Wondering What is the Most Effective Way to Lose Weight?
Most of the questions I field as a longtime personal trainer in Austin, TX, are well thought out questions from people who often times, have little experience in the weightlifting and/or exercise world. I’m always happy to answer their questions, provided I’m not in the middle of a training session with a client. One question I get often from folks looking to lose weight is, what is the most effective way to lose weight?
The most effective way to lose weight is not any 1 thing. Just like everything else in health and fitness, there’s a myriad of factors and approaches to consider based upon our individual goals, needs, and abilities. Weight loss is a gray area for many people because there is simply so much false information out there in the magazines, on the internet, as well as floating around gyms. There are so many fads, cleanses, theories, and so on, that your head can swim if you don’t have a scientifically rooted background in the field.
If you want to lose weight, please don’t have hurried expectations. Remember that it took a while to get heavy, so naturally, it will take a while to lose it, despite what some TV personality says, etc. If you want to lose weight, there are a few things needed. The first, and foremost of them being to get your nutrition in order. That means you will need to throw away the majority of your indulgence and/or food, and focus on eating nutritionally balanced meals that are of the proper portion size. It’s also important that you eat your meals at certain times. For example, if we want to lose weight, we will be exercising cardiovascularly on an empty stomach in order to burn fat for fuel, as opposed to whatever we ingested prior to heading out the door. Conversely, we don’t want to shove the last meal of the day down the hatch right before heading to bed, as those calories are just going to be sitting there, so to speak. Nutrition is everything, as is the timing of that said nutrition.
The second thing you’ll need to do to lose weight, is to exercise, though it is not as important as one would think in terms of strict weight loss. Nutrition is the major deciding factor in weight loss, not exercise. This is not to diminish the vital role that exercise plays, however. Exercise will expedite the weight loss process, as well as bring a huge host of benefits to you from bone strength and density, to increased mobility, more strength for functional purposes, and so on. With that said, the most effective way to lose weight is whatever you can safely, and willingly do on a regular basis. I realize that sounds vague, but when you consider that most people start an exercise regimen based upon their newfound goals, and it seemingly comes to an abrupt end before it ever had a chance to get started, my “vague” answer is valid.
Some people will find their results on an exercise bike, while others may prefer swimming. Some people enjoy brisk early morning walks, and others, with strong and non compromised joints, prefer jogging or even sprinting for weight loss. The most important factor when looking for your individual most effective way to lose weight is, that you stay realistic. Walking your miniature poodle to the mailbox 40 feet away is not going to suffice as cardiovascular exercise in most cases. On the flip side of the coin, if you are someone who has had multiple knee injuries and operations, please realize that perhaps wind sprints, though they have scientifically been shown to be the most efficient burner of calories, are not in your best interests. There are many exercises one can choose from, so there is no single most effective way to lose weight, other than whichever one peaks your interest enough for you to stick with it on a daily basis, and do so without injuring yourself. The other thing to consider, is that you don’t have to stick with any 1 exercise exclusively. For example, if you enjoy those brisk morning walks as much as you do a few laps in the pool, there’s no reason why you can’t do both on separate days. Add in other exercises such as tennis, bicycling, rock climbing, skipping rope, etc, and you’ll realize quickly that there is no best exercise for weight loss other than whatever it is that you are willing and able to do on a regular basis.
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Andy
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