Losing weight can seem complicated. There are always new studies coming out that tout this food, or tell you not to eat that food. For the average person, it can seem as if you can’t eat anything! In reality, losing weight is not a complicated process. It takes determination, discipline, and a positive attitude.
Another common mistake often made is thinking that you can lose weight off of one specific body part. In reality, this just isn’t true. For example, you can do all the crunches you want, but you may not lose weight off your stomach at first. Instead, you may lose it off of your neck, face or legs. This is because your body takes fat off of your body for fuel, and it doesn’t discriminate what body part that fuel comes from. By lifting weights that target a specific area, you can, however, gain muscle, which helps define the area for all to see.
If you want to lose fat, the easiest thing you can do is modify your diet. Stay away from fast food restaurants, processed foods, sugar, glucose, junk food, white flour and fried foods. Instead, target lean foods, such as poultry, fish and low-fat dairy products. Fruits and vegetables are an essential staple to any weight loss diet plan. In essence, you should be cooking fresh food at home. Even if a restaurant dish sounds healthy, you have no way to verify what they put in it. At home, you know exactly what you’re eating, and you can modify it at will.
Besides modifying your diet, you should also be exercising on a regular basis. Resistance training is best, since it builds muscle, boosts your metabolism and builds endurance. However, you can’t lift weights every day, because your body needs time to rest.
Ideally, you should be exercising for at least 30 minutes per day. An hour would be even better, but your personal schedule may not allow you to work out for a whole hour a day. There’s no need to go to the gym for a half hour either, when you can walk, jog, bike, hike, roller blade or play sports. Maybe you have a class in mind that you’ve always thought about trying but never have. For instance, you could take a martial arts class, yoga class, Pilate’s class or an aerobics class.
The important thing is that you burn calories, and thus fat. It’s easier to do that if you’re enjoying yourself. If you’re looking to lose fat, it’s a simple case of eating properly, exercising regularly and having the will to stick to your choices.
Knee-ups for Firm Stomach
Here’s an exercise you can try at home or at work that will help you flatten a flabby tummy. Find a chair (one without arms) sit down and grab the seat of the chair just in front of your hips. Now slowly pull your knees up toward your chest. Remember to exhale as you draw your knees toward you. Use your arms to support yourself. Keep your back firmly against the back of the chair as you perform this exercise. Hold your knees in the up position (near your chest) for 3-5 seconds, and then slowly lower them. Do as many repetitions as you can. It is more important that you perform quality movements than the total number of reps that you do.
Step Up to Firm Down Flabby Thighs
Stair climbing is one of the quickest and most effective means of firming up quadriceps (thigh muscles) and the gluteals (buttock muscles). If you work in a building that has several flights of stairs you can start out climbing 1 flight for 2 weeks (ascending and descending). Every two weeks thereafter increase the number of flights climbed by 1. If you don’t work in an office building that has stairs, find a public building where you can climb stairs.
Tight Buns Guaranteed
This is a great little exercise you can do anytime of the day, even while standing in a busy line. While standing, flex and tighten your butt muscles. Hold them taunt for 10 seconds, then release. Repeat this exercise 7 times. Increase the number of flexes you perform and the duration time of the flexes as you build stamina.