Obesity is a major problem for Americans of all ages. Health professionals have long recommended physical activity and proper dieting as a means of reducing one’s body weight to healthy levels. This has quickly led many to join gyms, hire personal trainers, and get onto diet fads , in a rush effort to get lean and lose weight. Although, these efforts do not always guarantee results.

Listed below are 6 basic steps you need to follow in order to get lean and lose weight the correct way:

Lift weights
It has been observed that people looking to get lean tend to focus largely on cardio exercises like running and High-Intensity Interval Traning while neglecting muscle-building exercises. While cardio exercises are definitely important for weight loss, your body will react much better when you have muscle mass. Muscles in your body are metabolically active, meaning they burn calories even when you are not physically active. This is why lifting weights are important, and you should do it at least two to three times a week.

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Follow everything you eat
It seems there is a phone app for virtually everything these days. This is true in the diet and fitness world as well. If you want to get lean, you need to keep track of everything you eat and drink . Make use of diet and fitness apps to accurately measure your food intake. It’s the first step towards cutting down on excess weight.

Train for a 5K, half marathon, or marathon
Motivation is typically something that people respond to when it comes to exercising and losing weight. This is the reason why many people who are looking to get lean sign up for fitness events with friends – as friends monitor and motivate each other to stay with the program and continue training.

Keep your eyes off the scale for a bit
People who have set a weight-loss target for themselves tend to glance at the scale every day to check if the pounds are falling off. The truth is that getting lean is different from just losing body weight . In fact, if you are looking to get lean and to lose weight, you will typically gain a little weight before it comes off. Disregard any measurements of your body weight for at least a month, and follow your body fat percentage instead.

Take up a sport
If you are not into traditional exercise routines, such as lifting weights at the gym, then you should consider taking up a sport. Get together with a few of your close friends or coworkers and play basketball, hockey, soccer, or any sport of your choice. This is a great way to lose body fat, as the quick movements that are common in sports help the body shed fat in no time.

Eat
This may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s true. Eating is something that you will need to do if you want to be successful in getting lean. When you starve your body, like many do when they want to get lean, your body adjusts by decreasing the amount of energy it burns during the day. This will slow down the process of becoming lean, and can thus prove frustrating. However, when you consume the proper amount of calories, your metabolism remains steady -enabling you to use more energy just by being awake during the day.