On the road to becoming healthy and fit, one of the major problems that people face is not being able to maintain weight, a slower recovery rate, a lack of consistency and movement, and not having enough whole foods in their diet, leading to deficiencies, a weight loss plateau, and lower fitness levels.
Fitness coach suggests that before you try to lose weight, learn how to not gain weight. (Shutterstock)
5 practical and simple fitness advice
In an Instagram post shared on August 19, Raj Ganpath, a fitness coach, talked about practical and sensible fitness tips to keep in mind while trying to lose weight, be consistent at the gym, introduce supplements in your diet, push harder at the gym, and consistently work out every day.
Sharing the post, he wrote, “It will take longer than you think it will. Everyone wants everything immediately. But fitness and health don’t work like e-commerce. The sooner you can embrace the slowness, the sooner you’ll see real results.” Here are some simple but sensible fitness tips that the coach shared:
1. Before you try to lose weight, learn how to not gain weight
In reality, most people know how to lose weight. You just have to eat less and move more for a few days, a few weeks, or maybe a couple of months, and you’ll end up losing some weight. But that’s not the problem. The problem is that you end up gaining all the weight back because you don’t know how to maintain your new weight. You’re stuck in this vicious cycle of gaining weight and losing weight over and over again.
The fitness coach advised that the only way to break that is to master weight maintenance. “Once you do that, you can lose weight, maintain that new weight, lose weight a little more, maintain that new weight, and gradually get into your optimal body weight zone,” he said.
2. Before you try to push hard with exercise, learn to sleep better and sleep enough
If you’re not well recovered or well rested, you cannot push yourself. If you try to push yourself, you will end up overexerting or probably hurting yourself. “So, step one: learn to sleep well. Prioritise your sleep, and then focus on pushing hard during exercise,” he suggested.
3. Before you go supplement shopping, learn how to eat more real food
Real food means protein, vegetables, fruits, lentils, and dairy. “How can you get more of these into your diet regularly? Once you figure this out, and if that’s not enough, then you can supplement,” he said.
4. Before you commit to exercising every single day for an hour, commit to just moving
Start by moving every day for 10 minutes or committing to exercising for one or two days a week for a few weeks. Once you master this, you can work towards a larger goal, Raj suggested. “[This is] because exercising every day regularly is the eventual goal; it is not the next step,” he added.
5. Before you set intensity goals, set consistency goals
Lastly, before worrying about how hard you’re working, how many calories you’re burning, or how much weight you’re lifting, simply think about whether you are showing up regularly.
The fitness coach explained, “Are you able to stick to your commitment? That could be one day a week, two days a week, or five days a week—whatever it is. Are you showing up regularly and consistently without struggling? Once you master this, then you can start focusing on your intensity goals.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.