Many people have among their plans to “lose weight” as a reminder that they postpone again and again because they are waiting for Monday, the first of the month, more free time, someone to join them… However, if that moment has come and “the stars have aligned”, we are here. to help you make the weight loss process successful and long-term profitable and sustainable. We bring you the changes you need to make in your life in the coming months so that losing weight will be successful and never easier.
Namely, achieving a slim line is not only about diet and exercise. It requires some long-term life changes, which you will not achieve without preparation, motivation and perseverance. Accepting these three factors will facilitate the realization of the goal.
Vodič za početnika u realizaciji fitness cilja
Krenimo redom:
1. Izmjerite se
Ustrajati u prehrani, treningu i mnogim životnim promjenana puno je lakše ako postoji neka referentna vrijednost po kojoj možete pratiti napredak. Stoga, prije početka uvođenja promjena i provođenja novog režima izmjerite trenutno stanje: izvažite se i izmjerite na nekoliko točaka na tijelu (struk, bokovi, prsa, ramena i sl) kako biste narednim mjerenjem (nakon određenog vremenskog perioda) mogli pratiti svoj napredak i prema njemu uvoditi promjene. Pazite da uvijek mjerite na istom mjestu kako ne bi bilo pogrešaka.
A beginner’s guide to achieving a fitness goal
Let’s start in order:
1. Measure yourself
Persisting in diet, training and many lifestyle changes is much easier if there is some reference value by which you can track progress. Therefore, before starting to introduce changes and implementing a new regime, measure your current state: weigh yourself and measure yourself at several points on your body (waist, hips, chest, shoulders, etc.) so that you can monitor your progress with subsequent measurements (after a certain period of time) and towards introduce changes to him. Make sure you always measure in the same place to avoid mistakes.
It is best to determine a day of the week and measure yourself every week on that day, in the morning, on an empty stomach. Daily measurement is unnecessary and can do more harm than good to your motivation.
2. Clean the kitchen
We are not referring to dust, but to all the foods that your new diet does not allow. Although this may seem like a radical move, believe me, when the crisis hits you, you will be ready to dig through all the drawers and cabinets to find something to satisfy your sweet tooth.
3. Find inspiration
You have to find something that inspires you: for someone it will be a fitness model, for someone a dress that they want to be able to wear, it is important that you have a “picture” that you will look at every time you ask yourself “what do I need in my life”.
Many people are also helped by motivational sayings , which lift them up and “boost” them when it’s the hardest, so if you’re among them, find some that push you forward and write them in a visible place and read them several times every day.
4. Choose goals
Once you have decided to start your fitness journey, you have to choose your so-called SMART goals. The word smart in English means wise, clever, and the acronym SMART consists of English words: Specific-Measurable-Achievable-Relevant-Timely. Those are the goals you want. All of these characteristics are equally important and your fitness goal must encompass all of them in order to be well set.
An example of a well-set goal is: “In 3 months I will lose 6 kilograms”. It gives you a specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-defined goal.
Avoid goals that aren’t like losing 10 pounds in a month. Namely, when after a week you realize that you are not progressing at the desired pace, you will most likely – give up.
5. Surround yourself with supportive people
Making goals public helps many achieve their goals. You don’t have to do it on social networks, but friends and family will be enough because they will give you the best support. In addition, you may also encourage one of them to join you, so everything will be easier for both of you.
6. Plan a week / month in advance
Preparation is an extremely important item in the implementation of a fitness regimen. Planning your meals, training and timing will significantly increase your chances of success. In addition to the above, it is important for a beginner to prepare everything necessary to get started: from meals, groceries, exercise equipment to water bottles and other details that are part of everyday exercise.
Healthy diet
What is a healthy diet? Primarily, this term refers to foods in their original form, not processed products that are grown in a natural way and are fresh. Therefore, a healthy diet implies fresh and unprocessed foods.
1. List of groceries
After, according to the instructions above, you have cleaned the kitchen of foods that are not in your new diet plan, it is time to make a list of foods to fill the kitchen with. If you have a meal plan, it’s best to stick to it, buy everything it says, skip everything else. That way, you’ll have everything you need to carry out your plan and won’t have an excuse to eat something off the list.
We advise you to buy groceries for at least a few days in order to avoid going to the store every day.
2. Find recipes
Once you have a diet plan, we advise you to look for recipes to prepare the foods you are allowed to eat so that you don’t run out of ideas and it makes you go back to your old regime. Also, pay attention to the amounts (if it says “1 tablespoon of olive oil”, then really stick to it, and don’t weigh the hanna “by eye”).
3. Food preparation
Preparing food is a problem for many people and due to lack of time, it is often left out. Therefore, in order to avoid this situation, prepare food for a couple of days in advance and store them in small containers, by portion.
4. Water intake
Don’t forget about water and the importance of fluid intake. Forget about sweetened juices and drinks, choose water, unsweetened tea and similar drinks and make sure that you are always well hydrated.
Training
You have prepared everything from the above. You have set goals, prepared meals, the only thing left is to start exercising. Here’s how to arrange training sessions so that success is guaranteed:
1. Heating and cooling
Each training session should include a warm-up and cool-down phase in addition to the central part. These phases last 5-10 minutes and in them you prepare your muscles and joints for training, that is, you reduce the risk of injury. Although many people do not feel like doing this part, keep in mind that an injury will prevent you from progressing, so be sure to avoid it.
2. Cardio training
When choosing cardio training, many choose between HIIT training, which has been confirmed to have a number of positive effects on losing extra pounds, and cardio training of moderate and uniform intensity. Both can be performed outdoors, by walking, running or, for example, riding a bicycle or on one of the trainers in the fitness center, such as a stationary bike, treadmill or rowing machine.
With cardio training of moderate and uniform intensity, the number of heart beats should be at 70-80 percent of the maximum, and the advice is to carry out this type of training for at least 150 minutes per week.
HIIT is a high-intensity interval training that can also be done outdoors or in a fitness center. HIIT involves short periods of low intensity with shorter periods of very high intensity. The goal is to raise and lower the heart rate, which stimulates the metabolism. HIIT is recommended to be performed 75 minutes per week.
3. Strength training
If your goal is to lose extra pounds, strength training is the most important segment of your physical activity and you should seriously commit to it. In addition to strengthening and building muscles, strength training improves bone quality, strengthens joints, and strengthens ligaments and tendons.
Among the other benefits of strength training are improved balance and coordination, better endurance, reduced risk of injury, increased muscle mass, faster metabolism and an overall better quality of life. We recommend performing strength training 3 times a week.
4. Flexibility
The last, but no less important component of training that contributes to losing weight and improving the quality of life is flexibility training . Daily stretching for just 10 minutes not only improves flexibility, but also improves posture, balance and coordination.
Therefore, set aside 5 days a week for some form of physical activity. Take 5-10 minutes to warm up, 15-30 minutes to do some form of cardio, 5-10 minutes to cool down, 30-45 minutes to do strength training and 5-10 minutes to work on flexibility with stretching exercises. In a little more than 60 minutes a day, you will do a high-quality and comprehensive workout that will contribute to your diet and make your journey to losing weight and achieving your desired weight easier.