Written By: Coach Mairead
When someone comes into our gym saying that their goal is to lose weight or to tone up, what that really usually means is that they’re looking to lose or burn fat and build muscle!
Let’s go over 3 things that will make a difference when your goal is really to burn fat and change your body composition.
(Spoiler alert: there’s no fat-burning magic foods, and you can’t burn fat exactly in one area of your body!)
1. How will you build muscle?
Generally when we’re aiming for a “toned” look, that means we’re trying to see some muscle definition, so we need to build some muscles. Don’t worry ladies, the chances of ending up looking truly bulky are very low, unless you are training with that specific goal in mind! To build muscle, we need to add some kind of resistance activity. This could include weight training, banded movements, or body-weight strength movements – the options are endless!
At rest and during daily activities, having more muscle means we’ll be burning more calories, which can pay off in the long-term for fat-loss goals!
2. How intense is your exercise?
We can’t aim to have super intense activity all the time – all workouts have different benefits and different goals to make sure we’re getting those benefits. Have you heard that there’s a certain “fat burning range”, mainly when it comes to cardio? This is usually measured by heart rate or speed on an exercise machine. Lower intensity activities burn proportionally more calories from fat than from other energy stores. But with higher intensity, you are burning more calories total. That means that higher intensity activities, like a cardio workout in Group CrossFit or HIIT Boot Camp, will help you burn more calories from fat than the same amount of time spent with lower intensity activity.
3. Are you eating enough?
While this may seem counter-intuitive (we’re often told to eat less to lose fat), eating too little over a long period of time can slow down your metabolism. Your body is smart and will become more efficient at using the fuel you do give it if it’s not getting enough! For your fat-loss goals, this means your body will actually do what it can to hold onto extra fat stores until it is sure that it will get enough fuel consistently. There’s no easy fix for this, and it’s something that is so common in people who have been trying to diet for a long time.
The best bet is to work with a dietitian to make sure you’re meeting your needs, and focusing on long-term health.
Looking to learn more about how to help your body feel it’s best while working on your fat-loss goals? Let’s chat! I’m looking for TWO people who are ready to let go of their diet rules and food stress, and focus on long-term health habits.
If that’s you, let’s chat! Email
[email protected] to book your FREE Bite-Sized Nutrition Chat to find out if this is the right program for you!
