It doesn’t matter whether you’re recommitting to a workout and diet plan, or it’s your first time trying, taking the right approach to diet and exercise. It took you time to get to where you are, and it’ll take time to get you to where you want to be. Here’s how to loose weight through both diet and exercise.
First, it’s important to set realistic goals. For example, if you’re over 25% body fat, your goal should be to get under 20%. Then set a time-line to achieve that goal that makes sense – for example, let’s say that you want to achieve that body fat percentage in 90 days. Once you’ve achieved that goal, then set a new one.
Give Yourself Time – If you expect that after two weeks, you’ll have achieve the majority of your goal, you’re probably going to find out that you’re wrong. That’s the big mistake many make, causing disappointment and abandonment of your goal. Instead, make small, sustainable changes. If you change your diet, and work out at a rate that gets you into a proper fitness habit, and make the game “winnable”, you’re much less likely to become disappointed quickly, and you’ll stay on your plan. And the longer you stay with your plan, the greater your chances of success.
Put Focus on Eating Healthy – If your body is going be become a fat burning, muscle building machine, you need fuel. And, just like your car, bad fuel equates to bad performance. And, good nutrition will create the most change. So, cutting out sugary drinks, alcohol, and fancy coffee drinks – and replacing them with water, coffee with skim milk, and herbal teas, can make a huge difference in eliminating unnecessary calories. Tracking your food intake, and eating smaller meals multiple times a day, can keep you from getting too hungry and overeating. And, increasing protein intake while dropping carbs, can help both with muscle growth, as well as you feeling “fuller” on less calories.
Build a Workout Plan for Weight Loss – Focus on both cardio and strength training, and go for total-body workouts, rather than targeting specific muscle groups. You’ll still be gaining strength, and you can look at targeting specific muscles later. By concentrating on full body workouts, especially toward large muscle groups like your quads, glues, hamstrings, lats, chest, and abs, you’ll be peaking your metabolism for fat loss. Start with three workouts per seek for the first two weeks, then go to four or five workouts per week. Stagger days so your body gets a chance to rest – you’ll avoid injury as well as give your body a chance to heal. Finally, build a good cardio base to help lower your resting heart rate, and focus your strength training on lighter weights with proper form. You can add weight as you progress. And, if you miss a workout, try to make up for it by going a little longer on your next one.
The combination of proper nutrition, calorie counting, cardio, and strength training workouts, will help you loose those unwanted pounds, build endurance and strength, and tone your body. And, Fitness 4 Home Superstore has a wide variety of cardio and strength training equipment to help you. Stop into any of our three Phoenix area locations to learn more!
