Many of us will have made our New Year resolutions and no doubt, the majority of them will have something to do with getting fit or losing weight.
One handbag.com reader reveals her New Year resolution as, "I would like to lose half a stone in eight weeks as well as tone up. What would be the best exercise for me and how often should I do it?"
John Williams, one of David Lloyd Leisure's top health and fitness experts, comes to the rescue: "This is one of the most common questions we are asked. Losing weight and exercising to tone up can be a challenge but with this focus in mind, it's important to think about both exercise and diet in order to achieve your goal. Much emphasis is put on exercise and not enough on choosing the right foods - it's important to get the right exercise-nutrition balance in order to lose weight and tone up successfully. Many may be surprised to find out that nutrition counts for approximately 80% of weight loss and toning results!
"When I meet a member for the first time, my initial question is: 'What is your goal?' In my experience, it's key to have a goal to focus on and in order to achieve this goal you need to devise a strategy. Of course, changing your diet and upping your exercise regime will help you lose weight and tone your body, however this isn't a very thorough strategy. If you want the most efficient results, its important to have a comprehensive strategy that addresses all key principles that will ensure maximum weight loss and toning."
John outlines key principles of the strategy he teaches his members. By follow these simple pointers, he believes that you will achieve more efficient weight loss and muscle toning, therefore meeting your goal in less time.
Set a goal and write it down
Individuals who write their goals down are six times more likely to achieve them.
A healthy speed to lose weight would be 1-2lbs per week. If weight loss is much faster than this it can mean that challenges may arise further down the line, such as excessive hunger and muscle wastage, both of which can contribute to the weight being put back on very quickly.
When writing goals down write them positively such as, "I will be eight stone in two months" as opposed to, "I want to lose 8lbs in two months". Writing goals positively encourages belief and commitment, which drives better weight loss behaviours.
Aim to eat meals with an approximate ratio of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat.
Meals with this ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats help to balance blood sugars and consequently hormones that are responsible for fat storage. Typically most diets have too much carbohydrate - all carbohydrate is converted to sugar, with the excess stored by the body as fat. Too much sugar also means energy highs and lows and regular feelings of hunger. Increasing protein intake to a moderate level will support feelings of feeling full.
Good choices for carbohydrates are fruit and vegetables, while white bread, rice, and pasta should be limited, as well as many other energy dense foods, most of which are processed.
For proteins, go for lean white meats such as chicken and turkey. Lean beef, fresh fish, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, eggs and dairy foods also are good. Avoid processed meat and excess dairy (which often comes with excess saturated fat).
For fats, try nuts, seeds and oils such as olive, avocado, flax and coconut. Avoid cakes, biscuits and many processed foods.
Eat regularly
Eat five moderate meals per day or three meals and two snacks with each meal being spaced two and a half to three and a half hours apart. To breakdown food and absorb it takes energy. Eating in this way will burn an approximate extra 350 calories per day. It is obviously important these meals are 40/30/30 and portion controlled.
Drink 0.033ml water per kilogram of body weight per day
Being hydrated is essential for weight loss and water helps with kidney and liver function, which play a larger role in burning fat. Perhaps more importantly is that if dehydrated, the body is thirsty. The signals for thirst are the same as hunger as the body knows we can get water from food. Therefore being dehydrated can lead to feelings of hunger and overeating. Being hydrated normalises appetite. So, as an example, a 70kg person needs to drink 0.33ml per kg of body weight, therefore 0.033 x 70 = 2.3 litres per day.
Incorporate resistance training to your exercise regime. Resistance training (weights) causes temporary increase in metabolism after each workout and if done regularly, will influence a permanent change in metabolism. For those that are concerned about developing bulky muscles, rest assured the development of bulky muscles is very hard to achieve and those you see with these types of muscles will have put extreme amounts of work into resistance training. Resistance training helps burns lots of fat and is an efficient way to exercise. Doing three to four resistance training session per week is recommend. Exercises that use big muscles are advised such as squats, chest presses and seated rows rather than exercises that use less muscle such as hamstring curls, bicep curls and tricep extensions.
Try to incorporate interval cardio as part of your exercise programme, and do so after resistance/weights training. Interval training increases metabolism so you achieve more fat loss from a session than you would if you were working out at a steady cardio rate. When using machines in the gym, opt for the interval training programme which will have you working harder and burning more calories. As with resistance training, three to four sessions per week are recommended with each lasting 20-30 minutes.
Want to know more?
David Lloyd Leisure's Lose And Shape Up programme incorporates the principles outlined above. The programme is unique with its total body approach to shedding the pounds. The 12-week journey combines four components: nutrition, resistance training, cardio training and support, all of which are tailored to specific needs.
Lose And Shape Up is available throughout all David Lloyd Leisure clubs now. Visit www.davidlloyd.co.uk for more details.
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