Summer is almost upon us--if not already, for some--and we all know what that means: beaches, bikinis… and the yearly pressure of getting back into shape. Even without the latter though, it is always a good idea to stay in shape, as it will help you in the long run. Many of us get disheartened by the amount of work getting in shape seems to have, but Warrior Packs has it narrowed down to a few proven ways to lose weight--aside from the obvious notion of dieting or eating healthy. No More Excuses This is the most important mindset you will need to have when it comes to your weight loss journey. After all, as helpful as dieting is in shedding the pounds, keeping your body active is a sure-fire way to speed up the process. Don’t be confused with the idea, however. This doesn’t strictly mean signing up for the nearest gym membership and going there for several hours each week. That helps, but there are other less stressful ways our body can be active, without consuming so much of our time. The latter is especially important, because it’s one of the deterrents in a person’s weight loss process. People live such fast-paced lifestyles now, they barely have time for anything else. Being active mostly means making small, smart changes that encourage movement for the whole body. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or the escalator, if you’re not carrying a lot of things. Get off one stop before your usual stop and walk the rest of the way. Bike or walk to work, if you live nearby. Try to accommodate as many limbs as you can during house chores: squat while mopping, maybe do side to side steps while washing dishes. There have been plenty of videos circulating of people showing how they get fit while doing chores and looking after the kids--you could use them as a reference. Picking up a sport or outdoor activity is also a good idea: biking and swimming is especially great during the summer time, or you could go hiking if you like going on adventures. At Warrior Packs we suggest at least 30 minutes of exercise a daily, and it can be split into different time periods throughout the day. This is a great way to lose weight effectively and conveniently. There are various 6, 7, 10 minute videos of body-weight exercises online – check them out! Do your research, plot it out in your schedule, and move when you can. You’ll be surprised how soon the changes in your body will become noticeable. Build Your Pack Many of us have been in this rut: we go to the gym, alone, look around at everyone who’s working out--many whom have already attained their healthy shape and are just maintaining it--get a good look at yourself and then shuffle away. We worry about how we’ll look while we’re exercising, or that people will laugh at us when we mess up. Most of the time this isn’t true--anyone who’s been in the gym long enough knows the struggles of losing weight and getting into shape and the last thing on their mind is to ridicule someone who is trying to better themselves. They’re also usually too busy doing their own exercises, chances are they won’t even notice you’re there. Still, not having to go alone to a public place to exercise is a welcomed relief, because you’d have someone to share your weight loss troubles with, or to help look out for you while you work out--and vice versa. This is why it’s important to find a group of people with the same goals as yours. It isn’t important what ‘stage’ of your weight loss you are all at--in fact having someone who’s advanced a bit will be helpful as they could provide you with advice and tips. The idea here is that you will all hype each other up to continue with your weight loss journey. Doing things on your own after an extended period of time can get disheartening, especially if you don’t immediately see the results. Chances are, with someone else there, they’d be able to point out your improvements or otherwise encourage you to keep up the good work! Aside from having several buddies to work out with, a dedicated community like Warrior Packs “Calgary’s Outdoor Boot Camp” will be able to answer to your questions and offer some suggestions that have been tried and tested by many others. Sometimes looking something up and reading ‘studies’ about it just isn’t enough; you need living, breathing examples of what really works. Learning about other peoples’ past experiences will help you fine tune your own exercise routine and diet, and later-on you can relate it to someone else struggling with their first few weeks of working out. By letting others help you, in turn you end up helping others. Trust The Experts While looking up exercises can be a good way to start your exercise journey, getting the help of someone more knowledgeable in the field has been proven to help people lose weight more effectively and safely. They aren’t regarded as professionals for nothing. If everyone could get away with doing random exercises and sports to lose weight, they would all be out of a job. Seeing as they aren’t, it would definitely be a good idea to take their suggestions into account. Professional coaches and trainers don’t just tell you what to do--they’ll explain why an exercise is effective for you. This is especially helpful for people who have trouble with some parts of their body--e.g. old injuries, stiff joints, weak limbs, etc. Apart from that they can demonstrate proper exercise form and describe how each exercise should feel. Maintaining proper form and posture is crucial while working out and not a lot of people realize this until they’ve torn a muscle or twisted an ankle. With a professional coach/trainer around to spot and correct your form, it makes the exercise safer and more efficient. They’ll also be able to subjectively gauge your limits. Most of the time when we exercise, we get so caught up with the idea of doing a lot more to burn more fat that we forget how fragile we can be as humans, and that we have breaking points, too. A professional coach or trainer will help you set limits for yourself, as well as tell you when it’s safe for you to push things a little further--for the sake of improvement. Dieticians & Nutritionists have a good understanding of the part that proper nutrition plays in helping people lose weight. Your diet is just as important as your exercises, and is often related to the routine that you’ve picked. Weight lifters generally try to put in as much protein as possible, runners do carbo loading every once in a while. Dieticians & Nutritionists can help fine tune your meals by telling you what’s best to eat and when to do so, and most of them have some pretty good recipes that they’d be more than happy to share with you. In the end, these three proven ways to lose weight can only do so much. Your willpower and drive to succeed is the most important ingredient in successfully shedding pounds and achieving your goal weight. Once you’ve set your mind firmly on this, everything else follows. There are so many ways in which you can stimulate your body to grow your Warrior spirit - but it's always best when you work out to do so safely! Take a look at our website and feel free to try us out for a FREE class using promo code #team. Keep an eye out for our upcoming eBook! “The Warrior Packs Way: a journey towards greater fitness”