Motivation Psychology For Exercise And Weight Loss

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There are three main types of exercise: aerobic exercise, such as skipping rope; flexibility exercises, such as yoga and other forms of stretching; and strength training, such as bodybuilding.

Aerobic and strength training will help you use the most calories. Since weight loss depends on either burning more calories or taking in less, it is best to concentrate on these at first to make sure your self motivation lasts as you lose weight.

Usually, 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week is best. Build the time and frequency as you develop.

But many people whose self-motivation has encouraged them to begin an exercise for weight loss program ignore 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 per day to function at rest; a pound of fat requires only two calories for the same function.

The fitness consensus used to tell us that to "build" muscle, you should perform fewer reps (3-5) with heavier weights, and to simply "tone," higher reps (12-15) with lighter weights was the best way. But there's no such thing as "toning." Definition that comes with what's incorrectly called toning happens because you have lost the layer of fat covering muscle, making it 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 do not build muscle during workouts but you do in the days afterward when the muscle is "resting." The common rule for strength training is beginning with three sets of 8-12 reps at a weight that leaves you almost incapable of doing the entire set. Then, rest for 30-60 seconds before starting your next set.

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

Self-motivation compelled you to start, but many people have a difficult time maintaining the pace. It helps knowing that the source of our motivations is a belief. Think about it: If you didn't believe the gnawing sensation in your stomach meant you were hungry, you wouldn't feel motivated to eat.

Learning what ideas motivate you is vital to weight loss, because when you feel powerfully motivated, you will exercise regularly. NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) is a form of self hypnosis. And there are NLP techniques that can create exercise motivation because, over time, desire to exercise for weight loss alone likely won't be enough to keep you going. Hypnosis for exercise motivation therapy can help.

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

Next, establish what you need to believe to feel highly motivated to exercise. It is necessary to remember that logic has nothing to do with belief. Things don�t have to be logical to believe them. You may find you already have a belief that goes against this new idea. That�s okay.

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

Belief systems are based in our unconscious, which is like a computer. Computers do not have any ability to reason. The input controls the output. The techniques used in exercise hypnosis motivation therapy can make you believe nearly anything, as long as you're willing to believe.

You begin by creating a picture in your mind 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 will look great and my marriage will improve." Then you learn how to modify the Submodalities of this mental image to correspond with the Submodalities in your calibrated belief picture. On the other hand, if a belief is holding you back, the same technique can change that belief to doubt.

Self-hypnosis for motivation that uses NLP can provide you with something of an internal personal motivator. Using an exercise hypnosis motivation program ensures that the fervor you started with persists until reaching your objective, and then helps you maintain that objective.

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