| "> | | | | associated with weight gain. (Cortisol is also known |
| 1) All Cardio & NO Resistance Training! | | | | as the 'fat storage' hormone.) |
| If your goal is to lose bodyfat and change your | | | | Prolonged stress can also interfere with blood |
| shape, cardio by itself is not enough. | | | | sugar levels, cause mood swings, hyperglycaemia |
| To shape and sculpt your body, focus your | | | | and fatigue. |
| efforts on preserving lean muscle. This can be | | | | When stress is left unchecked we tend to crave |
| accomplished by training with weights 2 or 3 days | | | | more fat, salt and sugar which in turn can lead to |
| per week. | | | | unconscious or 'emotional eating.' |
| Without resistance training it's highly likely you'll | | | | Deal with stress as soon as it arises, and in |
| face an uphill battle trying to lose weight. Why is it | | | | constructive ways that won't sabotage your |
| so important to maintain lean muscle? Because | | | | weight loss efforts. |
| the more lean muscle you have, the faster your | | | | 6) Lack of intensity! |
| fat burning metabolism operates!nb: Contrary to | | | | Many people sell themselves short by staying |
| popular belief, women who train with weights do | | | | within their comfort zone. In doing so, they never |
| not become big and bulky - in fact, the opposite is | | | | give their bodies a reason to change. To lose |
| true! This is because muscle is more dense and | | | | weight on a regular basis you'll need to challenge |
| takes up less room than bodyfat. When you put | | | | yourself by attempting to:a) Cover a greater |
| on muscle you can expect to lose centimetres | | | | distance in the same timeframeb) Add more |
| and shrink in size! | | | | repetitionsc) Increase weightsd) Reduce recovery |
| 2) Too Much Cardio! | | | | times |
| Are you spending hours every week jogging, | | | | 7) Alcohol! |
| biking, swimming etc in order to burn more | | | | As alcohol can't be stored, its energy is |
| calories? Baffled as to why you're not losing | | | | metabolized until all the alcohol is cleared from the |
| weight? (and in some cases actually gaining | | | | body. This means that less energy from body fat |
| weight?) The reason is simple. Cardio performed | | | | stores is used while alcohol is in the bloodstream. |
| to excess results in a loss of muscle tissue. | | | | In other words, people who drink frequently may |
| When you lose muscle your metabolism slows | | | | have increased potential for weight gain because a |
| down and you burn less calories. This would mean | | | | higher percentage of the energy from food eaten |
| that you need to work out longer to burn the | | | | during the day is converted and stored as fat. |
| same number of calories. Not only is this approach | | | | Also, alcohol is very calorie dense. Compare the |
| unsustainable, it exacerbates the problem even | | | | amount of energy in alcohol compared to other |
| further! | | | | nutrients: |
| Despite what you might have been led to believe, | | | | 1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories |
| conventional 'go slow' cardio is NOT the best way | | | | 1 gram of protein = 4 calories |
| to burn bodyfat. | | | | 1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories |
| Try substituting a long duration cardio workout | | | | 1 gram of fat = 9 calories |
| (40 mins or more) for 20 minutes of interval | | | | Alcohol contains almost twice as many calories as |
| training. Interval training simply involves alternating | | | | a gram of carbohydrate or protein - and almost |
| periods of high and low intensity within the same | | | | as much as fat! No wonder alcohol is so fattening! |
| workout.) | | | | 8) Shift work! |
| Not only will you continue to burn calories after | | | | This one might come as a surprise... |
| your workout - up to 48 hours in some cases - | | | | Shift work, especially working through the night, |
| you'll markedly improve your cardiovascular | | | | interferes with our natural circadian rhythms |
| fitness. This is something that traditional low | | | | (internal body clock) and disrupts our hormone |
| intensity cardio does not achieve. | | | | balance. |
| (For more information, read my article, 'The | | | | According to sleep researcher, Simon Smith, |
| Shocking Truth About Cardio!' | | | | "biologically we're designed to be awake and |
| 3) All Carbs & NO Protein! | | | | running around during the day and asleep at night." |
| One of the secrets to a faster metabolism is | | | | Graveyard shift workers tend to gain weight |
| eating small amounts of protein throughout the | | | | more easily than their daytime counterparts. This |
| day. Protein produces a 'thermic' effect. This | | | | is because we digest food more efficiently during |
| means that the body has to expend more | | | | daylight hours and our metabolism slows down at |
| calories to digest protein that it does to digest | | | | night. |
| carbohydrate or fat. | | | | 9) Fad diets! |
| Plus, eating protein every few hours makes you | | | | Low calorie, fad diets slow your metabolism |
| feel fuller and stabilises blood sugar levels. Protein | | | | making it progressively more difficult to lose |
| is an essential ingredient for weight loss! | | | | weight and keep it off. (This condition is often |
| 4) Infrequent Eating! | | | | referred to as Metabolic Syndrome or Syndrome |
| If you routinely skip breakfast, eat on the run and | | | | 'X') |
| or eat infrequently, it can be very difficult to lose | | | | If you can't sustain a nutrition plan week after |
| bodyfat on a consistent basis. Whenever the | | | | week, month after month, year after year, then |
| body perceives a 'famine' it will slow your | | | | by definition it's a DIET! |
| metabolism and store excess calories. | | | | Avoid fad diets like the plague and stick with a |
| To turn your body into a fat burning machine, eat | | | | long term healthy eating plan instead. |
| 5-6 times per day and space your meals/ snacks | | | | 10) The Wrong Mental Attitude! |
| 2-3 hours apart. | | | | As Henry Ford said, "Whether you think you can |
| 5) Stress! | | | | or can't, you're right! |
| 'Stress' in itself is not the problem - it's the way | | | | Believe in yourself, be willing to try a new |
| we deal with it! | | | | approach to weight loss, and be consistent and |
| Unresolved chronic stress releases a hormone | | | | persistent with your weight loss efforts. |
| called cortisol which slows the metabolism and is | | | | With the right mental attitude you simply can't fail! |