It’s not easy to stick with your workout routine – especially if you don’t know what you’re doing or have trouble motivating yourself to exercise regularly. If you have a few extra pounds or just want to get in shape after being out of the gym for too long, it’s best to get back on track as soon as possible with these tips to quickly get in shape at the gym. You’ll feel better and look great in no time!
1) TRY HIIT WORKOUTS
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is ideal for beginners as well as seasoned athletes. It consists of performing an exercise at your maximum intensity for 45 seconds, resting, and then repeating the process.
By just exercising 20-30 minutes five times a week, you can build more lean muscle mass and boost your metabolism.
You can burn more calories in a 30-minute HIIT workout than in a regular run or cycle if you push yourself hard.
A HIIT workout can burn off a chocolate bar or a packet of chips in less than 20 minutes. With its fast and proven results, the HIIT trend is perfect for those with limited time to exercise.
You can also get fit quickly by doing this kind of activity.
2) INCORPORATE YOGA OR PILATES INTO YOUR ROUTINE
By reconnecting to your inner peace, you’ll get fit with yoga. You don’t need to sign up for classes in order to use yoga as an exercise. Pretend you’re waiting for dinner and stretch, sneak in 20 minutes after work and take some deep breaths, or relax before bed with a minute in tree pose.
Yet another way to improve fitness is to do some Pilates. Start with the basic exercises and once you feel ready, you may be able to get a Pilates machine that is practical to work out with at home. You can increase your agility by doing small weight-training sessions or workout exercises such as leg curls, lunges, squats and calf raises at the gym.
3) INCIDENTAL EXERCISE BURNS CALORIES
Rather than short sessions, incidental exercise may consist of simple and effective exercises that can be performed in short chunks during the day. If you’re starting from square one, this may be the exercise regimen for you. Outdoor walking is a fantastic way to break up a sedentary lifestyle, work on jobs and prepare for a more intensive exercise regime. Just so you know, it can also be fun and is a great way to burn calories.
Dancing all night long typically burns 102 calories, playing with children may cause 74 to be burned and spending the day shopping burns an average of 58 calories.
Put into simple terms, each 15-minute session of ironing burns about 25 calories, sex for a short 15 minutes has a caloric burn of 54 calories, and one step up or two down from a flight of stairs has a total of 120 calories. Plus, one brisk walk is about a 62-calorie burn.
Stop multitasking. When on the phone, walk around. Place an exercise equipment in front of your TV so you can work out while you watch your favorite shows.
4) FASTER RESULTS IN TEAMS
It’s proven in statistics that if you exercise with a friend, your goals are much more achievable and there’s a much greater sense of competition. Friends motivate and we all need that now and again. Working out and staying healthy with the help of a friend (i.e. fitness buddy) can be just like listening to motivating music during workouts.
No matter how often you workout on your own, don’t neglect the strength in numbers when there’s power in the chemistry of other people. Exercise partners give you a solid chance at boosting your progress and providing additional resources that you can’t get by on your own.
Paired with someone else, our ability to work and be productive increases, so it’s known as the Köhler effect. Researchers found that for couples that work out separately, the dropout rate is 43%, whereas for those who work out together, the dropout rate is only 6.3%. Doing things together has many health benefits and will allow you to burn more calories, too. If you really want to know, ask a friend!
5) GET REALISTIC ABOUT YOUR ACTIONS & GOALS
To reach the level of fitness you’re after, be ready for more time and work in order to reach the results you want. For example, in order to get a six-pack, a person may have to commit to more than three hours of exercise per week.
While lifting weights and eating adequate protein and calories might not be difficult in theory, it can be challenging in practice. Bodybuilders often consume an average of 4,000 to 5,000 calories a day and train for at least two 2-hour sessions to obtain their rock-hard abs.
You bulk first and then you shred afterwards. And you’ll need to be stricter with your diet by cutting out alcoholic drinks and fast food.
6) UNDERSTAND ALCOHOL’S CONTRIBUTION
If you are serious about achieving fast fitness, know that alcoholic drinks are calorie-laden and lack essential nutrients. Essentially, they shut off your body’s ability to burn fat.
We have difficulty getting rid of those few glasses of vino like we do with fat because alcohol must be burnt before being used by the body. For that reason, the body will prefer to burn the calories of alcohol rather than the other nutrients.
If you are drinking more calories than you’re burning, you’re creating more body fat over time. You might be in the best shape of your life, but a liquor overdo won’t help.
7) RUNNING ISN’T AS BAD FOR YOUR BODY AS YOU THINK
Some Health experts say that going running after exercise could damage knees and joints. But our bodies are designed to take the load, and joints can be stressed up to five times our body weight.
Many injuries attributed to running are because we run too much, too fast. It’s all about balance. Putting too much pressure on your body every time you exercise will lead to unpleasant results. Bones need pressure to stay healthy, and running is key. Just don’t overdo it. And give your muscles time to recover between runs.
BONUS ) GET RESTED
Resting after exercise is paramount to high-level performance, but many athletes feel the guilt if they take a day off. There numerous benefits to a rest day that can help relieve this guilt.
Athletes can maintain a healthy balance between home, work, and fitness by scheduling rest days and engaging in active recovery. For muscles that were worked, rest should last 48-72 hours.
The best way to create a healthy lifestyle is to find balance between work, home life, and your exercise routine. Rather than push your body to the limit every day, giving your body the time it needs to recover with a rest day is just what you need.
