| It’s
not that hard, it doesn’t have to be confusing, and you don’t
need any of that crap! All you need is an understanding of how your
body works and the willingness to make some small changes.
Here’s my basic formula for jump starting your metabolism:
Step 1 - Stop the storage of new fat
It doesn't make any sense to start an exercise program if you
just end up adding new fat later that day. This is a problem that
is very common among people who start an exercise in an attempt
to lose weight.
See the problem is this...
We don’t get fat due to a lack of exercise – we get
fat because we supply the body with more calories than it needs
at a given time. So the solution has nothing to do with exercise
– it’s all about your eating! And I’m not saying
you have to eat low-fat, super clean and healthy diet consisting
of salad and tofu only. You can still eat the foods you like IF
you can give the body just the amount it needs.
The key is to give the body the energy it needs, but just that
amount and not a bunch extra because extra is extra is extra,
it doesn’t matter what it’s from. Salad can be stored
as fat, celery can be stored as fat – if it results in extra
it can be stored as fat. I should also note that not all extra
energy is stored in the fat cells and I will touch on that later.
So forget about trying to burn off any fat unless you can first
stop storing new fat! Again, you do that by matching your eating
to your activity level. This means small, balanced meals or snacks
every 2-3 hours and the amount of calories in each feeding should
depend on how active you are at that time of day.
Step 2 – Attack the existing fat
This requires a combination approach consisting of stable blood
sugar/energy levels, and progressive cardiovascular/aerobic exercise
and strength training.
We already talked about how important stable blood sugar and
energy levels are and how to match your eating to your activity
level so now I’d like to cover the exercise part of the
equation.
In order for the exercise to even be worth your time you must
be sure it’s progressive. Just because you run on the treadmill
for 30 minutes three times a week, that doesn’t mean your
body has to burn off that unwanted body fat! You have to force
the body to make changes and improvements and the ONLY way to
do that is to consistently provide a stimulus or stress that is
greater than what the body is used to.
Here are some general guidelines on how you can make your exercise
progressive and productive:
Strength training: Change exercises frequently (every 2-4 weeks),
Increase resistance, Perform more reps, Slower reps, Advanced
techniques
Cardiovascular training: Increase speed/resistance, Perform intervals,
Increase distance traveled, Cross train by performing numerous
activities
For more specific techniques please check out the all the great
articles on metabolism and fitness in the free resources section
of my website here: http://www.achieve-fitness.com/free_resources.htm
I should also say that it is extremely important that you have
a well thought out and detailed plan to follow. You can’t
just say “ok, now I know what to do” and then try
a little of this here and little of that there. You need a roadmap.
If you are serious about achieving your weight loss and fitness
goals I highly recommend you get the help of a professional. Whether
that means one on one, personal fitness training or just a do-it-yourself
fitness plan – your chances of success are much greater.
In closing, please remember, it doesn’t have to be confusing.
Hopefully this information has shown you how easy it can be if
you know what you are doing. If you have any questions or would
like to learn more about how you can guarantee your fitness success,
please visit my website http://www.achieve-fitness.com or you
can give me a call at 240-731-3724. While your’e at my website
be sure to sign up for my free email newsletter, Fitness Success
News – it’s full of great articles, tips, healthy
recipes, contests, and more!
Jesse Cannone is a certified personal fitness trainer, post-rehab
specialist, nutritionist, and a national fitness presenter. He
is also the author of Burn Fat FAST and A Bride’s Guide
To Fast Fitness + Weight Loss in addition to many other popular
fitness articles. He is known for his hard-hitting and to the
point style and offers a great free email newsletter called Fitness
Success News
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