By Bob Otieno

Losing weight isn’t a cakewalk and requires time, patience, discipline and dedication to achieve long lasting results. Those desiring to shed off excess weight should undertake several measures including adopting a strict diet, grueling exercise and adequate rest. 

Adhering to a proper weight loss programme includes paying attention to your grocery-shopping list and selecting fat-burning foods as well as partaking in intensive cardio sessions. As you might know, cardio training is your primary exercise, but did you know that without a proper muscle building routine like weight-lifting, you are unlikely to see effective results?

You can lose some weight with cardio, but muscle building will take your body to another level and offer more benefits such as:

Boosting your metabolism: People with a sluggish metabolism are prone to storing fat in their bodies. A fast metabolism is crucial if you want to lose weight. Muscle building stimulates your metabolism and as a result, you’ll burn more fat.

Weight-lifting programme

Igniting your fat-burning furnace: Research has shown that a weight-lifting routine can have a more positive effect on your fat-burning hormones than cardio training. Muscular people experience a dramatic increase in testosterone and human growth hormone levels. These hormones help the body burn fat even when you are inactive.

This is why personal trainers and fitness instructors will advise you to couple your cardio workout with a proper weight-lifting programme. Weight training can be done three to four times per week for 20 to 30 minutes per session.

With a weight-lifting regimen in place, you should pay special attention to your post-workout nutrition, which is vital for promoting muscle gain and weight loss. Your post-workout nutrition should usually be taken within 15 to 30 minutes after the workout. It can be a drink, meal or a liquid meal like a protein shake, which is recommended.

You will need protein to repair and rebuild depleted muscle tissues and simple sugars to replenish lost glycogen stores (sugar storage cells).

During intense exercise, your glycogen stores are used up and this is why your energy levels drop drastically after your workout. Sugar intake is usually not good for weight loss, but during this critical time, this is not a problem as your body is craving for it. This is actually the best time to take sugars for people with weight loss issues.