A very common misconception is that if you workout your stomach that all the fat around your stomach will go away. Most of our bodies don’t work like that. When working out to lose some weight, you may notice that you are losing weight in areas you didn’t want to lose weight first, but that isn’t our choice. The main factor that decides what fat we burn first is genetics. Sorry, but no one can control that, so all we can do are workouts that help us get in better overall shape. So here are 8 ways to get in better overall shape, which will help you lose weight.
1. Diet
This is something that is always overlooked. If you want to lose weight, then you have to start by looking at your diet. The food you give your body is the energy it uses to run. Look at the meals you eat and the time you eat them (stay away from those late night snacks, drink a water instead). You should eat healthy meals consisting less of carbs and sugars and more of fats, proteins, and water. Also, if you are into calorie counting there are tons of great aps that will help you keep track and give you the daily amount of calories you require based on your height and the weight you want to be. MyFitnessPal by UnderArmor is a good one and so is the FitBit app.
2. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
This is a great way to lose belly fat. HIIT is about moving and not stopping basically. These kinds of workouts consist of doing a lot of workouts with minimal rest. The minimal rest is a key part in this, if you let your body rest too long it will fully recover, making the workout less cardio based and more strength based. Another great benefit to HIIT workouts is that it doesn’t usually take that long. If you look at my 30-minute full body workout that is a good example of a HIIT workout that is quick but can still kick your butt if you push yourself.
3. Cardio (Land)
This may not come as a surprise, but yes running, walking, bike riding, stair climbing, etc. are great ways to lose fat. These exercises burn lots of calories and help build endurance in your muscles. I would say if you really want to lose weight, start with these first 3 on this list. Running or land cardio may be boring, or you may not be good at it right now, but you can be, it just takes times. The more you do these cardio exercises, the better you will become at them, so don’t give up and keep getting after it!
4. Cardio (Water)
If you are someone who has had knee or hip problems in the past cardio in the water is a great way to get in shape with low impact on those joints (biking is good too for low impact). If you are fortunate enough to belong to a workout facility that has a pool in it, then take advantage of it. Swimming is a great workout that uses a lot of muscles. Make sure that if you are a new swimmer to have someone there with you to watch and make sure that you are okay (if your pool doesn’t have a lifeguard). Also, try changing up the stoke you do (free stroke, backstroke, butterfly, etc.) to help work different muscles.
5. Workout (Weightlifting)
Running all of the time can become mundane, so doing weightlifting exercises to build general strength is a good way to change things up. On top of helping you lose weight, weightlifting will help you obviously become stronger. The stronger you become, while staying flexible will help you stay healthier, as in may help reduce general soreness associated with general life. There are three main lift variations which are great to start with: bench, squat, and deadlift. Before moving up a lot of weight, make sure that you are lifting with proper form to not hurt yourself. If you do move up in weight, make sure that you have a spotter around in case anything happens so they can help you.
6. Posture
Let me guess, you are sitting either on your phone or on your computer bent over at the lower back reading this? If that sounds like you, then try to improve your posture. Dr. Trisha Summerlin, an Advocate Medical Group physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal, Ill. says, “Chronically poor sitting posture impacts both fitness and metabolism and can lead to injury or disability. This is like a cycle: disability leads to changes in posture and activity that further predisposes to injury, illness or disability.” So when you are reading this, or sitting at a desk at work start thinking about your posture and try to sit-up or stand-up tall.
7. Standing (If you work a desk job)
This is kind of related to posture. But if work at a desk all day, then try to stand up for an hour or so while doing your work. Standing burns more calories than sitting, so next time you are at work, try standing here and there while working. If you want a cheap way to make a standing desk, find a box that you can put on your desk with your laptop on it and work from there.
8. Sleep, Recovery, and Stretching
Proper sleep, recovery, and stretching is key to helping you lose weight. You have to have the right kind of sleep, deep sleep, for an adequate amount of time every night. Having enough of the right sleep helps provide good mental and physical benefits, which helps you to lose weight. Also, stretching allows for your body to recover better and also helps keep you flexible which can lead to less injuries. With the reduction of injuries you will most likely be able to keep working out and maintaining proper posture. Don’t overlook sleep, recovery, and stretching because it is one of the keys to help you stay active and healthy.
Tip:
Your body is great at adapting which is a blessing and a curse. If you want to workout every day, then workout every day, your body will adapt to it. You may be sore at first but have the discipline to overcome that soreness and go workout, it will help you get in shape mentally and physically. The flip side of our bodies adapting is that our bodies will become very efficient at the workouts we do. If we don’t change up those workouts, we will stop losing weight and stop gaining strength as well. If you want to see real results make sure to switch up your exercises every couple of weeks to make sure your body doesn’t get used to the same workouts.
Go out and be the best you!
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