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If you have made the difficult decision to lose weight - congratulations! For many, committing to their own good health is the most difficult step. But even with self-motivation, many people discover they don't know what exercises to incorporate for weight loss.

There are three main forms of exercise: aerobic exercise, such as skipping rope; flexibility exercises, like yoga and other forms of stretching; and strength training, such as resistance exercises and weight lifting.

Aerobic and strength training will help you burn up the most calories. Since how much weight you lose depends on either consuming less calories or burning more, it is best to concentrate on these at first to guarantee your self motivation lasts as you lose body weight.

Generally, 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week is ideal. Build the duration and frequency as you advance.

But many people whose self-motivation has gotten them to begin an exercise for weight loss program neglect the importance of strength training. Aerobic exercise burns more calories initially, but lifting weights increases muscle mass, and muscle burns more calories than fat. A pound of muscle uses 35 calories a day to function at rest; a pound of fat uses only two calories for the same function.

The fitness consensus used to believe that to "build" muscle, you should do fewer reps (3-5) at higher weights, and to simply "tone," higher reps (12-15) with lighter weights was the best way. But there is no such thing as "toning." Definition that happens with what is incorrectly called toning occurs because you have lost the layer of fat on top of the muscle, making it more visible. The size of the muscle underneath depends on how actively you train.

You must "tear down" the muscle so it can rebuild itself afterward. In fact, you don't build muscle while lifting weights but you do in the days after when it is "resting." The broad rule for strength training is beginning with three sets of 8-12 reps at a weight that leaves you almost incapable of doing the entire set. Then, rest for 30-60 seconds before starting your next set.

Don't be discouraged if you are not able to do all of the reps on every set. In fact, use that to gauge when to add weight. If you are finishing each set without any muscle strain, you will want to add weight.

Self-motivation helped you to begin your routine, but many people have problems keeping the pace. It helps understanding that the source of our motivations is a belief. Consider it: If you didn't believe the gnawing sensation in your stomach meant you were hungry, you wouldn't feel motivated to eat.

Learning what ideas motivate you is essential to weight loss, because when you feel powerfully motivated, you will exercise consistently. NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) is a form of self-hypnosis. And there are NLP methods that can create exercise motivation because, over time, desire to exercise for weight loss alone probably will not be enough to keep you going. Hypnosis for exercise motivation therapy can help.

Your first task is identifying the most important things in your life. We call these things your highly valued criteria. Highly valued criteria are customarily intangibles: money wouldn't be highly valued criteria, but the fun, freedom or security that money can offer would be.

Next, determine what you need to believe to feel highly motivated to exercise. It's vital to remember that logic has nothing to do with belief. Things don't have to be logical to believe them. You may find you already have a belief that goes against this new idea. That's okay.

While understanding what motivates us is important, hypnosis for exercise motivation can put these ideas to work by ensuring self motivation persists. Hypnosis for motivation does this by changing the computer codes in your brain, so you accept thoughts that motivate you.

Belief systems are based in our unconscious, which is like a computer. Computers don't have the power to reason. The input controls the output. The methods used in exercise hypnosis motivation therapy can make you believe almost anything, as long as you are willing to believe.

You begin by creating a picture in your mind that illustrates something you already believe, like, "I love my children." Then you learn to calibrate the elements or 'Submodalities' of that mental belief picture.

Next, you make a mental image that illustrates your motivational idea. Let's say your motivational idea is, "If I exercise, then I will look great and my marriage will improve." Then you learn how to alter the Submodalities of this mental image to correspond with the Submodalities in your calibrated belief picture. Conversely, if a belief is holding you back, the same technique can change that belief to doubt.

Hypnosis for motivation that incorporates NLP can give you something of an internal personal trainer. Using an exercise hypnosis motivation program ensures that the zeal you began with stays until reaching your objective, and then helps you maintain that objective.