The ManicaPost
WHETHER you want to beat bloat, drop a few kilos or just feel better, these expert approved rules are so simple, you will forget you are even trying.
Many people may lose steam when trying to stick to their fitness goals if they are unrealistic.
Those goals can lead to discouragement or a lack of accountability in tracking progress.
However, there are goals that are more attainable and easy to maintain, like doing 15-minute stretches after a workout or including dedicated rest days throughout the week.
Here’s how to make goals you can keep up with, including goals recommended by personal trainers.
Making SMART Goals
The key to succeeding in your fitness goals is devising them with the SMART method in mind. This tried-and-true approach creates goals that are:
Specific: The goal is clear and defined. For example, “workout three times a week” rather than “exercise more.”
Measurable: There is a way to track your progress, which could be by logging the weights you lift or the distance you run each week.
Attainable: This goal can be realistically reached within the set time frame.
Very few people could train for a marathon in two weeks, but many could over a couple of months.
Relevant: There’s a “why” driving your motivation to reach the goal.
Maybe you want to feel stronger, increase flexibility, or manage an underlying condition.
Timely: The goal has a deadline, whether it’s four weeks or six months.
Sticking to a fitness routine is all about finding a workout you love, whether that’s running, yoga, strength training, or walking.
Should you take a rest day?
Simply put, yes.
Whether you are new to exercise or a pro-athlete, rest days are vital for physical and mental health.
Exercising seven days per week with moderate to heavy intensity may be counterproductive to your goals and can even lead to injury.
Your body needs a break.
Not to mention, if your muscles don’t have enough time to repair between workouts, you may not see the muscle growth or performance goals you are working so hard to obtain.
When it comes to mental health, rest days can force you to resist the “no days off” mindset, which can cause overexertion and burnout.
So how do you know if you need a rest day?
If your body is always sore or you dread exercising, that is your sign to take a day off.
If there is pain in your body that does not go away after a couple of days, you probably need at least one rest day, or if you dread going to the gym after four consecutive days of exercising, you also need a rest day.
Eat meals not snacks
We have long been told to eat frequently, in small amounts, to level blood sugar.
But studies have found out that those who eat fewer, larger meals weighed less.
How so?
You burn more calories processing a larger meal than lots of little ones.
Stick to noshing breakfast, lunch and small dinner.
Sweat a little less
Really!
In a study comparing groups who ran or cycled for 30 versus 60 minutes a day, the half hour group dropped 33 percent more weight and 20 percent more time being active later in the day.
Since we are programmed to converse calories, when we burn lots of them through exercise, our bodies may hoard them later by moving less and eating more.
So two options: cap your cardio at 30 minutes, four times a week.
Or if you love a longer workout, keep moving later in the day to ensure your metabolism hums.
Go for whole grains
People who eat them tend to be slimmer than those who don’t.
Why?
These sturdy carbs require extra energy to breakdown.
Their fibre also traps some of their calories, whisking them out of your body before they are stored away as fat.
Shoot for several servings a day and include them in snacks and desserts.
Add oats to your morning smoothies, swap rice for brown and snack air popped popcorn.
Sleep in a cool room
Humans carry two kinds of body fat: white (stores energy) and brown (burns it).
Ambient temperature can influence which wins.
Researchers had volunteers spend one month sleeping in a 24-degrees room and another in one set to 19 degrees.
After 30 days of dozing in chiller quarters, the volunteers’ brown fat was 42 percent more active and their metabolism was 10 percent faster.
Don’t clean your plate
Thais means your eating with your eyes rather than listening to your body satiety cues.
You almost always end up eating more than your body needs.
Forgo the last 10 percent of each meal by dishing up a few bites less than normal.
It is estimated that it trims almost 190 calories a day, helping you axe four and a half kilos in six months. — Online.
