Ten Ways to Torch Fat and Get Lean
The holidays and the New Year are approaching and it is time to get back to the basic elements of torching fat and getting lean—if that is your goal! Caloric expenditure occurs where and when the body determines this will happen and is tied to your genetic pre-disposition and how efficiently you train. However, training smart may teach the body more efficient methods of expending calories, torching the fat and allowing your body to lean out.
This week ten ways to torch fat and get lean will be featured. Check these out making certain that you are training smart leading to the results you seek. As always, prior to beginning any exercise program, please consult your physician.
#1 Avoid wasting time! I see clients meandering from one station to the next during their exercise program and this is a waste of valuable time. When I am training a client, we are moving through their program with directed efficiency. The rule of thumb is “let’s perform the least amount of work that produces outstanding results and then get on with the day”.
#2 While you may need to train for several hours/day if you are preparing for an event like an Iron Man triathlon or marathon, if your goal is to be fit and lean, approximately an hour/day, several times a week performing a well-designed exercise program, should do the trick. If it is not, look within the program and pay attention to #1—are you wasting time?
#3 To the point of wasting time, this has as much to do with the heart rate plummeting during long breaks, when a long break is not necessary, which leads to fewer calories expended and if fewer calories are expended then less fat is lost and the goal for leaning out diminishes.
#4 Train as hard as you are safely able. This allows for individual capabilities and limitations, but when you are training, train hard. If you need a lower intensity day, then take it. But, just note that the lower the intensity, the less likely you will lean out. *Of course build in a recovery day.
#5 On days when you are not training with heavy load, move your body through space and time and across all three planes of the body (sagittal, frontal and transverse). Spending too much time in the sagittal plane leads to imbalances, possible overuse injuries and boredom, resulting in a negative impact on consistent exercise adherence.
#6 Nutrition is a huge piece of becoming leaner. There is no exercise program that can undo a poor diet of consuming too much quantity. Your body will use what it needs to function and then the rest will be converted to and stored as fat. Seek out professional, in-person, nutritional counseling and leave Google behind.
#7 Build in well-structured HIIT! High intensity interval training, two/three/days/week is an essential part of torching fat and getting lean.
#8 Weight training hard, working to momentary muscle failure regularly, two-three times/week on non-consecutive days if performing a full body program.
#9 Put your devices away! Undistracted exercise produces results that distracted exercise cannot touch. Focus!
#10 If you are chatting with your workout buddy, you can train harder. Socialize when you are done and then have fun!
Jackie Wright is the owner/manager of Mountain Life Fitness, LLC located in Granby, Colorado. She may be reached at her website at www.mtnlifefitness.com, her email at jackie@mtnlifefitness.flywheelsites.com