Part 2 – Fat Loss for the General Population – Increasing your Activity Levels (exercise) & Top Tips

We received some great feedback from last month’s article, and hopefully some of you will have already made positive and simple changes to your Nutrition and will have dropped several pounds.

So, how are you feeling from the changes?

Are you more energetic?

Sleeping better?

If you haven’t made a start then don’t procrastinate, get your butt in gear and re-read Part One and start making some changes.

The old saying ‘you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink’ is very true, and being blunt, if you can’t be bothered to make any basic nutritional changes from Part 1 then don’t expect changes to your body to miraculously happen, as they won’t.

‘You need to make changes to produce changes’

Okay so let’s now assume that you’ve made a few minor changes to your Nutrition, and you’re now on your way to developing daily, consistent and healthy eating habits. Your clothes are not as tight. You’re looking and feeling better and healthier overall.

The next stage we can look at is by increasing your activity levels (I appreciate that some of you may already be exercising).

The types of exercises we can look at incorporating is one that is sustainable and enjoyable.

Option 1 – Lift Weights

There’s no point in diving straight in and joining a gym for a year if you hate lifting weights, however if you are interested in joining a gym, find a good Coach/Personal Trainer who will teach you how to perform basic exercises safely, effectively and won’t have you balancing on a bosu ball whilst squatting (and if they do then stay clear!).

Ideally workouts exercising your whole body will be most effective, using you’re your bodyweight and weights.

Be sure to take your time learning the exercises with perfect form, starting off with light weights and slowly increasing the resistance over time.

And for the ladies in particular, no you won’t grow huge muscles from weight training. All my female clients lift weights at different levels ranging from general fat loss to competitive athletes, and they all still look feminine so don’t let that stop you!

The best ‘bang for your buck’ exercises are the more demanding ones that will raise your heart rate and burn more calories for example –

Squats, Deadlifts, Overhead Presses, Rows using good old fashioned Barbells and Dumbells.

Of course depending on your mobility, some of you may not be able to perform a full squat or a safe deadlift, hence it would be more beneficial utilising other exercises i.e. with machines.

A good coach will be able to advise you following your consultation and initial assessment.

Option 2 – Other forms of exercise

There are many ways of burning those extra calories, some you wouldn’t even have given it a second thought….

At times when you’re bored and channel surfing mindlessly trying to find something to watch on the box find something that will burn extra calories and basically just get you moving about more.

‘General household chores for examples housework, gardening, washing the car can burn anywhere from 100 to 300 calories per hour’

I know this doesn’t exactly sound exciting but trust me you will feel better and more productive in yourself in comparison to watching some of the trash shown on tv!

Going outside for a walk is also a great way to burn calories, especially if you live somewhere scenic, to soak up the fresh air and views.

‘Walking at a brisk pace can burn anywhere from 200 to 400 calories per hour’

Running

I see many people out on the roads running, which is a great way to burn calories and increase fitness levels, however depending on your fitness level and how overweight you are this may not be the most sensible option.

The heavier you are the more stress is placed on the joints from impact on the pavement, even more so without wearing the right running shoes.  Walking is still a great way to burn calories, you don’t have to wear yourself out running.

If jogging is your thing, then start with a simple brisk walk then lead up to alternating with a minute of light jogging and vice versa, and then build up your jogging minutes as you get fitter and lighter.

Using Cardio-Vascular Equipment

Most gyms these days are well equipped with a variety of cardio-vascular equipment ranging from treadmills, rowing machines to stationary cycles.

Starting off with 10 mins on a low setting is a good start and then gradually increasing the duration and go from there as you feel more comfortable on the exercise.

Bootcamps/Fitness Classes

If you’re comfortable joining a group, Bootcamps or any type of fitness class will all help burn extra calories.

Look for a beginners’ class to start with so you’re training with other people likely to have similar goals and fitness levels to you.

YOUR TASK OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS…

Over the next few weeks I’d like you to make a start being more active in general, whether that’s joining a gym, going out for a walk, walking the stairs instead of taking the elevator.

You don’t have to be in the gym every day. Hammering exercise daily will just become a chore for a lot of you and won’t be sustainable, so start off by gradually introducing one or two of the above examples and don’t be afraid to try new activities.

By generally being more active in combination with eating a balanced and sustainable healthy eating lifestyle should further your fat loss even more in the next few months, so no more excuses that you haven’t got time because in reality we all have, even if it’s only for 30 minutes several times a week.

As per my last Part 1 article, I would love to hear how you’re getting on over the next few weeks or months, so comment on this post or drop me a message and share if you like it!

All the best!

#TEAMLEES

www.damianleestailoredfitness.co.uk