There are so many factors that go into a healthy lifestyle. Making changes to our body composition takes a lot of hard work. It can seem a bit overwhelming at times, so lets simplify things. Here are 3 things you can start doing now:
1. Strength Training + Zone 2 Aerobic
Strength Training increases muscle mass. Muscle mass has a direct correlation to metabolism. Why is that so awesome? Because the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism, which improves your Basal Metabolic Rate. The higher your BMR, the higher your rate of burning fat. That’s why strength training is the best method to improve body composition. Start with moderate weight and build over the weeks so that you are progressively lifting heavier over time. This will provide the stimulus needed to gain strength and build muscle.
Walking or slow jogging/rowing/biking/skiing, etc… is a great compliment to strength training. As long as you are staying in a specific heart rate zone (zone 2), than you are in the “fat burning” zone. Zone 2 is defined as keeping your heart rate between 60-70% of your MAX HR. To find your MAX HR take 220 and subtract it by your age. So if you are 40 years old, your MAX HR is 180. 60-70% of that is 110-130. You want to be working at or under 130 beats per minute to stay in Zone 2 - The FAT burning zone! If your training intensity is too high, you’ll be burning sugars as your energy source. That is why so many people bang their heads against the wall with these high intensity cardio classes day after day and wonder why they are not losing fat. Slow and steady wins the race!
2. Increase your Protein
You can hit the weights as hard as you want, but if the goal is to increase muscle in order to burn more fat, then you must support this outside the gym by consuming an adequate amount of protein. Otherwise, all your hard work in the gym is wasted. To figure out how much protein you should be consuming, take your GOAL WEIGHT and multiply that by 80-100% and that is your range for grams of protein per day. If you have a goal of weighing 150 pounds, then your range of protein is 120-150 grams per day. You CANNOT be inconsistent with this and expect it to work. Just like with anything in life, the more consistent you are at hitting these numbers, the better results you will see.
3. Eat Fat, Get Thin
This is the title of a book I read years ago by Dr. Mark Hyman - still one of my favorites. It lays out the importance of fat in our diet and how years of misinformation led us to the most unhealthy state Americans have ever been. We were told to eliminate or decrease our fat intake (low fat milk/dairy products, etc) and increase carbohydrates. This only led to people becoming sicker and more obese. Luckily, we know more now and have adjusted our outlook on food. If you want to lose FAT, you must EAT FAT. Fat (from animal products, wild caught fish, grass-fed butter, avocados, nuts/seeds, coconut oil, etc.) are healthy for us. Fat plays a vital role in how we function as humans - for the health of our organs, hormones and down to the cellular level. Simply put, you eat fat and you will burn fat. That is why so many who adopt the ketogenic or carnivore diet have success in fat loss. I’ve never told any of my clients to be 100% keto or carnivore, but if you can start moving the needle more towards fat and protein and further away from carbohydrates, you will be on your way.
I hope these 3 simple steps offer you a starting point in moving you towards your desired results. Building confidence, feeling strong and energetic are all things that cannot be replaced. And hey, if you can lose some fat and build muscle along the way - that’s pretty cool.
If you are tired of trying to do this on your own and would like some guidance and support, we do that at a professional level. Let’s start with a conversation.