People who have struggled to lose weight complain about having a slow metabolism or a bad metabolism a lot.
We personal trainers no longer like to talk about the metabolism, but, if you don't give your metabolism any reason to work, it will get lazy and therefore slow down.
How do you keep your metabolism swift?
It's simple. You MOVE.
Lazy people have lazy metabolisms.
If you're not getting 5,000 steps per day and/or you're not strength training 3 days per week, your body's processes will slow down and you will gain fat which will only become harder to lose the longer you put off walking and lifting.
Your body adapts to the stimuli you impose upon it.
If you impose an active lifestyle of getting a moderate amount of steps per day, along with placing the muscles under stress 3 days per week, your body will respond by building stronger, larger muscles and burning more calories throughout the day — which will help lose fat or mitigate fat gain.
If you impose a sedentary lifestyle on your body, your body will give you sedentary results. The muscles will soften and weaken, the metabolism will slow down, and you'll slowly accumulate fat and will have a harder time losing weight... UNTIL you decide to do something about it and start walking and lifting!
Here is my challenge to everyone:
Walk 5,000 steps per day.
Lift weights 3 days per week. The lifting doesn't have to be high volume or take up a lot of time. Get 20-30 minutes per session. If you want to do more and have time to do more – go for it. But if you work a sedentary job and you're struggling to lose body fat, I recommend lifting 3 days per week for about 30 minutes and then immediately taking a walk for 30-45 minutes.
Maintain the 30-45 minute walks on non-lifting days.
Take breaks throughout the day for 5 minutes to stand up, stretch, walk around for a bit — anything to get the blood flowing.
If you're REALLY serious about making progress, begin each morning with a 10-20 minute walk. This will clear your head and start your day off with a small win. Small wins early in the day feel good.
If you've failed to be consistent with your fitness, this challenge will be difficult at first. That's because your body is out of shape. Stick to the plan and the body will adapt. As you get in better shape, the challenge of 5,000 steps per day and 3, 20-30+ minute lifting sessions per week will become more manageable. Eventually it will become a habit and your life will dramatically improve for as long as you maintain these habits.
Think of it as fun.
Walking and exercising should be fun. These are literally forms of play.
Let me know if you need any support.
Let's make this month the month you make the decision to improve your health and knock your fitness goals out of the park.
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