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Health: FIT FOR LIFE: First Visit to Gym is Scary

Posted on: Thursday, 16 December 2004, 09:00 CST

QMy wife has started a diet and is gradually losing weight but I have told her she also needs to exercise.

She has never been in a gym in her life and is quite nervous. What kinds of exercise should she begin with?

A Dieting is one way to lose weight, however, depending on which diet you are following, it is recommended that you do some form of exercise at the same time in order to improve your weight loss throughout the diet period. In simple terms, the ultimate aim of a diet is obviously to lose weight, however, to do this you need to burn off more calories than you eat. For example, if your normal diet includes 2000 calories, but through exercise you manage to burn 2500 calories, you will lose weight. If you eat 2000 calories but only burn off 500, you are gaining calories and ultimately gaining weight.

Unfortunately, in this day and age people are working much longer hours, which doesn't allow the time for them to cook quality foods that will help to lower their calorie intake. Therefore, the addition of exercise to the daily routine can prove extremely beneficial to weight loss.

Basic fat burning exercises that will help you to lose weight are based around a cardiovascular workout. This usually entails walking or cycling to allow your heart rate to work to at least 60 per cent of your maximal heart rate. In other words, if you work up a sweat, you are actively working towards weight loss.

Also, this type of exercise does not have to be conducted within the gym environment, it can be integrated into everyday life. However, it must only be completed once you have warmed up for at least five minutes. If you begin to feel dizzy, you should stop immediately. You may also like to include some resistance exercises within the routine. It is advised that these are carried out for the first time in a gym under professional supervision.

Most gyms are very user friendly and will cater for all levels, abilities and users. Usually, when you sign up for gym membership, you will have a consultation with an instructor to consider what you are trying to achieve from the exercise.

They will co-ordinate a programme for you.

Resistance training will help to keep your muscles strong and prevent body fat from building up in the usual places, such as the abdominals, the bum and the hips. Using a weight that feels challenging after ten repetitions should be enough to help you get started until you get a personal programme drafted by an instructor.

Dave Roberts is manager of L A Fitness in Temple Row, Birmingham city centre

Source: Evening Mail; Birmingham (UK)

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