When it comes to losing the flab for good, following the right strategies is of utmost importance. Even though if you are properly motivated, you need to ensure that you are taking the right steps toward making your vision a concrete reality. Otherwise, making silly mistakes will only stall your progress, thus leading to more frustration and setbacks with your fat loss program.
Banish StressTherefore, if you're looking to fit into your old jeans and be the envy of your friends, here are some simple lifestyle changes that can put you on the fast-track to fat loss.
High stress levels lead to an increase in cortisol levels. According to research, elevated cortisol levels results in fat gain, especially around the middle of your body. Therefore, no matter how much you push yourself at the gym or how healthy your diet, you'll find it hard to lose the fat if your cortisol levels are high.
To lower your stress levels, do the following:
- Get to the root of the problem. Stress does not happen on its own; it's usually caused by some unaddressed or unsolved issue in your life. To tackle its source, you need to take a full assessment of your triggers and try to dismantle those ticking bombs.
- Breathe deeply. Deep breathing under high stress conditions helps you keep cortisol levels at bay and promotes instead a sense of welfare and being under control.
- Do Yoga. Daily Yoga practice has been proven to be effective at fighting stress, enhancing breathing rhythm (through Pranayama breathing), and instilling feelings of relaxation and easy-goingness.
Improve You Digestion
Another way to speed up your fat loss results is via improving your digestion so your body can better assimilate nutrients and flush out toxins and harmful by-products. A healthy gut is key to optimum metabolism as the nutrients are efficiently broken down, absorbed and used by the body, thus you get more nutrition per serving and need to consume fewer calories.
Take control of your gut health by doing the following:
- Detox your body. Going on a cleansing diet is the surest and cheapest way for improving acid levels in your body, increasing alkalinity and flushing out harmful toxins. The cleanse duration depends, for the most part, on your experience and self-discipline. Start with a 2-day detox and see where you can take it from there.
- Take a probiotic. Probiotics are tiny bacteria that thrive naturally in the gastrointestinal tracts and are commonly found in dairy products such as yoghurt. Probiotics are critical for weight loss because they help fight infections and diseases in the body, assist in the cleansing of the intestinal tract and a whole of other health benefits. Therefore, if you suffer from probiotic imbalances, expect poor cognitive function, mediocre digestion, lower energy levels and a lack of enthusiasm for the whole weight loss training program.
Interval Training
Though long and steady cardio workouts have their benefits, for maximum fat loss results, interval training is a better option. Also known as high intensity interval training (or HIIT for short), this type of training is ideal for burning off colossal amount of calories (fat calories included) without burning much of your precious time. Interval training boosts metabolism levels through the roof, improves endurance and fitness levels, and will definitely help you get into the best shape of your life.
Here is a beginner interval running workout:
- Start your session with a proper warm-up. Jog slowly for 10-minute to get your body loose and ready for the intense activity ahead.
- Go for a one full minute running interval at 70 percent of your maximum cardio power, then take a full minute walking break for recovery.
- Go for another high intensity interval but this time up the ante and shoot for 80 percent of your max. Jog slowly for recovery.
- Repeat the cycle for 5-6 times.
- End the workout with a cool down. Reduce slowly your running pace and get your heart rate and breathing rhythm down to their normal levels.
The length and intensity of each interval depends on your fitness level and training goals. Therefore, don't feel the need to follow the above program verbatim, instead, make sure to adjust it according to your own needs. No suit fits all.