EXERCISE (okay – I heard the collective groan from everyone).  For some reason, when a person begins a weight loss program, they immediately think “I have to eat less, exercise more and the weight will come off overnight” and then get so frustrated when their weight actually increases (because of muscle buildup) or there is no weight loss at all.

 When I began using Sensa, I did not exercise.  I was focused on trying to get the weight off first.  As I slowly started to change my lifestyle, I wanted to incorporate a little exercise into my life.  DID YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY “I WANTED TO……”.  Sensa made that kind of impact on me.  I was losing weight, now I wanted to tone up a little, feel a little healthier.   Through a friend I made on the Sensa Forums (hello Wendy-Girl),  we started a little challenge with each other.   15 minutes of exercise, three times a week.  That was it.  Sprinkling Sensa and incorporating 15 minutes of exercise three times a week were the lifestyle changes I made at that point.

 If you think you have to spend hours in a gym, or a lot of money on fancy exercise equipment, this Chapter will dispel those myths.

I loved how Dr. Hirsch explains the way your body burns calories, whether you are sitting still, eating, or exercising.   We have all heard so much about the calorie burning theory that it gets so confusing – if you eat this much and burn this much you should lose this much????  Dr.. Hirsch explains this so cleanly that I finally came away with a thorough understanding of how calories are burned (expended).

 I have incorporated many of the small changes from his NEAT list into my life, such as carrying in my groceries one bag at a time; I park my car further away from Wal Mart’s doors and walk as fast as I can to get to the door;  I walk around my house more – especially when I am doing laundy – which I now fold and put away each load separately.  It’s small things – but it does add up to an additional 300-500 steps a day and probably an additional calorie burn of 350-500 calories a day (which, in the long run, will help me shed weight).

I have slowly started to incorporate some small floor exercises into my everyday life.  Nothing too organized, but I have started stretching my muscles some and trying to build up a little endurance.  Dr. Hirsch has some wonderful exercises noted in this book.  I will be incorporating several of these exercises into my exercise routine.  These are very simple exercises that anyone can do, regardless of size or limitations.  They require no special equipment, only a wall and a chair.  They don’t take long, just a few minutes and can help you to feel so much better.  Last night I performed all of the stretching exercises – and my body felt so relieved of the stress I had been under, with just a few minutes of stretching!!

Next week we wrap it all up!!!