Increasing Your Health and Well-being Despite Not Reaching Weight Loss Goals

So many of us start exercising in order to lose weight, feel better about our weight, look better after losing weight, and have a smaller number on the scale because we lost weight. But, it's not always that simple. While plenty of individuals lose weight once they start an exercise program, and maintain a healthy and satisfactory weight after making some great progress, there are those that are not so fortunate.

Exercise can and should be an integral part of both a weight loss and a health promotion program. But it doesn't always yield the results we're looking for, especially if other factors aren't helping to also contribute to our goal of losing weight, specifically, fat. Successful weight loss can be a complicated process and vastly different from person to person. Some individuals will do their very best and still have difficulty getting the scale to move or the mirror to reflect their hard work.

For most, the ultimate goal of losing weight is to feel better and be healthier. The good news, even if you haven't met your goals of altering your body composition, is you still are improving your overall health. Exercise has been clearly and definitively linked to decreased rates of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases, obesity, depression and anxiety, and all cause mortality. Not losing weight on your new exercise routine? You're still much healthy and better off now and in the future than if you lived a sedentary lifestyle.

It can be incredibly frustrating and, at times, unbearable, to feel incapable of losing the weight you would give anything to get rid of. But exercise and physical movement regularly allows you to have a better chance at a happier life and decreased rates of physical ailments. And you'll statistically live longer. The important thing to remember is, consistency and determination over a longer period of time will give you best chance at the results you are looking for. If you are unable to find the progress you are searching for, you may want to speak with your PCP, a personal trainer, and/or a registered dietitian.