If you are a cardio lover and are still struggling to lose the pregnancy weight, then the writing is on the wall. Find out what that writing on wall has to say to solve the mystery of why, with all your hard work, you are not shedding the pounds.
The first attack on losing the baby fat begins with going on a trendy diet or maybe signing up at the gym or spending hours on the treadmill at home. This all seems logical and gets us in the habit of eating right and exercising regularly. However, you find that you are not getting the results you were expecting and are a bit frustrated. Well, here are some reasons why you are unable to lose the pregnancy weight.
1. Cardiovascular exercise takes you only so far.
Cardio does burn calories but it does not tone your muscles. Instead it increases the stamina of your heart and leg muscles and your lungs. This is a good thing and should not be abandoned. However, too much cardio can stagnate the progression of your weight loss because your body gets used to the energy demands to complete your routine 45-minute run.
As they say, "all things in moderation" and this should be applied to your cardio workouts as well. Your cardio training should be broken up into intervals and done at high intensity. This will encourage your heart rate and metabolism to stay in the fat burning zone. This is a more effective way to utilize your cardio to trim your tummy and get you into your skinny jeans.
2. Weight training tones your muscles.
The rate at which our muscles deteriorate increases especially between the ages of 30 and 70. The less you use your muscles, the more likely that it will lose it's density and mass. Losing pregnancy weight will require that you re-build your "shrunken" muscles back to their pre-destined "glory". Thus, your desire to look lean and toned will need the assistance of strength training. The strength training that is tailor made to make you look marvelous is called resistance training.
Many women are under the misconception that weight training results in bulky muscles. This is not true due to the physiological and hormonal differences between men and women and the type of strength training that is done. In addition, to bulk up your muscles requires more than just lifting weights because it also involves a huge caloric intake of mainly protein and complex carbs. So unless you are going to eat over 5,000 calories each day, take anabolic steroids and undertake bodybuilding strength training, then you have nothing to worry about.
It would be to your advantage to incorporate weights in your workout routine. When you tone and strengthen your muscles, you will be essentially increasing the "fat burning" capability of your body. It will increase your metabolism, burn the baby fat and reduce your waist size, lower your body mass index and give you more energy to feel and look fabulous.
3. Weight training is User Friendly.
Who wouldn't want the option of being able to workout at home? Resistance training enables you to this luxury because a typical workout can be as simple as using an exercise ball to do crunches or dumbbells to do lunges. As along as you are using an external form of resistance, you are burning the calories and working your muscles. You should learn how to execute each exercise before you begin any form of training.
Gym memberships can be taxing on the family budget and on your time. Your best bet would be to workout at home. This is possible with a resistance workout because it requires any type of external resistance, whether it is elastic, water, free or body weight, to work your muscles. It will not only save you money but it will save you time as well because a workout lasts no more than 20 minutes.
The methods to lose weight after giving birth can be quite simple but the difficulty lies in staying motivated and disciplined. Eating right and including strength training for your muscles will result in you losing the baby fat more quickly, increasing your metabolic rate and essentially resulting in a healthier you.
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