| If you want to lose weight, you probably don't want it to take a long time. So you might be looking into extreme exercise for weight loss. You might think that if a little bit of exercise is good, a lot of exercise must be better.
This isn't always true. You can over exercise. And if you need to lose some weight, throwing yourself into extreme exercise right away isn't going to do you any good. You could end up with an injury that can prevent you from exercising for a long time. And you don't want that.
While there may be workout routines that are called extreme exercise, it usually refers to simply exercising to excess. Instead of jogging for an hour maybe someone will do it for 2 to 3 hours. Or they work themselves to the point of exhaustion.
While a few people might benefit from this extreme type of weight loss exercise, most people won't. Most people will become exhausted or injured and will burn out on the idea very quickly. The best way to lose weight through exercise is to take it steady and slow.
Unfortunately, most people who want to lose weight don't really have that kind of patience. The thinking is that results should happen quite quickly. And they usually don't.
You didn't gain weight overnight, so you won't lose it overnight no matter how much you exercise. If you don't start slowly when you begin an exercise program but instead jump into it full force, you raise your risk of injury.
Not to mention, you could burn out and not want to do it all. If you decide that walking for 30 minutes isn't good enough so you walk four times a day for 30 minutes, after a few weeks you might decide it's not worth the effort.
If you're already very fit, extreme exercise might be for you. But anyone can exercise too much and damage their bodies. If you're trying to lose weight, there's probably not going to be a lot of extreme exercise you can handle.
Trying to do too much too fast will not only risk injury, but it can be bad for your morale. When you try to overdo it and find that you can't, you might feel a little depressed about your physical state. It's better to take it slow and build up your exercise level at a normal pace.
While walking for 30 minutes at a brisk pace might not be as impressive as running a half marathon, it will help you meet your weight loss goals much quicker. If you try to train for a marathon or some other extreme form of sport when you're not ready, you're only going to discourage yourself.
And if you're discouraged, you're not going to want to do the exercise. An exercise that you don't do won't help you lose weight. So while extreme exercise for weight loss might be the thing that "everyone" seems to be doing, don't fall into that trap. |