I’m going to share something very simple with you

“How you move it determines exactly how you lose it”

Sounds pretty straight forward doesn’t it?

But this isn’t no simple post of ‘move and lose’ or ‘stay sat and get fat’

As that stuff is just way too ‘slap you in the face’ obvious!

No I’m going to go a little deeper than that and tell you exactly how you can achieve great results easier

Okay, you ready to get started?

So here goes, my 8 steps to you maximising your results and achieving the body you’ve always dreamt of

1. Eat less, sleep more

In order to achieve any health, fitness or weight loss results these 2 elements are essential.

But I’m not meaning that you should starve yourself and have more lie ins

Anything but as I advise eating 3-6 meals a day (3 main meals and up to 3 snacks) and having a lie in every now and then is always good for the soul

What I’m meaning is to eat less of the foods that promote poor health and weight gain and eat more of the foods that increase metabolism, detoxification and weight loss

I won’t bore you today with all the details as you can read all about it in the 7 Deadly Food Sins and 27 Foods to Fight Fat

Though I will leave you with these too tips

1. Eat less is to graze less, especially on those sugar loaded, empty calorie snacks that are gonna create cravings and cause you a lot of grief in badly jeans!

2. Cut portion sizes. If you are like most and you have a large plateful in front of you, you’re gonna up do your damned hardest to finish it, right?

After all it’s rude to waste isn’t it

But you see, all you’re doing is pushing past the point of being comfortable

Forget what mummy used to tell that you had to clear your plate, only eat until your satisfied, after all, if you don’t finish the plate and you feel hunger later you can always go back to it for seconds

Over eating overloads the body, creates more work, puts more stress  on the liver and leads to more foods being turned into sugar (glucose), and eventually fat. Because if you’re not exercising enough to burn off all that excess energy then it’s got to go somewhere hasn’t it!

Lastly if you are not getting 7-9 of sleep a night you are sabotaging your results. Read this post Sweet Dreams to the Carb Monster as it is a true story of how I not only beat the carb monster but also improved my health and physique through more sleep

2. Move more

Okay you really cannot get more simple than step 2. Move more is exactly as it says, get your arse up and move it more.

Walk or cycle instead of drive, park further from your destination rather than right on the door step, take the stairs rather than the lift, all of these are easy ways to get moving more without too much added drama to your life

Getting moving requires the muscles to burn energy for fuel and burning energy creates a calorie deficit which is just what is needed to lose weight

No brainer really isn’t it!

Now if you can burn more calories than that of what you consume then you’re on to a winner baby!

Every movement requires energy so the more you move, especially the larger muscle groups the more energy you’ll burn and the leaner you can become!

So moving more is your second step to defining your body

3. Play

I personally love this one.

Add some play into your life as it’s a fun way to get moving, Especially if you have kids. Having a kick around, throwing a frisbee, flying a kite, having a play fight are all great ways to burn energy and just as importantly interact with your kids as they grow

Beats the crap out of plonking them in front of a tv getting a finger workout on the xbox too!

But maybe you don’t have kids or they’re just too old to play games with, but doesn’t mean you don’t have to stop playing does it

Leisurely walks, throwing balls with the old hound, cycling, racquet games, bowling, Pilates and taking up hobbies like gardening, martial arts and dance classes

All of these are awesome examples of easy ways to play and move

But personally you cannot beat my too best ways to burn energy, exercise and sex

Both are great great ways to burn calories and if you can do both then get on it, quite literally 🙂

4. Do less cardio

But hey, before you get on your high horse here I’m not saying that cardio is a bad thing as anything that gets you moving is anything but

All I’m saying is to get incredible weight loss results is to do less of it

If you’re a little confused then keep reading and I’ll explain all my fitness loving friend

Cardio, there is no doubt about it is a great way to burn energy and increase cardiovascular health but unfortunately it also has a few downsides too

First cardio, depending on type can be extremely repetitive and lead to strain or joint injuries especially with runners and cyclists

Secondly it can be a lot of effort for little reward. By this I mean that to burn a certain amount of energy you’ve got to do more for it. You can achieve almost the same energy deficit (calorie burn) doing weights or interval training in 30-45 minutes than you can doing 60 minutes running

Lastly when training cardio/aerobic ally your body requires oxygen and muscle protein as well as stored glycogen for fuel. This means if your aim is to have a lean, toned and athletic physique then you may only be hindering your results by loosing lean muscle mass

You only have to look at Olympic greats like Paula Radcliffe and Mo Farah to see there physiques to understand

As I said earlier though, I’m not saying cardio is bad for you, I’m just saying moderate it and train a little wiser to achieve a more muscular and leaner looking figure

Even if you’re a long distance runner, swimmer or cyclist, moderate your cardio a little, your body will love you more for it

The next 3 steps will help you to train a little wiser to increase your endurance, strength, speed and help you to burn fat at a phenomenal rate as long as you’re eating the right foods

5. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

If you want results then this is how you need to train, whether it’s with resistance, sprints or even cardio, high intensity interval training is the number 1 way to get results and fast

When training this way you put the body in to a state called EPOC (exercise post oxygen consumption) which simply means that you train at a high intensity for a set period, distance or reps, then during the rest periods your body works over time to restore itself to a state of normalcy. Therefore you are still burning energy not just during your periods of effort but also whilst resting between sets and also long after you’ve finished training too.

