How is YOUR weight loss program progressing? Hopefully the weight continues to drop and the results are ongoing. You might be in the maintenance stage of weight loss. Maybe you’ve hit the dreaded plateau. At this point you need to assess what’s going on. Are you eating the proper foods and exercising regularly? Both are crucial to your weight loss journey. I’m going to focus on exercise frequency and intensity.
FITT is an acronym personal trainers use to describe Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type.
Frequency requires physical activity 5 or more days a week. Three days for beginners. To turbo-boost your weight loss, try adding an extra workout to your week.
Intensity is exercising out of your comfort zone, breathing hard but able to catch your breath. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. To produce more results, try shortening the workout and increasing the intensity. For example, raise the incline on the treadmill, raise the height of you step, or combine cardio and strength with a circuit/boot camp style workout. Don’t forget to increase free weights or machines when exercises become less challenging and effortless.
Time is a total of 30 minutes minimum of activity throughout the day. Ten minutes for beginners. To increase weight loss, try to increase time to 45-60 minutes.
Type is an aerobic exercise that uses large muscles such as swimming, biking, or running. Examples of strength exercises could include dumbbells, weight machines, toning bands, or a pool. A great way to boost weight loss is to attempt a new fitness activity. For example, try TRX for strength and endurance. It’s suspension training, using your own bodyweight, and currently is wildly popular. Or indoor cycling is a great calorie burner, tones the legs, and easy on the joints.
Finding the proper balance of FITT could take your workout to a whole new level!! If your workouts haven’t changed in a few months, it’s time to mix things up a bit. It will prevent plateaus and boredom.
Consistency is key to reaping the benefits of working out. Commit to working out every week with no excuses. Your health depends on it. If your motivation is dwindling, consider hiring one of our knowledgeable personal trainers to get you past that plateau.
Cat Keller has a wealth of experience in marketing, e-marketing, advertising and customer service and manages our Weight Loss Nutritional Store. She is always planning something fun and exciting. special events, discounts, giveaways – it’s never a dull moment. She is happy to help you with questions you may have regarding our products or services. Cat is a graduate of William & Mary, where she studied Government/Pre-Law and minored in Marketing.