What if it were possible to completely transform your body in only 28 days?

Would you do it?

It would definitely involve some sacrifice and willpower.

Have you got what it takes right now?

Sometimes you’ll be in the right head space to dominate and sometimes life will just be going haywire.

That’s one of the reasons why I like to just work on one habit a week.

Even if life is crazy, you’ll still be able to make a small improvement.

I’m ready to rock this. What do I do?

There are 3 main areas to focus on including Nutrition, Exercise and Recovery.

We’ll start with the least sexy one first.

Recovery

If you want to train hard you’re gonna have to rest hard.

This means getting 8+ hours of sleep every night.

Yes, you’ll have to go to bed on time.

Deep sleep is important too, so set your room up dark, remove any electronic devices and switch off any WiFi.

If you have a messy room, this can disrupt sleep too. Things like open books or work are the worst as your subconscious can pick them up while you are getting ready for sleep and distract you during the night. True story.

Having a comfortable bed and mattress is huge too, especially as you spend a third of your life sleeping.

I recommend switching off the TV and your phone or laptop an hour before you want to be asleep. Focusing on a bright screen in the evening can disrupt sleep too.

And there are a ton of us out there who have not slept well for many years, myself included.

So work at it. Develop a sleep routine and stick to it.

The other side to recovery is flexibility and mobility.

If you are training hard the muscles get tight, so you need to help them by stretching and doing drills which helps loosen up the joints.

I’ve been doing a lot of longer duration stretching lately and I highly recommend it.

Rather than just blasting through a stretching routine, spend a longer amount of time relaxing into the stretch.

For example, while I was writing this I have been doing hip flexor stretching at my desk.

I kneel on the floor and stretch each side for 5 minutes before switching. I stretch each side 3-4 times and yes I have something under my knee to stop it from hurting.

I am not using so much force that I may snap the thing, just enough to elicit a stretch response from the muscle.

Another example is the 10 minute squat hold. Drop into the bottom of a squat and hold it for 10 minutes.

For some this will be very difficult and if so, this one is for you.

I also have people doing a wall quad stretch or couch stretch for up to 10 minutes. It’s very intense but does produce results.

Foam rolling or tennis ball work is good too. I recommend just focusing on the tight areas though and don’t get carried away doing your whole body.

If you do only Quads, Calves, Upper Back and Chest you’ll hit most major points.

Exercise for Fat Loss

Doing the wrong type of exercise will not aid your fat loss efforts.

Doing the right exercise will burn fat like crazy.

Strength Training

Muscle burns fat, even when at rest.

The more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn for no extra work.

So it makes sense to build muscle or at the very least maintain it.

Some men and women are worried about bulking up too much.

The fact is, most men struggle to gain muscle, so its unlikely.

Women in general will not bulk up unless they are taking steroids or have higher than normal levels of testosterone in their bodies.

And muscle takes up less space than fat.

So a man or woman who weighs 70kg and has 10% body fat or 20% body fat will look completely different.

Now lifting heavy is more geared towards gaining muscle and strength as a priority, but lifting moderate weights with limited rest between sets or exercises is scientifically proven to burn fat and build muscle simultaneously.

We see it with clients all the time.

So your best bet is to train with us, where the emphasis is on correct technique to build maximum functional strength while sending your metabolism or fat burning capacity through the roof.

2 times a week is good for some and 3 times a week is better for others. Days off in between workouts are essential to maximizing muscle recovery for optimum results.

Of course your schedule may not allow for a days rest in between, so we have different intensity workouts running on different days too in case you need to do a Thursday and Friday back to back.

If training by yourself, include compound movements such as a kettlebell swing or a dumbbell squat to press which work the upper and lower body a the same time.

You’ll also want to do full body workouts rather than just focusing on one or two body parts.

Cardio

Too much long duration, slow cardio has been reported to be the worst thing for fat loss, and it can often store fat instead.

You’ve gotta train hard. Short duration intervals are far better than slow stuff.

If recommend 2-3 interval training sessions a week or no more than 20 minutes during a short fat loss phase. After 4 weeks max, you’ll need to drop it off as your body will run out of energy and your muscles and joints will need a rest.

