I never thought I will ever be in a position to write this post. I have been pretty athletic since young and have represented junior college and university in swimming competitions. I even achieved GOLD in my final few IPPTs.
Alas. Age deals every mortal (athlete or not) a tough hand. As one grows older, metabolism slows down and bulges (wherever they may be) start appearing. Sedentary office work doesn’t help. After slogging for over 15 years in the office, I reached several peaks in my career, most of which I am proud of. They do not include a peak weight of 90kg.
Galvanised by the need to lose weight, I started trying several methods over the past year. A combination of them allowed me to lose almost 10% or 8kg. Allow me to share with you the more effective methods.
1. Walk
Walk as much as you can. You will be surprised at how effective this method is. I used to park at the office building and this eliminated any chance of walking. After I changed job, I parked 15 minutes away from my office. Granted, the main reason is to save on expensive CBD parking. The side benefit turns out to be weight loss helped by 30 minutes of walking both ways. The walking also allows me to enjoy the scenery and affords me precious time to think.
2. Climb the stairs
I stay on the 10th floor. A few times a week (on non-gym days), I climbed the stairs to my flat. This is a simple and accessible exercise. You do not need any special equipment or outfit. It takes me about 5 minutes and it’s strenuous enough to get me panting at the top.
3. Planking
I do this on my gym days. I do some stretching, run on the treadmill, followed by some sit-ups and push-ups. I finished up with planking which works my core muscles by using my own body weight. I find this to be a good low-impact exercise, especially suitable for cool-downs.
Well, there you go. The combination of the 3 methods mentioned above allowed me to lose a considerable amount of weight in slightly over a year. I hope they work for you too!