If you have made the difficult decision to lose weight - congratulations! For most, making a pledge to their own fitness is a difficult step. But even with self-motivation, many people realize they don't know what exercises to do for rapid weight loss.

There are three main sorts of exercise: aerobic exercise, such as jogging; flexibility exercises, such as yoga and other forms of stretching; and strength training, including bodybuilding.

Aerobic and strength training will help you work off the most calories. Since losing weight depends on either burning more calories or taking in less, it is best to focus on these at the outset to make sure your self motivation continues as you drop pounds.

Generally, 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week is suggested. Build the amount of time and frequency as you progress.

But many people whose self-motivation has urged them to begin an exercise for weight loss program neglect the importance of strength training. Aerobic exercise burns more calories initially, but lifting weights increases muscle mass, and muscle burns more calories than fat. A pound of muscle requires 35 calories a day to function at rest; a pound of fat requires just two calories for the same function.

The fitness consensus used to tell us that to "build" muscle, you should use fewer reps (3-5) with heavier weights, and to simply "tone," higher reps (12-15) at lower weights was the best way. But there is no such thing as "toning." Definition that results from what's mistakenly called toning occurs because you have lost the layer of fat on top of the muscle, making the muscle more visible. The size of the muscle underneath depends on how actively you train.

You must "tear down" the muscle so it can rebuild itself afterward. In fact, you don't create muscle while pumping iron but you do in the days afterward when it's "resting." The general guideline for strength training is beginning with three sets of 8-12 reps at a weight that leaves you nearly incapable of executing the entire set. Then, rest for 30-60 seconds before beginning your next set.

Don't be disappointed if you're not able to do all of the reps on every set. In fact, use that to gauge when to add weight. If you're completing each set without any muscle strain, you will want to add weight.

Self-motivation got you to begin your routine, but most have difficulty keeping the pace. It helps understanding that the source of our motivations is a belief. Think about it: If you did not believe the gnawing sensation in your stomach meant you were hungry, you wouldn't feel motivated to eat.

Figuring out what ideas motivate you is vital to losing weight, because when you feel powerfully motivated, you will exercise regularly. NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) is a form of self-hypnosis. And there are NLP methods that can build exercise motivation because, over time, desire to exercise for weight loss alone likely will not be enough to keep you going. Exercise hypnosis motivation therapy can help.

Your initial task is naming the most important things in your life. We call these things your highly valued criteria. Highly valued criteria are generally intangibles: money wouldn't be highly valued criteria, but the fun, freedom or security that money can bring would be.

Next, determine what you need to believe to feel highly motivated to exercise. It's important to remember that logic has nothing to do with belief. Things don't have to be logical to believe them. You may realize you already have a belief that conflicts this new idea. That is okay.

While understanding what motivates us is important, exercise hypnosis motivation therapy can put these ideas to work by ensuring self motivation persists. Hypnosis for motivation does this by modifying the computer codes in your brain, so you believe thoughts that motivate you.

Belief systems are based in our unconscious, which is like a computer. Computers don't have the facility to reason. The input controls the output. The methods used in exercise hypnosis motivation therapy can make you believe almost anything, as long as you're willing to believe.

You start by making a picture in your mind's eye that illustrates something you already believe, such as, "I love my children." Then you learn to calibrate the elements or 'Submodalities' of that mental belief picture.

Next, you make a mental movie that illustrates your motivational idea. Let's say your motivational idea is, "If I exercise, then I'll look great and my marriage will improve." Then you learn how to modify the Submodalities of this mental image to match with the Submodalities in your calibrated belief picture. Conversely, if a belief is holding you back, the same technique can change that belief to doubt.

Hypnotherapy for motivation that incorporates NLP can provide you with something of an internal personal motivator. Using a hypnosis for exercise motivation program ensures that the passion you began with persists until reaching your objective, and then helps you maintain that objective.

 

Alan B. Densky, CH has specialized in all aspects of weight loss hypnosis, including exercise hypnosis motivation CDs since 1978. Visit his Neuro-VISION self hypnosis website and enjoy Free hypnosis newsletters, articles, and videos.