6 tips that helped me in my fitness journey
By: K Sri Achala
Tags: Workout, Weight Loss, Diet, Fitness Tips, Fitness

A story of how my friend who used to call me ‘motu’(fatty) started asking me for weight-loss tips.

Transformation details: 64kgs to 54kgs in approximately 3 years with lots of breaks

Throughout the blog, I will be speaking for myself. Because we all have different body types, habits, and goals. I ain’t got a trainer or a nutritionist. Wish I had both of them in my life. But let's just say facilities come at a cost that I cannot currently pay for. So, this is all about working on myself, for myself, by myself kind of blog. For me, it was all about hit and trial. But I can summarise a few things that you might try and see if they work for you.

Fitness is a journey, not a destination. This is a truth that you should train your mind to believe. In fact, when I say shaping your body is all about shaping your mind, it sounds cliche but that's the truth again. I can say I haven't reached my ideal self yet. But I can see myself in a path leading me there. My goal was weight-loss(healthy weight BMI)+muscle gain+a flexible body. Let me get straight to the points now with some anecdotes where ever needed.

Making time to workout: “I do not have time for this” is the same as “This is not my priority”. For me, it was all about my “Me time”. Sometimes morning runs with the calm breeze, sometimes evening visits to the gym, or just me and my mat in my room with the music turned on. I once read a book, which quoted “If you say you are too busy to stop for fueling your car, you are eventually going to run out of fuel and cant reach the destination on time”. So, it's all about setting your priorities and making time to move one day closer to reaching your goal. If you share the same goals with a friend, you can keep each other motivated. Working out daily is not advised. I try to use the 2:1 rule of 2 days of workout and 1 rest day and then repeat. Rest days are very crucial for recovery.

Build that muscle: Weight training is painful, with the sore muscles post-workout, also known as DOMS(Delayed onset of muscle soreness). I still remember my first chest workout in the gym. The soreness was initially unbearable and I wasn't able to lift my arm the next day.

Over years I realized how building muscle can accelerate fat burn, improve sleep quality, and of course boost one’s confidence. I crave some soreness now and then for all these advantages. Importantly, I try to take enough protein to build a stronger muscle in the place of the torn muscle.

You can focus on one body part a day. Since home workouts are the only option for most of us right now I’d suggest picking a good trainer on youtube and buying some basic weights for beginners.

Diet >> workout: Some might argue otherwise but I have seen the results myself. The days I overtrained but had bad eating habits were never fruitful. I am sure everyone looking out for losing weight knows the basic rule “calories intake less than calories burnt” i.e to attain a calorie deficit. So our bodies burn some calories every day for staying alive and performing activities. Now your job is to find out the subtle point to determine the calories needed to maintain or lose weight and the amount of food you need to achieve this. This will definitely vary from person to person. Persistent observation is required. Perhaps a simple weighing machine can help.

I once heard from a food blogger who maintains his shape despite eating all the street junk on his TV show. He quoted “What gets measured gets managed” — Peter Drucker. So, apparently, the blogger carries a weighing machine in his bag, traveling around the world, eating, and working out as much as required. Cutting processed sugars, increasing fiber intake, reducing carbs and unhealthy oily foods worked for me. Simple as that. Search for healthy alternatives for your sugar cravings. Increasing fiber intake can be as simple as eating an orange instead of drinking orange juice. There is a lot of knowledge about healthy foods on the internet so I’ll leave that for you to explore. Pro tip: Green tea is your holy water and processed foods are your enemies.

Holy the water: Drink Plenty Of Water Every Day (Mic Drop).

Sweat it out and let that heart beat faster(cardio): Cardio is the key. From the name, you can say it's good for the heart. It is the best way to burn calories. It also stimulates your metabolism by boosting your resting metabolic rate. There are many ways of cardio and I chose running and jump rope. You can explore more alternatives. Cardio+same old unhealthy diet can give you quick results but that won't last long if you don't train your muscles with weights.

Let your body move to those beats. Some days you might just not feel like doing the robotic exercise routines. And I’d say, that is when you can put some music on and dance to the beats. You don’t need to be a great dancer for this. Maybe shut yourself in a room if you think you are a bad dancer. Maybe just imagine you are in a club, two shots down, and the song “Aaron Smith — Dancin (KRONO Remix)” is playing or you can just try some Zumba dance workouts on youtube or make a vibe playlist of your own taste.

It's about slacklining: Isn't everything we do in life just about slacklining? Wondering what that is? It is walking or running on the rope balancing. It's about finding the balance and not overdoing anything. Because just like in slacklining if you are overdoing something you are losing the balance and slipping off onto one side. I don't starve myself at parties. What's fun without rare cheat days. Rest days keep your body away from overtraining.

Over the years, my physical transformation has brought about a huge mental transformation. My endurance increased. It’s about challenging myself and achieving results and never giving up. All these changes take time to incorporate into your routine. If you are like me trying out stuff and not paying a trainer or a nutritionist I hope this writing helps you achieve your goals. With that said I thank you for sparing your time.