As a trainer, my uniform includes a sports bra and tennis shoes instead of a pencil skirt and high heels. My tools are TRXs and dumbbells instead of notepads and pens. In this world, toner has nothing to do with the printer, and everything to do with those tank top arms everyone wants. As a trainer, I have dedicated my professional life to building better bodies, and I want to share with you a few key things you might not know, or rather, you might not be willing to easily acknowledge!
1. You cannot just do cardio. Don't get me wrong, cardio is important. Swimming, spinning, and running are very beneficial for burning calories, improving your cardiovascular system and giving you mood boosting endorphins. When it comes to weight loss though, you need to travel to the dark side, the side of the gym where the dumbbells, kettlebells, and barbells live. And you need to travel there regularly, at least twice a week.
2. The heavier the weight, the bigger the result. Functional body-weight training (think pushh-ups, squats, lunges) is excellent functional training for everyday movements. However, using heavier weight (like something you could only do 8-12 reps of ) can stimulate lean muscle mass production, which can transform the composition and shape of your body.
Worried about bulking up? DON'T. Unless you are spending HOURS at the gym and consuming massive amounts of protein, it just is not going to happen. In fact, you will notice your body shrinking in all the right places and your clothes fitting better before the number on the scale budges.
3. You cannot out train bad nutrition. If you want to see significant changes in your body, working out by itself, is not enough. You are going to have to make changes to your nutrition. Start with small changes - cut out soda or drink it only once a week, make an effort to have greens at every meal, drink the recommended amount of water daily. Pick two things and do them consistently for two weeks. Then pick two more things to work on in addition to your original two and just go from there adjusting your nutrition.
4. Addition > Subtraction. Most people immediately jump to cutting calories when they want to lose weight. This can be bad news as you can easily throw your body into starvation mode, preventing you from losing body fat and actually breaking down the muscles you have been attempting to build up. You may drop a few pounds at first by skipping meals or eliminating entire food groups, but the second you go back to eating a normal number of calories or you reintegrate the eliminated food groups, you will likely gain everything back, and then some.
Instead of focusing on what you are taking away, focus on what to add. Include more nutrient dense foods like fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts to provide your body fuel it needs to tackle your workouts while also improving your overall health. You'll feel fuller on fewer calories, and over time (about 6ish months) you'll actually rewire your brain to crave healthy foods instead of junk. Pretty cool right?!
If you are having a hard time getting in the nutrient dense foods that you body needs, I urge you to check out my favorite health supplement, Shakeology.
5. Have a little FUN! Whenever I work with a trainer (yes, trainer need trainers too!) my one rule for continuing to work together is that they push me hard, but never so hard that I get to the point of throwing up. Such extreme efforts are totally unnecessary and counter productive. If you actively dread your workouts, it's all too easy to make excuses to skip them.
In addition to making sure that you are not dreading your workouts, incorporate some physical activity that you actually ENJOY, not that you simply don't dread! Gardening, hiking, and dancing are all excellent physical activities for burning calories while having fun.
6. There are 24 hours in your day. All of your movement in a 24 hours period counts, not just the time you spend sweating with a trainer or completing your at-home workout. Tiny little movements like fidgeting in your car or tapping you foot at a meeting can actually help you burn a few hundred calories a day! So ignore your mama's advice to sit still!
So while you're probably sick of hearing about parking farther away from the grocery store and taking the stairs instead of the escalator, my most successful clients take this type of advice to heart, and they run with it. What sort of "non-exercise" exercise can you incorporate into your day?
7. Staying heavy is as hard as getting fit. Yes, getting fit requires putting in some time and energy. But consider all the energy you currently expend wishing you had a different body and worrying about how you don't have the time or energy to make a change. Think about how much lighter you felt when you weighed 20lbs less. Having lost over 100lbs, I cannot imagine picking up two 50lb dumbbells and carrying them with me everywhere I went now! You simply have to choose what you are putting your energy into - shift from paying attention to what you don't have to paying attention to what you possibly can achieve.
8. Weight loss is NOT your real goal. I talk to A LOT of people about their goals and a good majority of them list weight loss. Heck, I did when I first met with a trainer. In fact, I listed it a my #1 goal. In reality, the real goal lies a little deeper. Keep asking yourself WHY you want to lose weight; the fourth or fifth answer is usually the true motivator. Clarifying this goal, the actual goal, will help you stick to your guns in the face of temptation. So, why do you really want to lose weight?
Which of these tips can you implement immediately to start seeing results NOW?! :)
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