You’re exercising. You’re eating better than you have in years. Yet the fat isn’t shedding as quickly as you’d hoped. It’s easy to say and hard to hear, but don’t be discouraged. Every “body” is different, each reacting differently and at a different pace to exercise and diet. If there’s a key to long-term health (and that long-sought beach body) it’s consistency. The one common denominator among those in the upper echelons of the fitness community is making fitness a lifestyle, a routine, not a frantic scramble right before summer. And the older you get, the more that holds true.
That being said, there are surefire ways to lose fat quickly, cheaply, and without killing yourself in the process.
1. Nighttime Eating
This is a no-brainer in much of Europe, but in the U.S. of A., gorging ourselves when the sun goes down is as American as (and sometimes includes) apple pie. So stop. It may be the family routine to come home from a busy day at work, after eating fast meals or none at all, and sitting down to a huge dinner. The body needs carbs for energy during the day, so pack those in at breakfast and lunch. Try pasta-free dinners, substituting fruit and veggies–grilled pineapple, watermelon, salads, asparagus, artichokes–and of course a solid protein. This will not only help build muscle, but it will ensure that you’re not laying your head down at bedtime with a belly full of energy-producing carbs, thus allowing you to fall asleep faster and sleep better.
2. Say No
A co-worker walks around the office with a box of pastries or cookies, and nobody wants to be rude. Being well-mannered has nothing to do with junk food, and junk food has a very combative relationship with personal fitness goals. Patting your stomach and saying, “I better not,” is an easy out. Make this a habit and start tallying the number of unhealthy calories you’ve passed up over the course of a week, a month, or a year. Then, instead of patting your stomach, pat yourself on the back.
3. Stop Jogging
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) isn’t a fad. It’s basic science, and the results of dozens of studies are unequivocal. Your body is a machine built for survival. If you shock it into thinking that it needs to be quick, agile, and strong in a hurry–because your workouts reflect this level of intensity–your body will adjust accordingly, and quickly. The first workout routine to scrap for optimal fat loss is jogging (or worse, the elliptical machine). Replace it with sprints, preferably at 30-second intervals followed by 30 to 60 seconds of walking.
Next, review your weight lifting schedule, particularly your splits and rest periods. While the results are impressive, most of us don’t have the time (or patience) to hang out in a gym all day. Luckily, workouts don’t need to last more than 45 minutes. Get in, get it on, and get out.
Fill your rest times with other, secondary exercises. Much has been written about the perfect workout splits, but here’s a general rule: keep moving. Rather than resting between sets of leg extensions, pick up a pair of dumbbells and bust out some curls. Between each set on the bench press, get down and crank out a couple dozen situps.
Remember: fitness is a commitment. Make it a part of your life, and in a year from now you won’t have to look down and wonder what you might have looked like if you’d started today.
Teri
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