Hey, we all want to shed some pounds and get back to the body that we had when we were younger and didn't appreciate it but it takes discipline, planning, and dedication to make that happen. All too often people shed 10 or 15 pounds and then seem to stop losing weight. There is definitely a reason this happens and it should not be seen as failure or an excuse to give up on your weight loss goals. Here are 7 absolutely killer ways to maximize your fat burning routine and help ensure success with your weight loss goals.
1)
Anaerobic Exercise
If you
think you can just run laps or pedal that fat away, think again. Muscle tissue
is what burns the most calories in our bodies and you need to life weights in
order to create bigger muscles that will burn more calories. Now although
aerobic exercises such as cycling or swimming are also necessary, the fact
remains that building bigger muscles is the best way to lose weight and keep it
off. This is because you are creating a more efficient calorie burning machine
by lifting weights which will ensure you success with your weight loss goals.
2)
Warm-up and Cool Down
Warming
up before exercising and taking the time to cool down afterwards with some
light exercises are not generally seen as essential to a fat burning program.
However, the reason why a lot of people tend to give up on their weight loss
goals is because they failed to see the progress they hoped for when they
began. An injury, even one that only lasts for a few days, can set your weight
loss goals back by weeks and lead to a loss of stimulation. You need to plan an
extra twenty minutes into your weight lifting routine for these two essential
activities or you risk injury and derailing your weight loss plan.
3)
Diet, Diet, Diet
This
should not be a killer way to maximize your weight loss goals but it is. The
reason for this is because people tend to think of losing weight in two ways:
diet, or exercise. Hey, these two go hand in hand and you are never going to
maximize your fat burning routine in the gym unless you take care of your body
outside of the gym. Stop thinking of meals in terms of three: instead, think 5
meals with smaller portions. The FDA recently developed a new food pyramid with
this very idea in mind and you should check it out before starting your fat
burning program because it can save you a lot of time and energy if you get the
diet part figured out before even stepping into the gym.
4)
Plan Workouts
The
body is the most complex machine on the planet and you can't just hope to step
into a gym and jump on a machine or some weights and think that you are going
to see the results you want without knowing how they affect your body. The
ideal exercise routine is done only 3 or 4 times per week and only for 30-45
minutes at a time. You cannot work your body more than this because it will
actually cause your muscles to break down which means you will be burning fewer
calories, and therefore, not maximizing your fat burning routine in the gym. If
you have any doubts about what kind of routine is ideal for your goals, don't
be afraid to consult an physical trainer to help you set up a program that is
best suited for you.
5)
Nutritional Supplements
If you
really want to maximize your fat burning routine in the gym, then you need to consider
using nutritional supplements. Now I am not talking about those crazy
supplements that promise to burn fat for you while you sit and watch tv! I am
talking about essential fatty acids, amino acids, whey protein….things that
will truly maximize your workouts that you can't always expect to get in the
foods you eat every day. Again, consult a physical trainer if you want to know
which supplements are best for your weight loss goals.
6) Set
Weekly Goals
I know
that this just seems terribly obvious but the truth is that most people are not
thrilled with the idea of working out so it is easy for them to skip a session
or indulge in some pizza and think that they will make up for it next time.
Listen, next time never comes and when you stop seeing the scales go down, the
motivation just seems to stop. By setting weekly goals, you can track your
progress and make it that much more likely that you will adhere to the goals
when you see things are not going as expected.
7) No
More Late Night Snacks
This
one may not seem to make sense, but I assure you that it will help maximize
your fat burning exercises. The reason is your metabolism. When you eat right
before you go to bed, it throws your body off and you probably notice that you
awaken and don't feel hungry. Then, you skip breakfast entirely or only snack
on a bagel or something on you way into work.
The
result: the body goes into conservation mode. This means that it slows down
your metabolism and that means you are burning less calories throughout the
day. Plus, it increases the likelihood of snacking and basically just sets the
scene for a bad cycle. Eating five smaller portioned meals per day also has to
do with your metabolism as it has been found that metabolism remains highest
when there is a consistent supply of food in the body. You might not believe
that late night snacking affects the way your body burns fat when working out,
but it does.
Now
some of the things listed above are obvious while some just seem silly. And
yet, taken together and consistently adhered to, these 7 little ideas will
maximize your fat burning in the gym and get you to that body you can see in
your mind but not the mirror far quicker than if you just go about things in a
disorganized and inconsistent manner.
