Workouts And Weight Loss



I'm not going to be talking about specific

exercises for weight loss; squats, push-ups,

planks, what kind of weights to buy. There's

every kind of workout book, blog and video

out there. Just pick something, and be

consistent.





Consistency is key. Embrace consistency.

But also embrace imperfection. You aren't

going to be getting it perfect all the time.

Like anything else, it's a skill that will

improve over time with practice. Practice

doesn't always make perfect, but it will get

you closer.



In order for you to master Consistency, you

need Commitment. And in order for you to

master Commitment, it also has to be

Convenient.

Consistency - Commitment - Convenience

The Three 'C's.



And Convenience is a biggy! It can derail you

very quickly. Realize that you only have a

finite amount of time and resources to devise

a good weightloss workout; time, energy,

willpower and money for a gym or your own

weights. Now if you don't have a family to

care for and a monthly gym membership fits

nicely into your budget, and you like going

to the gym then by all means, Go For It!



I personally don't care for gyms. First of all,

they usually have some kind of absolutely

awful music playing. (Hey, I'm old. I'm

allowed). Then there are those grunters, you

know the type. But what really frosts me is

when one of these people walks off and

leaves the machine just dripping with their

sweat. ICK!



This post from 'Livinglikeleila' sums it up

pretty well.


"The endless masculine grunts, roars and

heavy barbell thumps, the pouting in the

mirror, the selfie crew, the mind-numbingly

stupid techno music that drones in the

background, the bucket-worth of butt sweat

on each and every piece of equipment - it's

all off-putting, to say the least. But one must

stay healthy, right? So, fear not, my brave

gym-haters, there are alternate ways to keep

your heartrate up and your muscles strong".



Yep! Couldn't have said it better. So I go the

home route. Got me a few weights and things

and I can listen to whatever music I like and

no sweat flying all over the place. Well, at

least not someone else's sweat. Oh, and the

best part, I don't have to worry about what

I'm wearing or if I need to wash my hair.



Consistency really needs to be your most

important goal. But most people find it really

difficult to maintain that consistency. Why?

So glad you asked. Most workouts are just to

tough. They are demanding, time consuming

and most of us have so many other

obligations; job and/or families. Spending

hours at the gym every night or getting up

extra early so you can workout before you go

to work ('cause let's face it, you'll be to tired

once you get home), it just starts to feel

impossible.



Find 30 minutes a day, or 3 -4 times a week.

And if 30 minutes doesn't work for you, then

do just 10 minutes. Even just 10 minutes can

have a profound effect. But just work out a

plan - that works for you.



Okay, time for some real honesty here. Ask

yourself, "Could I live like this forever?" The

answer needs to be yes, otherwise, make

adjustments. If your workout is less intense

than you'd like it to be, at least be consistent.

Consistency is way more important than

intensity. In time you should find that you

will be able to reach that level of intensity

you're shooting for.



You should find though, that the workout

portion of your weight loss plan will be a lot

easier to implement that the dieting part of

the plan. I mean, it's a lot more fun getting an

endorphin rush that it is chopping vegetables

and washing tupperware.



The best type of workout for burning fat is

not spending hours on the treadmill. Pure

cardio for fat loss works best when your

body fat is already pretty low. And if your

body fat is already very low, then you're

probably not even reading this article.



You want a combination of cardio and

resistance training to really get your

metabolism fired up. This way your body

will continue to burn calories even after your

workout is over. (And don't we like the

sound of that!)



But why? So glad you asked. The word here

is Glycogen. Glycogen is carbs turned to

sugar and it's stored in your muscles. When

your doing cardio, this is what your body

uses as fuel. It's not burning fat. That is, until

the Glycogen is used up. Then your body

will start burning fat. Even when you are at

rest. And that's our goal.



But even if working out is not making that

needle on the scale move to the left as fast as

you'd like, there are some really powerful

benefits to exercise.



At 'Lifehack.org' there is an article written by

Maria Brilaki and she address the issue in her

article "If You Hate Exercise, This Will

Probably Change Your Mind".

She lists 10 Benefits that will blow all of your

excuses right outta the water.

Here are a few of those benefits.



When you work out on a regular basis, you

could be lowering your risk of dying from

many types of illnesses and decrease the risk

of high cholesterol, stroke, heart disease,

diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers. A

study has shown that just 15 minutes of daily

exercise can prolong life by 3 years. I wonder

if 30 minutes would prolong my life 6 years?

Pretty cool though, right



Exercise is also good for our mental health. It

can really help depressed people but it

actually helps everyone. Even just a quick

workout stimulates your brain to release

some of those feel good chemicals. It also

helps to relieve stress. And we have all heard

about the silent killer called 'stress'.



How about more energy? Who doesn't want

more of that! Working out on a regular basis

will boost your endurance and help both

your heart and lungs to work better. Many

people will say they are just to tired to

workout. But if you exercise, then you'll have

more energy to, well....... exercise.



And how about better sleep? One of my

favorite things. I am blessed in that

department. I can sleep through just about

anything. Except of course my dog Birdie can

get me awake if she needs to go outside.

According to a Consumer Reports study, it is

estimated that approximately 68% of

Americans can't fall asleep at least once a

week. And 27% can't fall asleep most nights.

No wonder the pharmaceutical industry sells

so many products both over the counter and

prescription. So if you are one of the millions

of people with sleep issues, working out can

help you not only fall asleep faster but also

stay asleep. Just don't exercise a couple of

hours prior to bedtime.

Now this one comes under the 'I don't get'

category, but I read that an obese person who

is fit (yeah, an oxymoron if ever I heard one)

and who exercises regularly (guess that's

why their fit) will get better lab results. And

in fact, even better than a thin person who

never exercises. And that statement alone

supports the premise that working out will

make you healthy-er, but you need diet

along with it, to achieve weight loss.



Weight is lost in the kitchen.

Health is gained in the gym (or home gym).

You workout for Fat Loss. and you eat

Healthy for Weight Loss.



It's been estimated that many people when

losing weight, about one fourth of that

weight loss is muscle. And you need muscle

to burn fat. A combination of cardio and

weight training is the most effective. And

remember, in order to get the most benefit

for your muscles, you must give them a rest

period, to rebuild. But you already knew

that, right? It's that tearing and breaking

down, followed by the rebuilding process

that will make those muscles get just

fabulous! And also turn your body into one

terrific fat burning machine.



If you 'Google' - 'The best exercise plan for

somebody who doesn't exercise', you get

website articles with the word 'Hate' in them.

'The 10 Best Workouts for People Who Hate Exercise'

'7 Workout Apps For People Who Hate Working Out'

'If You Hate Exercise, This Will Probably Change Your Mind' (the 'Lifehack' article)

'Exercise sucks (same as hate) Here's What To Do About It'

So I guess we can come to the conclusion that

if you don't exercise, it's because you hate it.

If you hate something that you should be

loving, what do you do

Find something about it that you CAN love,

or at least like.

So the take-away is........

Learn To Enjoy Your Workout!