Benefits to Exercise: Weight Loss and Beyond

Benefits to exercise include stronger muscles--and it is true that muscle weighs more than fat...and bigger muscles burn more calories than weak muscles!

Other benefits are stronger bones, if you are doing weight-bearing exercises.

People who exercise regular sleep better at night, have better endurance and more energy during the day.

And even though it may seem counter-intuitive, exercising regularly can actually reduce your appetite!

So what if you are exercising and not losing weight? What is going on with that?

It is possible to increase your activity level and not see a corresponding drop on the scale. And this can be very discouraging if you think that exercise is the answer to dropping pounds.

First realize that exercise all by itself may not be enough to bring about weight loss.

That doesn't mean you should stop exercising! There are lots of benefits to exercise that go beyond the scale as mentioned above.

It may be that you are at an exercise plateau...you may have to vary the routine, try a new exercise for a while just to break it up. Or increase the intensity...your body may have gotten used to the level you were at. Can you easily hold a conversation while working out? Then you need to bring it up a notch.

Be sure you are breathing. And that's not meant to be funny. Sometimes we hold our breath when working out and that is not good.

Take lots of deep breaths through your nose while you exercise. Use your diaphragm. Increase the oxygen to your body's furnace and it will start to burn hotter.

If you still aren't losing weight (and you really, objectively have fat to lose) be sure that you are really open to the possibility of losing weight and gaining health. Go back to mindset! It truly is where it all begins!