Losing Those Final Pounds

The greatest challenge when it comes to losing weight is dropping those stubborn, last pounds which refuse to burn. These extra pounds are often called ‘vanity pounds’, mostly because they do not impact your physical health – they just don’t look too great.

They may be the most difficult to burn but it’s not impossible. A few simple changes in your daily activities should do the job!

Monitor your intake of sodium

Many people forget the effects sodium has on your body. You may not know it but some of the last pounds you’re carrying could just be water weight. Having too much sodium in your system causes bloating. To prevent this from happening, make sure you have no more than 1000mg of sodium per day.

Avoid frozen meals that are loaded with sodium in order to keep them fresh for longer. Avoid Chinese food that tends to be higher and quit munching on chips and pretzels for snacks.

Try drinking ice-cold water with freshly squeezed lemon juice first thing in the morning or drink water infused with berries, watermelon and cucumber. This should help flush out excess sodium that you may have stored in your body.

Increase your workout times

After your weight loss plateaus, you need to work that much harder to lose weight. Your workout must get more intense and it should be longer too. If you usually workout for 30-45 minutes then go up to 60 minutes instead.

Interval training is more effective when you’re trying to drop those last pounds. This simply means that you put everything into that specific activity you’re doing and then do it moderately the next round. For instance, you swim one lap with moderate strength but you put in everything you got for the next lap. You’ll find that you’ll be losing weight at a much faster rate with interval training.

Muscle training

Yes aerobic training helps with heart rate and you do burn calories but if you really want to lose weight then you need to incorporate some muscle training into your workout regime. Do strength-training at least 3-4 times a week – even if it is just 20 minutes of it. If you’re not keen on muscle training for an entire workout then do it as a follow-up to your regular aerobic activities.

Switch it up

Once your body gets accustomed to a specific kind of workout it makes it harder for you to burn calories which is why you need to continuously surprise your body and try and do different types of workouts every day.

Choose 2-3 workouts which you enjoy and that are different from each other. Avoid doing the same kind of workout every day because it will become ineffective in when you’re trying to lose weight.

Check your thyroid levels

Suffering from high or low levels of the thyroid is very common and it has a direct impact on your weight. If you’re experiencing fatigue, losing hair and find yourself feeling very cold, you’re likely suffering from abnormal levels or thyroid which hinders your weight-loss. All your hormones are related and if there is too much or too little of one, then it has an effect on all the others too and this imbalance of hormones impacts your metabolism – usually causing you to gain weight.

Aging, pregnancy, diet and other lifestyle choices can all contribute to an imbalance of hormones in the body.

If you find yourself feeling sluggish and feel like you have been putting on weight with no real explanation then it's best to get yourself checked out by a doctor.