Losing weight doesn’t require highly restrictive diets or expensive meal plans. In fact, the more complicated your weight loss plan, the harder it will be to stick to it.
Instead of making things difficult for yourself, just remember these key components as you work toward losing weight.
Exercise Speeds Up Weight Loss And Tones
Exercise complements the weight loss process. When you exercise regularly, you can tone up your body, which is especially helpful to combat any loose skin which may come as a result of losing weight.
Along with the toning effect of exercise, you can also speed up your weight loss as you exercise. There are 3,500 calories in a pound and you will need to burn that amount of calories to lose one pound. As aerobic exercises, such as running on a good treadmill, can net you anywhere from 200-700+ calories in one workout, you can see how exercise can help you reach your weight loss goal faster.
Calories In, Calories Out
While exercise is an important supplement to your overall weight loss goal, it cannot be your main approach to weight loss. The food you consume is vital to reaching your weight loss goal. Some people may label foods as “good” or “bad” as they create different diets, the most important part of weight loss is to simply understand the concept of calories in, calories out.
Since calories are fuel for our daily lives, we use a certain amount of energy (calories) every day to function properly. However, the calories needed by a construction worker is very different than the amount needed by an office worker who is the same age, weight, and height as the construction worker. If you are consuming more calories (more energy) than you need to use, then you will gain weight.
To create a baseline of your calorie intake needs, use a calorie calculator. The calculator will show you several metrics to help you toward your goal.
Track Your Weight Loss Progress
Tracking your weight loss progress is a key component to achieving your weight loss goals. Some things you should be tracking are:
- Track your food and exercise – To have an accurate picture of your weight loss efforts, you should track your food intake and your workouts. That way, if you stall in your progress, you can look at your tracker and see where the issue may be. Apps such as MyFitnessPal, LoseIt, and others can help you track both food and exercise.
- Take regular measurements – At times, you may not see obvious scale progress toward your weight loss goal. So, it is important to take your measurements, such as your waist, hips, thigh, biceps, and other measurements you may be interested in. While you may not lose weight for a few weeks, your measurements can still show you that still losing.
- Weigh in regularly – Seeing the number on the scale can be discouraging for some people, but it is important to have regular weigh-ins. It will allow you to track your direct progress and see how you are progressing. Whether you want to do it once a week or once a month, just make sure you weigh in regularly.
If you notice you are not progressing, you may need to step up your workout intensity. While you may not have more time to dedicate to working out or the ability to cut back on your calorie intake, using a NordicTrack Incline Trainer treadmill can help you burn calories five times faster than a regular treadmill workout! That way you can give your weight loss a serious boost and reach your goal.