Working out is a crucial part of getting fit. Although it only contributes 20% of losing weight (the other 80% being diet), exercise is SO important for general health. It speeds up the metabolism, builds muscle which, in turn, burns more fat, and sweating would actually release toxins that cannot be excreted through urine (or number 2). The list of benefits goes on...
I have learnt and done quite a variety of exercises and developed a routine or ways that I found were more efficient and enjoyable at getting in shape. So I thought I would share them with you. :)
First of all, research had found that it takes 20 minutes of continuous exercise for the body to start burning fat, it is just sugar (or your lunch) being used in the first 20 minutes. So when I am aiming to burn stored fat, I would exercise for around 30 minutes, to allow those muffintops to BURN!! I have to admit, I am pretty lazy to workout, so I usually would do workouts between 30-60 minutes, depending on what I do.
Cardio workout maybe be a familiar word to you, it could be jogging, cycling, swimming etc. Cardio workouts actually burn fat all over your body. And obviously, fat from certain parts of the body will burn faster than other parts (thighs are the devil for me, they never leave!). Technically, there is no way to burn fat in only one part of your body, if you shed fat, you shed the entire body. My favourite cardio workout is running on the treadmill. I am definitely not a running type of person, so I just do intervals: run for 2 minutes and speed walk for 3. An important tip is to increase the inclination of the treadmill (even 1% would make the difference). It not only burns more calories, but it sculpts your buttocks, glutes and quads (achieving a lot more, aye?).
Last summer, I discovered something called HIIT (in all its glory). HIIT is long for high intensity interval training, which basically means switching between intense cardio and toning exercises. The magic of HIIT is that it actually increases your metabolism for 24 hours AFTER the workout. This is tears of joy for a lazy bum, like me. I would do HIIT exercises for 40 minutes and happily let the fat continue to burn for the rest of the day (cool stuff, isn't it?). If you are curious what a HIIT workout is like, feel free to search for some HIIT workout clips on Youtube, or go on Pinterest and search for them.
Another important factor of getting fit is toning those muscles. I wouldn't recommend weightlifting at a gym for women (I mean full-on body building). If you are aiming to have extremely highly defined, big chunks of muscle, then lifting weights at the gym would be your choice. Personally, I'm aiming for a sculpted and not Hulk-like (if that makes sense) physique, and the best way to achieve that is to do Pilates. It does not focus on the development of certain muscle groups, but builds muscle on the entire body. Another important benefit, for me, is that you don't really need any equipment. Most Pilates moves rely on using the body weight, a yoga mat and dumbbells may be needed, but I usually just workout on my carpet and use water bottles (THUMBS UP). My favourite place to learn Pilates is with Cassey from Blogilates. She is such a motivation for me on my fitness journey, not only does she do the workout with you (I hate videos where they just tell you what to do), she also creates monthly calendars with different workouts every day, where you could follow to slim down. I am working hard on the August Calendar (#giveityourallgust), if you are interested in doing the monthly calendar too, check out her website for more information. :)
Hope these suggestions were useful to you, I have done quite a lot of research and experimentation to come up with this. I will work HARD for that sexy body!! (blushing up)
Hope you are well.
Love,
Vivien
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