1. Be active during non-training hours
A 60-minute exercise is only 4% of your day. But what about the remaining 96%? As you might have guessed it makes a huge difference what you are doing in the non-training hours when it comes to staying lean. Increasing your activity throughout the day, means more energy expenditure on a daily basis. You can make small adjustments, such as taking the staircase instead of the elevator, going for a walk at lunch time, or putting your phone on the other end of the room, so you have to get up every time you want to use it. Besides burning more calories, you also get other positive side effects. Scientific research shows that the more physically active you are, the more energy you have and the better your mood is.
2. Strength train 3-5x per week
You don’t have to be in the gym every day! When you exercise for the purpose of building muscle, you are damaging your muscles. That’s literally what is happening. Though you are damaging your muscle during exercise, your body adjusts its hormones and makes adaptive improvements over the course of the next few days. It takes 24 hours for muscle to fully “heal” from a bout of hard exercise, and then another 24 to 72 hours to improve in size and strength. So, think of it as less-is-more.
3. Focus on your nutrition
“80% Nutrition, 20% Training.” … “You Can’t Out Train a Bad Diet.” … “Abs are Made in the Kitchen.” You heard these before. And it’s not difficult to see why – calories burned through physical activity can be easily off-set by calories consumed. But most importantly, exercise alone won’t construct a healthy body.
4. Rest often
Allow time for recovery. Contrary to popular belief, a rest day isn’t about being lazy on the couch. It’s during this time that the beneficial effects of exercise take place. Specifically, rest is essential for muscle growth.
5. Never compare yourself
Break the habit of feeling insecure, envious, and discontented with your life. Have you felt jealous and depressed after scrolling through your Instagram or Facebook? We all did at some point. We tend to forget that no one likes to show sadness and anxiety on their posts, so most often than not, you will only see people happy and successful. But this is not the reality. Everyone have their own problems and bad days, you just don’t see them. Therefore, it’s also not realistic to compare yourself to a built social media image.
6. Know your priorities
However you choose to live your life, it will most likely be determined by how you set your priorities. When you want to make changes to your life, it's important to know what's most valuable to you.
7. Set goals
A staggering 92% of people who set New Year’s goals never actually achieve them. Most resolutions fall apart in the first three weeks. Why? Goals that are too vague lead to actions that are too random, and the results are – well, not really results at all. Use SMART goals setting, and you’ll crush your goals. You can learn about practical mindset tips in the Lean & Strong Training Program.
8. Be consistent
Like it or not, being consistent is essential if you want to make any significant change in your life. “Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently.”
Lean & Strong is an 8-week structured program that will help you lose fat and keep it off. You won’t just get a list of exercises but you will learn what you are doing and why you are doing, so you can be independent and make great decisions for yourself.