Today we’re diving into lifestyle factors which influence body composition. But first, here’s a quick summary of what we covered regarding nutrition over the last 2 weeks:

Smart Nutrition: Prioritize high protein intake (25-35%) while balancing fats and carbs.

Home-Cooked Goodness: Opt for homemade meals with whole foods to nourish your body.

Track and Adjust: Short-term tracking helps you understand your food composition and nutritional needs. Stay open to adjustments.

Consistency Matters: Maintain a steady daily intake to avoid unhealthy eating cycles and support your body's functions.

Caloric Intake: Create a modest caloric deficit through diet or increased activity.

Listen to Your Body: Make adjustments based on how you feel, avoiding extremes, and be open to increased caloric needs for muscle building.

It's no secret that physical activity influences body composition, but it's essential to understand how to approach it.

I've gone through frustrating periods in my life when it felt like I was stuck on a hamster wheel… I would make some progress, but I had to continuously push harder just to maintain, let alone improve, my results.

The good news is, it doesn't have to be this way.

Now, with a better understanding, I take a much more balanced, empowering, & enjoyable approach for myself & my clients.

Let's clear up a few myths before we get started:

• You do not need to train 5+ days a week (more is not better!)

• Not every workout will leave you sweating buckets & gasping for air (nor should it)

• Only focusing on cardio MAY help you lose weight in the short term but it’s not a good long-term strategy

• Fasted workouts are not helpful for burning fat & can put unnecessary stress on the body

So what SHOULD you focus on when it comes to exercise?

Strength Training

I've personally seen the significant physical & mental benefits that come from moving away from a mindset focused on burning calories and restricting food (and helped many other women do the same).

I am a firm believer that magic happens when we embraced an approach that prioritizes building strength and supporting the body.

Why strength training?

1. Boosted Metabolic Rate: Strength training increases your muscle mass which demands more energy to maintain (more calories are burned at rest). It’s necessary to challenge your body through resistance training AND get proper nutrition for muscle growth and recovery. This is also key in long-term weight management.
   
   

2. Improved Insulin Sensitivity: It can enhance insulin sensitivity, making your body more efficient at utilizing glucose and maintaining stable blood sugar levels. This is not only beneficial for your body composition but also essential for your overall health.
   
   

3. Mental and Emotional Benefits: Beyond physical changes, strength training can make you feel BADASS and help tremendously with mental health. It's important to recognize that many behaviours that can hinder your fat loss goals are linked to mental stress and emotions, a topic we'll explore in more detail next week.

TOP TIPS:

1. Aim for 2-4 sessions a week

2. Focus on maintaining good form while challenging yourself to continuously add weight/reps over time. Most of your sets should feel challenging by the end. If you feel like you can do more than 3-5+ reps at the end of your sets, it’s likely time to push harder.

3. Fuel for your workouts: have a bigger meal 2-3h before or a smaller snack 30-60 minutes before you train. A fuelled body is one that trains harder.

4. Follow a structured program! The right amount of repetition is important to build muscle but also to assess your progress over time. It’s also very rewarding to see where you started and how you’ve improved!

5. Work with a qualified professional to make sure you’ve got your form down and/or to make sure you have a program that sets you up for success.

Looking for an in-person or online personal trainer, or perhaps a properly structured fitness program? I’ve got you covered!

Daily Movement

Incorporating regular movement into day to day life, outside of formal exercise, is often neglected but SO IMPORTANT.

Like I mentioned before, stress & emotions have a major influence over your bodily functions as well as behaviours.

This habit can certainly support fat loss. Not just by burning extra calories, but by improving your overall health and wellbeing too.

It’s a phenomenal way to help reduce stress, improve sleep & mood, help digestion, balance hormones, and more!

It’s all too easy to remain sedentary when many of us work from home, drive everywhere, and can order just about anything we need directly to our door.

To put it simply, a few hours of formal exercise a week will not undo a sedentary lifestyle.

This is why I encourage you to be really intentional about making this a priority.

TOP TIP:

Aim for 8-10k steps a day or spend at least 45-60 minutes walking daily. You can break this up into 1, 2 or even 3 walks throughout the day. I highly recommend getting outside for this rather than doing it indoors but something will always be better than nothing.

But wait, what about cardio?

Cardio is great for it’s own reasons and has many benefits.

I like to see it as the cherry on top when we’re talking about fat loss.

You can absolutely lose fat without doing cardio so my advice is to prioritize strength training & daily movement FIRST, and add in cardio if you’d like.

If you’re looking for help when it comes to strength training, message me or head to my website to learn more about personal training and online programming.

Stay tuned for my final but perhaps most important piece on fat loss NEXT WEEK: Sleep & Stress

If you have any questions, I’d love to chat.

EMAIL OR DM ME TO BOOK YOUR FREE DISCOVERY CALL