There is always a good reason to lose weight, no matter what time of year it may be. Unfortunately, it’s always a good time to put on weight as well. With summer cookouts and the delicious juicy burgers or the multitude of holiday dinners during the festive season, it can be difficult to take and keep the weight off. Now, we’re not here to talk about fad diets and starving yourself to lose weight. We love food, and there’s nothing wrong with having a good healthy relationship with food. Starving or forcing yourself to eat things you hate will only end up in failure and cause those pounds to come piling back on with a vengeance. There is a better way to lose the weight.
The Key
Common knowledge, along with the vast scientific community, says that the key to losing weight is to burn more calories than you take in. If you take in more calories than you’re able to burn off, you will definitely gain weight. Basically, it’s the perfect diet. You can eat whatever you want as long as you burn off the calories you consume. Therein lies the problem, though. How do you burn off those calories? Well, we’ve got you covered there. There are several different exercises and workout plans you can follow to lose weight and we’ve put the most effective together here in one list to help make your weight loss goals become more attainable.
Back to the Basics
Remember back in elementary school when we had to take the physical tests to see where we were in terms of fitness? They would make us run laps, jump rope, or climb stairs before collapsing in the grass during recess. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but all three are still the best ways to burn calories with a quickness.
Jumping rope alone can burn upwards of 990 calories an hour if you can work your way up to 120 skips per minute, while running up hill or doing stair sprints can burn up to 946 calories an hour. When you take into consideration that the recommended calorie intake for an average adult female being around 2000 calories per day with the average man needing around 2500, it doesn’t seem so far-fetched to use jumping rope or running uphill as an effective weight loss tool.
Weight Training
Now, we’re not talking about going full Schwarzenegger in the gym and pulling mass gains with hardcore bodybuilding and weight lifting. Rather, we’re talking about the fact that adding weight training to your workout regimen can actually keep your metabolism elevated for longer periods than with cardio alone.
There are weight training programs out there that can help you lose 15-20 pounds of fat while maintaining and possibly even gaining lean muscle while improving cardiovascular conditioning to reach your full fitness potential. All within 10 weeks. This is achieved by dedicating each day to a different part of your body and alternating with high intensity interval training before ending the week with a rest and active recovery day with activities like yoga or light jogging.
These workouts usually incorporate bench presses, pull ups, step-ups, and squats with increasing weights over time. These workouts will have your legs and arms burning, but it will also be extremely successful in burning through those pounds you gained over the holidays as well.
Kickboxing
Of course we’re going to say that kickboxing is an excellent way to lose weight, but it’s the truth. Look at the professional kickboxers out there. Their bodies are trim and muscular with barely an inch to pinch, and for good reason. The cardiovascular warm-up, calisthenics, kick and punch work, movement drills, and everything in between that comes during a kickboxing class are prime exercises for getting the blood pumping and the weight burning. The resistance training included in kickboxing builds muscle which in turn boosts your metabolism, thus burning more calories. So kickboxing is yet another awesome way to kick your weight loss into high gear.
If you’re looking for a fun and energetic way to lose weight that isn’t the typical workout routine that leads to boredom, give us a call. We’ll get you started on the road to a better body and a healthier you.
