Creating an Exercise Schedule for Weight LossThroughout your weight loss* journey you’ll be encouraged to make a number of changes to your lifestyle. From getting more sleep to choosing healthier foods more often, you’ll be encouraged to develop a number of habits that will support a healthy weight and way of life.

One of the main components to any weight loss* program is exercise. Exercise helps you burn calories, reduce stress and get stronger.

Additionally, exercise is known to:

  • Improve mood
  • Encourage better sleep
  • Reduce risk of heart disease and stroke
  • Reduce risk of some cancers
  • Improve blood pressure
  • Strengthen joints
  • Improve balance

Making Time for Exercise

In order to include more exercise in your life, you first have to address your current schedule. If you haven’t been making exercise a priority, you’ll have to change some things around. This may mean targeting certain activities that aren’t supporting your new healthy lifestyle, identifying gaps in your schedule where exercise may fit or finding ways to incorporate more exercise into your everyday activities.

Try Substitutions

If you always meet your friends for lunch, substituting a walking lunch with them even once a week is just one way to make a change that gets you moving more often. Involving your family in after-dinner walks instead of TV time is another way to both be active and still spend time with those you care about.

Add Exercise to the Beginning or End of Your Day

Getting up before everyone else so you can do some simple exercises at home is one way to consistently carve out time for exercise. You may also find that even 15 minutes of activity before your normal bedtime routine will help you build in exercise time you can count on.

Just Book It

You may find that you have make exercise appointments in your schedule, just like you make appointments for going to the dentist or a business meeting. When you make your exercise appointment, treat it just like any other important area of your life and keep the appointment. If you run late, remember that doing something is better than nothing at all.

Ultimately, with creativity and advance planning, you can create an exercise schedule you can rely on to give you the time you need to lose weight and keep it off.

*Disclaimer: Medical weight loss programs are individualized to meet the specific needs of each patient. Individual results vary.