So, another year another work out plan. Many of us let things slip during the Christmas season as there are far too many events which get in the way of our exercise routine and there are far too many tempting options on the menu to say no. Whether you’re one of those who took a slight break from your routine during December or if you simply never found the routine that works for you, maybe now is the time to make some serious changes to your programme and commence the new year with a workout plan that you can see through.
Before you decide how to go about this, ask yourself what do you want from your regime? Goals are usually either aesthetic or fitness related. One usually comes hand in hand with the other however sometimes one of the two can be more important to certain people than the other. Post Christmas the majority of the goals tend to be aesthetic as we tend to eat and drink vast amounts in a short period of time which may have an effect on our appearance but is unlikely to make much difference to our overall fitness.
The quickest way to get back on track is to return to a healthy diet and commence a challenging exercise regime. Regular exercise is usually enough to help someone maintain their shape but in order to lose weight or burn serious fat we get best results when combining the two.
If I could give you all a piece of advice, which I will, I would say don’t just do the diet. Although this does result in weight loss, a large share of the weight lost is in muscle mass which only makes it harder to burn fat in the future. Allow me to explain. The human body is similar to a car. The muscles are like an engine and bigger engines burn more fuel. Similarly bigger muscles burn more calories. Dieting on it’s own results in less muscle mass which means less calories will be burned on a daily basis and unless your calorie intake is reduced on a permanent basis, the excess calories get stored as fat. By performing regular resistance training you can increase muscle mass which will prevent fat gain in the future. You do not need to get “muscley” , you simply need to make a slight increase in muscle size which will result in a more toned look rather than a muscular look.
