To be fair, I have to mention that exercise alone doesn’t usually achieve long-term weight loss when you have a significant amount pounds to peel off. You really need to consider your diet, too. Exercise alone won’t lead to your shedding major poundage if you have poor eating habits and you continue to follow them.
To be a successful "loser" it comes down to calories: spending more and eating less. It’s a combination of these factors that will result in a significant enough calorie deficit to lead to the kind of success you want.
Avoid a Beginner’s Blunder
But what if you’re a weight loss newbie? What if you’ve never worked out a moment in your life? Those 30 minutes can seem downright daunting. Perhaps if you are just now dealing with your weight issues as an adult, you haven’t exercised since PE in elementary school. (Yours truly couldn’t even say that! I was one the kids with a note every week!)
Don’t let yourself fall into the thinking that if you can’t devote 30 full minutes to working out that you shouldn’t even bother. Sure, 30 minutes may be ideal, but that doesn't mean less than that is worthless.
Try exercising for 10 minutes today and add 5 minute increments until you work up to 30. This may mean something as simple as parking further away at work or walking a circuit through part of the mall before your Saturday shopping spree. Do what works for you.
The Bottom Line
The truth is, there is no magic number when it comes to how much is enough exercise. Just like no fantastic pill will ever exist to get us to our weight goals. And no diet will make losing weight effortless.
Your friend’s idea isn’t fair: In the long run, all exercise “counts”! (Some exercise is better than being a full-time couch potato, right?!) Don’t hold yourself to impossible goals or beat yourself up for not meeting someone else’s idea of what is good enough. Find what works for you. If you stick to it, you will see a little bit really can go a long way.
