The 2011 summer season is now upon us… do you look your best? Have you been catching yourself reading up on some of our elliptical trainer reviews to see whether they will help? If you are like most people, then each year when summer officially rolls around, you probably weigh whether or not you will spend more time working out or on the beach. This period of self-evaluation is almost always met with disdain because no matter how good you look, you probably feel that you could still look a little better. No worries, though. To burn those few more pounds over the next few weeks, here are a few tidbits of information.
What Exercise Machine?
Although it will seem contrived given the focus of our website, the fact is that if you want to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in. An elliptical trainer is the best solution because the full-body cardio exercise will help you burn more calories than any other machine. If you are dead-set against elliptical machines, then consider a stepper because these also offer great cardiovascular benefits and a high burn rate on calories.
If you already own an elliptical and use it regularly, you will need to switch your routine around (for example, if you are a “random” exerciser, look at “interval”). The point of switching things up is to really get your body working hard. If you have a stepper or even a treadmill laying around that you have not used in a while, use that instead. For the rest of us, it’s time to get on the elliptical machine and put our bodies through an intense workout.
How To Accelerate the Fat Burn
Because you burn so many calories on the elliptical, your body will crave more energy. This will result in hunger. If you are already sticking to a diet, consider increasing your water intake by one to two cups each day to help with the hunger and if you are already maxed out at twelve cups, then look at vegetables to get from one meal to another. No dips, not cheese, nothing; just plain, raw vegetables.
For those of us who are not maxed out, try sticking to the water alone. As well, reduce your carb intake and increase your protein quota marginally to help offset the hunger.
As an added bonus, consider Summer the time to increase your weights. This can mean bumping the maximum weight you are lifting or increasing the number of reps (or both if you are so inclined). Boosting your weights result in greater muscle building and the end result will be more efficient fat burn.
‘How Long On The Elliptical?
Time is a funny thing. If your regular workout is 30 minutes, your body will be accustomed to this. Although it is unreasonable to double your time, increasing the duration of your workouts while simultaneously switching up your cardio routine will have a huge impact on how good those burned calories are for your weight loss goals. So, bump your routine up by 10 minutes during the summer, knowing that, come Fall, you could pack on a few more pounds… and this is normal! Enjoy the summer, but remember that weight fluctuations are not uncommon or “bad” throughout the year.
Summary
To get through those last few pounds for summer, consider doing a full 180 with your elliptical workout or switching to stepper (the stepmill would be ideal). Reduce calorie intake and replace that lost energy with a marginal bump in protein intake. If hunger is your weak spot, add two more cups of water to your daily water intake and/or vegetables to your diet to help get from one meal to another.
