While the principle of no-pain, no-gain is often applied to weight loss, a little knowledge about exercise and the body can help you reach your goals faster than simply pushing your body to its limits. A program that integrates nutrition, cardiovascular exercise and strength training will maximize your results and leave you with time to enjoy activities other than exercise.
Step 1
Take fish oil. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to alter the amount of insulin in your blood and increase your rate of body fat loss, according to health expert Dr. Liz Miller. Take 1.8 grams of fish oil in pill form daily to promote fat loss.
Step 2
Monitor your nutrition. If your nutrition habits are poor, you will sabotage your exercise routine and work against progress toward your goals. The calories of your diet should consist of 55 percent carbohydrate, 15 percent protein and 30 percent fat, according to American Dietetics Association editor and registered dietitian Joanne Larsen. These should be from whole-grain sources and low-fat sources, like turkey and chicken breast, and unsaturated sources, like olive oil.
Step 3
Exercise your cardiovascular system. Running is an excellent source of constant, rhythmic exercise that promotes a massive amount of calorie burn. Exercise for an hour five days a week at a moderate intensity, recommends the American College of Sports Medicine. Moderate intensity exercise is defined as 60 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate, which you can find by subtracting your age from 220. Use a heart rate monitor to ensure you stay between these heart rate limits.
Step 4
Strengthen your muscles. Strengthening your muscles through the use of body weight, suspension or external weights will help to increase your metabolism and make the body more capable of performing high-intensity exercise. To strengthen your muscles for weight loss, perform exercises for three sets of 15 to 25 repetitions, three times a week. Let your body recover for a day between each workout. An example of this type of exercise routine begins with abdominal crunches, rotational crunches and dead lifts. Then perform chin-ups, push-ups, squats, biceps curls and shoulder presses. Stretch after.
Things You'll Need
- Heart rate monitor
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