WANT TO SHED EXTRA FATS? HERE’S HOW
Now that I have your attention, let me put it straight. This article is not about encouraging crash diets or working out 4 hours a day. We will understand the mechanism of fat loss and how you can use it to your advantage.
Scientists say our health comprise of 70 % diet and 30 % exercise. I can not stress enough on how much you need to get this through. Pen it down somewhere accessible. Your diet plays a significant role in how your metabolism will work. Of course, genetics is there too.
Fitness is a choice you make. Being over weight is hard, exercising will be hard. So, you decide where you wanna put that hard work.
Now, coming to the rest 30 %. While exercising, aim to loose fats, not weight. Because instead of weight, you could loose water or muscle mass. Weight loss should alarm you, Fat loss should inspire you.
Here’s how you can prevent wrong weight loss practices :
MAINTAIN YOUR RHYTHM.
Your heartbeat is a rhythm, so is your meal timing and sleep cycle. You can disrupt the rhythm of a room by saying something inappropriate. That’s how minute things can disrupt your rhythm. So can nature, temperature or rain.
Schedule your workout time and keep it fixed. If you exercise at 7 AM, try to be consistent. Do not drop the next day or arrive at 7 PM. Do the same thing with your sleep cycle. A routine plays a crucial role in maintaining the rhythm of your mind and body.
Bonus tip – Allot a rest day every week. This way you can recharge yourself, because why not. Routines can become boring sometimes.
CHOOSE YOUR WORK OUT REGIME.
You need to enjoy what you’re doing. Don’t choose something where you have to drag yourself. Then, you’ll have tendencies to skip or postpone.
Instead choose something fun. For example, swimming is great way to shed those extra fats. If you’ve a chronic bone or joint condition, bonus points to you. Since you’re underwater, there isn’t much pressure on your joints.
Some other examples can be dancing, cycling, trekking, yoga, etc.
DON’T JUMP INTO CARDIO BLINDLY.
I am not demeaning cardio here. Cardio is great for your heart health. But the science after fat loss is muscle. Those lean muscles! Squats, plunges, push ups or any sports are few exercises that really build your lean muscles.
The more muscle you have, higher the metabolic rate is. Higher your metabolic rate is, you can turn your body into fat burning machine.
We assume working out 2 times a day and 3 meals a day will sort our fat loss journey. But that is wrong. Aim for training your metabolism. Such that your metabolic rate works for you, even during sleep or sitting through your office hours.
Bonus tip – Flexibility and agility should go parallel with building muscle. Alter weights and yoga (or any regime that enhances flexibility) every 3 days or so. While becoming strong, ensure you’re flexible too.
MODERATION IS THE NEW BLACK.
I am sure you heard about cutting down sugar or carbonated drinks. Sure these are detrimental for our health. But do not go to extremes. Avoid gulping down bottles of cold drinks or 10 sweets at a time.
Portion control is a crucial concept everyone of must be aware of. Being mindful of what and how much you are eating will pay you in the long run. It not only tracks your intake , but also increases self-control along the way.
If you’re craving for some sweet, go for one or two cubes of dark chocolate. Let the chocolate melt inside your mouth, by this your sweet craving will be gone. You’ll be satiated as well.
TAKE YOUR PROTEINS.
While you are lifting those weights, your muscles are being utilized. You need to refill those muscles for the next work out. How do you do it?
Simple. Take your proteins through your diet. Include eggs, curd, chicken or any protein-rich foods into your diet. Make sure you take 1.8 g of proteins per kg of your body weight.
Why is protein that important ? Proteins make up the enzymes, hormones and the antibodies. Almost all of your body parts have amino acids in them and amino acids make up the proteins. Without enzymes, your food will not be digested. In turn, you’ll not receive nutrients. Hormones take part in the development of your mental and physical features. Now, you see how important is protein.
You can either invest huge amount of time researching or invest money for professionals to do it for you. If you decide to invest time, make sure you follow this list of :
- Meta analysis and systematic reviews.
- Randomised control tria
- Case controlled studies.
- Cross-sectional studies and surveys.
- Mechanistic data.
Featured image source: Image by 8photo on Freepik
