Have you put on a little too much holiday weight?
We’ve all been there at some point in our lives! You eat healthy, work out right, and think you deserve a cheat meal, and two weeks later you are knee deep in chocolate wrappers, living on cake, pizza, and pudding.
Okay, that might have been a real-life example. It happened to my friend.
Yes, by ‘my friend’ I mean me. No, I’m not proud. It happen, okay!
I’m only human.
Anyhow, let’s talk losing all that weight, no matter how you put it on. But you’ll have to promise me that you won’t tell anyone, it’s a secret.
I’ll tell you about the best workouts for weight loss! And I promise you, you’ll enjoy every bit of it!
Keep reading to know more about this little secret.
A Little About Cardio and Weight Training
Wait, what?
Did you think I’d just give away the secret!? Well, it’s coming.
But first, I want you to know something important about these two forms of exercise.
After all, you know what they say:
“You give a poor man a fish and you feed him for a day. You teach him to fish and you give him an occupation that will feed him for a lifetime.”
Let’s learn how to fish!
Cardio: Baby You Make My Heart Beat Faster!
So,let me just begin by saying that you’re living under a rock if you haven’t heard the word cardio before!
But what are cardio exercises?
Let me tell you… you ready for some facts? Let’s go!
Well, cardio exercise is any exercise which increase your heartrate. And, no, looking at your crush doesn’t count as cardio! So what makes your heart race? Well, there are so many activities that do! Like running, cycling, spinning, etc.
Yes, there’s a reason why I’m telling you all this. Cardio is probably the best way to lose fat. That’s why they tell people that are fat a little chubby to go for a run/swim/jog etc. And yes, zumba and all that exotic stuff also comes under cardio.
But, did you know that it’s just not cardio that actually helps you lose weight?
Weight Training: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger!
Weight training or strength training is often associated with that closed ‘weights room’ in the gym from where all those inappropriate grunts come from.
When I talk about weight training, people usually think of someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger, you get the idea, a bodybuilder with a muscular physique. But actually, weight training is important for all of us, not just the bodybuilding enthusiasts. Especially if you want to lose weight.
What!? Ain’t no way I’m going to lift weights!
Actually, you should reconsider that. Why you ask? Well, there’s another side to this story. And no, it doesn’t mean you’ll get those balloon muscles.
Your Tendons, Bones, Ligaments and Joints And Why You NEED Weight Training!
Let’s talk about the four things first, your tendons, bones, ligaments and joints. I’m sure you may have come across someone in your life who was a ‘fitness’ enthusiast. I say ‘fitness’ because all they ever did was cardio… let me share something with you.
My aunt had always been on the heavier side, and in a bid to lose weight she did what anyone would have:
She went on a diet and joined a gym.
But, she never entered the ‘Narnia’ —is what I like to call it—of the gym, the weight room. Needless to say, all she ever did was go to the gym and run/cycle/ or simply do the crossrunner. And one fine day she took a light fall from the treadmill and tore her ankle ligament!
No, I’m not totally selling you off cardio, there’s a moral to my story. Hear me out.
This happened because aunt totally ignored strength training. You may think my claim is too bold, but it’s really not. You see, my aunt had stopped all forms of exercise for years before she joined the gym. Which means, that she had lost all of lean muscle mass that she had when she was active, and her tendons. bones, ligaments and joints had become weak!
Meet Your New Love: Strength Training
So, how does strength training come into play?
Well, think of it this way, if cardio helps you get faster, then, strength training helps you get stronger. If you even train your body once a week, chances of injury decrease dramatically.
And, who doesn’t like a round bum!
Jokes aside, studies have shown that strength training helps you burn more calories than cardio alone.
How, you ask? Well.
It’s just simple.
The afterburn.
Did you know that you burn calories all day?
Yes, your body uses energy to run, just like your laptop needs battery.
So, you burn calories all day. Now, the afterburn basically refers to the calories you burn after a workout (du-uh!) and studies have shown that us humans burn more calories after a strength workout than after a normal cardio workout.
In fact, you burn more calories for up to 48 hours of a strength workout!
Pheww..
That was a lot to take in, wasn’t it?
You’re a Snowflake: A General Rule of Thumb
You must be scratching your head thinking what the hell I am talking about.
I know why you came here, you want to know about the best workout there is to lose weight. I get it, I’ve been in your shoes for the longest time. But, I need to confess something.
The fitness industry is pushing so many workouts, supplements, and miracle drugs. There are so many articles out there that will tell you about THE BEST way to do this, do that, but there will always be one thing. I’ll tell you that in a few.
Let’s talk about the ‘snowflake’ thing first. Do you know that no two snowflakes are the same? That each snowflake is unique? Well, so are you.
Yes, I just quoted your mom. Yeah, I also know your mom used to say that to you in those rebellious teen years. But, you know what they say, Mother knows best.
Since you’re a unique individual, what may be the best workout for me may not be for you. We all have our interest, likes, dislikes, etc. Now, if I were to tell you that the best way to lose weight is to swim 1 hour a day, and you have fear of water, would you do that?
A wise man once said that knowledge is power, and I would prefer giving you the right knowledge over feeding you a ‘pill’.
So, what’s my general rule of thumb? I’ll tell you.
Step One: Find the Cardio Activity : Best Workouts For Weight Loss
Losing weight is not hard when you’re learning something new or doing something that you love.
What good will running at one place like a hamster give you?
My absolute tip to you would be to find the cardio activities that fit your life and goals. But, what can you do!?
Well, a LOT of things! Here are a few suggestions from my side:
1. Join a class
This way you kill two birds from one stone!
This makes cardio all the more doable and fun!
2. Compete!!
I don’t know about you but I’m a Monica Gellar when it comes to competing. If you don’t know who Monica Gellar is then I’m truly sorry for you.
Anyhow, competing is the best way to get the task done. I know that I procrastinate until I have a deadline.
3. Explore
Another thing I’d like you to keep in mind is that you explore all the activities that you can. Try zumba or FIIT and see if they work for you!
There are a lot of weight loss guides that celebrities swear by but why do something that you know you’d totally hate to lose weight when you can actually have fun with it!
Now, keep in mind that you should do your cardio workout at least three times a week. I’d recommend you do your cardio the after your strength training workout.
Step Two: Get Stronger!
A strength training workout doesn’t really mean that you’ll have to join the gym or buy dumbbells.
What!?
Yes, you read that right! Now that I’ve opened your mind to strength training my mentioning the afterburn thing, all you need is a good workout schedule. And you don’t even need to commit much time for it! You can do it from the comfort of your home!
You should aim for doing at least one strength workout per week and you’d be good to go!
A Sample Workout Schedule
So, in order to make things easy for you, I made you a sample workout schedule for weight loss exercises.
Let’s see!
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If you follow this schedule you will lose weight if you keep at it consistently!
The Final Words
Yes, I know that I’ve kept on endlessly rambling on here but the thing that I want you to take away from here is that there is no best workout for weight loss that can be packaged and sold to millions. If that were a case, this would would be filled by people with the ideal body. But it’s not.
Keep in mind these things:
Cardio is your BFF
You don’t have to endure cardio like it’s your worst enemy, no. Think of it as your best friend. Enjoy cardio, find something you like, learn something new, don’t be that hamster running on it’s wheel!
This is the only way you’ll ever enjoy losing weight!
Strength Training is Important
Strength training is a good thing since it helps you burn more calories and get stronger and avoid injury.
That being said, I rest my case. I hope you found this article resourceful. Leave comments if you think I’ve covered everything. If you have any questions or concerns then I’m right here to help you through them!
Have a good day! For more articles check out TheLifeSquare now!
