For me it is one of the goals set in the beginning of the year was to reduce weight and achieve body mass index below 25. I did by implementing the following things in my life
- Cycling
- Core workouts
- Running
- Reduce stress
- Balanced diet
Cycling for weight reduction
Did regular rides on an average 40 km distance per day. Combined with short rides at good speed to long distance rides at average speed. Joined with young people helped me a lot for pushing the limits. And the endurance rides gave lot of motivation. My fitness level improved after each endurance ride- A fact verified by measurements thru self tracking. My body water content was low before six months i.e., less than 48% and now it is around 55%. Also did hill rides every week. There is a 120 meter high hill near my home. Indeed cycling gave good results when i start pushing beyond what i was doing earlier. Tracking in strava app helped me a lot to improve and connect with other like minded people.
Core workouts
Just a few stretching after cycling did’n’t help me. Had to spend more time for stretching to keep tight calf muscles and tight thighs. Once regularly done core workouts saved me from cramps, which helped a lot during endurance rides. Legs are strong due to regular cycling. But having a tough time to lose fat. finally brought regular fat within normal level. Visceral fat is still excess and i am working on it. I use an MI body composition scale for determining visceral fat. Core work outs brought it down from a scale of 13 to 11. Still 2 more points to get to 9. May take another 3 months to get there.
Running
I love running. Though i am running after a long time, i have already complete two half marathons this year. Now during weekly hill ride, i am including one uphill run too in the schedule. Running allows me for my occasional food cravings.
Reduced stress
This is one of the major factors in my weight loss journey. I just slowed down a bit in my life to re-assess myself and the direction in which my life is moving. Brought out a lot of changes in lifestyle. Taking digital detox more periodically. Considering minimalism as a way of life.
Balanced diet
Had a check over my sugar cravings. It was tough in the beginning. Alternate days i had my juice with sugar and salt. Reduced junk food usage to minimum. Started using Healthifyme app to track protein, fiber, fat and carb intake. I am using MI body composition scale to measure Protein and fat content. Protein content is increasing and fat is lowering for last six months though very gradually.
I think all of the above helped me in losing 8 kgs in a span of 85 days in 2020. What do you think? Will i gain weight during this lock down due to corona?
