Miami-Dade

How to Keep Your Resolution to Take the Weight Off in the New Year

Fitness experts said you might be overestimating how many calories you are burning during your workouts

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Many people start the new year with resolutions to lose weight. But by springtime, most have dropped those resolutions and may feel frustrated that the pounds did not melt away as expected.

Fitness experts say you might be overestimating how many calories you are burning during your workouts.

"It is really about finding different ways to create sustainable movement,” said Dr. Kimberly Shaffer, the Program Director of Sport, Exercise & Performance Psychology at Barry University.

Dr. Shaffer adds that movement is key to staying in shape. 

“When we are talking about weight change and the science behind it, at the end of the day we need to exert more energy than what we are putting in," she said.

Miami native Jennifer Perez is a fitness advocate. She’s dedicated to working out multiple times a week. She started her fitness journey four years ago when she was 60 pounds heavier.

“I was super unhealthy. During graduate school, I felt like I need to make a change," Perez said. "So, I started taking classes.”

Perez started taking boxing classes at UFC Gym Midtown a few months ago. She said the focusing on exercises that she likes has been key.

Shaffer encourages patients who don’t exercise to start small and work up to higher goals.  She said try to focus on smaller pieces and added if clients are still not losing weight, keep going.

Another study published last year also found that exercise promotes longevity, even walking significantly fewer than the often recommended 10,000 steps. Middle-aged people who walked at least 7,000 steps a day on average were about 50 to 70 percent less likely to die of cancer.

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