By Chris Martinez
Aug.25, 2010-
1. Be intense with your exercises– Train hard, the harder you exercise the more calories you burn and this is what really counts when it comes to fat loss.
2. Choose your exercise carefully- There is no such thing as the “ultimate” calorie torching exercise. You have to have a regular and consistent activity planned that you enjoy doing and that will evidently allow you to burn off the fat.
3. Exercising larger muscles- Make sure to work out your larger muscle groups. Legs, back and chest have the most muscle fibers and will lead to greater fat burning if exercised frequently and intensely.
4. Interval Training- Where you mix hard efforts with bouts of recovery. This is one of the best ways of maximizing calorie expidenture. It increases aerobic fitness and cuts down on time.
5. Pre & post workout meals- Make sure to have a solid meal before your workout. This can come from lean proteins (chicken, fish, tuna, ground turkey) and complex carbs (brown rice, oats, wheat bread, sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta). Your body needs these nutrients to provide energy throughout your workout to help build muscle and burn fat.
6. HIIT Cardio- Instead of the typical boring hour cardio bout we all dread. Try High Intensity Interval Training. A new form of cardio that research proves greater fat burning. Example: outside sprinting for 25 min; 5 min brisk walk, 10 min of intervals (45 second walk and 15 second all out sprint), 10 min brisk walk cool down. Can also be done on other cardio machines.
7. Push yourself- Make sure you keep pushing your intensity level higher. Set mini goals every time you enter the gym or face a workout and push yourself to reach it!
8. Hit the weights- Don’t be afraid to hit the free weights. You will burn more fat by doing weight training, as opposed to hours of cardio. The more lean muscle tissue you have, the more your metabolism will speed up thus leading to fat burning.
9. Be smart- Although it’s great to always have that intense workout and leave the gym satisfied. We all have to be smart and get at least 6-8 hours of sound sleep, be well hydrated throughout the day and have a sound nutrition plan.
10. Eat four to six small meals per day- Every time you eat, your metabolism is stimulated, especially when your meals contain protein. Frequent feeding also reduces those over eating urges we all get. It also helps in managing insulin levels (blood sugar levels that rise too high and lead to fat storage) and provides a steady stream of muscle nourishing amino acids and nutrients. Each meal should contain protein, carbs and fat, in the same ratio as your daily macro nutrients. Keep fat low pre & post workout.