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Then you’re not alone. It’s frustrating and discouraging to see less than desirable results on the scale after so much hard work and effort. Luckily, you can do a few things to move the needle in the desired direction.   

But First, Why Is Losing Weight So Hard After 50?

There are a couple of things working against you. First, the typical post-50 lifestyle is slower. Most people aren’t as active as in younger years; they’re more sedentary. And their social life is slower, too; they’re not constantly chasing after kids or joining friends for jogs in the park. Life is much less active.

Second, we experience metabolic changes after turning 50, resulting in less energy and weight gain.

Can You Turn Things Around?

Just because the circumstances in your life have slowed doesn’t mean you have to too. Don’t wait around for friends to invite you to join them in doing something active. Invite them for a walk or jog or to the gym. Take the lead. Set the pace. Enjoy physical activity and social connection with people you enjoy all simultaneously.

And if you haven’t already, it’s time to revamp your diet. Switch to healthier food choices. Monitoring and reducing your sugar intake is a great starting place.

It was easier to burn calories when you were younger, but it’s probably not as easy anymore. It takes more activity to burn calories now because of slower metabolism. So, make it easier on yourself by following a healthier diet.

Also, if you know you’re not the type of person who will engage in physical activity, you will have to cut back on your calories by reducing your portion sizes to avoid gaining weight.

Shift From Cardio To Strength Training

So we’ve already mentioned how important it is to stay active and eat better as you get older, especially after turning 50. But one of the most effective things you can do is add strength training to your routine.

Strength training produces many benefits that become increasingly more important as we age. 

For instance, we lose lean muscle mass and bone strength as we age, which causes injury, falls, and a loss of functional independence. Strength training protects lean muscle mass and strengthens the bones, resulting in fewer injuries and greater independence.

Does that mean you have to ditch cardio? Not at all. Just be sure to add strength training to your routine at least a couple of days a week.

According to an article on Healthline, strength training also helps boost your metabolism because muscle burns more calories than fat. Your metabolism burns fewer calories for every pound of muscle you lose as you age, leading to weight gain, a bigger waist, and flabby arms.

Adding strength training to your routine not only protects and builds lean muscle mass, builds stronger bones, and revs up the metabolism, it boosts energy, too (and, according to research, brightens mood).

The truth is that losing weight after you turn 50 can be a challenge, but the situation isn’t hopeless. Although your metabolism slows and life tends to become more sedentary, it doesn’t mean you’re fighting a losing battle against staying trim and healthy. So, don’t give up.

You can combat the situation by staying socially active, watching your portions and calories (especially sugar), and staying active with a focus on strength training.

These action steps aren’t profound. They’re pretty simple and doable by most everyone. And not only will you feel better, but you will look and feel much younger than the mileage on the odometer as you enter this exciting new phase of your life.

The post Why Is Losing Weight So Hard After 50? appeared first on Lifestyle.

One pound. Not so bad, right? Our clothes still fit, kind of. But seven or eight years from now (and eight or nine accumulated pounds later), it would be easier breaking into Fort Knox than squeezing into our favorite jeans, no matter how much we suck in. 

Here are ten science-backed techniques that help avoid weight gain during the holidays to ensure that only Santa’s belly shakes like a bowl of jelly at Christmas. 

Let’s get started!

Get Real 

Look. You make the same promise every year. Okay… I’ll have just one Christmas cookie. When have you ever kept that promise? You know the holidays are all about fun parties and tempting treats. Maybe Jesus said “no” to temptation, but us? Not so much. 

Get real with yourself by acknowledging that you’re going to eat more than usual and that you need to set goals and boundaries to minimize the carnage. 

Some boundaries might include saving holiday treats for one day on the weekends or choosing to fill up on healthy food to keep you from over-indulging on holiday snacks. 

Consider setting one or two attainable goals like boosting your physical activity or going for a short 15-minute walk after eating sugary foods. Write them down and keep them on your mirror or fridge, so you see them every day. 

