A smaller waistline is just not about looking good –it is far more important for one’s health. Being overweight and obese has been linked to higher risks of developing heart disease, diabetes, and other metabolic diseases. It is easier said than done for some people but the struggle with weight loss is real. What might work for one is not necessarily going to work for someone else. Therefore, it is good to know one’s options and then be able to figure out what food choices and workout plans suit someone the most. Here I am going to talk about the 5 best ways to start your journey to weight loss.
Cardio
Cardio -the age-old technique to lose weight. It is simple, complies with the formula of weight loss (calories out> calories in). Calories are a measure of the amount of glucose or fuels you burn during exercise or any form of activity. If you burn more than what you consume in a day or a week, you will put yourself in a calorie deficit and make weight loss achievable. Cardio can be of two forms, fast-paced or slow and steady. Some people believe in engaging in vigorous cardio like running on the treadmill, biking or skipping rope while others like to keep it slow and steady like walking at a moderate speed. It is good to combine cardio with weight training. You can use it as a warm-up or perform cardio after weight training when all your muscles are activated. Research has also shown that fasted cardio, cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, has shown to accelerate weight loss. This is because in the state of fasting the body mobilizes your glucose faster and more readily than in a well-fed state.
Diet
Believe me when I tell you –I have tried every single diet that there is to experiment with. Recently, I did the keto diet. What I realized after experimentation was that there is no single diet that you can put your finger on and say this is the one. Because there isn’t –the best diet is what suits your body and that is the one you design yourself. You choose out of the list of all the healthy foods and make a meal plan within your caloric requirement. There are calorie calculators away, with just a click away you can calculate your total intake and the calories you burn. Focus on eating a well-balanced diet where you have protein from meat and eggs, carbohydrates in moderate amounts from fruits and vegetables and Fibre from nuts and seeds.
HIIT training
This is one form of training that will never go out of fashion. It is the best way to train for weight loss. What you achieve with HIIT is an increase in PEOC (post-exercise Oxygen consumption). This means that you are burning calories even after you are done working out. What could be better than that? It is a session where you do active work for 20 seconds and rests for 10 seconds. You can apply HIIT to cardio for example on the treadmill or weight training.
Pilates
There is a misconception regarding Pilates –people say you aren’t exactly burning any calories while doing Pilates. If you have had a chance to attend a Pilates advanced mat class or a reformer class, you must know it works your breath like anything. It is more about the style of the instructor that you are following or yourself if you are self-practicing., Also did I mention, Pilates is the best way to get toned Abs.
Three exercises that I swear by
SQUATS:
You can vary the squats; add weights to your squat by doing overhead Squats, front and back squats and Goblet squats. They are phenomenal for building strength and improving mobility.
DEADLIFTS:
Whether you want to increase muscle mass, burn calories, increase endurance, or focus entirely on getting stronger, it's the one exercise that I will encourage you to go for. But only if you know the right form and posture to do it. . It also works your upper back and core. The move is fantastic to reinforce the correct posture. Training your back, the back of the legs balances the body, so we can stand taller and feel stronger.
BENCH PRESS:
It is an essential upper-body exercise. It is believed that the bench press is just a chest exercise, but most do not know that your triceps, shoulders, back, and even your glutes are engaged. It's not an easy movement, it has complex variations.
You just need to remember, it doesn’t matter if you are doing some of the stuff mentioned above and not everything listed up there. You just need to know that whatever you do, you need to be consistent. Don’t cheat on your workouts or your meals. And you will soon see results.
