Attempting to lose weight can be a difficult thing to do, even more so after being stuck inside for over a year with no gym.
It can be hard to know where to start, what to do, and how to keep going. Fortunately, there are ways we can now lose weight and gain fitness whilst still having a bit of fun with ourselves and others.
From different workout routines, to changing out habits and our diet. Think what works best for you personally as you read and tailor the advice to you.
Most of all, have fun with what you’re doing. You won’t achieve fitness by being serious 24/7, you’ll just lose motivation for it. Most exercise can be fun for you. You can even download running apps now that are designed for a zombie apocalypse, giving you a fun backstory and game to play as you lose weight.
Workout In A Community
One of the most effective methods when it comes to actually losing weight, is to find a community that helps each other.
That’s what led to the success of groups such as Weight Watchers, and others like them. No one wants to undertake fitness and weight loss alone. Working with others ensures motivation levels stay high.
Not only do you get the benefits from the practical side, but it’s also a great social tool. You get to speak to people more and hang out at social events. This is another way in which you can also help your mental health.
Improving your mental health is also just another way to help you enjoy losing weight and getting fitter. The two are mutually exclusive and are connected in a circle. Improving one will help the other and then that will help you improve even more.
Coming out of lockdown, this is also just another reason as to why you should join a local workout community. You can find them all over your town or city, search online if you’re not sure. There are also virtual communities that meet over video communication platforms such as Zoom or Skype to do the same thing, but across the country.
Enjoy Guilt Free Treats
There’s a myth that you can’t lose weight if you snack on biscuits and drink shakes, a myth that is completely false.
Losing weight is all about balance and self-control. Forfeiting all snacks is not an effective way to lose weight as this will cause unrest in your body.
Plus, aside from the science behind it all, it’s only fair to reward yourself for hard work with tasty food.
You can make the best of both worlds, and enjoy shakes that are packed with both flavour and low calories. There are weight loss shakes, sold by Shake That Weight, that offer flavours such as chocolate, strawberry, white chocolate & raspberry, vanilla, banana and caramel.
There are a few others too, customers can leave their reviews and thoughts on products to help give you an idea of what to look for.
They can also offer deals for bulk buying, so when you know what you like, you can save money long term with your purchases.
The theory behind using shakes such as these, is that they are build to slowly digest over time, such as four hours. This stops you feeling as hungry throughout the day, whilst still supplying your body with vitamins and minerals.
This is perfect way of losing weight, as long as you balance this with working out. Afterall, the aim is to burn more calories than you consume, and this will only be done with a healthy routine.
Embrace Nature With Yoga
When it comes to losing weight, one of the most effective methods you have is exercise. But you need your body to be prepared to open itself up. Going into exercise without preparation can be painful and put you off working out in the future.
Away from the preparation side of things, yoga actually has plenty of health benefits to help you feel better about yourself.
For example, daily yoga will help you improve flexibility and mobility, build strength and posture, increase energy and sleep, reduce stress and assist in weight loss. The benefits of yoga cannot be understated, it’s the perfect exercise as you can do it right now in your home.
You can go a step further with your yoga, and do it outdoors. This could be in your garden or you could venture down to a local park or woods to take in nature as you work out.
Working out in nature really helps bring focus to your life. If you’ve not done any outdoor work, then there’s all the more reason. Doing exercise in a new environment can really help rebuild confidence and security.
Stepping out of your comfort zone can be a scary situation, but doing so will open a door into an entirely new interpretation of what you can achieve within yoga.
Natural sunrays blazing onto your face whilst watching a critter run past a tree will bring positivity to your day. Likewise, it’s likely your body will release more natural chemicals, and stress hormone control.
Take Up A Sport
A great way to lose weight whilst still having fun, is to get into a sport. There’s a range of sport options, from solo to team.
If you’re looking to get into solo, then you can take up sports such as sprinting, swimming, gymnastics and even parkour.
Parkour is probably the most exciting sport on that list, as it’s the most different and it’s quite likely you haven’t tried it. Parkour essentially refers to a variety of different movement patterns, that have different demands for your muscles. It’s a high intensity workout, that includes obstacle courses, running, climbing, jumping and other quick movement.
This is one of the sports that will burn the calories the quickest, usually from 600-800, depending on the level of your workout.
When it comes to team games, that’s where you can have a lot more fun with it. With team games, you can experience the same levels of intensity but with a network of friends or other sport enthusiasts.
You can even incorporate solo sports with team ethics. For example, whilst you can go for a run alone, you can also grab someone to tag along with to make the run more fun, and have someone to talk to as you go.
Even if you don’t want to chat, it can be motivating having someone to run with, as a pace setter or to compete with.
Then we have team games, such as football or basketball. Both events require you to be moving constantly, and can last up to two hours.
These team events, especially with other people trying to gain fitness, is a great way of enjoying the little things in life.
Try Something New
Lastly, when it comes to trying to lose weight, consider something you’ve never done before. It’s easy to get bogged down in trying to lose weight and lose motivation, so mixing it up is actually a great way to regain some control.
There are some unique ways to lose weight, such as different dieting techniques or even drinking green tea.
There’s basically anything you can do, from small changes to big, to break up your routine and reinvigorate your belief.