Moving your muscles against resistance helps them grow and get stronger. Having more muscle mass also means that you burn more overall calories, which can help you lose more fat. Resistance training has profound effects on your bones and joints, and helps to prevent osteoporosis (loss in bone mineral density), sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass), and lower-back pain, assuming you use proper exercise form.
We're proponents of lifting weights, but we get that going to a gym can be really intimidating, especially if you're new to fitness. The best way to fit lifting weights into your lifestyle is to start small. Buy a couple dumbbells and try someat-home workouts a few times per week.
You can also try one of our free trainers. Choose your goal and get started! In each trainer, you'll get exercise and nutrition plans. You'll get to know our exercise and recipe databases so you can feel comfortable training in the gym and cooking healthier food
Interval training can also be a very effective fat-loss tool. It's pretty easy to incorporate into any fitness plan because it can be applied to a variety of settings, and different types of equipment can be used. Choose an activity that you can do at a high intensity (greater than 80 percent of your maximum heart rate) for 30-60 seconds, then follow it with 30-60 seconds of rest. HIIT works best if you do it for about 20 minutes. So, for example, bike hard for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds. Continue in this fashion for 20 minutes, and don't forget to add in a warm-up .
You can use the bike, elliptical, or treadmill. Or you can do bodyweight exercises like air squats and jump rope. Choose whichever equipment and exercises you like best, but try to keep a 1:1 work/rest ratio and go for at least 20 minutes.7
At first, this work/rest ratio may seem really difficult, but after you get stronger and fitter, you'll be able to go harder during those work periods, or even lengthen them.
