'It doesn't have to be overcomplicated!' Woman who shed 5st shares easy exercise hack that keeps her 'consistent'
YouTube / Nikki Gets Fit
You don't have to spend hours running or working out in the gym to see results
Consistency is key when it comes to losing weight, as this is what helps slimmers maintain substantial results over time. Without it, many people fall off the wagon and pile on the weight as quickly as they lost it in the first place.
One slimmer stressed the importance of staying consistent if you want to achieve real results. For Nikki Madoch (who goes by Nikki Gets Fit on YouTube) one way of doing this is changing the way you think about exercise.
Nikki, who lost a whopping 5st, said on the sharing platform: "'Consistency' is a word that I'd never really thought about in depth until I started my weight loss journey because I realised how important it is and what it really means to be consistent.
"I realised that staying consistent over time is what was going to get me results and that's what finally happened in April of 2020." This was when Nikki decided to follow the slimming plan WeightWatchers and vowed to "do what [she] could to get healthier" when her size started to impact her health.
'I completely changed my mindset and made my consistency my focus'
Instagram / @nikkigets_fit
The slimmer said: "I knew that I needed a change, but I also knew that in the past I never had success with losing weight.
"And so this time around, I completely changed my mindset and made my consistency my focus. That word just means so much to me and my journey because it's what has given me success.
"Today I'm going to be giving you guys some tips on how I actually stay consistent on my weight loss journey and how I've been able to lose 70lb (5st) and keep it off for years now."
One of the ways Nikki stayed on track during her journey was by "keeping it simple" - and she applied this to both her eating and exercise strategies.
When it came to working out, instead of forcing herself to go to the gym or for a run even when she didn't want to, Nikki started to see other less intense movements as an equal win.
She said: "In the past, I thought that I had to go to workout classes or run a certain amount - I really overcomplicated exercise and didn't realise how beneficial it is to just get any movement.
"So, even if it's going out for a walk or going to play pickleball for an hour here and there, little things like that that don't seem like exercise are actually beneficial movements.
"It doesn't have to be overcomplicated and a strict routine you need to stick to.
"Keeping it simple can really help you to stay consistent because you don't feel so overwhelmed all the time."
Swapping your coffee meet-ups for walk-and-talk dates, taking the longer route home or dancing around in the kitchen are just three easy ways to do this.
Nikki also shared how discovering copycat meals curbed her cravings and helped the weight fall off.
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Losing weight can be a difficult task but with a few key diet, exercise and lifestyle changes, it's very possible to see results in a sustainable, healthy way.
The NHS advises slimmers to aim to lose one to two pounds per week. To do this, they should develop some healthy diet habits, including eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, paying attention to food labels, swapping sugary drinks for water and cutting down on food that is high in sugar and fat.
Those on a weight loss journey are also encouraged to get active for 150 minutes a week. This can be broken up into shorter, bite-sized sessions.
Slimmers should also share their weight loss plan with someone they trust, as they can help with motivation on more difficult days.