UNITED STATES—The New Year is right around the corner and you’re probably going to want to look your best in 2017. So, I’m going to share with you three tips that may be useful in your weight loss journey.
Tip #1: Workout First Thing In The Morning
There are a lot of mixed feelings in the fitness community about doing fasted workouts. Some people swear by it, while others think there is no added benefit to it. The idea behind it, is that if you workout in a fasted state, you will most likely be in the optimal state for your body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates. This is thought to be the case because over a course of several hours, the body uses its glycogen stores and needs more fuel (food, mainly carbs) to restore them. I actually enjoy doing fasted workouts. I don’t know for sure whether or not the aforementioned information is actually significant enough to make a huge difference in your fat loss journey, but I think it’s worth giving it a try. The science behind it seems to make sense and at the very least, you have nothing to lose. In fact, you might actually have more success by giving this a try just by getting your workouts done first thing in the morning. Chances are, you’ll be more energetic and have more energy throughout the day.
Tip #2: Do Shorter, More Intense Workouts
This isn’t exactly new information, but it’s worth discussing because a lot of people seem to look pass it. There’s nothing wrong with doing long sessions of low intensity cardio, in fact it’s probably really good for you. But, there is such a thing as excessive amounts of steady state cardio, just as there are possible cons to doing excessive amounts of most things. But, if you’re like me, you probably don’t want to spend a lot of time doing cardio. It can be very tiring and boring at times. A good way around this is to spend less time on your cardio sessions, but make those sessions much more intense. For example, if you like to dance to get your cardio in, just dance around vigorously for a few minutes, take a break and repeat. I think you’ll find that your session will be far more intense and you’ll most likely get a better workout out of it.
Tip# 3: Don’t Diet
This tip may seem very contradictory, like, “how else am I supposed to lose weight?” Right? I know, trust me! This is something that I struggle with too and it can be a little difficult to get used to and apply. But, diets often times fail because they can be far too restricting and reckless. While I don’t see anything wrong with dieting short term here and there, I think overall, they are not the best ways to go about dropping the pounds. I myself have struggled for years with losing weight and gaining it back. I think the main reason is because I chose to go on reckless diets instead of choosing safer and healthier methods for losing weight. If you focus on improving your nutrition while eating in a sensible caloric deficit, you should steadily lose weight. You may find yourself hitting a plateau every now and then, but that’s when you check in with your nutrition and workout routine and make the necessary adjustments to see the progress you desire and deserve.
Written By Jasmin Rogers
