Not to be harsh, but let’s call a spade a spade, shall we? If you feel fat, there’s a good chance you are. And maybe you’ve made some good gains through making lasting changes to your diet, and started to work out regularly. That is awesome, and hopefully you’re already noticing that exercise plus a more moderate diet equal fat loss.
But sometimes, even after a year or two of “going the distance,” you might feel like all your work isn’t having enough of an effect. And at this stage, it would be easy to just shrug your shoulders and think, “Oh, I’ll always be a little fat.” But that’s bull, and you can get that last 10, 20 or however many pounds. And there are ways to get the weight loss done quickly, that don’t involve crazy pills or liposuction.
Just keep in mind that these muscle building and fat loss techniques should be taken slowly at first. The worst way to lose weight is to die, and not have to worry about your body anymore. So ease your way into these exercises, especially if you’re still a newbie. Also, warming up and stretching are necessary and non negotiable for everyone, including you.
It’s hard to burn off fat with a sprain or a strain – but they make great excuses not to. Anyway, here are a few ways to torch body fat.
1. Jump rope. If you’ve never jumped rope before, make sure to hop on the balls of your feet, and do most of the movement of the rope from your wrists. This is a bit more challenging, but will allow you to move faster with it. If you’re a decent rope jumper, try “skipping” the rope by hopping twice on one foot, then switching to the other, and continuing in a rhythm. And when you get good at that, try “crossovers,” which consist of crossing your arms in front as you jump, then switching which arm is on top when you cross them again on the next jump. It gets easier with practice, and is great for getting your blood pumping and any fat on you running for its life.
2. Swim. Swimming is renowned for flexing just about every muscle you have. And while you may not feel like it, you’re working up a good sweat in the water. Plus, the fact that you have to control your breath makes your insides do some work that they may not have to when breath is “easy.”
3. Run up a hill. While you may not be in sprint shape to begin with, start by walking up the hill. If that’s not so bad, try jogging up it. If that’s easy enough, try running up it. And continue to push your running until it puts you out of breath, or until you feel you can go no farther. Unless you are in good shape, take this slowly – it’s better to walk up the hill ten times and get a good base level of fitness, than to visit the emergency room.
