Working out from home has become a new normal for many. Here are some tips to get the most out of your home workout for success in your weight loss program.

This past year has brought with it many changes, including a major shift in how people incorporate fitness into their daily lives. What used to be a thriving fitness industry in which people attended classes, lifted weights or even hired a personal trainer in a gym have all had to try to accomplish these goals at home. It can be daunting to try and figure out the best way to lose weight, reach your fitness goals or even just maintain your weight loss success. We have some tips to help you along this weight loss journey and continue to see success even from your own home. Here is some advice from our SureFiz trainers:

Set up a Good Space

Depending on the living area of your home, this can be easier said than done. You might need to think outside the box a little to find a space for your workouts. But setting up a space is extremely important for your overall success. By having a dedicated space for working out, complete with equipment and a workout mat or even just a place to set a device to stream online classes, you have a much higher chance of success. If you try to do your workout in the main living area of your home you are subjecting yourself to the distractions of life–including laundry, dishes, pets, children, significant others. Any of these distractions will take your focus and hinder your ability to work hard and burn more calories, thus reaching your weight loss goals. If you have a garage, bonus room or small space you can dedicate, those can be some perfect spaces. For anyone who lives in a warmer climate, your balcony, backyard or patio is a perfect place to get away from your main living area and workout.

Have a Plan

Like anything else in your diet and weight loss journey, having a plan for your home workout will help you find long term success. Without a plan you are likely to waste time trying to decide what to do each time you workout. We suggest setting up plans in 4-6 week blocks, then revisiting to make necessary changes. This decreases the chances of workout boredom or muscle stagnancy that can come from doing too much of the same exercises over a long period of time. Changing your plans and your resistance will help your muscles continue to get stronger while helping you efficiently lose weight faster.

Incorporate HIIT

HIIT (high intensity interval training) is an extremely effective form of cardio training that gets your heart rate up to a fat blasting level in a short amount of time. Not only is it effective in the duration of the routine, but it has been shown to keep you in a fat burning state for hours after you do it, which will prove to be most effective for your long term weight loss goals. The best part about HIIT is that you don’t need equipment to get the weight loss benefits you are looking for. The calorie burning benefit only works if you push yourself hard, though. A popular form of HIIT, tabata, will only take you 4 minutes but you have 8 rounds of 20 second intervals with 10 second rest periods in between. During the work periods, you have to work as hard as you physically can to truly see the calorie blasting benefits of the work. For more information on how to incorporate HIIT into your workout and weight loss program and some fun HIIT ideas, click here.

Remember to Warm-up and Stretch

Whether in a gym setting or at home, many people forget to take the time to warm-up before their workout or stretch after. And with the many potential distractions in a home environment it can be even harder to set aside those extra moments. But they are of utmost importance in your long term success for your workout and weight loss benefits. If you do not prepare the muscles at the beginning and relax them at the end, you will endure more muscle soreness and risk the potential of an injury at any point. Although life is busy and carving out additional time may seem like a chore, being sidelined for an injury takes far more time for recovery and can really hinder your weight loss goals. Our blog on warming up and stretching has even more information on why it’s important. We also have some great stretching ideas in our blog on yoga stretches in a weight loss program.

Find a Good Online Program

An online class or trainer can be extremely helpful in your fitness and weight loss routine. Human nature is to not push ourselves as hard as someone else would, which is why a gym environment can be helpful for people to try and be pushed to their calorie burning limits. In a home environment this can be much harder. Having someone else create a routine, explain the correct form and tell you how hard to work can really be the difference between an okay workout and an amazing workout! Luckily, there are many amazing programs that offer online classes, either live streamed or recorded. The possibilities are endless and you can search online for your favorite style of workout, but some of our favorite programs are Peloton, Beachbody and Apple Fitness+. Each of these programs do require a small monthly membership fee to use their workouts, but if cost is a factor, check out our blog post for details on some great free options to try.

Your weight loss plan doesn’t have to be hindered just because you have to workout from home. Be sure to follow these tips to get the maximum success in your fitness routine. For optimal weight loss, always remember to eat a healthy diet and keep your calories within a low enough range to burn fat and continue on a steady weight loss path. Follow our blogs weekly for more healthy tips, workout advice and weight loss help. And be sure you are stepping on your SureFiz scale daily to track your progress and get help along the way.

A look into the Body Positive Movement, why it’s become so popular, and how it fits into your weight loss program

A Breakdown of the Body Positive Movement

Body Positive Movement is a trend that’s gained a lot of momentum lately, but where did it come from? Is it a new concept? According to Wikipedia, “Body positivity is a social movement initially created to empower and shed light on plus size women and men, while challenging the ways in which society presents and views the physical body. The movement advocates the acceptance of all bodies regardless of physical ability, size, gender, race, or appearance”(Wikipedia.com). The concept of body acceptance isn’t brand new, it has roots as far back as the 1850s-1890s in the Victorian Dress Reform Movement. The concept behind that movement was attempting to put an end to women having to modify their waistlines through corsets. In more recent history, the Fat Acceptance Movement began gaining momentum in the 1960s, and The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance was first established in 1969 and continues to work to change how people talk about weight. This movement is designed to put an end to the idea of “fat-shaming” and making overweight or obese people feel guilty for their weight.

Currently, Body Positive is a term used all over social media, in ad campaigns such as Dove, Aerie and Victoria’s Secret, and even in the featuring of more overweight models in magazines. The popularity of the movement has led many clothing companies such as Lululemon and Fabletics to use a variety of sizes in the models wearing their clothing. But there is some controversy involving the movement. Some health experts, trainers and others in the health and fitness industry claim that this encourages people to continue living an unhealthy life with long term consequences. Some fear that those who are overweight or obese could use it as an “excuse” to not attempt a weight loss program or try to get healthy. Although the main concept behind Body Positivity is an affirming message of acceptance, self love and respecting others no matter how they look, like most things it can be taken too far.

So what does that mean to you and me? According to Jenn Ryan, SureFiz Trainer and Health Coach, you should take the positives out of the movement but not take it too far. “The Body Positive movement has so many good qualities. The message of self-care, self-acceptance and respect for others at all sizes should be universally practiced in our culture. But if someone is going to use it as an excuse to stay sedentary, eat whatever unhealthy foods they want and generally ignore diet advice, then I would say they are taking it too far”. Many people already struggle with adhering to a diet and exercise plan for weight loss, so adding in a movement encouraging people to stay unhealthy could be taking away from people reaching their health goals.

In general, she suggests that to maintain a healthy lifestyle and reach your fitness goals, you should set a goal for yourself, work at eating healthy, whole foods with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Cutting back on processed foods, sugars, tobacco, alcohol and soda will not only lend itself to a healthy weight but will also help other functions of the body-heart health, lung health and overall longevity of life. At SureFiz, we offer a comprehensive program that will not only track your weight, body fat, muscle progress and more, but also give you the tips and help you need to reach your goals and live a complete, healthy life at any size that is healthy for you!

Tag: weight loss at home

At Home Workout Tips for a Weight Loss Program