Imagine spending months following strict diets and working out for hours in the gym every day just so that you can show off your results for no more than 3 months before putting the weight back on. Sounds frustrating right? Sadly, this is what most people go through as a result of sticking to fad diets and depriving themselves of the essential nutrients that their bodies need. Losing weight is not about cutting back on calories or skipping meals, it’s about maintaining long-term habits that are easy to include in your lifestyle while helping you lose weight at the same time. It takes real dedication and patience to apply little lifestyle changes that only reward you in the long run. However, if you follow these tips correctly, you’re sure to shed off the extra pounds in no time and keep it that way. Here are 7 of the most effective tips for losing weight and staying in shape.
-
Include Strength Training in Your Workouts
Exercise experts say that while you can lose some weight without going to the gym, exercise is essential for keeping the weight off and maintaining good metabolism levels. Cardio usually gets all the credit for helping people burn calories and lose weight, however, strength training is proven to be the real hero when it comes to shaping the body. Make sure you lift the right weights for your type of body to avoid injury and build lean muscles.
-
Don’t Skip on Walking
Walking is one of the greatest and simplest exercises you can engage in to burn calories. It’s all about finding the occasions to fit in a few extra steps and making them count. For example, try parking your car further away from the entrance of the places you drive to. This way you’ll force yourself to walk to the entrance every time you’re there. Find as many opportunities as you can to walk around and get some exercise; you should aim for at least 60 minutes of walking every day.
-
Avoid Fad Diets
Diets are usually short-term which makes it normal for most people who lose weight by following fad diets to regain the weight again within a short period. That’s why it’s more important to focus on nutrition and only make changes that you can maintain for a long time. Include green tea and Nopal Cactus in your diet to increase your metabolism and lower your cholesterol while maintaining healthy eating habits to keep the weight off. This is a lot healthier than starving yourself and depriving your body of valuable nutrients that it needs to stay strong.
-
Check Your Weight Regularly
Unlike what many articles may suggest, shying away from that scale you have at home is not the best idea if you’re trying to keep the weight off for good. If you’re not checking your weight regularly, those pounds can sneak back into your weight and you won’t even notice the change. By constantly reminding yourself of where you stand, you force your brain to understand the connection between what you eat and how it affects how you look.
-
Learn to Differentiate Between Hunger and Boredom
One of the biggest contributors to weight gain is eating when it’s not necessary for your body. You can fix this problem by understanding how you feel before going for a snack, is it boredom, stress, or maybe anger that’s causing you to eat? Ask yourself if you would eat an apple and if the answer is no, then you’re not really hungry.
-
Workout in the Morning
Now that you realize the importance of exercise for maintaining your goal weight, it’s time to explain one of the best ways of gaining motivation to keep up with your exercise routines. If you get up an hour earlier in the morning to finish your workout before going to work, you’ll manage to fit in those exercises in your schedule without leaving an opportunity to quit. You’ll feel extremely accomplished after every session and you’ll have the rest of the day to do anything else you’d want to do instead.
-
Plan Your Meals Ahead
When it comes to slimming down your waist and keeping a flat stomach, nothing works better than planning your meals at least one day ahead. Make plans for what you’re going to eat the next day and where you are going to eat it. This way you won’t waste time between meals which prevents you from making unhealthy decisions just because you’re hungry and can’t think of anything to prepare on time.
Losing weight is not about seeing fast results, it’s about maintaining a healthy number on the scale and keeping the weight off for good. A mix of a healthy diet, balanced exercise routines, and a few healthy lifestyle changes will go a long way in helping stay in shape. So don’t go too hard on yourself with strict diets and excessive working out when you can simply make a few tolerable changes to your lifestyle and see long-term results.