Summer’s coming and we’re all frantically trying to get our beach body on. I’ve got you. This is how you can get started realistically.
You’re probably sick of hearing this but in our society that’s used to instant gratification, we want to see instant results and that doesn’t happen unless you resort to extreme means. It’s still early, so don’t subject yourself to that sort of torture just yet. Consistency is really key, so start today and set your mind on it.
Exercising helps tone your body and you reap other sort of mental benefits, but to be very honest, does little to help you lose weight if you’re hoping to shed some extra kilos. “Abs are made in the kitchen” has never been more apt – it’s all about the calories consumed (in) and calories burned (out). So if you’re just starting off, watch your diet, cutting down on your portion sizes and sugar intake. Start going to the gym twice a week, with a workout plan that you found online rather than taking it upon yourself and coming up with your own because that would only give you more reasons not to start.
When I say watch your diet, I don’t mean immediately cut down on everything. Starting slow is key, right? Try a few spoonfuls less of what you usually eat so that the difference is not that obvious. Choose healthy replacements for your snacks – replace ice cream with yogurt and maybe eventually switch to greek yogurt when you’re up for the next challenge. Avoid processed food, try to cook more if that’s possible. Look for food that you keeps you full longer, and if you find yourself feeling hungry, go for fruits or low-sugar granola snacks. Once you start cutting out the sodium and sugar, your body will eventually crave it lesser so things will get better overtime, I promise.
Love your body. It’s hard, I know, I’m still in the same plight and still struggling to love my body for how it is. I switch between knowing the fact that my metabolism is probably the highest it will ever be but also knowing this is the best I’ll ever look. I’m slowly coming to terms, actually being really happy when I eat my favourite food.
Don’t compare yourself to what you see online, influencers and fitness people alike do it for a living so they spend the time that you’re studying or working to work out, so it’s unfair if you pit your body against theirs. As long as you own your stuff, everyone will think you have a banging body even if you have stretch marks and cellulite with no abs.
I know I said calorie in, calorie out. What this means is minoring your daily energy expenditure and keeping to it, or cutting 100-200 calories if you’re trying to lose weight. Many people get frustrated easily after finding out the calories of the food they loved and were otherwise oblivious to, that they start obsessively checking the calories on every single thing. They fixate on the calories they consume as a result and turn it into an unhealthy obsession.
Some people might not count calories, trying to gauge the rough estimate and think that they’re consuming a lot more than they should and end up starving themselves. When this happens, you might see the results more clearly, but it’s not a sustainable lifestyle, if it keeps up, you’ll get health problems; when you stop, you might find that you’re putting on weight quickly because after all, your body has been used to being in a state of deprivation. So find that perfect balance, and understand that good things take time.
I’m guilty of not watching what I eat, choosing instead to hit the gym thinking, “I deserve this because I’ve worked out right?”. It was only a while later that I realised exercising wasn’t doing as much as I thought it would. I started clocking in cardio and things improved for a bit before I hit yet another wall. I thought maybe my body got used to it so I needed to clock in more work, that is both cardio and light strength training. I’ve been stagnant as well. So coming from someone who’s tried it all, it’s really about your diet.
Studies have also shown that there seems to be a limit to how much calories you can burn. Even if you’re going for three f45 classes a day and wearing yourself out, your body would only spend more energy on other tasks. Overworking yourself is only going to tire you out rather than reap the positive outcomes you thought. Working your ass off at spin class doesn’t earn you the right to have an extra pint of beer, is what I’m saying.
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