Diet Mondays: Incorporate Exercise With the Atkins Diet

I'm sure all of you are familiar with The Atkins Diet by now. If not, here's a primer. What I have noticed however, is that many folks on The Atkins Diet, aren't exercising. Because the diet lends itself to such rapid weight loss, I think folk believe that they don't have to work out. Which, as I've noted on this blog in the past, is not the best decision. So, if you're on The Atkins Diet here are a few tips adding some exercise to the diet:

Go Slow During Induction
During the Induction phase of the Atkins diet you are severely limiting your carbohydrate intake. The change in carbs forces your body to burn fat as its primary source of energy. Since your body is used to using carbs as its primary source of energy exercise during induction can be difficult. The lack of carbs means your body doesn’t have the energy source its used to having to help you burn calories and sustain your energy levels during your workout. This phase of the Atkins diet is known for experiencing side effects such as fatigue, light-headedness and headaches.

Exercise during the induction phase of Atkins can make these systems worse; so keep the exercise to a bare minimum during the first two weeks of the diet. Light walking and other low impact exercise for no more than thirty minutes a day, are your best options for the Induction phase of the Atkins diet.

Add More Exercise as You Add Carbs
The best part of incorporating exercise into the Atkins diet is the more you exercise the more carbohydrates you get to eat. Exercise allows your body to better process the carbohydrates you consume so they don’t have a drastic affect on your blood sugar levels as they do for those who don’t exercise at all or very little.

Dr. Atkins diet plan allows for people who are very active to consume considerable more grams of carbohydrates a day than those who exercise moderately or lead sedentary lives. By Atkins standards a person who is active is described as someone who gets at least 45 minutes a day of vigorous exercise at least five times a week. The extra grams of carbs per day should act as an incentive for you to add more exercise to your diet regime. As you more through the latter stages of the Atkins diet try adding jogging, running, power walking or other high impact workouts to your exercise regime.

Don’t Forget the Weights
While aerobic exercise will make your heart healthy weight training will tone your body, making you look leaner and, as you gain more muscle, burn more fat. Working out with weights will replace the fat you lose with muscles and because you’re more active and in better shape, allow you to consume more carbohydrates on the Atkins diet. You can add weight training to your workouts as you move through the later stages of the Atkins Diet but by Lifetime Maintenance weight training should be a regular part of your routine as it will not only help you lose the weight but will aid in you keeping the weight off.