<p>For toning of arms it’s surprising what can be done with a simple set of 2 dumbells. I use 15 pound ones but you can try something closer to 5 or so depending on strength. Just repeat the lift with enough reps to feel it. As your strength improves you can do more reps with the same weights rather than have to go out and buy heavier ones. The weights are cheap (I use simple iron ones) and convenient. As long as they’re done every day there’ll be results.</p>
<p>For losing weight - try the South Beach Diet or a variant. It works pretty well and is livable for a lot of people. After you get to a target range you can modify the diet to suit your needs but it’s important to not have the mental attitude that ‘you’re done’ and revert back to the old ways that put the weight on in the first place. The change in eating habits needs to be permanent.</p>
<p>For losing weight both diet and exercise are great but focus on the diet part since you can actually lose all the weight by just focusing on eating habits even without doing any exercise at all. The same is generally difficult if you focus only on exercise and not the eating habits. Too many people want to tie the two tgether and make the weight loss dependent on the exercise and then fall down on the exercise part since it can be time consuming, a hassle (if going to a gym), and can get derailed with minor injuries. Once they stop or reduce their exercise they then stop or reduce their attention to eating habits. People that tie the two together often have their plans fall apart due to the exercise part.</p>
<p>When you do start to exercise take it relatively easy at first so you’ll stick with it enough to become a habit and so you don’t injure yourself and derail it. After a week or two you can increase the workouts as you feel comfortable. If you have 45 pounds to lose be extra careful about exercises that put stress on your joints like running. Consider exercises like walking, an elliptical, and weight training. The important point is to find a time and place where you can do it regularly. Eliminate excuses to not do it by working around appointments, meetings, etc. It’s ideal if you can map out some walking paths in your neighborhood so you don’t need to go to a gym for it. Granted, I live in San Diego so I can walk outside year-round with no concerns for snow and cold but see what you can do to make the regimen as convenient as possible.</p>
<p>Another advantage of a regular workout is that it keeps you more in tune with your body and will make you more aware of sudden fatigue, loss of breath, numbing in a leg or arm, etc. which can portend deeper health issues. </p>
<p>Weigh yourself once a week on the same day of the week and same time of the day and keep a record of it. Watch the trends. Keep a note of any unusual events (like Thanksgiving, a vacation, cruise, injury that stopped workouts, starting a new workout, etc.) so you can see how it affects the stats. </p>
<p>Keep the long term goal in mind. Focus on what the results will be in 3 months, 6 months, and a year if you stick with your path. Consider any effort to be a waste of time if the results aren’t still there in a year and 3 years. Remember that losing a pound a week is 52 pounds a year. You don’t need a crash and burn weight loss program to be successful and will likely be more successful finding a niche you can live with that’ll still acieve your long term goals.</p>
