According to The Mayo Clinic, weight loss is achieved by limiting the amount of calories that are ingested and increasing of physical activity one performs throughout the day. In order to maintain weight loss, daily exercise routines as well as a balanced diet must be executed. While physical activity is what actually burns calories and eliminates stored fat cells, when and what you eat will determine the overall success of any exercise program. Before altering your diet and exercise routines, speak with your physician to ensure its safety.
Diet Tips:
Eating three meals per day is what many consider a balanced and healthy diet. However, leaving hours between each meal causes your blood sugar to fluctuate and your metabolism to slow. Consuming 5 – 6 small meals per day will keep you from overeating during a single meal as well as maintaining an active metabolism throughout the day.
Monitoring your portions, especially if you eat out frequently, is especially important when trying to effectively lose weight quickly. While eating one serving of cooked pasta may seem like an easy task, most restaurants pack on more than 4 servings in a dinner meal. An easy way to keep track of how much food to eat is comparing one serving of food with the size of your fist; anything more, take home and eat later.
Keep a food journal to accurately monitor what and how much food you eat throughout the day. A food journal can also be beneficial when planning out your meals for the day or week. Write down every bit of food that enters your body, including snacks and drinks. By carefully monitoring what you eat, you will be able to notice any foods that you can cut from your diet as well as monitoring how many calories you ingest throughout the day.
Exercise Tips:
In order to consistently burn calories and maintain a healthy body, 30 to 60 minutes of daily exercise is very important. Cardiovascular exercises work not only to increase the heart rate and burn excess calories, but it also strengthens your respiratory as well as cardiovascular systems. Depending on your fitness level, the type of cardio exercises you take part in will vary, however, it is imperative that some form of physical activity is carried out at least six times per week.
While cardiovascular exercise is a major factor is safely losing weight, weight-bearing exercises are equally as important. By utilizing weights to break down muscle fibers, your body works to rebuild these muscles, making them larger and stronger. The more muscle mass that your body contains the more calories you burn throughout the day due to the fact that muscle fibers require energy, or fat cells, to sustain. Implement at least three days of weight-bearing exercises into your weekly workout routine. Weight training can be performed by those who are at the beginner or advanced fitness levels. Always consult your physician before starting an exercise routine, especially if you have had any muscle or skeletal injuries.
