Posts tagged weight loss

EVERY REPETITION COUNTS

Building a lean, toned body is a goal that many fitness enthusiasts have in common. Working towards a toned body will also help with weight loss, building endurance, and strength. In this week’s tip, I’ll detail a 5-step plan that will place you on track to get you the toned body that you’ve been looking for.

Step 1. Change the Way You Eat

A toned body requires the building of lean muscle mass. Foods that contain protein, such as fish, chicken, almonds, and beans will make it easier for your body to build and repair your muscles.

Step 2. Find a Good Balance

Combining resistance and cardiovascular training is the key to achieve toning. Many people tend to focus on one aspect more than they do the other. Make your work out routine so that you’re strength training at least 2-3 times a week, and doing cardiovascular work at least 4-5.

Step 3. Repetition, Repetition

Always pick a level of resistance that will challenge you. For strength training, 15-20 repetitions in a set will help develop muscle endurance. If after 2 sets you feel like you could do 2 more, the level of resistance is too light. Crank it up a notch!

Step 4. Think Full Body

Instead of isolating muscle groups by going around the strength machines, try doing exercises that require multiple muscle groups working together at the same time. Examples of great full body exercises are push ups, pull ups, squats, and planks.

Step 5. Rest and Sleep!

We like to think that body composition changes happen while we’re at the gym, but they actually occur while we’re in bed. If you’re not getting enough rest between your workouts or getting less than 7 hours of sleep at night, you may not see the results that you want.

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EASIER THAN YOU THINK

Many people go to extremes in order to shed a few pounds. There will always be a Hollywood diet, a bogus fitness product (Shake Weight, anyone?), and insane home video work outs that claim to help you get the body of your dreams. The truth is that losing weight can be easier than you think. Consider these next few tips that may help you get the results that you’re looking for:

The Scale Can Lie

We tend to put too much focus on the numbers on the scale. Sometimes, we’re eating right, working out hard, and we still don’t see the numbers drop. Why? Keep in mind that if your work out consists of strength and cardiovascular training (and it should); you’ll probably gain some lean muscle at the same time that you’re burning body fat. The scale will not reflect this change, but your body will.

Are You Really Working Out?

If you’re leisurely pedaling on a stationary bike while reading the latest on Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson on your iPad, I’m sorry to inform you that you’re not doing much. When it comes to cardio, you get what you give. Crank up the resistance, speed it up, and make that work out count.

Don’t Succumb to Guilty Pleasures

With the holidays in the horizon, it’s easy to let your guard down when it comes to the things that you eat. Put away the bowl of candy corn and take it easy on the stuffing. Be smart about what you’re consuming, and on the days that you just can’t help it, spend some extra time in the gym.

Pick Your Battles

How bad do you want to lose those 10 lbs? Enough to give up drinking your favorite soft drink? Enough to start packing your lunch instead of eating out? Enough to get up at 5:00am on the days that you can’t work out after work? Prioritizing is the key to weight loss.

Don’t Make it Hard. Simplify it!

Many people whose goal is to lose weight can become overwhelmed thinking about what to do, what to eat, when to eat, etc. Health seekers in general tend to over-complicate the whole weight loss process and forget that there are very simple factors that will get them to where they want to be. Here are a couple of tips to get you there:

Burn More Than You Consume

It’s simple. If you’re going to eat a lot, you’re going to have to spend some extra time in the gym. For most people, if they want to lose 1 pound a week, they must burn off 500 calories a day.

Check the Nutrition Facts

Don’t worry too much about counting calories. Try to eat foods that have 0 trans fat, low saturated fat and rich on protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Hit the Weights

Strength training is just as important as cardiovascular training for the weight loss process. The great thing is that after just 30 minutes of strength training, your body continues to burn calories throughout the day.

Have Patience

Don’t get discouraged just because you don’t see results right away. If you’re eating right and you’re getting the most of your exercise at least 3 days a week, you should see some kind of change between 4-5 weeks. 

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Shedding the Pounds with Resistance Training

If weight loss is your goal and the only thing you’re doing is jumping on the treadmill, you’re missing out. Although often dismissed, adding a resistance training routine to your work out can give you significant results. Hitting the weights a few times a week will help you speed up your metabolism by building lean muscle (not bulky, bodybuilder muscle!). In return, you will burn more calories even when you’re not exercising, because of the energy that your muscles need to function.

More Benefits

Since adding lean muscle will allow you to burn more calories, this means that you are able to eat without really having to alter your diet much. Resistance training will also help prevent injuries and can facilitate everyday activities.

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