It’s no secret that lifting weights can help you tone your body and gain strength. But did you know that it can also help you lose weight? In-home workouts with free weights have been known to shed pounds quicker than traditional weight-loss methods.
Check out these weight loss success stories from our students to see how exercising with heavy equipment can help you reach your weight loss goals faster than you think:
1. Cardio While Lifting
If you want to lose weight, it’s best to do so while also improving your cardio fitness. When you exercise, your body burns calories, and the more calories you burn, the more weight you’ll lose. That’s the basic idea behind the “weight loss workout” that I often recommend to my patients who want to shed pounds. This workout combines weight lifting with cardio, so you’ll work out with weights while getting a workout on the elliptical trainer or the stair stepper. I find that many of my patients are able to lose a significant amount of weight with this workout routine.
2. Mix Up Your Routine
To lose weight, you have to make changes in your routine. When you start seeing results from your weight loss program, you’ll realize how much more effective it is when you mix up your workout routine by including different kinds of exercises and workout accessories. Changing your workout equipment and adding more exercises are great ways to keep your body growing stronger and fitter while losing weight.
3. Eat Healthily
You can’t lose weight if you’re not consuming enough calories to sustain your body. What’s important is that you’re eating a healthy diet that includes the proper amounts of protein, fiber, and fat to maintain a healthy balance. Try to avoid diets that consist of too many processed foods and sweets. Those are the kinds of foods that will keep you heavy rather than light.
4. Drink Plenty Of Water
Drinking at least eight glasses of water per day will help you lose weight. The simple reason behind this is that water helps your body function properly, and without proper function, you’ll experience poor results from your weight loss efforts. In addition, drinking at least eight glasses of water per day can help prevent you from seeking out quick fix snacks that will cause you to gain weight quickly. It’s vital to stay hydrated while losing weight, so make sure you’re drinking at least eight glasses of water per day.
5. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is important because it helps your body produce the hormones that help you to lose weight. When you don’t get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep per night, you’ll be lacking in the hormonal department, which will in turn affect the way you behave and feel. In addition to helping you lose weight, sleep deprivation has been known to cause anxiety and depression, which can interfere with your daily life. Make sure you get at least seven to eight hours of sleep per night to reap the benefits of this necessary step in your journey to a slimmer, healthier body.
Keep Track Of What You Eat
You’ve probably heard it a million times, but writing down what you eat is vital for weight loss. Even people who’ve been eating healthy and lose weight frequently find that they’re not metabolizing nutrients properly because they don’t know how much they’re supposed to be eating. When you lose track of what you’re eating, it’s easy to consume fewer calories than you actually need, which can cause weight gain. Keep a food diary for a week and see how much you were actually eating versus how much you thought you were eating. This will help you make healthier choices in the future and ensure that you get the most from your meals.
Exercising with weights is a great way to lose weight while also getting some cardio and strength training in. As you might imagine, when you combine weight lifting with cardio, you’ll get a very effective workout. In addition, the variety of weights available allows you to mix up your routine, which will allow you to continue to see results even after you’ve been doing the same routine for months on end. If you want to lose weight and maintain your health, it’s best to combine these two lifestyle changes: weight lifting and cardio.