Staying thin and in shape is crucial for many people -- that is why setting up an exercise routine is so crucial. However, you may be surprised to discover that not just any old kind of exercise will work - in fact, research studies routinely show that there are two basic types of exercise that are successful.

Because so many people struggle with the motivation to exercise, choosing the most efficient types of exercise is imperative, since the less time you spend exercising - and the less time you waste on exercise that is not efficient - the more likely it is that you will persist in your exercise routine and therefore achieve your personal weight and strength goals.

Our initial variety of exercise which has been consistently shown to assist people to lose the pounds and get in shape is progressive resistance. In brief, progressive resistance is a particular variety of strength training. How it works is that it is progressively ramping up the pounds lifted, the number of sets, and number of repetitions performed. Therefore, muscle fibers are never put under strain or subjected to damage - instead, they are slowly and steadily allowed to strengthen without any setbacks.

The second variety of exercise that has been studied by scientists is cardio training. This is any variety of exercise that gets the heart rate up to 60 - 85 percent of its maximum rate. Examples of cardiovascular training could consist of jogging, jumping rope, aerobic exercise, or running on a treadmill, as well as others, but it is your choice.

Even though progressive resistance and cardiovascular training alone have been determined to be very efficient kinds of exercise, researchers now know that the combination is the best bet for success. By combining both progressive resistance and cardiovascular training, you will increase the strength of your muscles and increase overall endurance. According to a scientific study, exercisers who used both cardiovascular and progressive resistance during a two month time period lost 45 percent more pounds than exercisers who did cardio or progressive resistance alone.

As crucial as the variety of exercise you do is, the way in which you exercise is also vital. It probably will be unsurprising that consistency is what you should seek. Exercising in an irregular manner may enact strain on your muscles and will probably not assist you to increase strength and endurance. In addition, it is unlikely to improve your whole-body health. According to most scientists, the best plan is to exercise for 40 minutes to an hour three, four, or five times each week.

It is unfortunate that for a large percent of people, getting sufficient exercise is not as simple as dropping in at the health club a few times each week or listening to what researchers say. For these people, the motivation to exercise is the big issue - this group of people simply doesn't have the drive to go to the gym. In fact, they may resist any and all exercise, which can lead to severe anxiety.

It is unknown what percent of the American population deals with problems with the motivation to exercise, but scientists say that up to 20 to 40 percent of people say that they "hate" or "dread" exercise. An even larger percentage of people may have milder exercise motivation problems, claiming that although it is relatively simple to commit to an exercise plan for one or two weeks, motivation eventually fades, which leaves them back where they were initially - unhealthy and overweight.

If you happen to be one of these people who struggles to deal with exercise motivation, you will be glad to know that there are some easy methods to overcome the struggle. According to a recent study, subjects who desired to start an exercise program received a short learning program that aided them to select the best types of exercise, were provided with a therapist who specialized in exercise motivation, and were given a short course in hypnosis. After 6 months, they were re-examined. It turns out that over 85 percent of the subjects had adhered to an exercise program throughout the entire 6 months. Even better, they generally lost an average of 15 more pounds than the control group.

If you are interested in this study, it might be a good idea to investigate the possibility of finding a motivational therapist, habit control therapist, or therapist who specializes in hypnotherapy. These types of therapists are given special training in helping people to overcome anxieties, increase the motivation to exercise, and reinforce good habit development. Another possibility for exercise motivation is self-hypnosis - which is a simple and inexpensive practice that often helps people develop control over their own internal powers of motivation.

Hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis are completely safe ways of increasing motivation that have been proven to be successful in the case of the motivation to exercise. Hypnosis functions by the use of hypnotic relaxation to elicit the powers of the unconscious to influence behavior modification and the formation of habits. Hypnosis therapy is an excellent choice for people who are adverse to exercise due to the fact that it can help the development of the drive to get in shape and lose weight easily and effectively.