Loose Weight and Tone up: Best Strategies

If you are looking to get into shape for that new year eve party, this article is not for you! Getting into shape is not and should never be a short term, make shift goal. Companies or people who promises you quick results are just after your money. And although, the supplementation industry is a multi billion dollar industry, supplements usually dont work for people with a sedentary life style looking to get fit. If you are an Olympian athlete or a world class power lifter, drugs like anabolics and supplements might help you. But for mere mortals, doing the basics right is what counts. So please, do not fall prey to those ads with six packs pictures on them!!!

Try out these tips, they are not necessarily listed according to decreasing or increasing importance

1. Start Today

if you have selected to click on the link to this article, you are in need of shaping up, so the earlier you start the better. If you postpone it today, chances are, you might never begin.

2. Long Term Goals

like I mentioned, getting into shape should be a long term goal. Ideally a goal set at the end of a year is fine and two is better. What should the goal be? You should look to get into shape, don't get me wrong, 'getting into shape is a rather vague term. However, it is much preferred by me because it encompasses the major components of fitness like loosing fat (and not weight!) and toning up (putting on muscle).

3. Get into Shape

never use the terminology 'loose weight'....you dont want to loose those muscles, do you? and muscles weigh more than fats!!! I feel like laughing when poor folks stand on weighing scales and tell me that they have lost four pounds. Its not the weight that counts, its the way you look. Its an old body-building saying that 'get into shape and strength will come.'

I once had a lady client who weighed 85 kg with a body fat percentage of a 36%. After experimenting with weight loss diet and aerobics thrown in here and there, she lost 10 kg over a year. Her trainer did a body fat % on her and it came out to be higher than when she started. So, she had actually lost muscle.

4. Be an impartial judge of yourself

stand naked or almost naked in front of a mirror. Try to chalk out the problem areas. Take measurements across various reference points. Here again, measurements alone should not be your driving force.

5. Initial workout

ideally, people talk about 12 week cycles. But in the beginning, I would recommend a six months program of 2 days cardio and two days calisthenics and one session of out door sports per week. Beware, cardio does not, in my book mean aerobic classes, something more real life like jogging and swimming or even cycling is recommended. In all these components there should be a component of anerobic exercise. By that I mean that dont jog for 10 mile every time you go out. Graudally build up to a distance of 2 miles and then run 2 miles every time but try to run in a shorter time.

6. Calisthenics

exercises done using your own body weight. ex. dips, chin ups, free hand squats, abdominals, parallel bar dips. Look to increase the number of repetitions at one go. Later look to work of variations in each exercise.

7. Books

try to read up as much as possible on the correct technique, form to be maintained. But remember, no rushing things, only move on to variations when you are sure that no matter what you do, that exercise is not helping futher.

8. Look out for my future articles

if you want individual advice, contact me: drdeepakhiwale@aol.com. I will try to solve your queries.