 Make Smart Choices

This killer tip might be the only one you need. Snack on high-fiber foods, veggies, and proteins about an hour before leaving for a party or event. You will feel full longer and eat less scale-flattening food. 

Next, force yourself to eat smaller portions by using smaller plates once you’re at the event. And limit yourself to one or two plates. 

Lastly, eat slowly. Savor every bite. You’ll enjoy your food and feel full quicker.

Send Food Home

If you’re the one hosting the party, don’t get stuck with piles of irresistible leftovers. Why not keep the holiday cheer going by sending the extra food home with your guests instead?

Invest in disposable food containers (make it even more special by picking special holiday-themed containers), fill them up and give them to your guests as they’re are leaving. 

Reconsider Alcohol

Consuming alcoholic beverages piles on the calories. For example, a regular beer has about 153 calories, while a glass of wine has about 133 calories. That’s a whole lot of surplus energy in liquid form. 

Not only that, but alcohol can make you act irresponsibly, especially around food. So, let’s say you’d typically eat just a couple of snacks here and there. After a drink or two, you’re more likely to throw caution to the wind and eat four or five cookies, rather than just a couple as you usually would.

In fact, why not consider making this an alcohol-free holiday season? You’ll have an easier time managing your weight and will be fully present for each special moment you spend with friends and loved ones. 

Limit Temptation By Freezing Leftovers

Instead of giving your delicious, irresistible leftovers to your guests, freeze them instead to avoid temptation. Keeping them in the fridge makes it too easy to indulge. Freezing them makes it less likely you’ll reach for second and third helpings. It makes meal prep easier, too, because you’ll have a ready-to-serve dinner whenever you need it later on.

Drink Water

Drinking water might seem a little boring because it isn’t flavorful or fizzy. But, drinking water regularly throughout the day will help you lose weight because you’ll feel full and not eat as much. Plus, water has so many health benefits it’s hard to know where to start.

Water isn’t filled with artificial ingredients and sugars that increase your caloric intake and lead to weight gain. 

Try to limit yourself to one glass of soda or juice each day through the holidays. Otherwise, stick to water. You’ll feel more alert and less edgy because water washes toxins from your body.

Chew Gum

The jury is still out whether chewing gum curbs appetite. But some people will chew gum after a meal to make it less likely to indulge in second and third helpings, which is so easy to do during the holidays.

TV And Eating

Eating while you’re watching TV has been linked to overeating and making poor food choices. You get caught up in your favorite show, and before you know it, your fingers are scraping the greasy bottom of that bag of chips. 

But it’s not just mindless TV watching that gets you. It’s the commercials for processed snacks and sugary drinks that trigger your cravings and influence what you put in your cart when grocery shopping.

Get Your Steps

Even if your schedule makes it impossible to get to the gym regularly during the holidays, decide to stay active. Use the stairs. Park farther away at the mall. Be intentional about getting more steps in the coming weeks to burn extra calories. As an added bonus, physical exercise eases stress and tension caused by all the holiday hustle and bustle.

Reduce Stress

The holiday season really is merry and bright. But it’s also full of stress and anxiety.

Stress can trigger cravings and overeating, especially with unrestricted access to so much comfort food. 

Studies reveal that there’s a direct link between stress-related eating and obesity. So be mindful of holiday stress and take time for self-care. It can be as simple as taking a walk, five minutes of meditation, listening to uplifting music, or reading your favorite book. You might even book a massage. 

The holiday season really is the most wonderful time of year for so many people. And there are so many ways to enjoy the traditions we’ve come to know and love that don’t set us back but set us up for the New Year ahead. Use one or more of these ten tips to support your health and fitness goals and avoid gaining weight during the holidays.

The post 10 Ways To Avoid Gaining Weight During The Holidays appeared first on Lifestyle.

Maybe we should stop dieting because clearly it isn’t effective. And maybe we should stop judging ourselves while we’re at it too. The last thing we need is more stress, guilt, anxiety or shame in our lives.

