Ugh. Losing weight is hard. I let myself go – not making excuses but, ya know, stress – and when I saw my “numbers,” the results of blood work, I freaked out. Way high cholesterol. Unhealthy blood sugar. I got scared and decided to take myself in hand and do something. I always exercise. Regular readers of EverBeautiful.com will know that my exercise efforts are hampered by a bad back, but I can walk. And I do, about 7 miles a day. I get an early start and do about 4 1/2 -5 miles on local trails. Then, because I work from home and am often on a webinar, I use that time to walk on my treadmill, up and down steps and even do mini-sprints in a long hallway. (I don’t factor the daily walking around time into my distances, just the real cardio walking. ) Walking makes me feel better, eases my back when it’s stiff and is good for weight loss. But – and this is a big but – you cannot out exercise your mouth.
In other words, while exercise is great for health and fitness, if you’re overeating, or eating the wrong things, it won’t make a huge dent in your weight loss program unless, of course, you train like an Olympian or pro athlete. But, having said that, exercise combined with diet and nutrition are a powerful combination that work towards creating a healthier you. And that’s what it’s all about.
Below are tips from Fit Body Boot Camp to help you realize your fitness and weight loss goals.
• Hire a Professional: Working with a personal trainer increases the odds of weight loss and improved fitness. A trainer works with you to develop a workout that’s not only effective but that’s catered to your fitness level and current state of health.
• Consistency is Key: Exercise is an important part of lasting weight loss, but it’s not going to become habit overnight. You’ve got to make it a regular part of your everyday lifestyle. Just like brushing your teeth, exercise is what you have to do day in and day out.
• Set Goals: Visualize the end result and then make a plan to get there. Make sure that it’s realistic, simple, measurable, and clearly defined. Break your goal down into doable portions rather than thinking of losing 50 pounds, aim to lose 10 in three months.
• Do What You Enjoy: You’ll be more likely to stick with a workout you enjoy. It may take trial and error to figure it out, but experiment with different workouts until you find one that fits your personality, interests, and schedule.
• Get More Bang For Your Buck: Long, tedious workouts aren’t just boring and exhausting, but they also can be counterproductive in your weight loss efforts by making you hungrier and draining your energy. Aim for shorter, more effective workouts like HIIT (high intensity interval training) to burn calories and weight training to increase muscle mass. (A combination of the two is important for total fitness, in my opinion. – ML)
• Find Your Time: Find the time of day you feel most awake and energized and plan to exercise then. You’ll be more likely to stick with it and will be better prepared to push yourself when your trainer is encouraging you to get one more rep.
• Be Patient: You may follow your trainer’s advice, be consistent, and enjoy your interval training workouts in the morning, but you aren’t seeing the results you needed to reach your goal. Don’t give up. Keep on going, because sometimes it just takes time. You’ll make mistakes and have hard days, but you’ll also have victories.
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While working with a professional trainer is a great idea, it is a luxury that not everyone can afford. If you can’t afford a trainer and belong to a gym, maybe they’ll allow you and a friend or two to do group training. Check with your gym to see if this is a viable option.
Also, many gyms offer a few free personal training classes to whet your appetite for it and get you to sign up. If it’s not in your budget to sign on long term, take advantage of the free classes anyway. And take advantage of the trainer’s knowledge. If you want to learn how to use the machines, ask the trainer to show you. If you want to learn floor exercises that you can do at home and in the gym, ask the trainer. It’s been my experience that they want to help and are happy to teach you some tricks to work the gym efficiently.
Can’t afford a gym, or don’t want to join for whatever reason? Work out at home. Use soup cans and milk cartons as free weights for biceps curls and triceps kickbacks. Employ a towel to help you with leg stretches. Or invest in a pair of resistance bands or a couple of DVDs to help you get a full body workout. Check out free smartphone apps, YouTube videos and TV exercise shows to motivate you and keep you moving. In other words, if you are able to exercise, do it.
Ok, enough preaching. I’m going to pop a beginning yoga DVD into my player and get down dog. Right now. Do it.
xo,
Melody
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