Situation: I’m a thirty-year-old single woman and I’m very over- weight. My doctor told me that I have at least 100 pounds to lose. I’ve started reducing my portions and eating more fruits and vegeta- bles and so far I’ve lost 40 pounds. I know that working out would help me lose even more weight. My friends keep trying to get me to come with them to their health club, but they are all so skinny! I am too embarrassed to go there. Can you recommend some exer- cises for people who are overweight and self-conscious?
Strategies: Congratulations! You’ve already lost a large amount of weight. And it is great that you are considering adding exercise to your calorie-cutting efforts. Not only will adding exercise enhance your weight loss now, but once you’ve lost the weight, exercise will also be one of the key things you can do to keep the pounds off forever.If you are not ready to join your friends at their health club, you may want to consider walking. Walking is by far the most popular activity among those working to lose weight, and it’s not by chance. Walking doesn’t require athletic skill, special equipment, or a gym membership, and it has a low risk of injury. In addition, walking can be done alone or with others—the option is up to you. You need only buy a good pair of walking shoes—an investment well worth the money—and go! Walking is also a year-round activity. You can walk outside when the weather is cooperating, move to an indoor facility like a shopping mall when the weather is uncooperative, or buy a treadmill if you prefer to watch television while covering the miles.
Although walking is a great exercise for most people, it may not be your cup of tea, and when it comes to exercise, doing something you enjoy is the single most important factor. With that in mind, other options that may appeal to you or come in handy if you get bored with walking are working out to exercise videos or DVDs, which you can do at home or doing water aerobics, a great form of exercise that is especially helpful to people with physical limitations.
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