With the holidays fast approaching, we will all once again be faced with enough food to feed 20 families. The pressure is on for sure, but the questions I ask you are you ready to handle that pressure and be successful in your weight loss goals? To many times I have seen clients of mine and non-clients continually give up on their goals because they allowed themselves to give in to the sweet aroma of a succulent turkey, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, not to mention desserts like sweet potato pie, or peach cobbler and my particular favorite, oreo ice cream pie (I'm making you hungry, aren't I).
In any case, if you're serious about losing weight, and tons of unwanted fat, you are going to want to continue reading this article for my top 10 fat burning, metabolism boosting tips. By using this information and taking massive action this holiday season, you will surely discover a leaner, fitter body that will make you more attractive, improve your health, and provide you with a new lease on life.
Dessert
Isn't that what you want?
To be totally honest with you, fat loss is simple. However, we are constantly tempted by friends, co-workers, and even ourselves to give in to our wants and desires, even though we feel bad about in the end because we know that once we step on the scale we're going to be five pounds heavier. So how do you make fat loss simple? By adhering to my ten rules of success to lose 10 pounds of fat or more and in less time than you think. If you use the information daily and apply constantly, there is no reason why you shouldn't lose at least 10 pounds of unwanted fat and 1-2 dress sizes before New Year's Day.
So if you want don't want blow up like a hot air balloon this holiday season, apply these tips to shape a new, leaner, sexier you.
1. Don't eat so much- This tip should be very obvious, but still needs to be addressed. 69% of Americans or overweight or obese, and it's not because we all have mutated genes or because we all just have big bones or anything that people like to use to make up excuses about being overweight.
Take more time to plan what you're going to eat on Thanksgiving and Christmas day, or any day for that matter. Try not to cover every inch of your plate with all the food you have available to you. Choose either the ham or the turkey, but never both. Choose two of your most favorite sides and make one is a starch and the other a vegetable. For example, you could have 4oz piece of ham along with whole grain stuffing and green bean casserole each being a serving the size of your fist.
Follow up with just a small piece of dessert and DO NOT GO BACK FOR SECONDS!
2. Don't starve yourself all day, only to gorge later on- I see this all the time. People will kill themselves by not eating the entire day just so they can do exactly what I told not to do in step 1.
Any time you starve yourself your body goes into fat storage mode. This is bad because when this occurs your body is not only storing fat, it is also dumping lean muscle tissue; which sends your metabolism crashing down worse than jet whose engines has gone out. If you think this is fun doing this to yourself then by all means keep at it, but don't be frustrated when you step on scale later and have buy bigger jeans because of your inability to resist eating so much.
3. Follow a MRT (metabolic resistance training) program- If you're not doing any resistance training then you are really doing yourself a disservice. Those with the best bodies have gotten them from following a well balanced resistance training program. You will do even better by following a MRT program. These programs focus on boosting your metabolism, strength, and cardiovascular health all at once. As a fitness professional and expert on fat loss I have had great success with many of clients by following the same system as opposed to traditional fitness programs. Here is an example of a program I would use at home with no equipment:
Warmup-5-10min (30 seconds on all exercises)
Run in place
Drop Squats
Walk out pushups
Supine 90 degree hip Crossovers
Shoulder Scaption
Repeat warm-up one more time after resting 1 minute
Ab Superset- 5 minutes (Perform each exercise for 30 seconds)
Side Plank w/ knee lift
Cross body Mountain Climbers
Rest 1min before repeating one more time
Strength Circuit-10min (Perform each exercise for 50 seconds, 10 seconds of rest in between exercises)
Overhead Sumo Squats
Grasshopper Pushups
Step up to lift on sturdy table or step
Rows in pushup position
Cross Country Skiers
Rest 1min and repeat 1-2 more times
Cooldown- 5 minutes
Corrective Static Stretching, (Stretch only your tightest muscles for 30 seconds each)
Calves
Quadriceps
IT Bands
Low Back
This workout should take you no more than 30 minutes to complete, but it will send your metabolism through the roof for days! Science has proven the efficiency of MRT workouts time and time again. So I would suggest you following this program if fat loss is your goal.
These simple, yet effective steps will help you start the process of achieving the body you want. If you are committed to your health and ultimately yourself you'll do more to achieve yours of being leaner, more attractive, and more confident than ever before. On the flip side, you could be heavier, less attractive, and less confident. What's your choice?
3 Steps to Beating the Holiday Weight Gain Blues and Burn 10 Pounds of Fat Before New Year's Day
Ron Kusek, Certified Fitness Professional