Top 6 Tips To Get Fit Fast!
Tom Robertson of Edinburgh’s Factory Gyms reminds us…
“Summer is coming. It will creep up on you in no time. You might already have holidays booked so you already have a deadline.”
How well have you been sticking to those exercise and diet resolutions you set for yourself on New Years Eve? Not so much? No time to despair then, take all these tips, put them into action and you will be beach ready in no time!
Set specific goals.
While saying “I want to lose weight” is a good starting point it is borderline useless. If this is as specific as your goal setting is going to be then you can plan on achieving very little. “I want to lose 1 stone of fat by July 1st” is a much more powerful goal. By giving yourself a target to achieve (1 stone in this case) it is a real amount of weight to lose compared to just “lose weight”. By choosing a deadline for your goal you have given yourself a sense of urgency which will help motivate you to stick to your exercise and diet plan.
Going hungry is not the answer.
Crash dieting is, unfortunately, a common way in which a lot of people will attempt to lose a lot of weight very quickly with a holiday approaching. The problem here is that if you drastically reduce your calorie intake your metabolism will plummet and your body will go into starvation mode. This will result in your body burning off all your lean muscle tissue and INCREASING fat storage to protect & insulate your internal organs. When it comes to making significant changes to your body’s composition you should focus on burning fat & building muscle to achieve a lean, fit body. Check out my article on ignoring weight loss – Muscle vs Fat
Change what you eat – Healthy nutrition guidelines.
To burn off a lot of fat you are going to have to make some changes to your diet. Firstly, eat more protein. Protein is extremely important for your health and fat loss as it is very metabolically friendly. In digesting protein your body will burn a ton of calories to break down, process & absorb. Due to this slow break down, protein is great for satisfying hunger.
Secondly, avoid eating processed carbohydrates. This includes pretty much all carbohydrates that come in a bag or box – bread, crisps, chocolate bars, bagels, breakfast cereals, etc. Processed carbohydrates are typically very high in calories and sugar. They have a huge effect on blood sugar levels resulting in increased hunger and fatigue.
Focus on eating healthy, high-fiber and low-sugar whole foods such as lean protein (lean beef, chicken, & fish), vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, cabbage, carrots), fruit (oranges, apples, strawberries, & blueberries), nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts). You can each as many vegetables as you like so try and fill up on these at each meal.
Drink More
No, I don’t mean drink more margaritas in preparation for the beach cocktail party you have been looking forward to since February. Water, lots and lots of water. You are probably not drinking enough anyway and when you are exercising regularly you are going to need to keep hydrated. Being dehydrated impedes brain function and the regulation of the nervous system. That feeling of hunger you get in between meals that causes you to snack on junk is your brain telling you its thirsty. And if you are ever feeling thirsty, then you are really dehydrated. Not only does proper levels of hydration help your body function better, it also leads to increased fat loss. Your body will burn a lot of calories in transporting water to all your organs and is one of the best appetite suppressants out there. More water = more fat loss.
Exercise – Intensity vs Duration
A common misconception is that you are going to have to spend hours upon hours at the gym to achieve the physique you want. This couldn’t be further from the truth. To achieve real fitness results you have to strive for quality over quantity. If you can fit in three or four 30-45 minute gym sessions each week you will be able to achieve whatever goal you have set yourself. The key is intensity. The harder, more intense and faster your training is the fitter you will get and the more calories you will burn. If you train slow, you will burn calories slow and your heart will work slow. With a combination of interval cardio training and resistance training you will be able to get more done in 30mins than if you spent an hour plodding away watching the TVs in the gym.
Cardio training – Ditch the slow-motion cardio workouts and start doing intervals. Interval training is simply alternating periods of hard exercise followed by period of easier exercise. An example would be comfortable pace jogging for 60 seconds followed by a sprint for 30 seconds. Go fast, then slow down – repeat. Check this out – Interval training can increase your fat burning capacity by 36%!
Resistance training – It is essential to incorporate weights training into your exercise program if you want to change the shape of your body. The idea here is not to build bigger muscles (unless that is your goal) but to put your muscle tissue to good use. When a muscle contracts it uses up energy (calories), so the more muscle you use when you exercise the more calories you will burn. Stick to exercises such as squats, deadlifts, overhead pressing and rowing. These multi-joint compound movements use the most muscle so will give you the biggest bang for your buck.
Get your friends involved.
Rather than trying to go it alone get yourself a training partner. Whether it is a friend, co-worker, brother or sister, you have a greater chance of sticking to your diet and exercise plan if you have to be accountable to someone. If you can’t find someone else who wants to achieve the same goals as you, then hire a personal trainer or a lifestyle coach to help keep you on track.
For more fitness and nutrition advice subscribe to Tom’s blog – http://factoryfitness.wordpress.com
If you’re visiting Factory Gyms in Edinburgh be sure to mention cushion the impact and the discount offered on membership.
