So you do need to work out more than the advertised 18-20 minutes with a resistance band, and whatever the prescribed time allotted for walking. You can't expect your body to reshape itself if it does the same few exercises, at the same weight or resistance level, for the same few minutes. The human body is incredibly complex and phenomenally wonderful in its ability to adapt and evolve beyond what we think it can do. You catch a cold, and the white blood cells race to attack the invading germs, and then they retreat when the threat is over. Muscles perform much like white blood cells: they respond to the exercise stimulation (by growing), and when the “threat” is over (plateau), they retreat (shrink) because the body has adapted to the load being placed on them.
You have to always push forward at full intensity while you're losing weight. When you hit your goal, you can then maintain by way of calories and cutting back on the intensity because the body has been trained into an efficient machine. If you take up the maintenance approach while you're trying to lose weight, you will ultimately become frustrated and give up, and that's the big mistake a lot of people who are exercising do. The other big mistake is thinking calories don't count and exercise isn't important because you're already there, slipping back into junky eating habits and revert into the couch potato you once were.
So don't believe your body only needs “selective” exercising like certain diet and exercise plans claim - your body can benefit from exercising all muscles. Why? The more lean muscle tissue you develop, the more calories you will ultimately burn. Muscle tissue “eats” a higher number of calories, and if your diet is sound, those calories will come from stored body fat and not from sugar, water, or alcoholic sources. Muscle is your friend, and the more you develop, the sexier your body will look.
If you're a man, you want to perform 8-12 repetitions of an exercise, if you're a woman and want the long, lean muscle tone, aim for 12-15 repetitions, but keep your weights reasonable. This doesn't mean perform only one set - you can perform multiple sets, but adhere to the repetitions number based upon your personal goals. Don't take on too much weight or swing the weights during moves or you risk injury - you want form over weight every single time. If you can't perform all repetitions, switch to a lower weight during the exercise.
Learn to see through the lies infomercials tell you and always remember the golden rule: “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!” You don't get something for nothing in real life so don't expect that rule to change when it comes to your body.
If you don't like trying to find all the segments of this series, you can locate the links to them here and they will return you the exact spot on the appropriate site.
