Tips for Losing Weight at Home

TIPS FOR LOSING WEIGHT AT HOME

While many folks enjoy heading to the gym four or five times a week to get in a workout, some people prefer to exercise in the comfort of their own homes. Some single parents don’t have the luxury of hiring a babysitter just to get a workout in, and likewise, must exercise at home if they’re going to at all.

Luckily, a gym full of equipment is not a requirement for a successful weight loss plan. With dedication, consistency, and a little creative thinking, the home can be as good a place as any to lose weight.

Nutrition First

Before I get into talking about how to exercise at home with little or no equipment, I want to mention the importance of a proper diet. Even with the world’s best exercise program, you’ll never lose an ounce if you’re not eating properly.

There are a few criteria that any effective fat loss diet will meet:

• A daily calorie deficit of 500-1,000 calories
• Made up of mostly fresh, whole foods
• Contains adequate protein and essential dietary fats
• Minimal sugars and other carbohydrates to control hunger
• Now that you know how you’ll need to eat to set the stage for appreciable fat loss, let’s talk about the types of exercise you can do at home.

Exercises that require no equipment:

• Push-ups
• Squats
• Lunges
• Planks
• Reverse Crunches
• Running Stairs (if you have them in your home)
• Yoga
• Pilates
• Kickboxing
• Many Workout DVDs
• Exercises that require minimal equipment:
• Resistance Band Exercises
• Dumbbell Exercises
• Medicine Ball Exercises

As you can see, there are a wide variety of exercises you can easily do in your home with minimal or no investment in equipment. Most require very little space as well, so there’s no need for a room to be dedicated to exercise. Clearing a little space in your living room or bedroom will usually work just fine.

How Often Should I Exercise?

The short answer is as much as reasonably possible. Short, frequent exercise sessions have been shown to be great for fat loss. I personally recommend 30-45 minutes of moderately intense exercise 5-6 times per week.

This may seem like a lot but no one said losing weight is easy. To the contrary, the steadily growing obesity rates and billions upon billions of dollars spent on fitness related products prove otherwise.

Losing weight requires hard work, will power, determination, perseverance, and consistency. Anything less will usually result in mediocre results and the gaining back of any weight lost. What most people are missing in their efforts is a long term commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

Many folks want to follow a program for 60 days and live happily ever after with a lean, fit body. Let me tell you the truth that’s a fairly tale.

Staying Motivated

The nice thing about working out at home is that you have control over the atmosphere. You can play whatever music you like, and do what you need to do to stay enthused about working out. Do what you can to make your workouts enjoyable, as this will make it much easier to stick to the plan over the long haul.