Dodge These Fitness Weight Loss Pitfalls

Exercise is essential for those losing weight, but it’s important to remember how to pair it with a healthful lifestyle to get the most benefit.

Make certain you rock your weight loss AND fitness journeys with these strategies!

DON’T OVERESTIMATE CALORIE BURN

Nothing is more motivating when you’re running on the treadmill than imagining how much of that sugary, delicious coffee drink you just downed is being melted away, but stay realistic about how long it’s going to take and whether you have the time to do it. Fitness trackers tend to exaggerate calorie burn, especially for higher-intensity activities.

Remember that a Starbucks Frappuccino, for example, can have more than 500 calories, and it’ll take a 150-pound person approximately 50 minutes running 5 mph on that treadmill to vanquish them before they even start to whittle away at the rest.

DON’T OVERDO IT

It’s much easier to get too little exercise than too much given our busy schedules and often-sedentary jobs, but frantically pushing ourselves to burn a lot more calories than we consume is not a sustainable path.

It creates burnout and disrupts hormones that control metabolism and other processes and you end up regaining the weight. Aiming to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week is usually the best approach.

DON’T FORGET RESISTANCE TRAINING

Cardio gets the glory for its calorie-torching qualities, which is deserved, but weightlifting or bodyweight exercises build your muscle, which in turn raises your metabolism.

This makes it that much easier to shed pounds efficiently and ensure you lose fat instead of muscle. Preserving muscle mass not only ensures the lean, toned look you’re aiming for, it helps to maintain health as we inevitably lose muscle mass as we get older. DON’T FALL INTO A FITNESS RUT

Remember how crucial it is to keep challenging yourself. Doing the same workout over and over will bring diminishing returns in the long run both physically and mentally.

Always be looking for ways to switch up your sweat sessions and ratchet up your ferocity to keep the benefits flowing.

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