Are you looking for a way to lose weight effectively and sustainably? In that case, forget about drastic diets! These diets promote short-term weight loss but may increase fat storage in the long term. They cause you to lose more water and muscle than fat and lead to deficiencies in essential nutrients that can have consequences for the body.
To lose weight sustainably, you should start by rebalancing your diet, meaning providing your body with all the nutrients it needs to function on a daily basis. This balance is not so easy to find, but once you have established your new eating habits, it will feel completely natural.
It is important to combine this diet with regular exercise to increase energy expenditure.
Here are some tips and advice on the physical activities to prioritize to burn calories efficiently and lose weight sustainably.
Energy balance
First and foremost, it is important to understand how the body regulates weight.
Indeed, it is often compared to an energy balance. It corresponds to the balance between our intake, meaning everything we consume in the form of calories that provides energy to the body, and our energy expenditure.
If intake equals expenditure, your weight remains stable.
If you expend more energy than you consume, you force your body to draw on its fat reserves, and this is when you can start losing weight.
Conversely, when food intake increases and energy expenditure decreases, your body stores this excess as fat and you gain weight.
Energy expenditure
Energy expenditure comprises three components that are essential to distinguish in order to lose weight effectively:
- Basal metabolism accounts for 60% of total energy expenditure. It represents the energy we expend every day to live, namely to maintain our body temperature and ensure that our organs function properly.
- The thermic effect of food accounts for 10% of total energy expenditure. It represents the energy we expend digesting the food we eat and therefore metabolizing the nutrients contained in that food.
- Physical activity accounts for 30% of total energy expenditure. It is the only variable component we can influence to increase our expenditure. It represents the energy our body uses for our daily movements, as well as the energy expended when practicing a sport. Expenditure will be higher or lower depending on the type or intensity of the chosen sporting activity.
Thus, there are only two levers you can use to lose weight. You can act on the caloric intake you provide to your body and on physical activity.
Which physical activity?
Whatever workout you choose, if you incorporate it into your daily routine, you will burn calories because your muscles and heart need to use energy to become active. They first use the sugar stores available in your body. Once these stores are depleted, they use the fat stores accumulated beforehand. Depending on the intensity you choose, you will obviously burn more or fewer calories. But the most important factor in losing weight sustainably is consistency. Whatever sport you choose, you should enjoy it so that you stay motivated. If you do a sport you do not enjoy or if you do it every day, you risk becoming demotivated and giving up too quickly. To achieve visible results and reach your goal, it is recommended to do 2 or 3 45-minute sport sessions per week (the body starts drawing on our reserves after 30 or 40 minutes).
Be active every day and regularly do a sport you enjoy!
Running
Jogging is an ideal sport for losing weight. It helps burn fat without reducing muscle mass. Therefore, to use the body's fat stores, it is recommended to run several times a week (ideally 2 or 3 times). You can alternate longer endurance sessions with shorter but more intense interval-training sessions.
Cycling
Consider using your bike for short trips. Eco-friendly and fat-burning, this sport is enjoyable to practice. You can get some fresh air and go for a ride while taking care of your health and burning calories. Depending on your pace, you can burn between 400 and 500 calories in 1 hour.
Water aerobics
Like swimming, water aerobics is a very popular water-based sport. In addition to providing a pleasant feeling of well-being, it helps boost calorie expenditure. It works all the muscles in the body without making you feel the physical effort. However, because the temperature of the water is colder than usual and the resistance of the water is greater than that of air, every movement made under the water requires intense physical effort. A 45-minute water aerobics session burns 400 to 600 calories.
Jump rope
This accessory is an excellent way to tone your body while having fun. Jump-rope training combines cardio and muscle strengthening, providing numerous health benefits. You burn calories and fat, improve your endurance, and sculpt your body. Note that 15 minutes of jumping rope is equivalent to 30 minutes of running.
Fitness at home
To burn calories, you can also stay at home and use only your body weight. Fitness is an excellent way to work your cardio and muscles. There are several types of different exercises. Burpees are among the most comprehensive exercises and one of the best ways to burn fat. They combine squats, push-ups, and jumps, thereby engaging your entire body. Fitness burns an average of 500 calories per hour. Thus, 45 minutes twice a week can produce very good results.
Rowing machine
You can use a rowing machine at the gym or at home. It works nearly 80% of the body's muscles. In fact, it engages the muscles in the upper body, such as the shoulders and biceps, as well as those in the lower body, such as the abs, thighs, and glutes. This exercise is ideal for burning calories: in 1 hour, you can burn up to 625 calories.
Walking
Walking is the simplest physical activity for burning calories. The longer you walk and the faster your pace, the more you draw on your reserves. If you walk for 1 hour, you can burn up to 300 calories. It is recommended that you walk for at least 20 minutes a day. There is no excuse not to walk; nothing could be easier: take the stairs instead of the escalators or elevator, whether you take the bus, subway, or tram, get off one stop earlier than usual, walk your dog several times a day to get some fresh air while exercising, or make phone calls while walking near your home.
Gardening or DIY
DIY and gardening require a lot of energy, which helps you burn a great many calories. If you enjoy tending your garden or renovating your home, make the most of it!
Household chores
They are not the most enjoyable sporting activities, but you can try to get the most out of them. Vacuuming, cleaning windows, ironing, and emptying the dishwasher are all household activities that raise your heart rate, burn calories, and work several muscles, including those in your arms, chest, and legs.
To motivate yourself and enjoy it a little more than usual, play some music.
What about diet?
Taking part in a sporting activity is not the only way to lose weight. Without a suitable diet, sport may sometimes not be enough.
Food is fuel for our body. What you eat determines your fitness, performance, sleep, recovery, health, and weight.
Eat your 3 meals a day - breakfast, lunch, and dinner - to give your body everything it needs to function properly, especially before a workout or sport session. If you are afraid you will not manage, plan a snack to limit hunger pangs. You might otherwise overeat at your next meal.
Avoid refined sugars, saturated fats, and snacking. Choose a varied and balanced diet, meaning one rich in plant-based foods, fiber, micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), protein, and quality fats.
Drink at least 1.5 liters of water a day to eliminate toxins and fats accumulated in your body. Of course, you should increase your water intake if you do sport.
A little boost?
To optimize your efforts in terms of diet and physical activity, you can use our Draining Powder. Diluted in a large glass of water, it will help you lose weight while boosting your metabolism and draining your body.
Indeed, the synergy of carefully selected natural active ingredients, such as spirulina, caffeine, and green yerba mate, provides comprehensive action. Organic spirulina helps regulate blood sugar levels, address potential deficiencies, and limit snacking between meals. Organic green yerba mate has diuretic properties and therefore helps eliminate toxins and drain the body. Organic guarana is rich in caffeine, a molecule that helps promote the breakdown of lipids. Pumpkin seeds, meanwhile, help you feel full and reduce cravings for snacks thanks to their high protein content.
This powder perfectly complements your diet to help you improve your figure, whatever the season. It is a 100% naturally sourced formula made in France that is suitable for all diets (gluten-free, lactose-free, GMO-free, and vegan). With one sachet of draining powder, you can follow a 30-day course, which you can repeat without hesitation to continue seeing results in the medium and long term. Thanks to its wheat-straw measuring spoon, you have no more excuses to miss a day of your course! A little tip between us: take your Epycure water bottle with you, with your powder diluted inside, to stay hydrated and benefit your body throughout the day.
