TORCH CALORIES EASILY WITHOUT BOOT CAMPS FOR WEIGHT LOSS
In recent times, with our busy lifestyles, when given an option to choose between priorities, most of us tend to choose financial priorities over our health. For many of those, looking to manage a healthier lifestyle, the gym can feel intimidating, and following a daily workout routine can be a struggle.
Due to a set of lifestyle habits that have been created over time, regular exercise being one of them, getting into a daily workout at the gym can be a challenge because our minds have not been trained for that.
Enter the world of boot camps for weight loss. Boot camps for weight loss offer a unique alternative a structured, group fitness program designed to whip you into shape and help you shed pounds.
But are boot camps right for you? Let’s dive into the world of boot camps, explore their benefits and drawbacks, and see if they can become your key to weight loss success.
WHAT IS A BOOT CAMP FOR WEIGHT LOSS
A boot camp is like a military training camp where tough workout classes are done outdoors, generally close to nature. In these classes, exercises conducted are like running, jumping jacks, and burpees, along with strength exercises using your own body or light weights. The main goal of the boot camp is to push yourself hard, with a trainer there to help and keep you going.
WHY ARE BOOT CAMPS BENEFICIAL FOR LOSING WEIGHT
Boot camp workouts are designed in such a way that the objective is to burn serious calories in a short amount of time, generally over a week or so. The right combination of cardio and strength training helps build muscle, which further boosts your metabolism and aids weight loss.
Boot camps are known for their high levels of intensity where each session of the boot camp brings in a new set of challenges for the body, both in terms of the intensity and the variety of exercises.
This is done to keep things interesting rather than boring as compared to regularly exercising in gyms. Each session brings new exercises and challenges, preventing boredom and keeping you engaged.
Boot camps are generally conducted and led by certified instructors who ensure that the participants follow proper form and technique, for doing the exercises, thereby minimizing the risk of injury, and maximizing your results. They also provide guidance on nutrition and overall fitness goals.
Boot camps for weight loss offer a unique and effective way to shed pounds, build strength, and gain confidence. If you’re looking for a dynamic, results-oriented program with built-in motivation, do give weight loss boot camps a try. You might just surprise yourself with what you can achieve!
Attending weight loss boot camps may be a good idea because they are a very good source of education for raising awareness about the body’s functions besides weight management. However, they tend to be costlier than the conventional gym plans. One must be prepared to pay the price for quality education as so called free advice does more harm than good at times.
WHY BOOT CAMPS ARE NOT FOR EVERYONE (INCLUDING MYSELF)
Recently, I had the opportunity to meet one of my friends with whom I had not been in touch for some time now. Since the last time that I met him, he had lost a lot of weight and on enquiring, he shared his experience about his recent visit to one of the boot camps for weight loss.
However, at the end of the conversation, I concluded that boot camps were not the solution that I was looking for. Though it may have given excellent results to my friend, for me it was not the right strategy to lose weight because it would not sustain over a long period of time.
Once my friend, or anyone for that matter, got back to his old lifestyle habits, the weight would automatically come back on, negating the results that he had got during the weight loss boot camp.
Though losing weight loss was a challenge for me, a weight loss boot camp was not the solution for me for the simple reason that no one understood my body better than myself. Besides managing a healthy lifestyle is all about keeping it as simple as possible, and there is no rocket science involved. It is just that…
All that was required from my end was a commitment to follow the simple modifications that were needed to my diet plan. I already was exercising regularly as I had developed a habit of waking up early in the morning and going for a brisk walk for around 45 minutes both in the morning and the evening. This took care of my exercise requirements for my body. Besides that, I had the habit of walking short distances.
Though my weight was under control, neither increasing nor decreasing, due to the exercise factor, still I was on the higher side of the BMI and the doctor during my last medical checkup had said that I needed to drop at least another 20 lbs as the cholesterol levels were slightly on the higher side.
The simple math calculations on the 28-day challenge mentioned that I had to drop an average of 4 lbs a week which was possible without any extra efforts on my side as far as the exercise part was concerned. What was needed was a slight modification in the eating habits.
Our bodies have been designed in such a way that all the answers to the body’s problems lie within the body itself. All that is required from our end is that we need to understand the body’s manual, identify the problem, and accordingly take action to fix the problem, just like a mechanic does.
