When it comes to healthy eating for weight loss, it really is true that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail! Getting home after a hard day’s work to find the cupboards are bare or that you’d have to spend hours defrosting, chopping and cooking food can very easily put you on the road to your nearest restaurant or takeaway for a quick and easy fix.
1. Correct exercise technique.
If you are lifting weights it is important that you do so in the correct way. Lifting with the wrong form can lead to injury and pulled muscles which will put you off further training and ultimately take you further from your goal. Also do not strain to lift a weight you are not ready for yet as this can also cause injury. If you want to lift heavier weights, build up to it by progressively increasing your weight when you feel that repetitions of the exercise are becoming easier.
2. Protein.
Protein is the building block of muscle, so you need to include it in your eating plan. Lean meats and fish and pulses are good sources. Provide your body with the right fuel, and it will reward you with working more efficiently to build and repair muscles.
3. Consistency.
There is no point in going all out exercise, or diet wise for one day, only to return to old habits the next, or not work out for the rest of the month. A workout as an isolated incident won’t tone your muscles, but if you workout consistently you will start to achieve the results you’re looking for.
4. Don’t be afraid of weights.
We’ve talked about this before. Many people, especially women, are afraid of using weights as they are worried about ‘bulking up’. If you use weights in the appropriate way, and of the appropriate weight, you shouldn’t get bigger (unless that is your goal and you are working out in a specific way to achieve it). Lifting weights not only helps your muscles to be stronger and firmer, but more shapely too. It will also help you to lose fat as muscle burns more than fat!
5. Lose Body Fat.
Losing fat will help you to achieve more definition as your fat won’t be hiding your muscles from view. Also whilst fat is soft and squidgy, muscle is firmer, so overall you’ll appear more toned.
6. Drink Plenty of Water.
As we know, our bodies are mainly made up of water. Drinking plenty of water is part of proper nutrition and helps your body’s systems work. Water also means your skin is healthy and hydrated, and helps plump up your skin and muscles making them appear firmer. Once you achieve your ideal body, you’ll want lovely clear healthy skin too so you can show it off!
7. Compound Movements.
Exercises based on compound movements involve at least two different parts of the body, and means working two sets of joints at once. Firstly this means you are burning more calories whilst you work out, for instance squatting whilst performing bicep curls burns more calories than just performing bicep curls on their own. This means you work out two areas of your body at once, and your workouts can be shorter and more effective.
8. Allow your muscles to rest.
Training regularly and intensely is important for you to achieve your goals, but you also need recovery time so your muscles can repair. This means plenty of sleep as this is when your muscles actually grow as your body releases HGH (human growth hormone) in REM sleep stages. Try shifting the focus of your workouts so you’re not over training one muscle group and forgetting other ones!
9. Progressive Training.
If you always do the same thing with the same weight, you will achieve a certain level of ability – but it will only be the ability to lift that weight, that many times, in that exercise. Basically you’ll be able to do what you are doing. In order to continue to challenge your muscles so they can continue to develop, you need to add repetitions, try a heavier weight and progress. Try different types of exercises for each muscle group to keep challenging your body.
Read more on Top Ten Ways to get more Muscle Tone!…
It’s very easy to grab a drink of fruit juice instead of taking the time to eat a piece of fruit. The thing is… it’s not the same! Below are a few reasons why you should choose to eat fruit and veg instead of drinking juices.
Read more on Eat your fruit and vegetables instead of drinking them!…
Boost your healthy eating plan to help you burn off 
stubborn abdominal fat by including some of these super helpful foods!
1. Oats
Porridge is a really good choice for breakfast as its low GI means it stays in your stomach longer, stabilising your blood sugar and keeping you full for longer. Oats are full of soluble fibre which helps reduce cholesterol, and is also beneficial in fighting colon cancer by flushing bad digestive acids out of the system. Don’t cover your breakfast in golden syrup though – try cinnamon or adding some fruit to sweeten it.
Read more on 5 Foods that fight abdominal fat!…
It would be lovely to think that we could have all the pleasure and taste of our favourite indulgences with a fraction of the calories, and indeed the supermarkets and food manufacturers would love us to believe that!
Read more on Your personal trainer says, why low fat foods are keeping you fat!…
We’ve talked a lot about how exercise is essential if you are trying to lose weight, but what if excess pounds aren’t your concern? In case you were thinking that if you don’t want to lose weight or if you are at the end of your weight loss journey then you don’t need to exercise, here are a few reasons to change your mind!
Keep it off!
Starting to exercise, or continuing to exercise even though you are at your goal weight will ensure that you don’t put any weight on and maintain your goal weight for ever!
Read more on Other Reasons To Exercise…