Even with the best of intentions people struggle to reach their health and fitness goals.
With fat loss being the number one goal for personal training clients I’m in the business of knowing what to do and how to do it.
Let me be your guide to success.
I am going to keep things as straight forward and simple as possible.
A great way to make sure you fail is to focus on multiple goals.
Most people stumble when it comes to focus.
Setting multiple goals at once may seem like a great idea at the time, but so did investing in Enron in 1991.
Having more than one goal spreads people too thin.
Fully focus on one goal at a time.
Burning fat is a singular goal that is optimized with nutrition and supported with strength training, stress reduction and adequate sleep.
Fat loss begins in the kitchen.
There is nothing that anyone can do in the gym that will offset or undo a poor diet.
Healthy eating habits paired with a caloric deficit is paramount for fat loss optimization.
There is absolutely no getting around this precept.
Fat loss starts and ends with nutrition.
Slowly eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats only until you are satiated will lead to weight loss.
Drink low or no calorie beverages.
Eat without distractions.
Honor your hunger and control your appetite.
Lift weights to increase the amount of calories burned at rest.
Exercise is a must in order to maximize and optimize fat loss.
Start with activities that raise metabolism, burn fat and build muscle simultaneously.
Most of the calories burned in a given day are determined by our resting metabolic rate (the number of calories needed for your body to perform most basic functions like cell production, blood circulation, breathing).
Your resting metabolic rate is hugely dependent on how much muscle you have on your body and how hard you make your body work.
Adding activities that increase or maintain muscle mass will elevate the metabolic rate.
The strategy of building muscle to passively and more easily burn fat is far more effective than other types of exercise.
Make your body work hard a few times a week.
There are tiers of exercise which vary in fat burning effectiveness.
Metabolic resistance training is king for fat loss as it will raise metabolism, burn fat and build muscle.
Activities that burn calories and elevate metabolism like high intensity anaerobic interval training are the next level for fat loss programming, followed by high intensity aerobic interval training.
Steady state high intensity aerobic training will burn calories but won’t necessary maintain muscle or elevate metabolism.
The least effective form of activity for fat burning is steady state low intensity activity.
Walking doesn’t result in much more fat loss but it adds up.
Keep in mind that these types of activity work together fantastically in an optimized fat loss program.
Doing something is better than doing nothing.
Even with minimal time dedicated to your goals, fat can be burned and muscle maintained or gained in as little as three hours per week.
Doing something is better than doing nothing.
Always consult with your doctor before starting any training program and nutritional change.
Work with a registered dietitian for specific nutritional plans and diagnosed medical conditions.