You’ve decided that it’s time to start paying attention to your health and nutrition. You’ve made a plan with what you’re going to eat every day. You signed up to work with a Registered Dietitian. You’re ready and motivated to get going, but then you figure out that you aren’t as active as you thought you were. The idea of going to the gym is very scary; you’re not sure what to do there, if your form is right and you feel like everyone is watching you.
You’re not alone in this. We see and hear this all the time with Nourished with Emily clients. And, trust us, you don’t have to be hitting the gym for hours every day in order to see results.
Actually, if you can find ways to be more active OUTSIDE the gym, it can be more beneficial than that 30 minutes you dedicate on some mornings. Here’s why: the gym is GREAT to target muscle groups and get a good burn in a short period of time BUT if we aren’t active the rest of the day, our bodies have a hard time keeping the increased burn rate up. Our metabolisms stay elevated for about 24-48 hours post workout in a recovery mode; trying to build back muscle and replenish stores.
We can be even more successful with weight loss when keep active throughout the day, not just 30 minutes a day.
Nourished with Emily has had PLENTY of clients that have been successful without ever stepping a foot into the gym. They do workout, however, they use more of the tools they have around them to get moving. You CAN lose weight and get active without hitting the gym and here are some ways we can do it.
Here are some easy ways to work out that don’t involve buying a gym membership:
Go on a 15 minute walk outside
Play with your kids
Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator
Skip the drive thru and go into the store
Make a walking group at work and walk on lunch
Take walking meetings
Find a short video on YouTube to follow along with
Incorporate stretching into your morning and evening routine
Challenge yourself to try something new! Start small with maybe measuring how many steps you get a week and start to grow on it from there. Any increased activity is good activity!