Friday Fact or Fiction: I Have to Train Hard to Lose Weight
hos mido
Friday Fact or Fiction: I Have to Train Hard to Lose Weight
The common misconception that you have to train extremely hard to lose any weight is one of the main reasons why most people don’t even want to try to work out. And it's not totally unfounded: when you ask anyone how they lost a significant amount of weight, they'll you how hard they worked and that is true. It does take hard work to do something different than what you’re used to and break bad habits for good. However, you don't have to necessarily train hard to lose weight, you just have to train smart.
Weight loss is simply an intake vs. expenditure formula - in order to lose weight, all you have to do is create a deficit. Whether it’s by exercising to burn extra calories or subtracting them from your diet, you have to expend more than you consume. Unfortunately, this is also where the discrepancy arises. Everyone who wants to lose weight without sacrificing their bad eating habits will opt to over-train. People spend hours on the cardio machines but don’t lose any substantial weight. What’s worse, if they do lose the weight, they gain it right back when they cease their ridiculous amount of activity.
In addition, over-training makes your body tired and weak. You may just get so sick of it you’ll never want to workout again, not even just a little. We often neglect to consider the long run. In our lives of instant gratification, we just want to be skinny now. We often forget the important question, "Then what?
That's great that you've achieved your weight loss goal but is the way you got there sustainable? Meaning can you continue at that rate of exercise for the rest of your life to maintain the way you look now? If you can't answer that question with a firm yes, then you have to reconsider how you've been training. Take a look at the broader picture: fitness is a lifestyle and you have to train smart, not hard.
Nevertheless, that's not to say that you won’t be working harder than you normally do. You will need to work hard at is devising a smart plan and being diligent enough to stick to it day in and day out. What is "hard" is finding a healthy routine that you can reliably stick to for the rest of your life. Remember, living a healthy lifestyle is two fold: you have to eat healthily and exercise regularly.
It is imperative that you do your research and start with a plan. There is an abundance of information on the internet or if you can afford it, engage the services of a trainer and nutritionist. Buy a journal and track your meals. Have weekly weigh-ins: not only is this beneficial so you can adjust your eating and exercise accordingly, it is great motivation to see the scale numbers begin to move! Take advantage of most gym’s free consultation policy and get your fitness assessment.
Clean up your eating, make sure your diet doesn’t fall below 1200-1500 calories. There is no need to go to extremes. Get moderate exercise to create a consistent pattern and most importantly, stick to it. Hit cardio and the weights every week for a reasonable amount of time, for approximately 30 minutes. The hard part is consistency, not so much the training.
When it comes to getting fit and staying fit, you really need to use brain before brawn and come up with a solid plan you can stick to. Train smart, not hard.Click here for more