Unfortunately there is no easy way to tell you this. Apart from total commitment, plenty of determination and a change in your lifestyle habits, if you want to lose weight you are going to have to bite the bullet and start an exercise program at some point in time to reach your goal.
Dieting, or as I like to say, changing your lifestyle, is an excellent starting point.
Most of us could do with a 20% to 25% cut in our food intake especially all those empty calories from processed foods that make bogus claims as to how good they are for your health. Think sugar content in packaged breakfast cereals just for starters.
Watching what you eat is paramount in reaching your preferred weight but eventually you will plateau and will need to throw some exercise into the mix.
By beginning to exercise when you first start your new eating plan will show results much faster. You will find you start to sleep better, joint mobility will improve and within two months you will have an overall feeling of wellness that you probably haven’t felt for years. This new-found sense of well-being will also keep you motivated to carry on and achieve the long term success you desire and may have eluded you in the past.
Workouts for your weight loss program don’t need to be too intense to start off with but they must be regular and consistent. Working out five days a week would be ideal doing two days of cardio and three days of strength training.
Start off slowly doing say three days a week and as you get stronger and fitter work up to five or six days a week. You should be able to do this within 6 to 8 weeks. The motivating thought here is the more you work out the more calories you will burn and the fitter and stronger you will become giving you the impetus to keep going and doing a bit more each week.
Here are a few tips to increase the efficiency of your workouts.
Don’t Dive in Boots and all:
The biggest killer to your progress is trying to do too much too quickly. When starting any type of new exercise program it is important to start off slowly by building strength and range of movement in all your, joints, tendons and ligaments before worrying about building muscle.
Progression is the key.
Your body needs plenty of time to get used to the sudden increase in activity so don’t make it too strenuous to begin with. If you jump in and do too much too quickly then you are more likely to injure yourself. Just take it slowly to start with and then increase the intensity of your workouts as your body becomes accustomed to the new level of activity. You have to remember you are in this for the long haul.
Always Include some Cardio Exercises
If you want to lose weight and burn off maximum fat then you need to be doing a balanced program and this means including some form of cardiovascular exercise with your strength training. Cardio or aerobic exercise helps burn calories quickly as well as increasing your endurance and cardiovascular fitness.
Examples include:
• Rowing machine
• Running/power walking
• Exercise bike
• Swimming/water aerobics
By raising a sweat and getting your heart rate up with each session you will gain the most benefit. As you get fitter then introduce some HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
For more information on understanding aerobic exercise and taking your cardio to the next level check out Cardio Success Secrets, An Easy Start Guide to Cardio Exercise and Is HIIT Training for Everyone.
Include a Combination of Strength and Resistance Training
Using weights will encourage your body to create muscle. Your muscles help to burn off calories and fat, so the more muscle mass you have the more fat you will burn off. Your diet is important here as muscles need the energy from (good) calories to rebuild, strengthen and maintain themselves.
By including resistance training 2 to 3 times a week you will reach your weight loss goal much quicker.
Where to Work Out?
It is not always easy or practical to go to the gym, or maybe you don’t have the funds for a gym membership at the moment. If this is the case then you can still work out at home or maybe even the local park.
Buy some basic equipment and set up your own mini gym at home. To get started all you will need is a few dumbbells, an exercise ball, resistance bands and some kettlebells would be good too. You may also like to throw in a yoga mat. Now you are ready to go and have no excuse now not to get in a good workout at home!
A great way to pick up an exercise bike, elliptical trainer or treadmill and save heaps of money is to checkout local garage sales, e-bay and gumtree.
Your Key to Weight Loss
The real key to losing weight and making sure it stays off is to start a regular exercise program and keeping it going – forever!
Getting started can be as simple as going outside for a brisk walk, swim or bike ride. Then as you get going, work up to joining a gym and maybe even doing some bootcamps once you get fitter. Also invest a few dollars in getting a personal trainer to write a program for you and have it updated every couple of months – it is well worth the money in the long run.
You have to give your body the exercise it needs so it can start burning calories and fat. By also paying attention to your diet you then have a winning combination. Put in the hard work and you will see weight loss success almost immediately. It really is as simple as that.
Shredding a lot of weight is a long term commitment so you have to get your mind in the right place. It is inevitable you will experience some plateaus as your body adjusts to your new exercise and lifestyle program. When this happens change your exercise program to something different. This also helps alleviate the boredom of doing the same thing day in and day out. I find it is good to change every 6 to 8 weeks.
Upon reflection, you didn’t gain all the weight you are trying to lose in just a couple of months – it took years so be realistic and bear in mind it is going to take a year or so to lose it. But with willpower, dedication and enthusiasm you WILL succeed.
Good luck and let me know how you go or if you need some help.
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