Exercise and Weight Loss

If you hate to exercise and have lived a life of sitting in an office or planted in front of a computer, you may want to have a check up before embarking on any new exercise routine for losing weight.

If you have concerns about starting any workout routine or any rigorous sports activity, you should speak to your family physician and arrange for a stress test. This test is used in medicine and cardiology to measure the heart's ability to respond to external stress in a controlled environment. A stress test, often referred to as a exercise test, treadmill test, exercise electrocardiogram, will assist your doctor of determining if you are out of shape or if there are serious medical issues to be concerned about.

Exercises are generally grouped into three types depending on the overall effect they have on the human body:

1. Flexibility exercises such as stretching
2. Aerobic exercises - such as cycling, swimming, walking, skipping rope, rowing, running, hiking or playing tennis
3. Anaerobic exercises - such as weight training, functional training or sprinting

There are many benefits to exercise other than weight loss but it is important to remember that too much exercise can be harmful also!