Healthy and Effective Ways to Lose Weight and Stay in Shape

Set of weighing scales to help people lose weight and stay in shape

Losing weight is a complex process. However, this needn’t mean it’s hard and it certainly doesn’t mean it’s impossible. It simply means there are several aspects of weight loss that need to be considered. Exercise is definitely one of the most important ones, but what’s even more important is your diet. Adopting healthy eating habits will not only help you manage your weight problems, but it will also help the overall state of your organism. Creating a calorie deficit has a much bigger role than the exercise you do. You must find a way to spend more calories than you consume in order to actually lose the weight. There are some other aspects of weight management, such as sleep and stress, which influence as well as some specific health conditions like thyroid issues, for example.

Drinks

The often neglected and ignored aspect of our calorie consumption is definitely energy drink consumption. Sodas, artificially flavoured juices and sugar in our coffee or tea are all increasing our calorie intake, but aren’t making us any more full than a simple glass of water. Make sure you have pure water as often as you can. Avoid artificial sodas and go for freshly squeezed fruit instead. And try switching to non-sugar, non-dairy coffee instead. Once you discover the real taste of coffee, you will never put sugar or milk in your coffee again.

Developing Habits

Before you get started with exercising, here are some tips for implementing them in your daily routine. Choosing the right amount of exercise days is crucial in the beginning – jogging for 30 minutes once a week won’t do much. At least three times a week is enough for the start. This way you will be sure that your efforts have effect.

Push yourself little further each time you exercise by increasing the number of reps you do for example. The point is to push your body to its limits and to move those limits every time by a bit until you reach your maximum potential.

CrossFit

Crossfit has become such a booming part of the workout industry and for good reason. It works, as long as you don’t overdo it. The magic of CrossFit is its diversity- there are all kinds of exercises, from kettlebell swings to rope climbs. These type of exercises don’t last for a long time and they are changing quickly. It’s important to have a well-informed coach to guide your moves and make sure you don’t push yourself to the point of injury. Other than that, CrossFit can be a great weight loss option for a lot of people.

Take Intervals

Interval training means conducting any form of exercise where your heart rate spikes and then comes down repeatedly and it is an unavoidable method for weight loss. It involves going hard for a set interval of time, followed by active rest, then going hard again. The active recovery is the key. For example, if you are doing easy jogging for 30 minutes, try adding a burst of sprints for 30 seconds every 5 minutes. As you become fitter you can increase that interval length to a minute, and decrease the jogging segments to 4 minutes. This will boost your metabolism, especially if you push your interval portions to breathtaking.

This can also be applied to cycling. If you haven’t already managed to try out a range of different quality bicycles in order to find one that best suits your needs, then it’s about time you did. Riding a bike on a regular basis can help you lose weight, and introducing bursts of fast cycling can improve your metabolism.

Push-ups and Crunches

These tried and tested old-fashion workouts are a classic for a reason. Push-ups fire up your chest, shoulders and arms, and they even get your abs working if you are doing it properly. While for the lower body parts and core, crunches can do wonders. They can tone your abs and help you lose the belly, while also keeping your legs slightly activated through constant spasm.

Swimming

Swimming seems like an easy exercise, but it actually uses every muscle in your body and helps stretch your legs and back. If you aren’t into heavy lifting or high impact sprinting, then swimming is the best option for you. There are several swimming pool exercises you can do between your swimming rounds. For example, try relaxing your legs and only use your arms to keep yourself on the surface. Do that for as long as possible, with two-minute breaks to rest. Don’t push yourself too hard though; you are still in the water. Keep it easy and just float around whenever you get too tired. Even without your intentional effort, your body and muscles are resisting water and working on their own to your benefit.

Running

Running involves your gluteus and hamstring muscles which are one of the biggest muscle groups in the body. Light jogging is a great everyday entry level exercise for staying in shape. But if you wish to lose weight by running, you need to change the game a little. Running up hills will make gluteus and hamstring muscles the most active and they will activate the smaller muscles all over your body in simultaneous movements. Sprints are also more effective with weight loss than jogging. They can be exhausting, but as mentioned before, the crucial thing is the resting time in specific time frames and repetition as a pattern.


Jessie is a passionate blogger and home designer. She loves writing about tips and tricks that make every home a better place, inside and outside. Besides this, she loves sports, martial arts, outdoor activities and spending time with her close ones. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter.

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