To understand the mechanics of the body, one needs to understand what goes into the body in the form of nutrition both in terms of micro nutrition and macro nutrition. Most of the restrictive fad diet plans focus only on the macro nutrition where there is a complete exclusion of any one of the food groups.
For my body type what mattered more than the food that I ate were the eating habits that needed to be replaced with healthier options. For e.g.: I had the habit of having breakfast that consisted of 3 slices of toast and an omelette consisting of 2 eggs along with a cup of tea.
The problem was not the eggs, but the toast. Though the eggs contained the protein that was needed by my body, the carbs in the toast and the tea with the milk negated the nutritional aspect.
Out went the bread from the menu and the tea was replaced with milk. The omelette gave way to boiled eggs. The replacement for the toast was a bowl of muesli with the milk. Lunch consisted of the regular foods that included protein in the form of lentils, chapatis made from whole wheat flour, with green vegetables, a bowl of salad with slices of cucumber and beetroot, along with a bowl of curds or a glass buttermilk for better digestion.
The unlimited cups of coffee at the coffee machine made way for healthy snacking in the form of a protein shake and a couple of fruits like a banana or a couple of oranges and apples. The seasonal fruits included 2-3 slices of watermelon or a medium sized mango or a bowl of grapes.
The result at the end of one week minus the boot camps? I was 2 lbs off the scale!
The digestive system is the body’s engine, and the heart is the body’s battery. Education and understanding about the body’s digestive system goes a long way in identifying the body’s problems and the signals that it sends out.
Starchy carbs, because of their nature, are harder to digest. The digestive system in the body runs on a specific natural cycle. When we sleep, the body also sleeps, though the internal processes continue in the background.
I dropped carbs from the regular dinner menu, though I did indulge in a treat once in a fortnight or so! This managed to keep the stomach light and at the same time help manage the weight also.
Another habit that I found was affecting my weight loss results was that I was in the habit of having a snack or a scoop of ice cream after dinner and before going to bed. I replaced that with a 12-hour fasting window where after dinner at around 9.30 pm the eating window closes and opens the next day at 9.30 am with breakfast after my morning walk.
This additional alteration in my food habits not only helped regulate my blood sugar levels in a better manner, but also helped manage my blood pressure levels at a steady pace along with the medications prescribed.
Another factor that was affecting my weight loss was the high cholesterol levels. Therefore, in order to regulate the cholesterol levels, I needed a source of good fats like Omega 3 and Omega 6 as part of a healthy diet. Good sources are oily fish, like mackerel, salmon, and sardines.
For those vegetarians like me, plant-based sources like almonds, walnuts, soy, and pumpkin seeds are good sources of good fats for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. What worked for me was a handful of almonds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds soaked overnight and consumed 10 minutes before having breakfast.
The net result at the end of 2 weeks after adopting the new eating habits? A net drop of 5 lbs on the scale! And that too, without making any extra efforts!
Regular detoxification in the body through a liquid only diet or a fruit diet once a week helped my lifestyle turn around. Who needed a weight loss boot camp after all when I could drop those extra pounds without having to compromise my lifestyle?
Boot camps May Be An Excellent Option For Those...
- Enjoy group exercise and thrive in a supportive environment.
- Need a structured workout program with built-in variety for faster results.
- Couch potatotes who Struggle with staying motivated on their own and need to be pushed.
- Want to see results quickly and don't mind the pain of being pushed to their limits.
However, looking at the intensity levels of the boot camps, it is a better option if you consult your doctor first in case you have any concerns about your fitness level or have pre-existing injuries, or a comorbid condition in the body like blood pressure or heart issues.
IN CONCLUSION
Boot camps are just a tool for managing our weight loss goals. The ultimate guide is the level of education and the understanding that we have about our own lifestyle habits and the impact that they have on our day to day lifestyle. Besides, one also needs to have a basic understanding of the nutritional requirements of one’s own body.
Though all bodies require nutrition, what makes the difference is how our lifestyle impacts our body’s nutritional requirements. Our current lifestyle is the result of the small daily habits regarding nutrition and fitness from the past. Managing a healthy lifestyle requires a commitment to develop new healthy habits, which is difficult, compared to the lifestyle that we have been living so far which is easy to maintain. And on top of that the mind has a sly habit to trick us into believing that if there is a shortcut why work for it when you have a ready solution.
All ready to give boot camps for weight loss a try? Make sure that you have a understanding with your body that will ensure the results that you desire for your health goals, with or without the help of boot camps to bat for your health.
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