Hey – it’s your life. You have every right to take charge of your health by losing/maintaining weight in a way that supports your needs and preferences.

Here are four general guidelines to follow when creating your own weight maintenance plan.

1. Decrease high glycemic food consumption

Sweets and simple carbs are so yummy! And the good news is you can still enjoy them just not all the time. Even Dwayne Johnson is famous for his epic cheat days!

These foods are crammed full with sugar. And they really mess with your blood sugar levels because of how quickly they’re absorbed into the blood stream, which paves the way for insulin resistance, diabetes, and weight gain.

Must you give them up altogether? No. Unless otherwise instructed by your doctor. So enjoy them occasionally in moderation if for no other reason than to keep yourself sane. Depriving yourself of your favorite foods will drive you crazy. Rewarding yourself with your favorite foods strengthens your will power and commitment to eat well most of the time.

Some people can eat just a bite or two of their favorite sweet or salty treat to get their “fix.” But if you know you’re not a one-Oreo-type of person, it’s probably best to avoid this strategy.

The point is, you don’t have to give up the foods you enjoy (unless you’re under doctor’s orders).

2. Don’t starve yourself – eat nutritious foods most of the time when hungry

People vigorously debate how/if fasting affects metabolism by slowing it down, which would burn fewer calories, leading to weight gain. You’ll have to decide for yourself if fasting is for you.

One of the reasons fasting works for many people is because it reduces how many calories they eat during the day. Fewer calories usually leads to looser pants because you’re burning more energy than taking in.

However, one thing you can do is to enjoy nutritious meals. Mind your portions and only eat until comfortably full to practice responsible calorie restriction.

3. Reach for healthy snacks

A donut or bag of chips once in a while won’t force you to send your favorite pants to Goodwill, as long as you’re reaching for healthy snacks most of the time.

A handful of Almonds and an apple make a great choice. You’ll feel better too.

4. Maintain muscle mass

Food is just one part of the equation. Exercise is the other. And although most people are familiar with treadmills, bikes and jogging, let’s not forget about lifting weights to maintain lean muscle.

Maintaining and adding muscle keeps the metabolism fired up. As we age, we lose muscle mass, slowing metabolism. So remember to add weight-bearing exercises to your fitness routine. It doesn’t have to be anything major either unless you’re training for a competition.

By keeping the above guidelines in mind, you can create a healthy lifestyle that matches your preferences and likes. All it takes is eating well most of the time and moving more, along with getting enough rest, and reducing stress.

Keep these tips in mind to create a healthy lifestyle you can live with:

• Drink plenty of water
• Eat only when you’re truly hungry and only until full
• Know what you’re eating and why
• Enjoy your meals! If you don’t like what you’re eating, you won’t stick with it.
• Reach for healthy snacks most of the time like nuts, fruit or crispy vegetables

Don’t be a slave to dieting. Create a lifestyle that serves you because we only get one shot at this thing called “life.” We should enjoy it, not dread it. So take care of your body by fueling your life with food and activities that bring you joy.

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

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Although this topic seems to resemble one of those outrageous infomercials you stumble across at 2 a.m. when you can’t sleep, it isn’t so.

In this article, you’ll find 5 cool and tricky ways of how to weigh less while eating more!

Most of us believe that to lose weight or maintain a certain body weight we need to eat less. Sure, eating more food works against you when it comes to weight management. But is this always true?

You get calories from the food you eat and the beverages you drink.

When the number of calories consumed exceeds the amount burned, where does the excess go? You guessed it. It’s stored as body fat.

However, there are some tried and true ways to consume more food without gaining weight. If you stick to this plan, you can have your cake and eat it too, technically.

• Different foods of the same portion size aren’t always equal in calories

The same portion size of two different food items doesn’t always contain the same number of calories.

For example, a serving size of lean meat has fewer calories than a serving of sugar-laden chocolate cake (wait…didn’t we just say you can have your cake and eat it too? Hold on…).

