If fat loss is your goal then put a bit of thought into your plan of fat attack. Be aware that losing weight is very different from losing fat, and health professionals should be able to tell you the difference. They should also be able to prescribe you an effective fat loss plan incorporating specific diet and exercise programming. One without the other is not as effective, and results can often be short lived with weight gain returning with avengence!. (As a life coach I prefer to go one step further by identifying and working through personal barriers to finding the most key ingredient of all....motivation!) Im never a fan of using scales when talking about fat loss, however it seems to have some sort of psychological comfort for others. Unless you are someone who wants to build muscle then Im not sure what the whole purpose of the scales are? In fact they could even be a psychological disadvantage as people tend to jump on them every day in the hope they are going to see pounds miraculously melting away overnight. This can lead to disappointment and the justification of reverting back to old habits. 5kg of fat takes up a lot more space than 5kg of muscle, broken down means that your weight may not change, but you could be losing body fat and your pants may be baggier. So I say forget the scales and rather take measurements. If you can psychologically handle it then take the measurements once and don't take them again until at least 3 - 4 weeks later. Forget the old myths and understand that fat is fat and muscle is muscle. You do not turn fat into muscle. Fat loss prescription in its simplist form is energy (calories) in v's energy out, however what people don't know is that one of the most effective ways of of losing body fat is building lean muscle. Why? Because in a nut shell it takes more energy to not only build muscles but also for your body to sustain muscles. So how do you build lean muscle? You need to add 'resistance' to your work out. How do you do that? By adding some sort of weight or load, which also could be utilising your own body weight. Does that mean expensive memberships? No... It can mean free xercise like walking the bridges combined with walking a hill or part or all of the durie hill steps for example. It can mean lunging down long passagways carrying milk containers filled with dry sand or make the sand wet for extra resistance when needed. If you are a lone exerciser you will need a ton of personal motivation where as group exercise has proven to be one of the most effective ways to keep exercising. Of course Im going to unashamedly plug my own group fitness classes at this point! I am proud of my class members and their commitment to their exercise. The design of my classes are not random, they are carefully thought out with consideration to goals which vary from fat loss to fitness, and rehabilitation to prevention. I have framed and packaged exercise prescriptions to suit those people who love to exercise to music and in groups. As a REPS member (registered exercise professional), I take my role responsibly and are always scanning the room ensuring that exercises are done safely. I aim for maximum affect based on personal capabilities. For my class members its like having their own personal trainer on tap and for a fraction of the cost. I wont advise people on nutrition – its not my area of expertise. However I can refer people on to someone who does know and furthermore she actually walks her talk, there are a lot of so called 'experts' in the health industry who don't.
There's all sorts happening around town as far as weight loss programmes and exercise options go, give them a try! Ask for a free trial to see if what they are doing is for you. Know what your goals are first and be as specific as you can. Ask questions; Are they informed enough to advise you? Are they a registered provider? Do they have enough integrity by walking their talk? (Or at least are trying)... have they got your best interest at heart and will refer you to someone else if they can't help you? If your fat loss plan is effective and you are sticking to it then you should see results in 4 – 6 weeks. If you are still struggling months on, then something is not working and you need to change or you need to change your weight loss programme. Dont settle for less, its your health and your future.
Carlas group fitness timetable & other services can be viewed on www.carlascoachingforhealth.com
There's all sorts happening around town as far as weight loss programmes and exercise options go, give them a try! Ask for a free trial to see if what they are doing is for you. Know what your goals are first and be as specific as you can. Ask questions; Are they informed enough to advise you? Are they a registered provider? Do they have enough integrity by walking their talk? (Or at least are trying)... have they got your best interest at heart and will refer you to someone else if they can't help you? If your fat loss plan is effective and you are sticking to it then you should see results in 4 – 6 weeks. If you are still struggling months on, then something is not working and you need to change or you need to change your weight loss programme. Dont settle for less, its your health and your future.
Carlas group fitness timetable & other services can be viewed on www.carlascoachingforhealth.com
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