It’s still the number one reason why people join a gym or hire a personal trainer. More people search on google for this solution than any other fitness related question and there are thousands of books all claiming to have the secret remedy for it!
The truth is, is that fat loss is simple! Eat real food in the right ratio for you, exercise, hydrate yourself properly and get enough rest. It really is that simple! Do all of this in the right ratio and balance and you will have the body of your dreams.
There are several basic tips I can give you to follow here and when done with a tailored program that’s specific to you, they can be highly effective:
1. Training earlier in the day gives your metabolism a huge boost that lasts the entire day, you’ll also have more energy to put into your workout and will perform better.
2. It’s important to train at least four days a week for the best results. One or two training sessions here and there are better than nothing but if you want fantastic results, four or more training sessions a week are vital to success!
3. For those that think they don’t have enough time, there is very good news… current research proves that High Intensity Training or ‘HIT’ is the way to go for the best body composition and it takes very little time. There are different ways to do it and different intensities, but the one I use most with my clients and myself to great effect is a protocol developed by Phil Campbell called ‘Sprint 8’. This can be done on a stationary bike, cross trainer or treadmill and is simply a 30 second burst of an all out sprint followed by 90 seconds of active rest (slow movement for recovery). Perform this up to 8 times (depending on your fitness levels) and you’ll then release an amazing amount of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and give your metabolism a huge boost!
4. Resistance training is a must! Some people, especially women, tend to stay away from resistance training because they think they will get bulky and start looking like a bodybuilder. This simply isn’t true and is a common misconception. Muscle is your primary fat burner, gives your body shape and helps your posture! Following a dedicated resistance programme to promote lean muscle gain and fat loss will get you the body of your dreams.
5. Eating just one meal a day to lose weight? That’s one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Your body works like it did 100,000 years ago. If food was scarce it would store much of your next meal as body fat and slow your metabolism down for survival purposes. So eating small portions frequently, tells your body that food is plentiful and that there’s no need to store fat. The key, is to eat small portions every 3-4 hours with snacks in between meals. This will keep your energy up, increase metabolism and reduce cravings.
6. Eat high quality whole unprocessed foods. Not only that but keep your blood sugar balanced with low glycemic index foods so that you won’t get the craving for the dreaded sugar laden coffee and cake attacks.
Eat and move well
Rupert Hambly
