We all have fitness goals. One popular fitness goal is to lose body fat. Here’s a simple fat loss plan.
- Lift weights – Lifting weights builds muscle. Muscle is fat-free tissue that is highly metabolic. That means it allows more caloric burn than any other tissue in your body. This is why strength training works best. It reduces fat while maintaining muscle that burns calories.
- Do some cardio – pick a form of cardio you like (or, at least, don’t hate) and do it consistently. Cardio burns fat through burning calories. Physical activity contributes to creating a caloric deficit.
- Eat more protein – your body works hard to digest food. Researchers theorize that your body works harder to digest protein, so eating protein has the potential to burn more calories and body fat.
- Maintain a healthy calorie deficit – one pound of fat is about 3,500 calories. For a person to lose one pound of fat in a week, they would need a caloric deficit (eating less than you normally would) of 3,500 calories. That’s a reduction of 500 calories per day.
- Be consistent – Consistency is arguably the most important component when you are trying to accomplish any goal, whether that’s in or out of the gym. Consistent healthy habits will take you much further than crash diets or unorganized workout programs.
- Be patient – Lifestyle changes aren’t easy. We live in a culture of instant gratification. Unfortunately, fitness doesn’t work like that. Try to make lasting habit changes instead of striving for perfection. The ultimate goal is to move for the rest of your life. Small changes over time have more impact than huge changes you can’t sustain.
This plan is simple, but by no means is any of this easy. Everyone’s fitness journey starts in a different place. Maybe you have the ‘lifting weights’ part under control, but you don’t do any cardio. Or maybe you eat plenty of protein, but don’t maintain a calorie deficit. Or maybe you do every single one of the first four things for a week, get frustrated, and give up.
Happy sweating!
Erica
Ps. Not sure where to start? Reach out! Email me at [email protected].
