Lifestyle Changes for Better Fitness

Losing weight and getting in shape can be challenging, especially if you’ve been sedentary for years. You need to exercise to lose weight, but your calorie intake has to be adjusted as well. Many people exercise every other day, sometimes daily, but the pounds just aren’t coming off. Exercise alone can’t help you take off those extra pounds. You have to burn more calories than you take in to lose weight effectively. This requires a balance of diet and exercise. If you are exercising and the pounds just won’t come off, a personal fitness trainer can help you develop a diet and exercise plan that may work for you.

One of the biggest enemies of weight loss is underestimating the number of calories and the amount of food you actually consume. Burning 1,000 calories won’t help you lose weight if you consume 1,000 calories right after your workout. Cutting back on calories and exercising regularly are only part of a total fitness program. Going to the gym for 30 minutes three times each week will help you build muscle and improve your overall fitness, but if you are sitting down the other 4 days each week you won’t see much progress in weight loss. The most effective way to get fit, lose weight and stay fit is to lead an active lifestyle. Even if you work 8 to 10  hours a day in an office sitting in front of a computer, there are things you can do to be more active. 

Move your body to help burn calories and get fit. If you drive to work park your car a couple of blocks from work and walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Stand up and stretch your body every hour. Walk to the water cooler for a drink every hour instead of sipping on a high-calorie soda. Eat a low-calorie, high fiber breakfast each morning and take nutritious snacks to work. Drink plenty of water during the day. Increase the amount of vegetables and fruits in your diet. Include whole grains, rice and legumes in your diet. Reduce the amount of red meat in your diet. Eat more fish and poultry if you don’t want to give up meat. Avoid keeping snacks in front of the television or replace chips and popcorn with dried fruits and nuts. You will eat more than you think when watching television. Keep going to the gym but stay active every day.