Many of my clients ask, so what do I need to do to lose weight? Well, my message from today’s blog is this, which is what I have adopted myself:
Focus less on weight loss and more on changing your body composition. To do this, you need to focus on my 4 C’s:
1. Consistency
Aim to do something active each day and try to get in at least 2 strength and conditioning (S&C) sessions each week. And, if you can’t fit a full workout in, there are lots of other ways to get active in a short space of time, such as:
- Going for a light 5 min jog around the block on your lunch break or before/after work or school pickup, or if you don’t have the energy for a jog, then power walk instead!
- When you are craving your mid morning or afternoon coffee, take the stairs there and back instead of the lift or walk to the coffee shop.
- Get off the train or bus a few stops earlier, or park your car some distance from the office or school drop off/pick up and walk for a bit.
- When you need to make a phone call, go for a walk around the block and talk at the same time.
- Take the kids to the park and run around with them or play ball.
- Do 5 sets of planks, planking for 50 seconds, then resting for 10 seconds while you watch TV at night.
Remember, you don’t have to spend hours moving, but getting some movement in is better than nothing at all! So, really there’s no excuses – you just have to schedule in some time and make it happen. The washing, cleaning up, paperwork etc etc can wait! For me, I do 3-4 S&C sessions per week, and then break these up with 2-3 runs in between, even if it’s only for 30 mins in between clients! It’s the intensity of the workout, not the length of time that is important!
Also on the theme of consistency, you need to be consistent with your nutrition most of the time. Binge eating and drinking on the weekend, then restricting your calories during the week, then bingeing again, is not going to help you see progress. Be consistent for the most part and you will see results!
2. Challenge Yourself
If you are working out, always try to push yourself that little bit extra each time. This might be increasing the intensity of your workout by trying to get more repetitions within a timeframe, or increasing your weights that you are lifting or sprinting instead of jogging. Obviously you don’t want to go too hard too fast as you don’t want to injure yourself and not be able to do anything! Gradual progress is the key. You know your own body, so you need to listen to your body and step it up gradually!
This also applies to your nutrition. If you know chocolate is your downfall, challenge yourself to throw every bit of chocolate that you have in the house away and make a commitment to yourself not to buy anymore. But, remember, when we eliminate something, we also need to replace it with something reasonably appealing otherwise you are going to crave what you cant have. So, come up with a healthy alternative to that chocolate block, like a sugar-free iced chocolate with almond milk or chocolate chia pudding to satisfy any cravings!
3. Clean eating
So you’ve probably heard this saying….. 
Unfortunately its true. So, you may feel as though you have smashed it this week squeezing in 4 sessions during the week, but if your food intake is out of wack, then you are just going to undo all the hard work you have put in during the week. And you know how hard you have worked so you don’t want to sabotage all this effort!!
I’m not a big believer in diets and fads, as these are not sustainable and most of us simply put on the weight we may have lost the minute we stop. I’ve said it before, but our food intake has to be realistic and a lifestyle change – part of the every day.
So, clean eating is the key. Remember – be consistent!
4. Cut Alcohol
The last C is a tough one for many of us, as most of us enjoy a social drink or two or three! Ideally you might want to cut alcohol completely, even if just for a bit, which is what I have done and I don’t really miss it at all, although I do have one or two here and there! But if this is too hard, just cutting back a bit can make a difference. Check out Bodyscape’s previous blog on Alcohol and its Empty Calories for more info!
http://bodyscapehealthandfitness.com.au/2018/10/11/alcohol-and-its-empty-calories/
So, adopt these 4 C’s into your every day and you WILL see progress and reap the rewards!
