What do you believe is the smartest way to lose weight? You probably think it\’s healthy eating and exercise. The problem however, is that this is only a portion of the truth. If you don\’t truly understand and execute the finer details, you may find yourself unable to lose any weight at all. In this article, I will cover five major blunders that can wreck your weight loss plan.

1. Poor exercise selection – If you want to lose weight, only certain exercises are really worth your time. Your weapons of choice should be exercises that engage lots of muscle mass. The more muscle you engage, the more calories you will burn. Chest presses, squats, pullups, and pushups are a few exercises that fit the bill. There are many more choices to include in your workout routine that recruit lots of muscle mass.

2. Exercising at the same level of intensity – A workout may seem tough at first. But over time, you will notice that it\’s difficulty really decreases. This is because your body has adapted to your workout\’s level of demand. As a result you will no longer burn as many calories as you once did. The answer to this problem is to constantly increase the intensity of your workout routine. Maintain a log of the amount of weight, number of sets, number of reps per set, number of sets, and rest time between sets. With every workout, increase the difficulty in one of these areas. This creates a workout routine that requires more from your body with each session.

3. Doing cardio incorrectly – Unfortunately, there are some teaching that cardio is a waste of time. I assure you that this is false. When you take the proper approach, cardio is a valuable part of a weight loss program. Most devote 60-90 minutes to a cardio session, working at a slow or moderate tempo. This is where the problem lies. Your metabolism experiences minimal stimulation this way. Rather spend 30-35 minutes on a cardio session. Work at a frenetic pace for as long as you can. Slow down the pace when you need to catch your breath. Once you\’ve recovered, go back to your maximum pace again. Employ exercises that require speed or power. A few good examples are speed swimming, sprinting, and jumping rope.

4. Poor caloric intake vs caloric expenditure – In order to lose weight you must use up more calories than you consume every day. This sounds obvious, but it constantly gets overlooked. This is especially so if the foods being consumed are healthy. No matter what you eat, this rule will always apply. Once you do this you have created a calorie deficit. Your body can now begin to burn off it\’s fat reserves as fuel. This should be the desired effect of any good weight loss plan. Women tend to need somewhere between 1400-1700 calories per day to make this happen. For men, a range of 2200-2600 calories usually works best. It is possible to have calorie needs outside of these general ranges.

5. Skipping meals – In order to get the best results you should strive to keep your muscle mass, while eliminating your body fat. This is because muscle forces your metabolism to burn more calories. You will find that this makes it much easier for you to maintain your weight loss. However, if you don\’t feed your muscle every three hours or so, your body will go into a state of catabolism. This means that it is breaking down the amino acids within the muscle to get the nourishment it needs. The result of this is muscle lost, and a slower metabolism. Meal frequency is vital to effective weight loss. You should be eating 5-6 meals per day.

You now understand the pitfalls, as well as how to avoid them. Don\’t let your knowledge go to waste. Create a workout routine and nutrition plan and implement it right away. Remember to stay consistent and don\’t give up. If you really want to succeed, you must make your health and fitness one of your top concerns.

Author Bio: If you would like more help with a weight loss plan, visit Vaughn\’s site. You can get free access to a workout routine, nutrition plan and much more.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: weight loss, workout routine, fitness, exercise