Gaining weight due to the pandemic is an experience many of us know all too well, and nothing to feel bad about. Considering the fact that our entire daily routines were interrupted and that we couldn’t be as active as usual, the pounds were bound to pile on.
Now that we’re on the other side of 2020, and we’re returning to some semblance of normal, getting your fitness back on track can feel overwhelming and like an uphill battle. It doesn’t have to be. What steps can you take to get yourself back on track, and make sure you still feel good about yourself in the process of losing weight?
Here are three tried and tested aspects you need to include in your post-pandemic weight loss plan.
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Don’t Shame Yourself
Even if your body doesn’t look the way you’re used to, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t celebrate it. When we gain weight, a lot of us start to feel bad about ourselves and want to creep back into a shell until we’re back at our normal size. But lasting weight loss is a process, it doesn’t happen overnight, and until you get there, it’s not productive for you to feel ashamed about what you look like now or for you to start wearing unflattering clothing. You have to find a way to love yourself in this new, unfamiliar shape.
If your old clothes aren’t fitting anymore, continuing to wear them will just make you feel bad, and wearing unflattering clothes will make you feel unattractive, so what should you do? Buy a couple of clothing pieces that suit your new shape, and allow you to still stand up straight and feel good about yourself.
Make sure you’re building a good foundation for the clothes you do wear. If your undergarments don’t fit anymore, invest in new bras. Wearing a bra that’s too small for you will lead to our outfits looking more ill-fitting than they are. Look for a reputable store that sells great womens lingerie for all shapes and sizes, and buy things that make you feel attractive. Feeling worse about yourself won’t help your efforts.
Get Back on Track With Your Fitness
Exercise isn’t just a core part of weight loss, it’s also a fundamental piece of our mental health and even our self-esteem. If you didn’t have the chance to exercise last year, the first change you need to make is to get moving again. That doesn’t mean you have to start by running a marathon or lifting heavy weights. It just means making sure you put regular exercise into a fundamental part of your life.
One of the biggest mistakes people make with weight loss is thinking only of the extreme things they can do in the short term, instead of creating a health and fitness regimen they can follow for years to come. Want a simple, yet effective strategy to lose weight? Try WALKING.
Many people knock it, but walking almost every day and trying to get 10 000 steps in a day is an amazing way to lose weight and get fit. Walking is also a good exercise option for busy women because you can build it into your day as you run your errands and take care of your family. Whether you walk outdoors or walk on a treadmill, a walking habit will be a simple and sustainable way to keep yourself healthy.
Get the Weight Loss Basics Right
Every dietician and weight loss trainer has a philosophy on what it takes to shed those pesky extra pounds and it can be confusing. If you want to make losing weight feel less daunting, there’s a simple thing you need to aim for – creating a calorie deficit. If you make sure you eat less calories than the calories you consume as energy, you will lose weight. When we gain weight, it’s because we’re eating more calories that we can use every day.
On average, women use up between 1600 – 2200 calories per day, so if you want to lose weight without overthinking, just keep your food intake below that number. Investing in a good fitness tracking watch will give you valuable information about your habits, and a simple calorie tracking app will give you clarity on what you’re eating daily.
With this knowledge, you can make tweaks to your diet and your exercise so that you’re always in a deficit. If you want to achieve weight loss and sustain it long term, it’s important to learn the basics and stick to them. This simple calorie equation is the basis of successful weight loss, and if you implement it in your life, you will see results.