Taking your first step to a new you!
I got a lot of favorable response from my "Fit Life" blog, but many people told me they don't see how to apply the things I said to their lives. So I have written a second version of the fit life to help people make the first step more personal for them.
Metabolism Basics
Your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate is the calories your body consumes (or energy used) to keep your body functions operating through out the day. If you consume more calories than needed your body will store them as reserves and the opposite is true if you eat less than needed your body will slow your metabolism down to account for the lack of calories.
It is therefore important to understand the best way to lose weight is through a clean, balanced and nutritious diet, eating the calories needed to maintain your BMR and then exercise to consume more energy forcing your body to burn fat.
I like to keep a balance of protein, carbs and fat in my diet with carbs coming from vegetables not processed foods like breads and pasta. I will usually stay with lean meats and eat healthy fats from avocado or nuts. I like to drink black coffee or water and will rarely drink soda or other sugar drinks. Sugar tends to create insulin spikes in the blood raising cortisol levels and creating an environment for your body to store more fat.
Taking the first step....
Before beginning any program it is always best to seek out the advice of a personal trainer. There are three main areas to focus on with any good fitness program. Diet is at the top of my list and the most important area to attack first. Learn to start reading labels and get away from processed foods focusing on fresh and nutritious. Every calorie you put in your body needs to bring nutrients with it and should not be empty calories like sugar. Once you understand how many calories you should eat a day and how to make healthy choices you can begin to focus on exercise.
Once I establish my BMR and what I should consume in calories each day I use my exercise to create a calorie deficit and make my body work to be more efficient with the nutrients it receives. I do not believe in starving yourself as depriving your body of nutrients is never a good thing. Eat what your body needs in terms of nutrients and energy. Exercise will help create the calorie deficit needed to support weight loss. Also when you keep you food intake higher and do not deprive yourself calories your body maintains a better metabolism. Your body will slow down and begin to use muscle for energy when you deprive yourself of food.
I use two types of exercise to compliment my diet. Cardiovascular exercise which can be many version such as high intensity interval training or HIIT (which is pushing your body to its cardio max and then resting for a short period and repeating) and LISS which is low intensity steady state cardio training which would be like a treadmill at a certain speed and incline for a set period of time. Both are good although HIIT training works more on burning fat and is a more advanced method for fat loss.
When developing a resistance program for yourself it is important to work each body part at least one time per week. I am an advocate for higher repetition's as it helps shape the muscle and will also create gains but not as much so as heavy weights. I feel it builds muscle endurance for myself and also helps burn more calories.
"If you are looking for more information on diets or want to do a more in depth review make sure you check out this report on the https://www.consumersadvocate.org/diet-plans
Like any program consistency is important. We all have bad days so make sure to keep focused on the end goal and you will be there before you know it. I am interested to hear any of your success stories and will publish them if you want to share your weight loss story and pictures with me. Best of luck to you all on your journey to a fit life.