Posted in Diet TipsGeneralWeight Loss
Do you find yourself remembering the days when you had that beach-perfect body when you were younger?
You find that your lifestyle today isn’t what it used to be. You probably spent more than 6 hours every week working out in the gym then. Or it could also be that you were able log at least 20 kilometers of running every week then. Or you were able to devote a significant amount of your time into sports and probably proclaimed yourself an athlete.
When you become too busy and have too many responsibilities, you probably won’t be able to live those kinds of lifestyles again. But this doesn’t mean that you also have to abandon your physical fitness and health.
You would probably need physical fitness and health even more when you gain more responsibilities. You might now be a full-time worker, parent, homeowner, spouse, etc. And being unfit certainly would not help you to handle those responsibilities.
Don’t let yourself fall into that downward spiral which is obesity and the problems that come along with it. Even though you might not be working out like you used to, there are still some things you can do to help your body stay fit.
Though there is no replacement for working out, you can learn to make use every bit of spare time you can take out from your busy schedule. On your days off, if you still can’t afford the time to work out in the gym, then go for a short run or walk, alone or with your family. Even just a simple walk can burn calories. And if you string a lot of these short walks together, they’ll be pretty significant in the end.
When you get the chance, work out. If you don’t get any chances, try to make your lifestyle a little more active. For example, you are watching a TV show, when the commercial starts, try to squeeze in a couple of challenging push-ups, pull-ups or squats. Every bit makes a difference and these all stack well in the end as well.
It is always better to burn fat than to starve it. This is why most runners don’t take too much consideration for their food. If they just run for 40 km every week, then whatever they eat is all just burned down by their workout.
However, when you can’t observe workouts like these anymore, you should start thinking about what you eat.
Runners are recommended to take in a lot of carbs to fuel their runs. But for the average person, extra carbs for fuel isn’t necessary. You just have to take in enough carbs to fill the glycogen stores in the liver because it’s what regulates the level of sugar in the blood and handles the operation of the nervous system. Any additional carbs are only stored in glycogen stores in the muscles and these are only used up during exercise.
The muscles can store around 300 to 600 grams of glycogen. The liver, on the other hand, can only store around 80 to 110 grams. So if you think that you are not active enough or doing enough exercise, it might be a good idea to only take in enough glycogen to fill you liver stores. These numbers are for a day’s worth only, so take in just 80 to 110 grams of carbs every day. You can eat non-starchy vegetables or a few pieces of fruit to cover your need for carbs for that day.
Even at rest, you are still burning fat. As I’ve said, the main fuel for the nervous system is the glycogen from the liver. The main fuel for most of the body’s other functions, on the other hand, are fatty acids from body fat. As long as you are getting fewer calories than maintenance, the body will still gradually burn away excess fat to use as fuel.
For example, your daily caloric needs are at 2000 calories and you are only ingesting about 1500 calories. The body will then use up fat to make up for that 500 calorie deficit. Even when you don’t have the time to perform extensive cardio exercises, if you just watch your diet, you will still lose weight.
Conclusion
You shouldn’t make use of not working out as an excuse to lose track of your physical fitness and overall health. There are several ways you can still keep your physical fitness level without working out. I hope the discussion I’ve given above will provide you with enough motivation and advice to still stay fit during periods when you aren’t able to train rigorously anymore.