Internet User's Start Page

Exercise To Lose Weight And Weight Loss Motivation

by Alan B. Densky, CH

If you have made the difficult decision to get some weight off - congratulations! For most, making a commitment to their own health is a difficult aspect. But in spite of self-motivation, many people realize they don't know what exercises to do for rapid weight loss.

There are three chief sorts of exercise: aerobic exercise, such as running or biking; flexibility exercises, like yoga and other forms of stretching; and strength training, such as resistance exercises and weight lifting.

Aerobic and strength training will help you burn up the most calories. Since losing weight is dependent on either taking in less calories or burning more, it's best to concentrate on these in the beginning to ensure your self motivation remains as you drop pounds.

Generally, 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week is suggested. Increase the duration and frequency as you move forward.

But many people whose self-motivation has helped them to begin an exercise for weight loss program neglect the importance of strength training. Aerobic exercise burns more calories initially, but lifting weights increases muscle mass, and muscle burns more calories than fat. A pound of muscle needs 35 calories a day to function at rest; a pound of fat needs only two calories for the same function.

The fitness consensus used to tell us that to 'build' muscle, you should perform fewer reps (3-5) with heavier weights, and to simply 'tone,' higher reps (12-15) with lighter weights was key. But there's no such thing as 'toning.' Definition that comes with what's wrongly called toning occurs because you have lost the layer of fat on top of the muscle, making the muscle more visible. The size of the muscle underneath depends on how strenuously you train.

You must 'tear down' the muscle so it can rebuild itself afterward. In fact, you don't build muscle while pumping iron but you do in the days afterward when it is 'resting.' The general rule for strength training is beginning with three sets of 8-12 reps at a weight that leaves you almost incapable of doing the entire set. Then, rest for 30-60 seconds before starting your next set.

Don't be discouraged if you're unable to accomplish all of the reps on every set. In fact, use that to gauge when to add weight. If you're doing each set without any muscle strain, you will want to add weight.

Self motivation got you to begin your routine, but many people have trouble sustaining the pace. It helps to know that the source of our motivations is a belief. Think about it: If you did not believe the gnawing sensation in your stomach meant you were hungry, you would not feel motivated to eat.

Understanding what ideas motivate you is imperative to losing weight, because when you feel powerfully motivated, you will exercise regularly. NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) is a form of self-hypnosis. And there are NLP techniques that can create exercise motivation because, over time, desire to exercise for weight loss alone likely will not be enough to keep you working out. Hypnosis for exercise motivation therapy can help.

Your initial task is naming the most important things in your life. We call these things your highly valued criteria. Highly valued criteria are usually intangibles: money would not be highly valued criteria, but the security, freedom or fun that money can offer would be.

Next, determine what you need to believe to feel highly motivated to exercise. It is necessary to keep in mind that logic has nothing to do with belief. Things do not have to be logical to believe them. You may find you already have a belief that opposes this new idea. Thats okay.

While understanding what motivates us is important, hypnosis for exercise motivation can put these ideas to work by ensuring self motivation persists. Hypnosis for motivation does this by modifying the computer codes in your brain, so you believe thoughts that motivate you.

Belief systems are based in our unconscious, which is like a computer. Computers don't have any capacity to reason. The input controls the output. The techniques used in exercise hypnosis motivation therapy can make you believe nearly anything, as long as you're willing to believe.

You begin by creating an image in your mind that illustrates something you already believe, like, 'I love my children.' Then you learn to calibrate the elements or 'Submodalities' of that mental belief picture.

Next, you make a mental picture that illustrates your motivational idea. Let's say your motivational idea is, 'If I exercise, then I'll look great and my marriage will improve.' Then you learn how to alter the Submodalities of this mental image to correspond with the Submodalities in your calibrated belief picture. Conversely, if a belief is holding you back, the same technique can change that belief to doubt.

Hypnosis for motivation that incorporates NLP can give you something of an internal personal motivator. Using a hypnosis for exercise motivation program ensures that the enthusiasm you began with persists until reaching your objective, and then helps you maintain that objective.

Alan B. Densky, CH has specialized in all aspects of hypnotherapy weight loss, including motivation theory CDs since 1978. Visit his Neuro-VISION hypnosis website and benefit from Free hypnosis newsletters, articles, and videos.