- Drink more water – How do you know if you’re drinking enough? Simple, just check your urine. If its clear or pale yellow you’re good, otherwise, keep downing it! Drinks with caffeine don’t count (ie coffee, diet pop, energy drinks) You need 2 cups of water to replace the diuretic effect from those caffeinated products. For example, if you have 2 cups of coffee in a day then you’ll want to drink 4 extra cups of water to replace the water loss.
- Start weight training – I can’t emphasize enough the importance of building muscle and getting stronger. Cardio can help you burn calories and drop weight, but cardio can’t help you change body composition. A woman who is pear-shaped (bigger hips and butt) and just does cardio, may lose some weight. However, in the end, she still has a pear-shape, just smaller. By implementing weight training you can affect change in body composition. In essence, you can “sculpt” your own body into your desired dimensions.(ie. wider shoulders, smaller waist, firmer butt).
- You are what you eat – If you “sort of” eat good then expect to “sort of” get results. People need to think of food as fuel for your body. If you feed it with quality foods you will notice the difference. Improved energy, better digestion, reduced water retention, better sleep, improved memory, better productivity, and improved mood are positive side-effects of a nutrient rich diet.
- Eat more vegetables than fruits – Fruits are good for you but they still contain sugar, specifically fructose. Too much sugar of any kind can cause fluctuations in blood sugar, which can in turn effect the body to store those calories as fat. Vegetables on the other hand are low in sugar, high in fiber, nutrients, and are a great filler when trying to lose fat or make changes to your physique. Keep eating fruits, but if your goal is weight loss, limit the amount.
- Hire a trainer – Most people go to the gym and “wing it” They have no specific plan and no sense of accountability. Failure to plan always results in plain old failure. A good trainer can set you up with a “game plan”, show you the correct way to exercise, and make sure you are accountable to your plan, and more importantly, to yourself. The cost is worth it!! Here are the recommended ways to get good use of a trainer:- 2x – 3x/week training – to ensure you get the results you want, are doing the exercises correctly, and fixing any muscle imbalances you may have.
- Weekly training – more as a check up to ensure you’re sticking to the program and to stay accountable.
- Individualized program – every 4-5 weeks get a training program to do on your own. This will ensure the program is specific to your body shape and fitness goals.
- Get a structured eating plan – There is so much information and misinformation available out there. It can be confusing and terribly frustrating to know what is right when it comes to clean eating. I cater to all types of people; average men and women looking to lose anywhere from 10 lbs – 100 lbs, those looking to build muscle, competitors in a figure or bikini competition, and anyone who wants to just perform better day to day.
- Walk more – The key to getting results is a combination of weight training, clean eating, and cardio exercise. You don’t necessarily have to do a ton of running and sweat-induced cardio to strip body fat and look awesome. If you’re short on time, make time to just move more. There are 1000s of excuses a person can make, all you need is one reason to do it. Some ways of getting more walking in:
- Park at the far end of the entrance when going shopping, to the movies, etc.
- Take the stairs whenever possible.
- Go for a walk during your lunch break.
- Wake up 30 minutes earlier in the day and go for a walk around the block, better yet take your coffee with you and you’ll burn more calories!
- Meeting up with a friend? Go for a ‘walk n’ talk’, get a coffee and meet at a park or some trails and get some calorie burning while catching up.
- You must plan – To have success you need to plan your day accordingly. I love the 5P Principle: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Practices. Do you have your meals made/planned for the day? If you’re running errands do you have a back-up snack with you in case you end up running behind in your meals, do you have your workout clothes ready for your workout?
- Be consistent – With your training, cardio workouts, and meals. There are no magic pills. The more consistent a person is with the plan the sooner and better the results!
- Make it work – Starting a fitness plan shouldn’t be just to ‘lose weight’ for an event or for the short term. It should be about living a healthy lifestyle that is enjoyable. For instance:
- If you like to be in a group setting take a weekly cardio class (ie spin or a boot camp) or try group personal training instead of one-on-one.
- If you don’t enjoy cooking, find some easy recipes to make and prepare your meals on the weekend. I have a cookbook (ebook available as well) that I should have named The Busy Woman’s Cookbook because most of the recipes take 5-10 minutes to prepare.
- Try to get your family and/or friends involved. Its always more fun and easier to do something when others are also pursuing the same goals.
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