It's nothing like we thought it would be - and with each passing minute, it gets less and less fun. In the beginning, it was easy to resist those Diet No-No's.

Perhaps the lettuce and carrots that we've been purchasing lately from the local market are plied with calories.... Yes, that has to be it; the produce manager has it in for us as there is no other explanation.

And as time marches on, our cravings for Diet Yesteryear seem to strengthen as our willpower dwindles.

How Exercise Speeds Up Weight Loss

Curbs Appetite

- Exercising helps curb appetite while getting your mind on different things - such as how much fun you're having on a nice hike, while telling those extra pounds to take a hike, too.

Faster, More Efficient Metabolism

- Activity makes the body's processing tools do their job quicker and smoother. The digestive system works more effectively, weight loss results are enhanced.

Exercise Builds Muscle

Another perk is that muscle weighs more heavily than fat - the body appearing thinner with more muscle than fat. It's a win-win situation.

Activity Holds Detoxifying Properties

- It releases toxins and impurities from the body via perspiration. A cleansed body is a body that feels great.

Metabolic Booster

- Activity boosts metabolism. It's the best prescription for a sluggish metabolism that can melt excess fat pounds quickly.

Activity Increases Energy & Endurance Levels

- It also boosts energy levels. Couch potatoes literally molt; the less the body moves, the less the body wants to move. The more the body moves - the stronger, more efficient state of energy and endurance.

What's That? You Don't Have Time for Exercise? But oh, we have tips to assist....

If you don't have time within your busy schedule to specifically dedicate to activity, even those small bursts of activity throughout your day can render significant health benefits. One need not place all the concentration on activity into a tiny, scheduled capsule.

Along these lines are some Diet Bites tips - some of which are tried-and-true, that can assist in getting in short bursts of activity in your day:

- When dining out or going to the market, park a bit further away; it won't take a long time to make those few extra steps - but those few extra steps do count where activity is concerned.

- While getting gas, set the pump on auto mode and run in place as your tank is filling-up. You'll be getting a good 'fill' of activity while the car or truck gets feed.

- If you're standing and if the particular situation permits, lift up the back of your heels and hold, then put your feet flat again. Work the heels up and down if you can.

A great example is standing in front of a bookcase and searching for a particular book. While you're standing there, you can work your feet - thus relieving the tension therein.

That's another fabulous point about activity; while it might be a pain to perform at times, it can stretch and release pain and tension - thus making the body feel better as long as the individual doesn't over-do.

Weight Loss & the Exercise Factor

Weight Loss Tips for a Fitter You, The Exercise Factor for Weight Loss

Yesteryear, men and women toiled hard in the earth-fields growing crops, making candles and little cotton dresses.

They worked off the number of calories they ate and at-times, more than they had consumed throughout the day. But as time moved forward technology progressed, and man's ecosystem suddenly shifted.

What generally happens when an ecosystem experiences a change?

Those that adapt to the changes may live to tell the story another day. They may thrive and live a better life than yesteryear.

But those in the species who choose not to adapt to accommodate changes in their ecosystem may not survive over time.

With that said, when our ecosystem changed (thus making our tasks easier on the body) little else changed to match this new pace. Man settled back and thought, "Gee! Now I don't have to work my chinny-chin-chin off anymore because all of this new-fangled equipment and machinery is making my life easier."

And portions of the body grew and grew and grew until the new-fangled equipment as machinery begat another technological cousin to deal with the unwanted bulk: Exercise machines and exercise equipment which delivered the same grueling challenges that the work of yesteryear presented, only in the privacy of a closed-in facility rather than the old way - that being, breaking sweat in the Great Outdoors.

Most of the globe seeks cushie jobs - those jobs where one sits and ponders most of the day. Little movement is required, except walking into the building and back out again - discounting those trips to the snack machines, restroom and lunch room and a bit of computer thumping.

So what is a person to do?

Sad but so, we must all learn to incorporate activity into our daily routine as in the old days to correct our ecosystem. The good news is that we no longer need to make the activity 'work time'.

We have so many good things to help make activity time, fun time. Here are just a few suggestions to help get regain control of your ideal body weight:

*Get involved with a club or group - anything from a church hiking club to an independent baseball team.

*Go shopping. If you're a guy, head to the hardware and/or tool store. Most stores are huge these days and strolling around can be a fun thing - and a good thing for your body.

*Enjoy any of the fun activities: swimming, skiing, bowling, shooting hoops, hiking, hula-hooping, dancing and jumping rope.

*Or do a bit of activity making healthy foods in your kitchen. Kneading bread, whipping egg whites and even throwing a grill party outdoors will inject enjoyable activity into your daily life.

Always get your doctor's approval and recommendation before beginning any weight loss plan.

Finally, that day arrived when I made one of the most important decisions - if not the most important on of my entire life. The decision to lose weight with the personal commitment that THIS TIME that excess weight was going to stay off forever. I had reached the point where my health was more important than my love for food....

Jenny glanced in her full length looking glass wondering how she had gotten so blown out of her pants.

Hanging wads here, big globs there, thunder thighs down south, and to the north, a broken heart.

If you haven't headed out into the Wild Blue Yonder in quite some time for a little exercise, think before you leap. (Oh how quickly we forget the most basic of things.)

Exercise Speeds Up Weight Loss

Exercise Goes Hand in Hand With Healthy Eating Plan for Quickly Losing Excess Body Fat