If you want to eat more food, choose foods with fewer calories such as lean meat, salad greens, mushrooms, strawberries, fruit, broth, vegetable soup, cod, eggs, 100% whole grains, low-fat cottage cheese, and vegetables.

You can eat much more food if you choose low-calorie, nutritious foods. Bonus points if they’re high in fiber.

The trick is to pick foods that are relatively low in calories in relation to their portion size and are high in fiber. Your tummy will be full, but you won’t gain weight because although you’re eating more, you’re consuming fewer calories.

Guess what this does? Since you’re eating fewer calories overall, you’ll have room for that piece of cake every now and then.

• Set up a ‘Window’ for food consumption

This trick is similar to intermittent fasting, but you don’t need a specific protocol.

Choose a time window within which you’ll eat your meals. For example, it could be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., noon to 6 p.m., or 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.,

Consume all your daily calories within that window.

Let yourself off the leash and eat as much healthy food as you like during your “feeding window.” Just don’t crazy because this doesn’t mean you can eat all the cake, cookies, brownies or chips you want. We’re talking healthy eating here.

The idea is that you’ll feel full if you’re eating healthy foods, and because they’re healthy foods you’ll be eating fewer calories. However, refraining from eating outside of your feeding window takes self-control.

When using this “trick,” make sure you don’t exceed your daily calorie budget.

This trick can seem quite difficult at first because of the hours you won’t be eating…but this approach to eating works well for many people who are trying to lose weight and keep it off.

• Whole foods instead of processed foods

Whole foods are far more superior to processed foods when it comes to nutrition because they usually contain fewer calories compared to their processed counterparts. Plus, they’re far more nutritious.

Processed foods go through a refinement process that involves adding preservatives and high-calorie sweeteners.

Obviously, foods in their natural form don’t have any additives or preservatives.

When it comes to calories, you can eat a LOT more whole foods while getting fewer calories than eating the same serving size of processed foods.

Although whole foods aren’t always as enticing as that bowl of ice cream (depending on how you look at it), at least you get the benefit of eating more. Eating whole foods keeps your energy levels stable, too; you’ll feel better, stronger, and more alert.

• Avoid getting your calories from drinks

You can easily burn through your calorie budget by drinking sugary drinks like sodas, frozen beverages, and fruit juice.

You can consume half a day’s worth of recommended calories without even realizing it in just minutes!

Please don’t waste your daily calorie budget on sugary, unhealthy, calorie-packed beverages. You’ll suffer from energy spikes, weight gain, and won’t feel full.

Avoid sugary drinks because they pile on the calories and the pounds.

Drink water or low-calorie alternatives like coconut water, green tea, or iced tea.

This trick allows you to eat more food without piling on extra calories and pounds by consuming sugary drinks.

• Exercise

This trick is easy to understand when it comes eating more and weighing less.

Exercise burns the calories you consume as fuel.

So, the more you exercise, the more you can eat.

This approach is quite different than the other tricks we’ve discussed because instead of decreasing your calories, you can actually increase them.

If you burn 800 calories through exercise, you can afford to eat a few more calories, depending on your weight management goals.

Burning a significant number of calories requires the right kind of exercise like high-intensity interval training or resistance training. These forms of training burn calories for several hours after your exercise session has ended in a process called post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), also known as the “afterburn effect.”

But here’s what to remember, you can’t stuff yourself with sugary, fat-laden, high-calorie foods thinking that a stroll on the treadmill will work it off. It won’t.

This trick has to do with the intensity of the workout. One unhealthy meal can wipe out ALL your hard work and the awesome progress gained from a high-intensity interval workout. So don’t sabotage your efforts.

The number of calories your body stores can be efficiently reduced by engaging in regular cardio and resistance exercise. You’ll lose inches and pounds and have an easier time maintaining your goal weight, allowing you to eat MORE while weighing less!

