Atkins and Exercise

There is a lot of attention paid in the Atkins diet plan towards food and cooking. It’s true that your food choices on the diet are of utmost importance. But a lot of people make the mistake of ignoring exercise.

Diet and exercise go together like bacon and eggs (but with healthier results), so you should pay attention to them, even if you don't relish the idea of exercising. In the UK exercise is sometimes seen as something we do for a short while in the New Year, usually by joining an expensive gym. It should actually be an integral part of everyday life.

The newly released Atkins food pyramid shows the importance of exercise. It shows an increase in food options with increased activity. Exercise is important on the Atkins diet, and important for everyone’s overall health. Exercise is beneficial to body, mind and soul, offering many major benefits, even at limited levels.

It not only burns fat but it boosts your metabolism and increases circulation. Daily exercise helps your body eliminate toxins through sweat glands and lymph systems. It is especially important to all low-carb weight loss programs because it regulates blood sugar levels. And most importantly, it doesn't have to be strenuous, leaving you worn out, to offer the benefits. Gentle exercise can be extremely effective if it's done regularly.

Physical exercise is essential for Atkins diet success, indeed for long-term success on any diet. Without exercise, your body isn’t "configured" to process carbohydrates successfully. Research has shown that sedentary individuals have extreme insulin reactions to even moderate amounts of carbohydrates. This means that exercise doesn't just help you lose weight, it will help you keep it off too!

Exercise "teaches" your body how to process the carbohydrates in your diet. When you exercise regularly, you can eat more carbohydrates over a period of time because your body will use them more efficiently.

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

Aerobic exercise's primary goal is to increase your heart rate. This causes your body to consume more oxygen and it gives all of your cells a fresh supply of oxygen. If you've been without physical activity for a while, many of those cells have been deprived - almost choked to death, you could say. Aerobic exercise will regenerate them and help you feel better in times when you aren't exercising.

If you've been inactive for a while, it may take some time to get used to your new aerobic workouts. You may want to get some advice from your doctor or a professional aerobics instructor. Whatever you do, don't do the "weekend warrior" thing and try to exercise like an athlete - it's dangerous to do so. You should give yourself time to become accustomed to exercise, gradually increasing the frequency, duration and intensity of what you do.

And never strain. The old mantra of "no pain, no gain" is bad advice.

Make sure to start slowly to give yourself time to adjust to your new movements. It’s essential that you learn how to stretch and warm up correctly in order to avoid muscle strain. Some good beginning aerobic activities include walking, golf, tennis and dancing. These activities won’t cause a lot of strain on your body, but they will get your heart moving. Start slowly and set small goals for yourself. For example, if you are starting a walking program begin by walking for say 5 to 10 minutes. Then increase your training to 10 to fifteen minutes, then 20. Your body will respond well to the exercise…after all your body was meant to move! Never push yourself beyond your own ability. There's no health benefit if you injure yourself.

Anaerobic exercise includes any activity that isn’t technically aerobic. Most of the exercises in this category build muscle mass. Weightlifting and strength training are examples of anaerobic exercises. Working out with weights is an important part of losing weight. As you lose fat, you’ll need to replace it with muscle in order to stay lean.

Don’t be afraid of working out with weights. You won’t need to become a bodybuilder. Weight bearing exercises like isometrics and resistance training will help improve your bone density, your posture and your fat burning potential. And weights don't have to be heavy. You can use a tin of baked beans in each hand to do some basic bicep curls and you'll still get a benefit. If you're already strong then by all means use heavier weights, but don't assume that you have to become Arnie to get benefits from light weight exercises!

If an exercise program is not part of your weight loss efforts, you may be setting yourself up for long-term failure. Make a commitment to incorporating exercise into your weight loss efforts and you’ll see and feel the results pretty fast.