporary substantial reduction in calories. It’s a change of lifestyle by making smart changes to what you’re eating and drinking every day while at the same time increasing your level of movement.
If you’re someone who enjoys getting into the nuts and bolts of losing weight, then it’s the calories consumed and the calories burned off with an everyday activity that matters. Losing weight is a total numbers game. After you’ve been successful getting some weight off and if you fall in love with using numbers to conquer the health & medical arena, then you might consider taking a Medical Coding & Billing course to learn the best medical billing coding practices. This is all about health and funding through insurance claims to ensure everyone gets the health management they need so they can be as healthy as you.
Exercising for people who have put on some extra pounds isn’t easy to get started. But once over that initial hurdle, each day gets a little bit better as the body responds to the increased activity level. Take it literally one step at a time and pace it out to avoid injuries along the way.
