5 steps to fitness

Have you been carrying extra pounds longer than you should? Has stubborn body fat got the best of you? Stubborn body fat can be very discouraging especially when you are putting forth a solid effort to eliminate it. If stubborn body fat has stuck around with you longer than you would like then it is time to eliminate it. Ridding yourself of body fat will take focus, drive and most importantly determination.

Here are 5 key pointers to get you moving in the right direction.

1)   Take Control of Your Nutrition

The single most influential activity you can do to decrease your body fat level is control your diet. By taking control of your diet, you can start to move your body and metabolism in the right direction. Simple strategies include eating wholesome foods and nothing that is synthetic or pre-packed. What do I mean by that? I’m glad you asked.

The list below shows wholesome foods that are naturally occurring in nature. You will notice that none of these foods are synthetically created by man and they are the way nature intended them to be. Examples of synthetic foods include the following which you want to minimize if not eliminate completely:

bread, pasta, cake, chips, cereal, chocolate bars, etc. As for frequency make sure to eat 5 to 6 times a day to help stabilize your energy and blood sugar levels.

2)   Control Your Portion Sizes

Excessive caloric intake will lead to weight gain, its simple math. Too much in means weight gain. Consuming less calories than you are burning means weight loss. When it comes to your eating, the first step is to eliminate poor choices and the second is controlling portion sizes. There are many ways to control portion sizes such as weighing food or measuring volume. I always advise my clients to keep it simple and follow the rules in the table below. Follow these guidelines and your caloric intake will be well controlled and fat loss is sure to follow:

3)   Exercise

Besides diet, exercise is essential. Not only will it assist in eliminating calories, increasing your metabolic rate, it also has a range of other benefits, including:

·      Protection from heart disease and high blood pressure

·      Prevention of Type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis

·      Reducing the risk of depression and anxiety

·      Improvement in sleep

The frequency of your exercise should be 5 to 7 days a week. Always alternate your sessions with resistance training such as using weights, and cardiovascular training, such as riding a bike. Here is what you should be striving for in order to eliminate stubborn body fat:

4)   Join a gym

The question I am often asked from clients is whether they should join gym or just buy some fitness equipment for the basement? My answer is almost always this: Join a gym, especially if you are a beginner or a novice. If you are trying to lose stubborn body fat, you need every advantage possible to get you moving in the right direction. Being in a gym environment is invaluable and is something you can’t get at home. For most individuals, being surrounded by other fitness conscious people at a gym helps push them in the right direction towards a healthier lifestyle and a lower body fat level.

5)   Get Expert Help

If you knew what you were doing, you would have probably already achieved a body fat level you are comfortable with. If you have tried and tried in the past and it hasn’t worked out, then clearing something is missing. Perhaps you need more knowledge of how to get better results or perhaps you need more will power. For many people, they sometimes lack the willpower to make a commitment and stick with it. If you seek out professional help, such a personal trainer or a nutritionist, I can assure you that your probability for success increases ten fold. If you expert help, they will hold you accountable for your actions and review your results weekly or monthly at a minimum. Tap in to a professional’s knowledge and you can often turn years of work into a few months, depending on how serious your goals are.

By improving your diet and exercising regularly, you will certainly improve your health but don’t take my word for it. Recently a client of mine in Toronto had a substantial amount of weight to lose. He had tried almost everything in the past and the results were lacklustre to say the least. I began working with him in 2011 at 320 lbs and he just recently got married at a chiselled 185. How did he do it you ask? He followed steps 1 through to 5!