Exercise combined with high nutrient and lower-calorie foods, setting an eating window, choosing whole foods instead of processed foods, and avoiding drinking your calories, are five great tricks for eating more but weighing less!

Photo by Jamie Brown on Unsplash

The post 5 Tricks That Let You Eat MORE but Weigh Less! appeared first on Lifestyle.

Tracking your weight can be frustrating, especially if you have more than a few pounds to lose because weight can fluctuate by more than a few pounds a day.

To complicate matters, when you’re thirsty, your body panics and retains water, causing you to weigh even more. When you’re adequately hydrated, your body drops the water weight, causing you to weigh less.

Although these little fluctuations are utterly pointless in the long term, they can mess with your motivation. 

Fat Loss Not Weight Loss

Muscle takes up less space than fat, which is why two people can weigh the same but look totally different.

By replacing fat with muscle you can lose inches around the belly, arms, thighs, and hips without losing a single pound on the scale. This is known as body recomposition, where you end up with a completely different ratio of fat to muscle, which is excellent news if you’re trying to lose weight.

The more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism runs, meaning you’ll burn more calories and lose fat faster.

But please don’t obsess over the number on the scale when building muscle. It’s so easy to freak out when you see a couple of extra pounds on the scale despite looking noticeably leaner in the mirror. 

Body Recomposition

Body recomposition is simply the process of replacing body fat with muscle, which is achieved by combining aerobic and anaerobic exercise.

Spending hours on the treadmill may help you lose body fat but does very little for muscle growth. You need to combine running (or another aerobic activity) with weight training for body recomposition to take place.

Start with lighter weights so you can learn proper form and technique. It helps to have a trainer at this stage. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, challenge yourself by lifting heavier weights.

Nutrition plays a huge role in adding lean muscle mass. You need between 0.5 and 0.8 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight for muscle growth. Stick to lean sources of protein, such as chicken breast, beans, lentils, and Greek yogurt.

Lastly, although some people have success staying on track by weighing themselves daily, others find that twice a month works great. Get a scale that measures body fat percentage and muscle mass.

 Don’t be afraid to seek professional advice if you’re not getting the results you’re expecting. Everyone’s body responds differently to exercise and nutrition. So, have fun figuring out what works for you until you’ve successfully designed a healthy lifestyle that you can stick with and enjoy.

The post Put Away the Scale for Now appeared first on Lifestyle.

The average person gains about one pound during the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. It may seem like a small price to pay for enjoying your favorite holiday treats, but it’s quite difficult to shed that weight after the festivities. And you know what? That holiday weight gain tends to stick around year after year, and before you know it, you’re more than a few pounds overweight.

One of the most effective ways to avoid holiday weight gain is portion control. However, it can be hard to stick to the recommended portions without feeling like you’re depriving yourself. Sometimes, you need to trick your brain into thinking your portions are bigger than they really are.

Learn the Basics

When serving food, divide your plate into two and fill one half with non-starchy vegetables. Then divide the remaining half into two and fill one quarter with protein and the other with complex carbs.

However, since plates come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, ensure that your portion of protein is no bigger than the palm of your hand and your portion of carbs is no bigger than your fist.

Always serve the vegetables first, the protein second, and the carbs last. This way, by the time you get to the carbs, your plate is almost full and you won’t have to think too hard about your portions.

Always Use a Plate

When you order takeout, it’s very tempting to eat from the container. However, this makes it very hard to determine what a reasonable portion looks like.

It’s best to portion out one serving of food onto a plate and eat that first. Chances are you will feel full after the first serving and will save the rest for later.

Use Smaller, Darker Plates

Studies show that bigger plates can cause you to consume up to 50% more food. This is because your brain bases your portions on how the food looks relative to the plate. A typical serving looks smaller on a bigger plate and, as a result, leaves you feeling less satisfied.

Similarly, studies show that you are likelier to eat less when there’s a high contrast in colors between the plate and the food. Food stands out more on darker plates making the portions look bigger than they really are.

