Atkins Diet and Exercise

Atkins' diet plan pays a lot of attention to food and cooking. It's true that your dietary choices are of the utmost importance. But many people make the mistake of ignoring exercise. Atkins' new food pyramid demonstrates the importance of exercise. It shows an increase in nutritional options with increased activity. Exercise is important on the Atkins diet and important for everyone's overall health.

Exercise is good for body, mind and soul. It has many great benefits, even on a limited level. It not only burns fat, but it also stimulates metabolism and increases blood circulation. Daily exercise helps your body eliminate toxins through sweat glands and lymphatic systems. It is especially important for all low-carb weight loss programs because it regulates blood sugar levels.

Exercise is essential for the success of the Atkins diet. Without exercise, your body is not configured to successfully process carbohydrates. Research has shown that sedentary individuals have extreme insulin reactions to even moderate amounts of carbohydrates. This means that exercise not only helps you to lose weight, but also to keep it off. Exercise teaches your body how to process the carbohydrates in your diet. If you exercise regularly, over time you will be able to eat more carbohydrates because your body will use them efficiently.

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

Aerobic exercise is primarily intended to increase your heart rate. This causes your body to consume more oxygen and it gives all your cells a fresh supply of oxygen. If you have been without physical activity for a while, many of those cells are missing. Aerobic exercise will regenerate them and help you feel better in times when you are not exercising.

If you haven't been active for a while, it may take some time before you get used to your new aerobic workout. You may want to seek advice from your family doctor or a professional aerobics instructor. Be sure to start slowly to give yourself time to adjust to your new movements. It is essential that you learn how to properly stretch and warm up to avoid muscle tension. Some good starting aerobics activities include hiking, golf, tennis and dancing. These activities will not put a heavy strain on your body, but they will set your heart in motion. Start slowly and set small goals for yourself. For example, if you start a walking program, start walking four blocks. Then increase your workout to five blocks, then to six. Your body will respond well to the 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. Weight training is an important part of losing weight. If you lose fat, you have to replace it with muscles to stay lean. Don't be afraid to train with weights. You don't have to become a bodybuilder. Weight-bearing exercises such as isometry and resistance training help improve your bone density, posture, and fat burning potential.

If a training program is not part of your efforts to lose weight, you are setting yourself up for failure. Make an obligation to integrate exercise into your weight loss efforts and you will see the results immediately.