Do you overexert yourself one fine day, rest for the next 10 days and expect to lose weight? Well, that ain’t gonna work. You don’t need to stretch yourself too much in order to lose weight. But you do need to be more disciplined in your approach. At the same time know where to draw the line between consistency and monotony. Read on to learn how you can devise a plan that takes care of all the above to ensure you lose weight and stay slim…
Why is Consistency Important?
An average person needs between 2000 and 2500 calories per day depending on her level of physical activity. But if you are looking to lose weight, your calorie intake needs to be a lot less depending on your age, your weight loss target, your current weight and so on. The most efficient way to maintain that calorie intake is by watching your diet and exercising (cardio and weight training). If you exercise too hard one day or starve yourself, you sure will see some weight loss but once you take that long break from diet and exercise, you will gain all the weight back. And overexerting yourself every single day is neither possible nor desirable. On the other hand, if you consistently workout and watch what you eat, the weigh loss you see is going to be permanent. Your body doesn’t stand a chance to put on weight.
Side-Benefits of Being Consistent
If you make it a habit, you will soon start looking forward to the workout hour and it will become an integral part of your life – Something you really enjoy. This will also have enormous health benefits as your weight doesn’t yo yo and your body will be more fit and agile. Every time you workout after a long gap, your body aches as your muscles get sore. Once you get consistent, this will disappear as well. You will build more muscles which will in turn boost your weight loss. You will feel lighter and tighter! Also, once you commit yourself to lifetime changes like heavy breakfast and light dinner, you will automatically avoid the temptation to eat too much at night. You will feel uneasy if you stuff yourself just before going to bed as your body is now used to sleeping light.
Since consistency is more difficult to achieve when it comes to exercising, I am addressing that in this article.
Set Aside an Hour Each Day
You will never be able to squeeze in your workout in your already busy schedule if you don’t fix a specific time for it. Plan your day around your workout else you will never get to it. Choose any hour of the day and dedicate it to your workout – all else would need to be pushed around. Again this time can vary from 1 week to the next. Try not to change it within the week as your body may not get sufficient rest – for instance, if you workout today evening and again workout tomorrow morning, it might get too strenuous.
Split the Workout Time Between Cardio and Strength Training
Ideally your body needs about 30-45 min of cardio each day. The rest of the time can be used to build muscles. The time you devote to cardio can be less if you are into circuit training. This involves short bursts of high intensity workout followed by recovery phases. This burns a lot of calories in a short period of time. This mix of cardio and weight training is the only way to get dramatic results a lot quicker.
Add Variety to Your Workout
You do the same workout everyday at the same time, your body is going to hit the plateau real soon and you will stop seeing results. Variety is essential to keep the interest levels high. As for your cardio – If you run today, you can go for a swim tomorrow and it could be a spinning class the next day followed by dancing the day after. Any activity that raises your heart rate is good for you. Just make sure you are having fun. As for weight training, target different muscle groups on consecutive days. This way each muscle group gets enough rest between 2 workout sessions. You can also add more variety by using balance ball or bands instead of dumbbells.
Summary:
- Bursts of diet and exercise followed by prolonged period of rests is completely futile
- Consistency not only gives permanent results but also makes workout and balanced diet an integral part of your lifestyle
- Plan your day around the one hour workout
- Split the time between cardio and weight training for maximum results
- Try different fun ways of exercising to prevent monotony
Speak Your Mind