11 Proven Tips to Melt Away Body Fat
Can you smell those fresh breezes of spring in the air?
Can you smell the fresh breezes of spring in the air?
Do you feel the warmth of the sun on your face?
The birds are singing and if you listen closely, you can hear your summer clothes calling to you from the recesses of your closet.
You may be feeling a bit apprehensive about putting on your shorts and tank tops, after months of sweatshirts and holiday gatherings.
Spring is the perfect time to invigorate your own health and wellness journey. There's no better season to create those habits that will help you shed the extra pounds that might have crept up over the winter.
Embarking on a fat-loss journey can be as daunting as it is exciting, but armed with the right information and a burst of seasonal motivation, your goals can be well within reach.
If you are looking to get lean and embrace the vitality that spring epitomizes, this list of 11 tips to losing body fat is your ultimate guide. From nutritional advice to cutting-edge fitness strategies, whether you're aiming to fine-tune your diet, intensify your workouts, or find the mental hacks that keep you committed to your plan, I have compiled the 11 most effective ways to help you achieve the body composition you desire.
11 Proven Tips to Melt Away Body Fat in Time for Beach Season
1. DRINK MORE WATER
Dehydration can affect many aspects of your physical and mental health. 60% of your body is composed of water with your brain and muscles holding the highest percentages at 73% and 79% respectively. Your skin is 64% water.
What does that mean for you? If you are noticing brain fog, forgetfulness, dry skin, or wrinkles, checking your water intake is a great place to start to improve those symptoms.
11 Proven Tips to Melt Away Body Fat in Time for Beach Season
1. DRINK MORE WATER
Dehydration can affect many aspects of your physical and mental health. 60% of your body is composed of water with your brain and muscles holding the highest percentages at 73% and 79% respectively. Your skin is 64% water.
What does that mean for you? If you are noticing brain fog, forgetfulness, dry skin, or wrinkles, checking your water intake is a great place to start to improve those symptoms.
- FOCUS ON YOUR CALORIC INTAKE
When it comes to calories, not all are created equal. It is important to know how much protein, carbs, and fats you should be consuming based on your goals. Your caloric intake as well as your macronutrient needs are very individualized. You may need more or fewer based on factors such as age, activity level, stress level, sleep, and your goals. Sometimes we can't hit our macro goals, so make sure to stay within your caloric targets.
- CONSUME MORE PROTEIN
Protein supports fat loss in many ways:
- Reduces muscle loss
- Speeds recovery after exercise and/or injury
- Builds lean muscle
- Helps maintain a healthy weight
- Curbs hunger
I have my clients begin simply by striving to eat approximately 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass each day.
- EAT NUTRIENT-DENSE FOODS
Choose foods that are closest to their natural forms. Eating more whole foods gives your body the vitamins and minerals it needs to function at its best. Finding the ingredients for your meals around the edges of the grocery store and not on shelves in boxes will ensure you have a variety of nutrients throughout your week. Adding fresh fruits and fresh or frozen vegetables to your meals will fuel your body and help lower inflammation.
- TRACK YOUR FOOD
You don’t know what you don’t know. It is impossible to know how much you are eating if you do not track your food each day. Depending on your goals, you may only need to track occasionally or you may need to do it for an extended period of time.
To make small changes over time with your eating habits, you need to know your baseline calories and food choices (see #4 above). You can use free apps like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer to log your food, or use a notebook to keep track.
Ultimately, we can't manage what we don't measure.
- IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
Sleep is important for many reasons, not only when it comes to fat loss. It is your body’s way of recovering physically and mentally from your day. Not getting enough sleep puts stress on your body and mind, which can be seen in weight gain, impaired cognitive ability, mood swings, bloating, decreased energy, and poor performance.
You should get 7-9 hours of sleep and feel rested upon waking.
- FOCUS ON DAILY MOVEMENT
Your body was made to move. If you are not getting enough movement throughout the day, you will not burn as many calories. Getting steps in will help increase your insulin sensitivity, which is necessary for fat burning as well as staving off diabetes and other metabolic illnesses.
Your brain also functions better when you get an adequate amount of movement each day particularly if you get outside to do it. Anywhere from 8-10,000 steps is the generally accepted range for most people daily. However, when working with my clients, I find their baseline steps and set smaller goals over time to get them to a suitable level.
- RESISTANCE TRAINING
Adding resistance or strength training to your weekly schedule will accelerate your fat loss and build much needed muscle. If you have never trained this way, starting with 3 full body training days per week works well and can be done at home if you are not a member of a gym. More advanced lifters will want to seek out a more detailed training regimen for a 4 day per week split depending on your goals.
- PLAN AHEAD - PREP FOOD
With life as busy as it is, it is important that you have easy to grab nutritious food on hand. The best way to do this is to prepare meals with your protein and starchy carb of choice and freeze them. By choosing lean cuts of meat, you will keep the amount of fat you eat lower. Then all you need to do is grab the meal, a fruit, and head out the door. This keeps you from stopping at a convenience store and getting distracted by junk calories, which will slow your progress toward your fat loss goals.
- MINDSET - LIFESTYLE VS DIET
You have done the dieting, falling off, gaining weight plan most of your life. You know that does not work for the long term. Each time you go through this cycle, you gain even more weight and put yourself into a less advantageous metabolic state. Basically, you make it harder to lose fat the next time. That is why changing your mindset about losing fat this time is so important. This needs to be a long term plan that fits into your lifestyle with foods that you like, so that you can do this for the rest of your life.
- SURROUND YOURSELF WITH A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY
Nothing good happens in a vacuum. We all need support and help sometimes. Engage those you love and who care about you in your plan. Tell them what you are doing and why. Then ask them to support you and be specific about how they can do that. You may need a training buddy to text you in the morning to get you out of bed. There may be a friend at work who will go for a walk with you at lunch time. Meal prepping with your significant other can help both of you stay on track toward your goals and be healthier together.
In Conclusion
Never underestimate the value of a good coach to make your goals happen with expert guidance, knowledge, and years of applicable experience, because these 11 tips to help you lose fat are only as good as the intent and effort you put toward them. Truth be told, sometimes motivation and effort are hard to come by on your own.
Remember, it is up to you to take those first small steps, and you are in control of the results and the outcome.
Fortunately, I am here to help you along every step of the way. No matter what you need, I am here to help! Whether it’s 1:1 Coaching or joining us for our upcoming free webinar “Your Essential Guide to Putting Yourself First”.
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