Top 10 Tips to stay in Shape
In a standoff between Taylor Swift and Ruby Rose, fighting fat could well rival it on the ‘impossible to win’ battlefield.
Whether you already know you’re going to blow it with canapés and cocktails at Christmas or you’ve been meaning to shift that tummy for quite some time, losing weight and then keeping it off is hard.
A new study from medical journal The Lancet has found obesity rates are climbing. Australia is now on par with America – a quarter of children and 63 per cent of adults are classified as overweight.
While attempting to lose weight can be daunting, I’ve rounded up some of my top PT fat torching tips.
1. Start from the inside out
Aim for a wholefood diet – think food products that don’t come with an ingredient label because they are unmistakeable i.e. broccoli looks like broccoli. If you do go for labelled foods, get wise about marketing tricks – sugar is commonly disguised under a host of different names (e.g. corn syrup) and ‘gluten-free’ biscuits often sound healthy and guilt-free but are usually highly processed with extra sugar or trans fats to make them taste better.
2. Up your aerobic ante
While high intensity workouts are shown to be effective for weight loss, you get more out of your training if there is an aerobic capacity to support your efforts and allow you to go longer and recover more quickly between sessions.
3. Create a circuit routine
Circuits are quick and easy to set up. Combine cardio machines, free weights and body weight exercises and keep the rest time between exercises to no longer than 15-20 seconds. Aim for six to seven stations and a one-minute rest in between rounds then repeat 3-4 times.
4. Quit counting kilojoules
You don’t want to dive straight into a low kilojoule diet or consistently eat less than the normal required amount you need per day which is 5040 kilojoules for women. Your metabolism reacts fairly quickly to a diet. This can have an effect on the body’s hormones which are the body’s chemical
messengers and control practically every physiological process in the body – from regulation of metabolism to activation of the immune system. We all need a minimum amount of kilojoules per day to get all the vitamins and minerals necessary to function optimally and maintain a strong metabolism. If you limit your energy intake as your movement increases, your body will start to go into starvation mode and store any excess kilojoules rather than burning, resulting in carrying excess weight.
5. Tune into how you feel
Do you feel tummy hungry or are you just craving something in your head? Psychologically, cravings come about to satisfy emotional needs and carbs and sugar increase serotonin levels only temporarily. Physical cravings in contrast come from a need for energy. Drink some water (our brain can’t tell between hunger and thirst), hold off for 20 minutes and master the art of distraction, then if need be have a healthy snack and wait and see if you still need more food or if the craving has gone.
6. Book a FULL BODY WELLNESS scan [FBW]
I can measure your body composition: fat, muscle and bone density. This is a quick and accurate method for calculating your body composition (muscle to fat percentage). Weight loss on normal scales doesn’t necessarily mean fat loss. Having a FBW scan every few months takes the guesswork out of what’s happening and is therefore an excellent way to track your progress.
7. Don’t punish yourself
Food is there to nourish and be enjoyed – make 80 per cent of the food you eat healthy and relax a little with your remaining 20 per cent otherwise you’ll feel deprived and more tempted to overindulge. Note, this is not a green light to eat a dozen donuts! Always have healthy treats on hand – a small container of almonds, bananas or if you have a sweet tooth whip up and freeze some homemade protein bliss balls.
8. Make every movement and session count
A plateau happens when your body isn’t challenged enough to be forced to change. Challenge yourself constantly by picking up heavier weights on your strength days, running faster during intervals, going longer on endurance runs or pumping out some extra reps on a timed circuit. Add stairs at work, walk and run with the dog and go out for a little longer in the lovely summer evenings. Park your car further from the store entrance or a block away and walk to the shops. By making the variables different, your body will constantly be trying to catch up and respond to what is being thrown it’s way.
9. Go for groups of exercises
There is no one magic exercise that makes you lose weight. The key is to choose a group of exercises that can push your boost metabolic rate so you tap into fat stores quicker. Add sprint intervals to a run or spice up your gym routine with strength. I love throwing in either chest to floor burpees or kettlebell swings as both moves use the full body, blast your core and are highly metabolic.
10. Forget the fat focus
There are so many other goals you can set like performance and strength building, don’t focus solely on weight loss as it takes time. Having some other points to focus on makes the journey more enjoyable and keeps your head in the game.
Get your friends and girlfriend to support you or better still get them to join you. It will make it a lot more enjoyable and you can keep each other on track.