It is nothing new that exercise is indispensable to a healthy weight loss. You need to balance the food you eat with physical activity. Here are a few simple and doable tips to help you increase your fat-burning potential and prolong your ability to work out.
- Build muscle with strength training – muscle burns more calories than fat – you will start losing weight faster and be more likely to keep it off. Aerobic training and low-calorie dieting without strength workout can cause you to lose lean muscle which leads to your metabolic rate slow down. As a result, fat loss becomes more difficult. Lean muscle increases your metabolism and you will burn fat more easily - even while you are sleeping.
- Changing things up and variety will continuously “shock” your body into better physical shape with each new routine and you will not get bored with your workouts.
- Eat 2 to 3 hours before a fitness workout.
- Have a bowl of cereal, a cup of low-fat yogurt or a banana if you work out first thing in the morning.
- If you exercise during lunch-hour, split your lunch: eat half of it a few hours before the workout and finish the rest when you get back to your desk.
- If you exercise after work, a small bowl of cereal, a piece of whole grain bread or a cup of low-fat yogurt at 3.00 or 3.30 in the afternoon can be helpful to give you energy and help you burn fat.
- You need to drink 8 glasses of water a day – 9 to 13 if you exercise. Drinking water is preferred if your physical fitness workout lasts less than an hour. Sports energy drinks such as Gatorade and Cytomax are recommended if you are exercising longer. They are better than fruit juices or soda, which can cause stomach upset during exercise.
- Before your weight loss workout – have complex carbohydrates, or a little protein if you are going for a long workout (lasting a few hours or more). Energy bars such as GU and Power Gel can be a good sports nutrition move.
- During your workout – you don’t need to eat anything during most workouts unless you feel a major dip in energy.
- After your workout – have a post-workout snack that combines lots of carbohydrates and some protein.
“I’d lift weights, but they’re so damn heavy”
– Jason Love
“At my gym they have free weights, so I took them”
– Steve Smith
“It is important to remember when exercising, start slowly and then gradually taper off”
- Unknown
