There are countless articles on different fitness programs and thoughts on how to stay fit and/or shed pounds, from 10,000 steps a day to body weight workouts you can do from home or in the park or fitness programs at the gym. How do you know if you are on the right track? You need to look at your main goal and then follow programming that will crush that goal.
First, set your main goal. OK, so you want to lose weight, tone and have a little muscle but not get bulky. Sound like you? Or you want to lose weight and gain muscle mass? You need to choose one - weight loss, toning or gaining muscle. You can accomplish one and another simultaneously, but it is a lot more challenging for most people. It takes considerable effort and consistency. My advice to people is always the same, pick one goal, crush it and then move onto the next. You will have far better results and often in less time.
Let’s assume you are wanting to lose 10 pounds. Your programming then needs to be around weight loss. This means incorporating cardiovascular exercise at a steady state, sustaining the effort consistently over a period of time. The talk test is a great way to know if you are in a steady state or using your Fitbit. You should be able to answer a question easily but not carry on a lengthy conversation. One sentence here and there. Sixty to 75 per cent of your heart rate maximum is a good steady state zone. Take 220, subtract your age that is your heart rate reserve, now apply your percentages. If you are new to a program, then start at 20-minute cardio sessions two to three times per week and work your way up to an hour each session staying in a steady state. Keep your carbohydrates to 50 per cent of your daily calories, your fats to 30 per cent and your protein to 20 per cent.
Once you are in the habit of regular, cardio exercise, then start incorporating strength-based training two to three times per week and adjust your caloric intake to have more protein and less fat. You want to get the majority of your carbohydrates from vegetables, and special emphasis on dark green ones.
Choose fruit rich in fibre but lower in sugar like berries. Staying away from tropical fruits is usually best for weight loss. If you crave a sweet, then choose tropical fruit over anything else or a piece of dark chocolate always does the trick for me. Refined flour products are not nutrient dense and whether you seek weight loss or not they are best to avoid and treat yourself to them only on occasion.
I always make sure I have earned those before I indulge, meaning is my output that day more than my input. Have I burned enough calories efficiently that day so my body will use those refined products up and not store them as fat? When I say efficiently I mean fuelling my body properly for what I ask of it. Eating regularly and staying hydrated. Too often people do not eat enough throughout the way and then when they do sit down they are starving and overeat. This is the wrong signal to be sending your brain. You are training your body to store your calories as fat.
Strength based training means movement that loads your muscle. Having more muscle mass does not make you bulky. Trust me, you need to train a certain way for quite some time before you run the risk of that. Having more muscle mass does mean more fat burning furnaces. Yes, that is right. Your muscles contain little fat burning furnaces that help you burn fat while at rest. And every time you load your muscle, you are also increasing bone density which is so important as we age. If you are new to strength-based training, then start with body weight movements and add additional weight. There are tons of programs online and, of course, for professional advice hire a trainer to write you a program that works for you and your body. It is an affordable way to get started on crushing your goals.
A word of caution. Doing too many things at once can actually distract you from making the progress you seek. Trying to start a fitness program that requires five strength workouts a week plus cardio training, tracking your steps and calories on top of that while still keeping up with day-to-day life is a challenge for anyone. Start small, create one positive habit and then add more. This is how you stay consistent and see the progress you want. Below is a sample 12-week training program for a beginner with the goal of weight loss.
Weeks 1-6: Here we are going to focus on 50 per cent carbs, 30 per cent fat, 20 per cent protein for our nutrition and make sure we are getting in at least three litres of water per day. If you do not drink enough water aim for two litres the first few weeks and keep adding half a glass each day until you are at three litres. Choose either walking or if you have access to an elliptical or bicycle, use those as well. Week 1 do 20-minute sessions twice per week adding five minutes to your session so that by Week 3 you will be doing 30 minutes comfortably. On Week 4, add a third session of cardio this week and five minutes to your sessions so that by Week 6 you are doing three 45-minute sessions each week.
Weeks 7-12: On Week 7, we focus on four litres of water per day, 50 per cent carbs, 20 per cent fat, 30 per cent protein for our nutrition. This week, we will switch up the movement but stay at 45-minute sessions. Add hills to your walks or try to jog. If you are at a gym and have access to different kinds of cardio ask a staff member to show you some other pieces. The key here is to vary activity so you challenge your body a bit again. We are also going to add in the body weight strength program. Try it once this week. On Week 8 add five minutes and keep varying your activity and add a second strength day making sure you have 24 hours rest between strength workouts for proper recovery. Weeks 9 and 10 add another five minutes each week until you are at 60 minutes. Stay at 60-minute sessions for Weeks 11 and 12 but try to add a third strength workout these weeks.
For the body weight strength program, circuit train: perform each exercise 15 times back-to-back with very little rest between exercises. Focus on form over speed and exhale on force. For core exercises like plank and side bridge count to 20 and add five counts each week. Do this as well for the wall sit. Rest for 45 seconds at the end and repeat once. On Weeks 11 and 12 repeat twice.
(Nicole Cournoyer is the general manager of Anytime Fitness in Chemainus).