Slim down and tone up fast- 3 Steps to Rapid Fat loss

 

Have you got the post-New year blues? Over-indulged in cake and wine and you don't want to step on the weight scale to find out what damage you caused to your fitness plan.

Fret not- you can quickly fit into your favorite dress if you follow a few tips. And there's no better time than January where you can start your fitness routine with a few tweaks to make an effective fitness plan. 

Before you get started, identify your fitness goals and create a plan. Don't know how to do that? Read this post on how to create a customized fitness plan for effective weight loss and fitness results.

Don't over-indulge in sugary treats- eat them in moderation! Avoiding processed food can help to slim down and tone your body quickly.

How to slim down and tone up quickly

Here are some tried and tested ways that you can use to step up the fat burn, slim down your waist and lose your muffin top. Transform your fitness with a few easy steps that you can follow and you can see benefits within a month!

3 steps to Rapid Fat loss

1) Join the vegan bandwagon- Veganuary!

Veganuary is an annual challenge run in January to eat clean and go vegan for one entire month. If you can't commit to eating vegan for one entire month, try it in small bursts. Try it for a week or else, try to reduce dairy or meat in your diet. 

Check out my post on eating vegan.

Even if you are a non-vegetarian,  try to eat vegan for January and see how it makes you feel. Eat clean nutrient-rich foods and increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. Don't indulge in sweet treats or junk foods. The keyword is clean. Eating vegan can help improve body composition and blood sugar control, and is an effective method to maintain or lose body weight. And you cannot out-train a bad diet! So start with your diet. 

Enjoy a healthy vegetable stir fry or vegetable curry with a bowl of brown rice for dinner tonight!

2) Add weight training to your fitness routine

Add 3 sessions of weight training to your weekly fitness routine. Weight training helps in building your lean muscle mass and burns fat long after you've put down the weights.

If weight training is already part of your routine, switch it up a bit. If you've never used kettle bells or resistance bands, incorporate a weight training work out with these new tools to test your body in new ways. 

Intimidated by the gym and all the equipment there? It's okay to improve your fitness at home- invest in a few essentials for a home gym (floor cushioning mats, dumb bells, resistance bands, yoga mat) and you can get all the benefits of weight training. 

Is there any exercise that you've been neglecting? It could be lunges or shoulder presses. Try to work on those instead and incorporate into your fitness routine.

See if you can go a bit heavier or add more reps to your sets. But always listen to your body. If you are in pain or feeling unusually sore, don't continue.

3) Do a fitness challenge

Is your fitness routine falling into a rut and your body stalling on its weight loss and fitness results?

Take up a fitness challenge which will bring life back into your fitness sessions.

Of course, do a test and see how much you can do for the first day of your challenge before exhaustion sets in. Don't over train as it defeats the purpose- if you can do only 30 squats, that's fine. Work up to a number (50 or 60 up to 100) over a period of 10 days to condition your body.

Some fun examples of fitness challenges. Pick one of these for a week or 10 days and then you can switch it up.

• 100 kettle bell swings a day (4 sets of 25 reps each or 5 sets of 20 reps each with 60 to 90 seconds rest between sets; alternatively you can do 10 sets of 10 reps with 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets)
  
• 100 body weight squats a day  (4 sets of 25 reps each or 5 sets of 20 reps each with 60 to 90 seconds rest between sets; alternatively you can do 10 sets of 10 reps with 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets) For added challenge, do with a resistance band or mini-band looped around the thighs- as you squat, resist the band to ensure your knees don't collapse inwards)
  
• 100 mountain climbers a day (4 sets of 25 reps each or 5 sets of 20 reps each with 60 to 90 seconds rest between sets)
• 100 jumping jacks a day (4 sets of 25 reps each or 5 sets of 20 reps each with 60 to 90 seconds rest between sets)
• 12000 steps a day or 15000 steps a day - check out my post on how walking helps in fitness
  
• 5 sun salutations a day- Yoga helps both your mind and body, improving strength and flexibility. It can also be an effective cardio exercise with the sun salutation. Practice 5 rounds a day on both sides of the body.
  
• 5 minute Plank challenge   -  Planks help to build up your core strength. Do 3 sets of planks- side planks- reverse plank holding each in 30 seconds with 60 seconds rest in between. Follow with a stretch.  If you're not able to hold it for 30 seconds, try for 15 seconds and build up to 30 seconds. Alternatively,  you can take easy options before easing into the main exercise. For example, you can use the easier option in the side plank pose by putting one knee down.

 Key tips for your workout

• Always warm up before your workout to prepare your body and prevent injury.
• Keep a bottle of water near you. Rehydrate and take a sip whenever you want to.
• Listen to your body- don't exercise if you're unwell and stop immediately if you feel any discomfort.
• Don't skip your cool down- it takes only 5 to 10 minutes and the stretches after your workout will help your muscles recover and reduce muscle soreness.

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