Tweak your body to stay fit longer
Fat loss! Oh, what a journey it is. It teaches us a lot of things about ourselves, makes us conscious about our food choices which we never even thought of in the past, sets a routine for us, and all the good things that come with it.
But do we REALLY learn from it? Do we learn how to maintain it without being neurotic about everything we drink or eat?
Or, is it this picture that accurately describes you? Majority of the people would agree to the latter. If you are one who agrees, this article is JUST for you.
Let’s create a 5 pointer on how you can maintain your fat loss and not get caught into an oscillation of the above image. Why not a 4 or a 6 pointer though? Just because 5 sounds cool.
1. Do NOT fall for fads
The fitness industry thrives commercially on fads. Every now and then, you will hear about a new thing that promises magical results. Be it a style of eating, a style of training, a product, a supplement; everything just has something magical that will undo the years of effort you took to become unfit in the first place.
These fads work almost never in the long-term and may end up doing more bad than good.
Stop falling for them!
Understand one thing, all good things take time. Take up a fitness regime if you care about your health and fitness. Not because it promises a six-pack or an hourglass figure overnight.
2. Make smart choices
Due to the boom in the fitness industry and related products, you as a customer are spoiled with choices. And it is not a bad thing. If you make smart choices, you can cut down your calorie consumption and maintain your weight.
A few examples:
Swap your regular coke with diet coke.
Instead of canned juices, eat fruit.
3. Stay active
Plenty of people just start exercising in a bid to lose weight. Often, that comes with doing things that are fat-loss friendly. Like exclusively working out at the gym.
Lifting weights is a good thing, and sexy!
You can also flaunt a t-shirt that says ‘Beast Mode’ with pride which otherwise would attract weird stares. But, do not do it all the time if you hate it. Involve other things too. Like going for a swim, or a walk, or a yoga class, or a Zumba sesh.
Find a balance. Lift weights, but also do something you enjoy and would keep you committed for long. This invariably will keep you active even after you achieve your goal.
4. Eat some protein
This point should qualify as the ‘gold standard’ for every nutrition and training article out there. Is it a hype or is it justified?
Well, it is a bit of both. It is definitely a hype if the article promotes sales of a particular supplement and tries to protein-ize everything like waters, gels, chips, cookies, brownies, cakes, etc. but it is justified if it reiterates the importance of having it as a macronutrient on a daily basis.
Protein is often overlooked by many people and is also not a major ingredient in most of the delicious foods that are accessible to us at convenience. Not gonna go all nerd here with optimal protein intake but try to get at least 100 grams of protein on a daily basis by making smart food choices.
5. Sleep!
The most overlooked aspect of health these days, in my opinion. Staying up late messes with your schedule for the next day and makes you feel like a zombie. It may also make you eat mindlessly at night just because you are bored.
Is anyone guilty of missing a workout session just because you slept late? I certainly am. It is always a good thing to get 6–8 hours of sound sleep every night. This will not only help you stay fit physically but also mentally.
These would be the ‘5 points’ I would say can help you stay fit for the long term and not just a 12-week thing.
Too long?
Here is a summary:
- Do not fall for fads or anything that promises magical results.
- Make smart choices. ‘Food swap’ is a series we cover on our Instagram. Check it out.
- Stay active and do something that you enjoy doing rather than for the heck of it.
- Eat some protein. It does have some satiety benefit and is often overlooked in our diets. Aim for at least a 100 grams of protein per day.
- Get some sleep. Keep your schedule healthy by sleeping well.
