Gained Weight During the Pandemic? Here are Four Tips from a Minneapolis Personal Trainer for Losing Weight in the New Year and it’s not what you think!
As one crazy year comes to a close, it is time to think about goals for the New Year. A personal trainer, coach, can help you set appropriate goals to help you get the results you want.
One goal that is on many people's minds as a new year begins is losing weight and getting fit.
While this is a common goal, there is so much fitness advice broadcasted in today's world that it can be difficult to know how to achieve it.
Everyone's weight loss journey will look a little different, and what works for one person may not work for another, but there are four basic principles that can make the process more successful, regardless of your specific situation.
Incorporate Strength Training Into Your Routine
It is not uncommon for people to think that weight loss requires hours of cardio exercise, at the exclusion of other types of workouts. Some may even be fearful to try strength training, out of concern that it may lead to bulkiness (read our post about the biggest myths of strength training). While this is a common belief, the reality is that weight training actually helps with fat loss. This is because strength training exercises increase muscle mass, which elevates the metabolism. In fact, a 2020 study in the Journal of Sports Sciences found that strength training increases the resting metabolic rate, or the number of calories a person burns during the day at rest, by about 100 calories per day. By elevating the metabolism, incorporating weight training exercises can make it easier to drop fat.
Focus on Interval Training
High-intensity interval training, also called HIIT, should be your go-to for cardio exercise if you are trying to lose weight, and not simply because it is time efficient. You may think that you need to spend hours doing cardiovascular exercise in order to lose weight, which can make weight loss seem impossible, but the reality is that a few quick HIIT sessions per week are all you need in terms of cardio exercise. In a 2017 study in the Journal of Diabetes Research, one group of women completed moderate intensity exercise sessions three to four times per week for 12 weeks, while a second group engaged in an equal number of HIIT sessions. At the end of the 12-week period, the two groups lost equal amounts of body fat, but the HITT sessions required considerably less time commitment. You can drop significant amounts of body fat with three to four half-hour HIIT sessions per week, whereas the time requirement for moderate intensity cardio can be nearly double this. Choosing HIIT for cardio exercise reduces the amount of time you have to spend at the gym and can make it easier to stick to your fitness plan. Incorporate this type of exercise into your routine by alternating bursts of intense effort with lower-intensity recovery periods throughout the course of your workout. For example, walk on the treadmill at an easy pace for three minutes, and then run at a brisk pace for two minutes, alternating this pattern for the duration of your workout.
Keep Your Protein Intake High
This is one of the biggest deficits that we see in our clients. Once they actually track for at least a week, they are only eating maybe 10-15% protein in their diets.
If you are following a diet and reducing your calorie intake in order to lose weight, it is important to keep your protein intake high. A 2013 study in the Journal of Nutrition found that compared to a diet with normal amounts of protein, a high-protein diet increased lean body mass and resting metabolic rate. This means that a high-protein diet can keep your metabolism working and help you to maintain lean muscle mass as you drop fat. In the study, participants following a high-protein diet consumed 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For example, this would be equivalent to a 150-pound person consuming 82 grams of protein per day.
Find What Works for You
Beyond consuming enough protein and incorporating HIIT and strength training into your routine, it is critical that you find a weight-loss plan that is sustainable for you. There are so many different diet plans on the market, all promising to help you achieve your dream physique, but ultimately, you will only be successful if you choose a weight loss program that works with your lifestyle. What this means is that you will need to find a way to make lasting, healthy changes that become a part of your everyday life, instead of choosing extreme weight loss measures.
Extreme programs are not sustainable, and while you may quickly drop weight with these methods, you will likely gain all of it back when you return to your usual habits. Sustainability is one reason that the previous three methods are so important for ensuring successful weight loss. HIIT is sustainable because of its time efficiency, whereas strength training and high protein intake contribute to sustainability by keeping your metabolism elevated and making it easier for you to keep weight off over the long-term.
If you take anything out of the advice herein, let it be the fact that you do not have to use an extreme, rigid weight loss program to be successful.
Instead, find sustainable strategies that work for you. Based upon the research, incorporating strength training and HIIT workouts and upping your protein intake are effective ways to lose weight without using extreme measures. It is important to find sustainable strategies that work for you.
If you need help with creating a plan that is designed for you and your goals, schedule a call now! We can help you get started, give you the accountability that you need to stick with it to get the results you desire.