In fact by using High Intensity Interval training you can still be burning energy for up to 38 hours afterwards your workout is complete allowing you to continue to burn fat as you relax at home in front of your favourite soap

This is a major benefit compared to cardio as with cardio workouts your fat burning engine dies almost as soon as your workout does

A second benefit of interval training is that you can see progression quickly, especially when training with resistance. Your body will become stronger as you build more lean muscle mass allowing you to train for longer, with less rest and with heavier weights.

6. Sprint

Sprinting is such an underrated training method, but when you look at some of the greatest athletes from around the sporting world, sprinting would be in most of their training regimes

Not only does it allow you to train using intervals, the sheer dynamics of this training technique is geared to burn fat, and fast!

For one you’re using the whole entire body to produce as much power as possible, every muscle is needed, from the legs for speed, the core for stability and the arms for thrust

For that short burst you give absolutely everything, and giving everything counts

You’ve only got to check out the physique of these athlete to see that sprinting works

But adding sprinting to your workout doesn’t mean you’ve got to go and book some track time,

No way, Jose!

Sprinting can be done anywhere from on your street between lamp posts, on the treadmill during set time frames, during a run or simply from one point to another in a park

To sprint all you have to do as set your time or distance for your sprint, go all out, and I mean ALL OUT for that time and distance. When you’re done rest until your heart rate has returned to normal or your rest period is over, ie if you’re using intervals of 20 seconds effort and 10 seconds rest or 60 seconds effort and 60 seconds rest etc

Do sprint this for about 25 min a week and you will reap the benefits

Another way to get even more from a sprint is to add resistance. To do this the simplest way is to use hill sprints, you can also use weight sleds, pull tires or use an area with an abundance of steps. Adding resistance adds effort and added effort equals a bigger burn!

If you are to take anything from this post, embrace the sprint

7. Lift weights

Lifting weights is the ultimate way to sculpting a sexy, lean and strong physique.

But don’t worry if you’re reading this ladies, lifting weights won’t make you huge, the sheer dynamics of your cellular makeup will not allow this to happen.

To become huge it will take the use of specialist supplements and I’m not talking multi vits and fish oils

So my penultimate step for you is to learn to love the lift

Lifting weights can vary though depending on the physique you’re after

If you hate the feel of metal and don’t like the thought of hitting the weight shack with the big boys then train body weight. Use press ups, lunges, squats, planks, burpees and chin ups to name a few to create lean muscle mass and burn fat at unbelievable rates

You can add in resistance bands, ankle weights, weighted vests etc to aid progression and make workouts that little bit tougher.

If you like the thought of lifting weights then get on them. Free weights kick ass over resistance machines in my opinion. Only because training with free weights lets you follow your body’s natural lift lines whereas machines are set to there own lines allowing weaker muscles to be carried by stronger ones. Though machines do have there benefits though especially if you don’t have a spotting partner.

Some great lifts for weights are bench press, the weighted squat, dead lifts, clean and press, upright rows as these will aid you in hitting all the major muscle groups during a weighted workout

The more muscles you incorporate in a single lift the more energy you will burn and the leaner your physique will be

Happy days!

8. Get comfortable with getting uncomfortable

This was taught this in a recent seminar and it goes much further than just training. To see results or improvements in any area of life “getting comfortable with getting uncomfortable” is a necessity

Simply put, you need to step outside your comfort zone, each and every time you want to progress

If what you are doing now, training wise is comfortable, easy, barely makes you sweat or hardly leaves you out of breath then you’re just not pushing hard enough

You’re in that little safety zone that is holding you back!

Now I know some folk are simply unable to do this and that is cool, People have limitations, I totally get that

But everybody has an uncomfortable zone and that’s what you need to find in order to succeed

Moving outside your comfort zone is progression. I’m not saying to take massive leaps here, just small steps. When each new step becomes comfortable then make another step, and so on, and so on!

This can all be as simple as running that extra mile, lifting a heavier weight or doing that extra press up when your brains telling your body that you’re empty!

The body is a fine tuned machine and it’s capable of much more than the brain allows it

When you think you’ve had enough, just push a little harder!

So there you go my fitness friend

Put these 8 steps into action and I guarantee you will see results much quicker, I’m talking faster muscle development, “through the roof” endurance levels and jean size drops in as little as 3 weeks

Now that’s results!!!

Dedicated to your health and fitness

Simon ‘making it all make sense’ Anderson

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