Do you REALLY wanna make some lasting changes to your body this month?
The fitness industry is growing and booming because they have so many people thinking that the “new” & cool gadget or workout method is better than what you’ve been doing, when in fact, those gadgets and machines aren’t REALLY the engine behind the results….it comes down to what you’re eating!
Here are my TOP tips to help YOU increase your metabolism & ultimately reduce body fat:
- Eat at a caloric deficit. Although I believed for years that there was more to fat loss than this, in order to lose fat, you must be at a caloric deficit and or burning more calories than you consume. If you are NOT strength training yet doing lots of cardio & still eating lots of carbs, you will most likely be losing muscle along with fat. Although this is NOT the optimal way, it will help you lose body fat. FYI: Eating less does NOT = fat loss over an extended period of time. Focus on eating lean protein, veggies, a thumb-size of healthy fat & starchy carbs around your workouts.
Here’s the ‘Cliff notes’ version to figure out what YOUR caloric deficit should be is to use this calculation:
- Feed your body. I cannot stress enough how important it is to EAT MORE FOOD to SEE MORE FAT LOSS. I’m sure you may be a skeptic like I was, and think this is TOTALLY BS, am I right?! The fitness industry has been vigilant about programming us to believe, eating less calories, less carbs, less fat is how you really lose the fat. The sad part, is that even though you have this belief, it’s actually hurting you more than you realize. Starving yourself (creating too much of a caloric deficit) is backfiring. I’ll prove why it’s backfiring…you started out on that low calorie diet that you found in a magazine or your favorite personal trainer at the gym hands out to everyone….and got results at the beginning. Here’s the backfire: the prolonged lower calories lead to low energy, increased hunger and cravings or decreased to no hunger, which lead to a lower metabolism. The lower metabolism is where you are now and you have either slowly gained weight (even though you work out religiously) or the results have plateaued. 🙁
- Here’s how you increase your metabolism: Eat to be lean with a caloric deficit of no more than 300-500 reduced calories from food.
- Take a break from “dieting”. If you have been steadily decreasing your calories, you cannot keep decreasing them without slowing your metabolism down….so when nothing is happening at your current calorie intake, try increasing your calories by 100-200 calories and see how your body responds after 1-2 weeks.
- Increase the intensity of your workouts. This is where a great heart rate monitor comes in handy as well as knowing what your target heart rate is. (FYI: Your target heart rate is the approximate number of heartbeats per minute that your heart should beat during aerobic exercise.) Ideally, you should strive to hit your target heart rate during EVERY workout session…which includes resistance or weight training as well as whatever cardio you choose to do. If you don’t know what your target heart rate is, you can easily calculate it by subtracting your age from 220. [For example: 220 – 44(my age) = 176 Target Heart Rate]
- Increase your exercise intensity before increasing your duration. Long story short, long duration cardion can actually lead to a slower metabolism and increase your hunger, which can lead to you being hungrier. This varies for EVERYONE based on your age, how active you are (activity levels), height, etc.
- Get a game plan & know what you’re doing. STOP winging it! What is “winging it”? Just working out without a solid plan or tracking your progress is winging it! If you don’t know what you’re doing with your workouts, other than boring cardio, hire a local or online trainer who knows how to design a workout plan specific to you and your needs. Once you get your workouts, BE PRESENT during those workouts, in other words, make that mind to muscle connection to help you engage and grow your muscles.
- Enlist the help of a mentor or accountability coach like me 😉 to help you plan out your lifestyle transformation by adjusting your mindset first.
If you are confused on how to get started with a sustainable nutrition plan and lifestyle and tired of starting over every few months? Eliminate the overwhelm, indecision, and wasted effort… click here to book your session today!
