GuavaTalk: Five crucial tips for exercising for weight loss

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  • For a lot of people, weight loss isn’t just as simple as eating less and working out more.

    Between bad habits, family/work environments, or a lack of motivation, there’s usually always a reason why you can’t stick to losing weight.

    If you’re looking to lose weight, and have chosen exercise as your primary tool, there are a few tips that can help the process along.

    SET A GOAL

    Whether it’s a number on the scales, a pant size at the store or a feeling when you look in the mirror, setting a goal is crucial for continued weight loss. Although useful, this goal isn’t just a reference point for you to compare your past self to. When you’re getting ready for a workout at 6 am on a Monday morning, you’re going to need some serious motivation. In these times, nothing is better than the idea of fitting into those amazing jeans or reaching that golden number on the scales.

    EAT CLEAN

    Have you ever heard people say food and exercise for weight loss is 60/40 in importance? Well, that’s wrong – you’re actually looking at around 85/15. No matter how much you’re running, or how many exercise classes you’re doing a week; if you aren’t eating clean you’re not going to see the results. A simple way to eat clean is to follow these rules:

    No processed foods – if you can’t pronounce the ingredients, don’t put it in your body

    Source ethically treated, grass-fed and free range animal products and by-products where possible – poor living conditions do strange things to the meat produced by these animals

    Cut the sugar – it sounds harsh I know, but studies have found that sugar (in all shapes and forms) is more damaging than alcohol and more addictive than smoking!

    Fill your plate with bright, fresh, colourful vegetables

    DON’T AVOID WEIGHTS

    Women often avoid weights because they don’t want to ‘bulk up’ in order to keep a slim figure. I can assure you, that the only changes you’ll see after a few weight sessions per week are lean muscle growth, an increased metabolism and a reduction in body fat. In fact, spending hours doing cardio has been proven to be less effective in weight loss than a combination of HIIT sessions and weight training.

    SWITCH IT UP

    If your workouts are working, why would you need to change anything? Firstly, keeping your body and your mind guessing during exercise is extremely beneficial. New muscles are engaged, your body is tested in a different way and in turn, it compensates for the change by using up more energy and increases your metabolism. Secondly, keeping your routine fresh avoids the all-too-common ‘burnout’ phase by making things interesting and engaging. It can also break through, or completely bypass any stubborn weight loss plateaus.

    HAVE A POSITIVE OUTLOOK ON YOUR WORKOUT

    Throughout this weight loss journey, make sure you stay positive. Weight loss isn’t just a straight line down. There will be ups and downs but as long as you keep focused on your end goal, you’ll get to where you want to be.

    This article is written by Laura Fitzpatrick and originally appeared on the GuavaPass blog.

    GuavaPass is the first and largest fitness community of its kind in Dubai, offering an unlimited membership to group fitness classes at over 80 top studios across the city. Find out more at guavapass.com.

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