Workouts And Weight Loss
I'm not going to be talking about specific
exercises for weight loss; squats, push-ups,
planks, what kind of weights to buy. There's
every kind of workout book, blog and video
out there. Just pick something, and be
consistent.
Consistency is key. Embrace consistency.
But also embrace imperfection. You aren't
going to be getting it perfect all the time.
Like anything else, it's a skill that will
improve over time with practice. Practice
doesn't always make perfect, but it will get
you closer.
In order for you to master Consistency, you
need Commitment. And in order for you to
master Commitment, it also has to be
Convenient.
Consistency - Commitment - Convenience
The Three 'C's.
And Convenience is a biggy! It can derail you
very quickly. Realize that you only have a
finite amount of time and resources to devise
a good weightloss workout; time, energy,
willpower and money for a gym or your own
weights. Now if you don't have a family to
care for and a monthly gym membership fits
nicely into your budget, and you like going
to the gym then by all means, Go For It!
I personally don't care for gyms. First of all,
they usually have some kind of absolutely
awful music playing. (Hey, I'm old. I'm
allowed). Then there are those grunters, you
know the type. But what really frosts me is
when one of these people walks off and
leaves the machine just dripping with their
sweat. ICK!
This post from 'Livinglikeleila' sums it up
pretty well.
"The endless masculine grunts, roars and
heavy barbell thumps, the pouting in the
mirror, the selfie crew, the mind-numbingly
stupid techno music that drones in the
background, the bucket-worth of butt sweat
on each and every piece of equipment - it's
all off-putting, to say the least. But one must
stay healthy, right? So, fear not, my brave
gym-haters, there are alternate ways to keep
your heartrate up and your muscles strong".
Yep! Couldn't have said it better. So I go the
home route. Got me a few weights and things
and I can listen to whatever music I like and
no sweat flying all over the place. Well, at
least not someone else's sweat. Oh, and the
best part, I don't have to worry about what
I'm wearing or if I need to wash my hair.
Consistency really needs to be your most
important goal. But most people find it really
difficult to maintain that consistency. Why?
So glad you asked. Most workouts are just to
tough. They are demanding, time consuming
and most of us have so many other
obligations; job and/or families. Spending
hours at the gym every night or getting up
extra early so you can workout before you go
to work ('cause let's face it, you'll be to tired
once you get home), it just starts to feel
impossible.
Find 30 minutes a day, or 3 -4 times a week.
And if 30 minutes doesn't work for you, then
do just 10 minutes. Even just 10 minutes can
have a profound effect. But just work out a
plan - that works for you.
Okay, time for some real honesty here. Ask
yourself, "Could I live like this forever?" The
answer needs to be yes, otherwise, make
adjustments. If your workout is less intense
than you'd like it to be, at least be consistent.
Consistency is way more important than
intensity. In time you should find that you
will be able to reach that level of intensity
you're shooting for.
You should find though, that the workout
portion of your weight loss plan will be a lot
easier to implement that the dieting part of
the plan. I mean, it's a lot more fun getting an
endorphin rush that it is chopping vegetables
and washing tupperware.
The best type of workout for burning fat is
not spending hours on the treadmill. Pure
cardio for fat loss works best when your
body fat is already pretty low. And if your
body fat is already very low, then you're
probably not even reading this article.
You want a combination of cardio and
resistance training to really get your
metabolism fired up. This way your body
will continue to burn calories even after your
workout is over. (And don't we like the
sound of that!)
But why? So glad you asked. The word here
is Glycogen. Glycogen is carbs turned to
sugar and it's stored in your muscles. When
your doing cardio, this is what your body
uses as fuel. It's not burning fat. That is, until
the Glycogen is used up. Then your body
will start burning fat. Even when you are at
rest. And that's our goal.
But even if working out is not making that
needle on the scale move to the left as fast as
you'd like, there are some really powerful
benefits to exercise.
At 'Lifehack.org' there is an article written by
Maria Brilaki and she address the issue in her
article "If You Hate Exercise, This Will
Probably Change Your Mind".
She lists 10 Benefits that will blow all of your
excuses right outta the water.
Here are a few of those benefits.
When you work out on a regular basis, you
could be lowering your risk of dying from
many types of illnesses and decrease the risk
of high cholesterol, stroke, heart disease,
diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers. A
study has shown that just 15 minutes of daily
exercise can prolong life by 3 years. I wonder
if 30 minutes would prolong my life 6 years?
Pretty cool though, right
Exercise is also good for our mental health. It
can really help depressed people but it
actually helps everyone. Even just a quick
workout stimulates your brain to release
some of those feel good chemicals. It also
helps to relieve stress. And we have all heard
about the silent killer called 'stress'.
How about more energy? Who doesn't want
more of that! Working out on a regular basis
will boost your endurance and help both
your heart and lungs to work better. Many
people will say they are just to tired to
workout. But if you exercise, then you'll have
more energy to, well....... exercise.
And how about better sleep? One of my
favorite things. I am blessed in that
department. I can sleep through just about
anything. Except of course my dog Birdie can
get me awake if she needs to go outside.
According to a Consumer Reports study, it is
estimated that approximately 68% of
Americans can't fall asleep at least once a
week. And 27% can't fall asleep most nights.
No wonder the pharmaceutical industry sells
so many products both over the counter and
prescription. So if you are one of the millions
of people with sleep issues, working out can
help you not only fall asleep faster but also
stay asleep. Just don't exercise a couple of
hours prior to bedtime.
Now this one comes under the 'I don't get'
category, but I read that an obese person who
is fit (yeah, an oxymoron if ever I heard one)
and who exercises regularly (guess that's
why their fit) will get better lab results. And
in fact, even better than a thin person who
never exercises. And that statement alone
supports the premise that working out will
make you healthy-er, but you need diet
along with it, to achieve weight loss.
Weight is lost in the kitchen.
Health is gained in the gym (or home gym).
You workout for Fat Loss. and you eat
Healthy for Weight Loss.
It's been estimated that many people when
losing weight, about one fourth of that
weight loss is muscle. And you need muscle
to burn fat. A combination of cardio and
weight training is the most effective. And
remember, in order to get the most benefit
for your muscles, you must give them a rest
period, to rebuild. But you already knew
that, right? It's that tearing and breaking
down, followed by the rebuilding process
that will make those muscles get just
fabulous! And also turn your body into one
terrific fat burning machine.
If you 'Google' - 'The best exercise plan for
somebody who doesn't exercise', you get
website articles with the word 'Hate' in them.
'The 10 Best Workouts for People Who Hate Exercise'
'7 Workout Apps For People Who Hate Working Out'
'If You Hate Exercise, This Will Probably Change Your Mind' (the 'Lifehack' article)
'Exercise sucks (same as hate) Here's What To Do About It'
So I guess we can come to the conclusion that
if you don't exercise, it's because you hate it.
If you hate something that you should be
loving, what do you do
Find something about it that you CAN love,
or at least like.
So the take-away is........
Learn To Enjoy Your Workout!
