Simple Fitness Tips To Shed Body Fat

Obesity is rising at an alarming rate and is becoming an increasingly serious health issue. Overweight and obese people don’t want a 100-page “solution” to regaining their health. They want a simple solution… simple fitness tips to help them get started on the journey back to good health.

Would it surprise you to know that roughly 7 out of every 10 adults in the United States are overweight? And, sadly, half of these men and women are obese. Packing on a few extra pounds is not usually a problem. However, when you are clinically overweight or obese, there are some very real health concerns to consider.

The overweight and obese know they are facing serious health issues and they are desperate for answers. That’s one of the reasons the weight loss industry makes billions of dollars every year. Is it any surprise that more money is spent annually on weight loss year after year? I think not.

These are some of the health problems linked to obesity, which include:

• High blood pressure and high cholesterol
• Heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular disease
• Diabetes
• Breast and endometrial cancer
• Multiple skin and hair conditions
• Chronic fatigue
• Brain fog and poor mental function
• Sleep apnea
• Kidney disease
• Pregnancy problems and complications
• Fatty liver disease

Those are just a few of the life-threatening diseases associated with carrying a significant amount of extra weight. Let’s look at some simple fitness tips you should consider in your quest for better health.,

Simple Tips to Shedding Excess Fat

You can make a significant contribution to reaching your naturally healthy body weight by eating right. Research in the latter part of the 20^th century revealed this and we know it to be true.

This means you need to change your ways if you want to shed some pounds. You need to eat more whole fruits and vegetables, and eat less processed foods. You also need to drink lots of water each day and get plenty of rest at night.

Another ingredient of the weight loss recipe to add to the mix is to stay active.

If you think of exercise as a dirty word, you are not alone. Traditional exercises can be boring and monotonous. When you go to your local gym or health club, you may feel intimidated by the beautiful bodies you see. Or, you may feel you are in no condition to exercise.

I suggest you stop thinking of exercise as exercise. Think of exercise as physical movement or daily physical activity. Tell yourself whatever you need to so you actually get up and move on a regular basis.

What’s important to reach your weight loss goals is to choose exercises you enjoy doing. Don’t let anyone coerce you into doing exercises you don’t need to do. By that I mean there are alternative ways to achieve the same result.

The point is you need to love your workout sessions if you want to achieve good results. I can’t stress this enough. Again, if you’re out of shape, start small and work your way up. But you need to get up and move.

The following fitness tips can help you get started on your weight loss journey as soon as today.

Simple Fitness Tips #1: You Need 150 Weekly Minutes of Physical Activity

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend accumulating at least 150 minutes of “… moderate to vigorous physical activity per week.” It’s best to spread the time out over several sessions. 5 30-minute sessions each week is good. However, if you are obese, you could start with 3 times per week. You then gradually increase the number of sessions as you become stronger.

Choose 5 days a week and get your heart pumping. Moderate cardio/aerobic activities include brisk walking, lightly jogging, bicycling (10-12 mph), or swimming. More vigorous (high intensity) activities include jogging (6 mph), running, hiking, and bicycling (12-14 mph). If you really want to “step it up” you can add dance workouts such as Zumba to your workout repertoire.

The Harvard School of Public Health published an article on Obesity Prevention, “Examples of Moderate and Vigorous Physical Activity”. Look at the chart for more information.

These activities keep you moving for a sustained period of time. Cardio workouts increase your heart rate while aerobic workouts require the use of more oxygen. The benefits you derive, meaning fat loss, depend on the intensity and duration of these activities.

It’s important to tailor your cardio workouts to suit your current level of fitness. In the beginning, you may want to divide each daily 30-minute session into two separate 15-minute sessions. When your energy level increases and you build up your strength and stamina, go for 30-minute sessions. Only do what your body tells you to do.

Ideally, you should incorporate a mix of cardio exercise and strength training in your workout regimen. And this brings us to the next simple fitness tip.

Simple Fitness Tips #2: You Absolutely Must Strength Train

Strength training is important if you want to lose weight and improve your overall fitness. Since you’re trying to lose weight it might be in your best interest to begin with bodyweight training.

Bodyweight training is geared toward increasing your endurance. Your muscles won’t be as sore, and you reduce the chances of sustaining injuries. You need to give your muscles time to adapt to working in a new way.

Furthermore, you can easily structure full-body workouts with bodyweight routines and still get all the fat burning benefits. These exercises do not require equipment and can be done in the privacy of your own home. The good news is you won’t need to pay for a gym membership.

The only downside to bodyweight exercises like squats and planks is that you’re working with your own bodyweight. As you lose fat you’ll get lighter and the workouts will become less challenging. Now you’re ready to train with weights.

After a month or 45 days of bodyweight training, your body will be stronger. And because you’re stronger, you’ll be better able to handle conventional weight training. Keep in mind that you’re training to shed fat, not to build muscle. When you train with weights to lose fat, you’ll use lighter weights, do more reps, and shoot for full-body workouts.

Whether you bodyweight train or lift free weights, start out with 2 weekly sessions and work up to 3 weekly sessions for the most weight-loss benefits.

Simple Fitness Tips #3: Stand More Than You Sit

Standing for several hours at a time without moving is not what we’re talking about. We’ve come to understand that sitting for extended periods of time can be as dangerous to your health as smoking. Throughout the day you just want to make sure you are standing and moving more than you are sitting.

Any time you find yourself sitting for 20 or 30 minutes at a time, stand up. Set a timer if you need a reminder. Stand up while you are at your workstation, rather than staying planted in your computer chair all day.

Take the stairs rather than the elevator. If you’re relaxing at home watching TV, walk in place during commercial breaks. Walk to a friend’s house rather than drive. The point is you need to get up and move whenever possible.

Be consciously aware of how much you are sitting; stand more than you sit. This simple fitness tip can help you lose excess body weight and fat when combined with the two previous tips.

For more simple fitness tips on how to accelerate your weight loss read this article. You want to regain your fitness and good health but you have to put in the work. You need to change your eating habits, gin up your physical activity, and routinely get up off your seat.

These are simple fitness tips but it takes effort and commitment on your part. You won’t find a magic pill or potion out there to make you suddenly fit and healthy… it’s all up to you.