Fitness and Weight Loss – Men

What is fitness and weight loss?

According to WHO (World Health Organisation), Uganda is the world’s fittest country.  Only 5.5% of Ugandans have an inadequate level of physical activity. About 29% of Ghanaians in urban areas compared to 11.2% in rural areas are physically inactive. Among bankers, as many as 81.7% do not have enough physical activity because they spend a greater part of their wakeful time in their office seat. Many adult men used to have enough physical activity because they spent more time on the farm, worked or played outside and were involved in the informal economy. As many adult men are now working in offices, sitting behind a desk and commuting to work in cars, they do not get enough physical activity, with disastrous health consequences.

What forms of physical (aerobic) activity are required?

Physical activity is important for a healthier, longer life and support weight loss by increasing the amount of calories that you burn. Here are exercise guidelines for 19-64 years old. How much of physical activity is enough?

• At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity every week
• Strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles
• Break up long periods of sitting with light activity

What is moderate physical activity?

• Walking fast, water aerobics, riding a bike on level ground or with a few hills, doubles tennis, pushing a lawn mower, hiking, skateboarding, rollerblading, volleyball, basketball

What counts as vigorous physical activity?

• Jogging or running, swimming fast, riding a bike fast or on hills, singles tennis, football, rugby, skipping rope, hockey, aerobics, gymnastics, martial arts

What activities strengthen muscles?

• lifting weights, working with resistance bands, doing exercises that use your own body weight, such as push-ups and sit-ups, heavy gardening, such as digging and shovelling, yoga

What activities are both aerobic and muscle-strengthening?

• circuit training, aerobics, running, football, rugby, netball, hockey

Source: NHS

How can you prepare for weight loss – men?

Physical activity is an important tool for reducing your weight. The amount of weight you can expect to lose may vary depending on your age, diet, and starting weight. Below are some fitness and weight loss tips tailored for men.

Set a clear goal

A clear goal is a goal anyone in the world can measure and understand. Write out your goal and keep it posted somewhere as a reminder when you want to give up. If you have a set amount of weight you’d like to lose, step on the scale before you start. Then, weigh yourself every single day.

Drink the right fluids

First, everyone should drink plenty of water—your body needs it to run properly. And there’s a bonus in doing that for people who are aiming to lose weight. Water helps suppress our appetite, boost our metabolism, give us energy, and make exercise easier and more efficient. Cut down on alcohol and sweetened drinks.

Cut Down on Refined Carbs

Refined carbs undergo extensive processing, reducing the amount of fiber and micro-nutrients in the final product. These foods spike blood sugar levels, increase hunger, and are associated with increased body weight and belly fat. Therefore, it’s best to limit refined carbs like white bread, pasta, and prepackaged foods. Opt for whole-grain products like oats, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, and barley instead.

Lift weights

Develop an exercise plan that includes heavy weights. Maintaining muscle mass takes more energy to do than maintaining fat, so our bodies burn more calories at rest. In short, build more muscle, burn more calories. Make sure to cut down on rest time between sets. This keeps your heart rate elevated, causing an increase in calories burned.

Find active friends

Your pizza, wings, fufu, beer and football-on-the-couch-all-day friends are fun for somethings, but not everything. Research has suggested that friends can enhance (or hurt) success. Join a running club or try out a group fitness class to make some active friends.

Laugh

No, really. A study in the International Journal of Obesity found those who laughed hard for approximately 10 to 15 minutes each day burned an additional 10 to 40 calories a day. On top of that, laughing has so many other mental health benefits.

What are some myths about fitness and weight loss?

The best time to work out is first thing in the morning. The best time to exercise is actually whatever time allows you to exercise consistently. This differs for everyone

You can eat anything you want; exercise will cancel it out. To stay fit, you need a balance between a healthy diet and exercise. Exercise does not cancel out the unhealthy fats you like to consume.

Weight lifting turns fat into muscle. Nothing can turn fat into muscle. They are two different tissues. What weight training does is help build up the muscle tissue in and around any fatty tissue, making it appear more visible.