One of the main reasons that people workout regularly is to help manage their weight, and to be sure that is a very good side effect of having a healthy workout routine. But some find that even with working out regularly they just don't seem to get the results that they really want with regard to their weight. What could be going wrong? Well, here are some tips to help you stay fit and lose weight too at the same time:
1. If you are working out regularly and still not losing weight, maybe you aren't working hard enough. That may seem crazy but it could be true. Some people actually give themselves way too much credit for actual activity in the workouts they do. You can't get your body to kick in and start losing weight if you don't push it, and most experts agree that you need to reach about 75% of your maximum heart rate to start burning calories. Of course, the big question then is how do you know what your maximum heart rate is? The general rule of thumb is to subtract your age from 220 to get your maximum heart rate. So if you are for instance 35 years old, just subtract 35 from 220 and you get 185. Calculate 75% of 185 and you find that you need to keep your heart rate around 135 - 140 beats per minute or so to burn calories. Of course, before you undertake an exercise routine like that you should make sure with your doctor that you have the conditioning to be able to handle it.
2. Another common mistake that many exercisers make is failing to drink enough water through the day and especially as they exercise. When you are dehydrated the body tells the brain, but it often mistakes the signal as meaning that you are hungry instead and so before you know it you are reaching for a snack. Drinking lots of water also keeps your stomach full and allows you to eat less at meal times as a result, so there are lots of benefits of water drinking and staying hydrated. Also don't worry about having to go to the bathroom more often as you start drinking more water, as in a few days your bladder will get used to the demand and you can most often settle back into a normal routine.
3. You may not be eating much, but you may be eating all the wrong things when you do eat. Don't sabotage all your workout efforts by grazing on low nutrition, high calorie foods that will only add the pounds back on that you are working so hard to take off. Unfortunately a lot of folks just don't realize how much food they are eating through the day as they just don't remember it. So it may be a good idea to keep a notebook with you for a few days and write down everything you eat as you go. You may be very surprised to see that you haven't really been following your diet as well as you thought.
Hopefully these home fitness workout tips can help you get back on track and start losing the weight you want. |
