4 Keys to Proper "Weight Loss"

It's that time of year. We are thinking about what we did over the holidays to ruin our lovely beach bodies. So we all lace up for runs, boil our broccoli and chicken, and restrict calories. All so we can look good in our bathing suits. First, I want everyone to know there are bigger, deeper issues at hand for your lack of self confidence. Someone who made you feel the way you do about being in a bathing suit and has told you that "Weight Loss" is the issue deserves to be punched in the throat. 

I digress... 

If we are going to focus on aesthetics and create a goal to look and feel a certain way, then we must all agree it has nothing to do with the scale. So, before I get rambling on about teaching you how to retrain your brain to understand inner beauty and strength not vanity and starvation (which will be covered in our upcoming REWIRED book!) here are some keys to looking and feeling better in your swimming suit: 

1. It all starts with Nutrition. So before you hire that trainer or buy a new pair of running shoes, start your food journal first. Start understanding your eating trends and swapping out bad for good. An example is swapping the morning breakfast burrito for a couple eggs, bacon, a wedge of avocado, and cup of black coffee. Running low on time, prepare ahead of time by hard boiling eggs and pre-cooking bacon. 

2. Cardio is not the immediate answer. Yes, conditioning is important but the steady state long boring drawn out 2-hour runs are not going to trim you down. Look at the body of a sprinter and the body of a marathon runner. I'll take the sprinters body any day! So try this: interval between high intensity low intensity on your choice of exercise. Sprints, rowing, or my favorite, Kettlebell swings. Set a time and do 30 seconds of swings with 30 seconds of rest for 10-20 rounds. 20 minutes later you are toast. No need to run for 2 hours. 

Bulletproof Conditioning
Men 24kg/ Women 16kg - 30s work:30s rest for 10-20 rounds

3. Strength is the engine. Do you want to really burn more calories or just be more efficient with your energy use? Our muscles and strength are our engine blocks. Our food, fat, etc is the fuel. The stronger the engine the more demand for fuel. Focus on strength but realize working on strength is not the same as bulk. Try this: 2x per week strength train and 2x per week condition (not cardio) 

4. Fat is your friend. It is more efficient and more usable by your body. If you want your body to burn fat it needs to recognize fat as a fuel source more often. Try some fasted workouts, meaning no meal before. Or make your plate look like this: 50% Vegetables, 40% Meat, 10% Fat + Big Glass of Water

Try these out, give yourself a couple weeks and adjust your program according to your body's response. We are not all the same and do not respond the same. Listen to your body and start to eat and train for your goals... No more dieting and exercising. 

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