Just Enough to Satisfy Your Cravings

If you’re at a dinner party and find yourself surrounded by treats, pick about four items you’d really like to have and leave the rest. As for the portions, choose the smallest amount necessary to satisfy your cravings. If that portion is smaller than a serving, even better.

The Two-Third Rule

If you struggle with overeating, try only eating two-thirds of your meal. Put away the remaining one-third and eat it later if you’re still hungry. Chances are you won’t even think about your leftovers until it’s time for your next meal.

Don’t Binge on Healthier Foods

Binging on healthy foods still counts as overeating. Besides, most foods are only healthier if you stick to the right portion size.

A ‘reduced fat’ version of your favorite cheesecake may only be 25% lower in fat than the original version. This means that eating two portions of reduced-fat cheesecake is much worse than eating one portion of full-fat cheesecake.

Portion control is one of the cornerstones of healthy eating and weight management. However, we’ve become used to big portions, making it hard to reduce them without feeling deprived.

Sometimes, we need to use tricks like smaller, darker plates, putting away a third of our food, and filling half of our plates with vegetables to avoid overindulging, making sure we can still fit into our pants next Christmas.

The post Science-based Portion Control Tips for the Holiday Season appeared first on Lifestyle.

Tracking your weight can be frustrating, especially if you have more than a few pounds to lose. Besides, body weight can fluctuate by a few pounds a day, making it even more frustrating!

When you’re thirsty, your body panics and retains water, causing
you to weigh more. When you’re adequately hydrated, your body drops the water
weight causing you to weigh less.

Although these small fluctuations in weight don’t matter in the long term, it can mess with your motivation. 

Fat Loss Not Weight Loss

Muscle weighs more than fat but takes up less space. That’s why two people can weigh the same but look different.

By focusing on replacing fat with muscle you can lose inches around your belly, arms, thigh, and hips without losing a single pound on the scale. This is known as body recomposition. You can end up with a completely different ratio of fat to muscle, which is good news if you’re trying to lose weight.

The more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism. Therefore, you will burn more calories, which speeds up fat loss.

But please don’t obsess over the number on the scale if you want to build muscle. It’s so easy to panic when that number goes up even if you look leaner in the mirror!

Body Recomposition

Body recomposition is simply the process of replacing body fat with muscle, which is achieved by aerobic and anaerobic training.

Spending endless hours on the treadmill might help you lose body fat but it does very little for muscle growth. You need to combine running, or some other form of aerobic activity, with weight training for body recomposition to take place.

Start with light weights you can manage easily while learning proper form. It helps to have a trainer when first starting to ensure correct technique and avoid injury. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, start challenging yourself by lifting just a little bit heavier each time.

Nutrition plays a BIG part in building muscle mass. You need between 0.5 and 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight for muscle growth. Stick to lean sources of protein, such as chicken breast, beans, lentils, and Greek yogurt.

Lastly, instead of weighing yourself every day or week, consider twice a month. Get a scale that measures body fat percentage and muscle mass, and don’t be afraid to look for professional advice if you’re not getting the results you’re expecting.

The post Put Away The Scale (for now)! appeared first on Lifestyle.

However, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying the holidays and indulging in special treats or rich foods. We just need to make sure we don’t eat that way the rest of the year!

Some people go on one of those guilt-ridden juice cleanses and deprive themselves of their favorite foods in January to atone for eating poorly during the holidays. But this kind of all or nothing approach rarely works because it’s unsustainable. A better approach is to set small, realistic goals that slowly reset your mindset and body.

It’s Really Not a Big Deal

A couple of days of overindulgence is really not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. So don’t treat it like a major catastrophe or as an excuse to eat more junk food because the “week is lost as far as healthy eating goes.” Instead of wallowing in guilt or regret for falling off the wagon, just hit the reset button.

Hit the Reset Button ASAP

A quick rebound is the biggest predictor of long-term health success. A weekend or two of over-indulgence won’t affect your long-term health goals if you get back on track as soon as possible.

