1. Have protein with every meal.
Protein helps repair and synthesize all cells, including muscles cells. So it is great for building lean muscle and therefore speeding up your metabolism for maximum fat loss. It helps you feel fuller for longer so you don’t overeat calories as it is a natural portion controller.
2. Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day.
Often when we think we are hungry and reach for snacks we are in fact thirsty. Drinking enough water reduces cravings for snacking. It also hydrates your body to help synthesize muscle tissue, helps with digestion, and helps metabolize fat. That means it helps loosen up the fat in the cells so it can be released out of the fat cell and into your blood so you can use it as energy.
3. Limit treat food to once or twice a week.
‘Treat food’ is anything processed, anything high in sugar or processed fats, fast food, and food that comes in packages and sits in your pantry.
4. Move!
Moving as much as you can each day helps you burn more fat, build more muscle and is awesome for your mental health, to boot! If you work in an office, set yourself a reminder to stand up every 45-60 minutes and walk around for 2-3 minutes. The movement not only helps burn energy, it will make you far more productive because you are giving your brain a break. Aim at getting 10,000 steps per day. Be active for at least 30 minutes per day, either in formal exercise, gardening, cleaning, going for a ‘huffy puffy’ walk, etc. and participate in formal exercise that will challenge you, at least 3 times a week.
5. Get 7-8 hours of good quality sleep per night.
Your body burns the most fat whilst sleeping. Sleep also helps reduce stress in your mind and on your body. When you are stressed, you have elevated cortisol and adrenaline, our 2 stress hormones. When these hormones are secreted, there is no focus on fat burning. The body is too busy in ‘fight or flight’ mode. When we are stressed your body is also constantly secreting glucose as energy, preventing your body from using fat as the energy source. So you tend to store more fat. By sleeping more and sleeping better, you help manage that stress and you burn more fat.
– Coach Terri