When we meet a new member, or work with current members and their goals, one thing we can guarantee is that path is not a nice, straight linear line… There are many factors at play when it comes to reaching goals, which often relate to fat lass, muscle gain and performance.
When it comes to fat loss (or what most refer to as weight loss, but it’s much more complicated than that..), the common formula is eat less and move more. That works, but then when it starts to stall, what do you do? Often the go-to is to eat even less, and move even more…. And THAT will leave us in a cycle that rarely leads to any long term success.
You may be tempted to cut even more calories, and add hours of more cardio. This is like a hamster on a wheel and will leave you spinning your wheels, and burned out, frustrated and unhappy.
Before you simple “do more” let’s look at some habits you may or may not have….
Do you eat too little? I grew up in a yo-yo dieting environment, with restrictive diets and incredibly low caloric intake prescriptions. While that will indeed lead to weight loss, it is not sustainable. Many start eating too few calories which can slow your metabolism and prevent us from losing fat, which in turn leads to re-gaining any weight previously lost (and then some…)
Not eating enough protein. Often when cutting calories, protein is often also reduced. But this can lead to muscle loss, and a slower metabolism. Protein is essential and if you are doing any form of strength training, ensure you are consuming between .7 – 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight. (each day!)
Doing to much cardio Cardio is often a go-to when it comes to weight loss but too much can back fire. You need to build lean muscle (no, you won’t get bulky..). If you want to change your body composition, and also improve your fitness, add in strength training as well as some higher intensity workouts
Fasting before and/or after workouts. Research shows that eating protein before a workout can help burn more calories and burn fat more efficiently. By maximizing our use of fat for fuel, we enhance our ability to perform better during that workout and therefore our results. Refuelling after our workouts helps with recovery, replenishing glycogen stores, and muscle building. Tip: go for an easily digestible protein 45 minutes prior, not within that window to help avoid any gastric problems during the workout. Consume a protein and carb source right after.
Get off the scale! Our weight fluctuates from morning to night, day to day. It is our relationship to gravity… weighing yourself everyday and putting too much importance on that number, is not helpful. If you want to see what is actually going on, try a body composition scan which can tell you much more useful information, such as your lean mass, skeletal muscle mass, fat mass, body water etc. We utilize an InBody scanner and you can book a scan, it is quick, easy and much better way to find out how your efforts are playing out. (contact us if you are interested)
Taking our amazing bodies for granted. Our bodies are powerful and beautiful. Make sure whatever fitness and nutrition plan you decide on, is grounded in love and not hate. Take a moment to appreciate what your amazing body can do.
Thank you to you Abbie-Smith- Ryan with Girls Gone Strong for this inspiration.