Just don’t let a few bad eating choices become the new normal for your eating habits moving forward; start eating nutritious meals again as soon as possible.

One Meal at a Time

Getting back on track is more manageable when you do it one meal at a time. Just focus on making one nutritious meal, and then another, and then another.

A few days of eating nutrient rich food like fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and whole grains is all you need to cleanse your palate and blunt cravings for sweet and greasy junk food.

Work Out

Healthy eating and fitness go hand in hand; nothing revs up your metabolism like a good workout. If you want your body to burn carbs and fat more efficiently, slowly incorporate, or reintroduce, exercise into your routine.

To be consistent with an exercise program, it helps to remember the mental and emotional benefits of working out to stay motivated.

And when you feel stressed and are tempted to comfort yourself by overeating or scarfing down a pint of your favorite Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, stop flirting with temptation and go for a walk or run immediately instead to conquer any cravings for comfort food.

We all overindulge from time to time but it’s really no big deal. Health and fitness is not a predefined road that requires perfection. Just focus on making your next meal healthier, throw in some exercise and before you know it you’ll be back on track in no time.

The post Getting Back on Track after a Period of Overindulgence appeared first on Lifestyle.

Weightlifting increases muscle mass, so it’s great for your health and transforming your body. In the long run, it torches more calories than pure cardio because it keeps one’s metabolism elevated over a longer period of time than does aerobic activity long after the workout is done. Plus, the more muscle you add, the more calories you burn because muscle uses more energy than fat does.

Additionally, weightlifting improves posture and strength, making everyday activities easier.

Lastly, weightlifting is a great way to challenge yourself to create a strong work ethic because it takes grit to stick with it.

What to Expect

It goes without saying that weightlifting isn’t a walk in the park; it takes time and dedication to master correct form but the time and effort are worth it.

Most lifters rely on 4 main exercises known as the Big Four: the squat, bench press, overhead press, and dead lift. These lifts are incorporated into nearly all routines because they use multiple muscles at once.

For example, the bench press relies on the chest muscles, shoulders and triceps. It’s the perfect lift for less experienced weight lifters who lack the knowledge and experience to perform isolation routines that are designed to target individual muscles.

Getting Started

There are plenty of great resources online about the Big Four and how to do them. However, if you’re a complete beginner, your best bet is to join a gym and get a personal trainer.

While the weight lifting culture at some gyms is not exactly welcoming to beginners, the benefits of lifting correctly offset the discomfort of being a newcomer. In fact, most people are more than willing to offer help if you ask but otherwise they won’t bother you.

At the end of the day, learning to lift weights is just like learning anything else. It is challenging in the beginning but if you stick with it, it will be incredibly rewarding in more ways than you can imagine, especially with regards to weight loss, body composition and the great numbers you’ll get at your annual physical.

Women can Lift Weights Too

Many women consider weight lifting to be a man’s sport. They fear that lifting weights will make them look bulky and massive. However, this is a terrible and unfortunate misconception; weightlifting actually makes the bodies of women look shapely and toned. Weightlifters who look massive and bulky usually become that way by using steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. If you don’t take drugs, you won’t become huge and bulky.

In closing, the thing to keep in mind is that building muscle turns your body into a fat burning machine. It does this by increasing lean body mass, which in turn increases the amount of calories you burn daily. Combined with a modest calorie deficit, this means you will burn fat as fuel, resulting in a more toned and shapely body (and a healthier one, too because appearance isn’t everything).

A healthy diet, plus weight lifting is more effective for weight loss than a healthy diet alone. It’s because weight lifting burns fat while cardio burns both fat and muscle.

If you want to start lifting weights, talk to a personal trainer or coach. Remember, it’s easy to injure yourself when first starting; using correct form is more important than how many pounds you lift. So do yourself a favor, to prevent injury and make steady progress, seek advice from someone who knows what they’re doing as you begin your journey to total body transformation.

The post Less Treadmill & More Weights! appeared first on Lifestyle.