Workouts designed to get you fit, fast
Posts tagged metabolism
Muscle vs. Fat
Feb 6th
Posted by Funkster in Diet and Nutrition
What is important to remember when you are undertaking any exercise or weight loss programme is that if you perform weight training, you WILL put on weight. If you’re obsessed with weighing yourself, this isn’t going to help you one bit and can lead you off the right path onto the wrong.
Instead, get rid of the scales and let your clothes tell the truth. I always know when I’ve lost weight because my clothes are loose. The scales always show me at the same weight or more but I do a lot of weight training.
The reason I state this is because muscle does weigh more than fat, so obviously if you are doing regular weight training the muscle gain will show up on the scale. This can make some people panic but remember muscle is your best friend and will help to burn off the fat over the long term. It may not be overnight but you will certainly look leaner if you keep up weight training.
Another myth that most people worry about with weight training is that they will bulk up to look like Arnie. Even if you start with light weights and perform 20-30 reps, you will start to build muscle. To burn serious fat, try to increase the weights every week. The more weight you can squat or press, the more leaner your muscles will become. Avoid pyramid training which use heavy weights and you’ll be fine. I would highly recommend Body Pump. It is tough but work on building your mental strength to perform weight training.
Even today I weighed myself and I usually never do. Twelve stone. I am lean but I perform a boxing training, body pump, spinning, and skipping over the week so my metabolism is high. Another great thing you must know about weight training is that it will burn still be burning off fat for up to 48 hours afterward. Cardio may burn it for up to 2-3 hours afterward so how cool would it be to burn fat through the night.
Remember to eat lots of protein to fuel the additional muscle.
Have a cheat day to Lose Weight
Jan 19th
Posted by Funkster in weight loss tips
What many fad diets do not allow are treats for achievements. Following a healthy diet six days out of seven is an achievement. It is tough to watch whatever you eat all week. To know exactly what you put into your body it is important to keep a food diary. Coffee, tea, alcohol, those few Quality Street…everything counts.
We may not count regular drinking with meals as ‘drinking’ because it is not binge drinking as society wants us to believe. Too much alcohol in the system can cause weight problems. When alcohol is consumed, it converts to instant and usable sugar in the body. If the alcohol is burnt off, for example dancing, great but if it is not it will be stored as fat. Alcohol is also high in calories. Per pint expect to consume over 200 calories. A large glass of wine is over 100. Spirits are the least calorific but when doubles and triples are ordered, the calories are going up. Try to give up alcohol altogether of if you do have a glass of water between each drink to care for the liver and take Milk Thistle, a liver detoxifier.
What I believe is everything in moderation. I love cheese and onion pie, I could eat it for breakfast, dinner, and tea but I would also feel stodgy and lethargic and I hate to feel like that. However, on my cheat day after I have followed a very healthy diet for six days of the week, I can look forward to my pie.
What I have also learnt about cheat days is that when the body consumes healthy foods for six days of the week, the metabolism eventually starts to slow down because the body does not have to get rid of as much waste. Having a cheat day not only boosts the body’s metabolism productively but also can help you to lose weight. Causing this spike by having just one cheat day a week is an effective way to eat what you love and ALSO lose weight.
Get off the silly fad diets or points system. They are getting all the money because you usually have to buy the foods that go with a diet. It is YOU and only you who can make a change. First a healthy body starts with a healthy mindset. Get rid of the negativity and focus on others to make you slim and you can achieve anything.
Short Intensive Workouts
Nov 10th
Posted by Funkster in Hints and Tips
Short bursts of training is just as effective as a longer session. For example, thirty minutes of running can be broke up into three ten minute sessions throughout the day. Obviously, not everyone has the time to break up a workout, but this can work wonders for your metabolism.
You don’t even need to join a gym to work out your body just thirty minutes per day. Here’s an easy example of how to cram thirty minutes of effective training per day. Rather than take the car, walk 5-10 minute journey to the shops. Grab a skipping rope and skip for ten minutes in the afternoon non stop. Later in the afternoon, perform set a timer for ten minutes and perform squats, press-ups, jumping jacks, squat thrusts, and sit-ups until fatigue. More >
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