You’ve probably noticed that a lot of fitness programmes promise to reshape your body in three months. The reason for that is that three months or twelve weeks is a good amount of time within which to achieve your fitness or weight loss goals and for your body to begin adjusting to the demands that your workout regimen will put on it.
A three month programme will also make it easier for you to maintain your gains past the twelve week mark. For example, if you lose two pounds per week, that will amount to 24 pounds by the end of twelve weeks. That is a fair amount of weight to lose within that time frame, and this is a lot easier to achieve than some huge, unrealistic number that leaves you discouraged when you don’t achieve it. You want to challenge yourself but you want to be realistic as well.
The key is to balance diet with exercise. Remember that you have to expend about 3500 calories in order to lose one pound of fat. Reducing your caloric intake by as little as five hundred and as much as a thousand calories a day can result in two or more pounds of fat lost per week. Consume lower calorie foods, spread throughout the day, in the form of five or six small meals and snacks, and make sure that vegetables and fruits as well as whole grains and lean protein form a major part of your diet. Drinking lots of water will not only keep you hydrated but will leave you feeling fuller longer, so that you eat less.
Exercise regularly for at least thirty minutes at first, three to four times a week, gradually increasing the length and intensity of your workout. Keeping a journal and recording your performance will help you gauge your progress and help you set new goals. Make sure that your programme is a good mix of cardio and strength or resistance training. Cardio will help you burn calories for the duration of your workout, but strength training will help you build muscle that will rev up your metabolism and help you burn fat throughout the day. People with more muscle mass have a higher resting metabolic rate.
Work different body parts on workout days. For example I start my week with chest and back exercises. Day two is devoted to back and biceps, or biceps and triceps; day three is shoulders and abs, and day four is spent on legs. In between I do cardio and yoga and take one day off. Find a mix that works for you. Whatever you do, change it up every few weeks so that you don’t get bored or plateau. Remember “motivation is what gets you started, but habit is what keeps you going.” You just have to start.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR; Kendal Burton is a Certified Personal Trainer, Yoga Instructor & Sports Nutrition Specialist. For more health and fitness tips “friend” us on Facebook, or join our free fitness community atwww.edgepersonalfitness.com. If you have any questions, or a topic you’d like us to address email us at mail@edgepersonalfitness.com.
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