Have you been exercising for months and don’t seem to be able to get anywhere?  Have you been dieting like mad but still don’t seem to be losing body fat?  Are you actually gaining weight while living a life of absolute deprivation and torture?  If you answered yes to even one of these questions then it’s time you re-evaluated your eating habits and your exercise program.

First, you need to make a decision that now is the time to start to successfully lose body fat and reshape your body permanently.  Next, you must ensure you are eating foods that are nurturing your body and that the exercise you are doing is turning your body into the energetic, toned, efficient fat burning machine that it is supposed to be.

Increasing the Amount of Muscle Mass You Have Will Help You Burn More Body Fat than You Ever Have Before

When exercising for fat loss you must include weight training in your program to get the most effective results.  It is your number one priority!  Weight training will increase the amount of lean muscle mass you have, which ultimately increases your resting metabolic rate.  This is great news, as it means you are increasing your body’s natural metabolism, which is the rate your body is burning calories.  As we get older our metabolic rate drops so it is important to stay relatively active throughout life and maintain our muscle mass, which ultimately makes it a lot easier to control body fat levels.

When exercising, make sure you are using maximum effort.  Concentrate on your posture and technique throughout your workout.  Focus all of your energy; mentally and physically towards the areas you are targeting.  Stretch which muscles require it during and after your exercise program.  Breathe deeply and evenly with each exercise.  Keep hydrated with plenty of water throughout the day.  Most importantly, please enjoy yourself and remember all your hard work will reap many rewards.

Your personal trainer can guide you in regard to exercising at the correct intensity level as well monitor your progress towards more challenging exercises.  They will monitor your training carefully to ensure you are continuously achieving greater improvements from your workouts.

Exercise Must Be a Part of Any Successful Weight Loss Program

Participating in low intensity exercises like power walking, slow jogging and low impact aerobics are great ways to supplement your weight training program and enhance body fat reduction.  For the best results, don't overdo the cardio vascular exercise.   Too much can cause your body to break down muscle tissue which is exactly what you don't want!  Muscle is what will ultimately help you loose your body fat so doing cardio for extended periods of time will actually be counter productive.

Reduce Your Body Fat Levels with Balanced and Healthy Eating

Often when people try to lose weight they do it without careful consideration of what they are doing.  Usually they drastically reduce the amount of food they eat and often skip meals, like breakfast and lunch, in an attempt to lose weight FAST!  Unfortunately things don’t quite work that way.  Not only does this type of ‘dieting’ leave you feeling drained and moody, it also causes your body to slow down its metabolism as it goes into starvation mode.  You will probably lose weight but it will be mostly muscle and water with a little fat.  Eventually, when you resume your normal eating habits, you will regain the fat you lost and maybe a little more.  This happens because now you have a slower metabolic rate due to a loss in muscle mass, which means the excess energy your body is not using is being stored as fat.  This is why we never advocate ‘diets’ for short periods of time as a method of losing weight.  We find people achieve more successful and permanent weight loss by adopting sound eating habits they can maintain for the rest of their lives.

General Guidelines for Permanent Fat Loss

• Eat enough food to give you the energy to exercise but no more than your body needs. 
• If you consume excess calories, you won’t burn them off and there will be no change in your body fat levels.
• Ensure your intake of proteins, carbohydrates and fats are in a balanced ratio.
• Reduce the amount of fats you consume, especially saturated fats. 
• The fats you do consume should come from cold pressed oils, nuts, seeds, avocado and fish.
• Try to drink at least 2 litres of water a day. 
• For every cup of coffee or tea you consume, drink another glass of water as these beverages are dehydrating.
• Eating a variety of foods in your diet ensures you’re getting the appropriate vitamins and minerals your body needs to function.
• Eat regularly throughout the day and NEVER skip meals.
• Eat foods that are nutritious, high in fibre, and organic if possible.

Remember: everything in moderation.  If you do have a sweet tooth, treat yourself to cake or chocolate occasionally, not every day!  That goes for savoury lovers as well.  Try to have your ham and pineapple pizza once a week instead of every couple of days.  At least this way you will have something to look forward to.

Make sure the eating patterns you plan to follow are realistic and workable into your lifestyle.  Don’t be too hard on yourself if it takes a while for you to change some things.  As long as you persevere and put in the effort you will get there.  There is no use trying to eat foods you don’t like or find hard to prepare, as you will become disillusioned quite quickly.  Remember, you are trying to lose body fat steadily and permanently in the most enjoyable and effective way possible.  So now that you have some knowledge about healthy eating and exercise, let’s use this information to give you the great body shape you deserve.  You can look forward to an abundance of energy as well!

© Kylie Pogson 1999

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