Workouts are intimidating for anyone who is not passionate about keeping up with an active lifestyle. We dread the thought of exercising if it is not in our daily routine. However, once we start working out, we feel an immediate improvement in mental and physical health. If you are planning to lose weight through working out, then you are tackling 2 challenges at the same time. Rushing into the process could lead to frustration, which can make you quit pursuing your goals all too early. To boost weight loss and get the most out of your workout, this list will guide you with practices that will make your journey to a healthy weight effective and efficient.
1. Water
If you can describe water in one word, it would be life. The benefits of water are countless for the health of any living creature. Many people use sugary drinks during workouts to provide their bodies with energy, but these beverages are filled with calories. Water controls our caloric intake throughout the day, which helps with weight loss if you work on staying hydrated. During workouts, you sweat out bodily fluids, and if you don’t consume enough liquids to make up for the fluids you lost, this will take a toll on your exercise performance and affect your recovery negatively.
It is essential to drink at least a hundred ounces of liquids throughout the day and during your workouts to keep your body hydrated and performing optimally. You can also consume some fruits and vegetables that are rich in water, which is another great reason to add fruits and vegetables to your diet.
2. Don’t Exercise Right Away
When you first begin your diet, it is not a good idea to start working out simultaneously. Changing your diet and cutting calories can cause fatigue, which will reduce your performance at the gym and it’s unlikely that you’ll get the full benefits of workouts. Diet and workouts are vital for weight loss but diet matters more and that’s why you should focus on it first.
Put all your efforts and energy into consuming healthy, balanced meals and cutting unnecessary calories to achieve results and see the difference in a shorter time. The results from your weight loss will motivate you to undertake the next challenge of exercising, as the diet becomes a routine in your daily life that doesn’t need much attention like before.
3. Choose Consistency Over Workout Trends
Every day, a new workout or exercise routine becomes a trend, and while they may burn more fat and calories, they won’t be that effective if you don’t enjoy them. One trick that will help in your weight loss journey is consistency. Doing exercises on a regular basis will boost your results effectively regardless of the type of exercise you choose to do or its intensity.
If you are not sure what kind of workouts you enjoy more, you can discover different exercises and stick with the ones that you like. You also need to plan recovery workouts after high-intensity exercises to give your body and mind a break to recover and restore its energy.
4. Protein Shake
Protein is the building block of muscles and it is essential to have enough intake of it to rebuild the muscles, especially after intense workouts when they’re most likely to be worn out and inflamed. You will notice little to no difference in your muscles after working out if you don’t get enough protein in your diet. Additionally, protein helps with weight loss, as it reduces appetite and boosts metabolism.
To get the most out of the protein shakes, the trainers at The Supp Stop state that consuming a protein shake before a workout will allow your muscles to absorb more amino acids during training, while the shake will also improve muscle growth when taken after the workout. You should include eggs, lean meat, nuts, poultry, fish, and some dairy products in your diet to boost weight loss and have better workout results.
5. Recover and Sleep Well
Resting is as important as working out and staying active. If you don’t give your body a break between sessions, it will start producing cortisol, a stress hormone, which will not only make you stressed but will also increase fat storage. This is disastrous for anyone who is trying to lose weight and build muscles. While sleeping doesn’t necessarily help in losing weight, a good night’s sleep will prevent metabolic dysregulation which can lead to increased appetite. For muscle building, the body produces growth hormones during sleep that repair and grow muscle tissue, so make sure you rest plenty.
6. Mix Your Workouts Up
Repetitive workouts can make you feel bored and lose interest quickly. Moreover, your body won’t benefit from the same type of exercise if you keep doing them over and over again. If you feel that your weight loss has dipped recently, it’s time to mix things up and change your workout routine. Professional trainers never do the same workout every day. Instead, they tend to use types of exercises for different body parts on different days. Make your workouts fun by including aerobics, flexibility training, strength training, and other types you may be interested in. For example, if you like walking, go on a hiking trip, or if you regularly lift weights, explore circuit workout and see how it will affect your body muscle, and stamina.
7. Set Achievable Goals
Putting targets that you can easily achieve will motivate you to continue on your path to weight loss and muscle building. Losing one or two pounds a week is a realistic and achievable target as one pound equals 3,500 calories, which is a lot. Going on a harsh diet that you may feel you can’t follow can demotivate you from losing weight. Make sure that you put targets you can achieve, and break them down into milestones to have a sense of achievement.
Nothing is intimidating once you set a plan to tackle it. Losing weight by itself is a huge challenge but with a consistent routine, it will become a part of your daily life. Working out will boost your weight loss and will help you achieve a desirable body shape. Keep in mind to stay hydrated, focus on weight loss first, be consistent in working out, mix exercises up, pay attention to recovery, and finally, set personal goals you can achieve to strike the perfect balance between weight loss and muscle building.
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