Sprints are great if your body can handle running.

An example training session may include a warmup of 3-5 minutes, followed by sprints of 10 x 10m, 10 x 20m and 10 x 50m. with as much rest as needed in between.You may not

You want to get your breath back before you go again so you can put plenty of effort into it.

Your training intensity should be no more than around 85%. Never train at 100% as that’s where injuries are most likely.

Another good option is to find a hill and do hill sprints. You can use the same rep range above and alter it according to your fitness level. If you are not so fit, then 10m sprints may be all you need.

Other good options for interval cardio are playing sports such as basketball, netball and hockey where sprinting is part of the game.

Using a rowing machine or stationary bike is good too, especially a spin class.

The cross trainer is really better for those who have dodgy joints that don’t like impact.

Some moderate paced cardio is ok, but only for bonus exercise if you have plenty of time to spare.

Fat Loss Nutrition

Abs are made in the kitchen right?

Yep its mostly true, but if you skip recovery and exercise you won’t look at all the same, and will likely break your diet anyway.

Regular training and recovery build discipline and will power, both essential for any transformation.

Food is simple.

If you can’t kill it, pick it or dig it up, you shouldn’t eat it.

Dairy may be an exception to those who can tolerate it, but in essence it comes down to this:

Just Eat Real Food

Processed food will clog up your digestive system and cause inflammation which also tends to cause water retention and bloating.

It is often filled with artificial colours, flavours and preservatives which they sometimes assure you are ok, but they’re not.

For example, if you read ‘Natural Flavours’ on the label, it usually means it’s derived from a food, but it may have been modified in the process. It’s not as is found in nature, so really isn’t natural.

Eating too much can be of concern, so you can either use the My Fitness Pal phone app to set up especially for your height, age, goals etc, as well as to keep track of everything.

Or you can follow Precision Nutrition’s plate system which works well too. You can check it out here: www.precisionnutrition.com/calorie-control-guide

That’s your basics.

Now you need to worry about protein, carbs and fat.

Protein

Try to eat protein at each meal.

The best protein sources are lean meats, fish and eggs.

For vegetarians, nuts, seeds and lentils are a good option.

I’m not so keen on vegetarian eating being so great for too many people, through my own experience of eating vegetarian for a year and from what I’ve studied and who I’ve talked to.

If you choose this eating approach, be extra vigilant to get adequate protein and fat each day.

If eating meat, look for organic stuff wherever possible. The regular stuff is from animals who may have been fed hormones, poor quality grains, and are often sick. The fat is often toxic and the health risk isn’t worth it in my opinion.

For fish, ask for wild caught. Farmed fish is often fed grains which are poor quality too.

Always get free range eggs and organic if possible. Maybe buy some chooks for your house so you always have a good supply.

Carbs

Carbs are not evil. They are essential to daily function. Which carbs you choose to consume will make the largest difference.

As a rule you should eat 2 fruits and 5 veg every day, according to the Aussie Government and with this I agree… as a minimum. No more than 2 fruits which aiming for fat loss and 10 serves of veg is even better.

Choose leafy greens first and foremost. Eat plenty of them, lightly steamed for maximum nutrition.

Stuff like kale, silverbeet, spinach, lettuce varieties, cabbage, brussel sprouts as well as broccoli which is from the same family should be your staples.

Then add some coloured stuff such as squash, capsicum, tomato, red onions, carrots, etc.

And finally, you can have some starchy carbs, just don’t overdo it. Sweet potato, potato, rice, pasta, grains, etc are easy to eat plenty of, so eat your meat and veg first, plus some good fats, then your starch if needed.

Ideally, save your starch for after your 3 biggest strength workouts each week.

Some people will require more starch than others to support their energy levels.

Men often need more and can tolerate more during a fat loss phase than women, but that depends on how active you are at work and how much exercise you are doing.

It’s best to consult someone about this if you are concerned. Otherwise, experiment with what your body can handle and see what ‘feels’ best.

Fat

It’s real easy to eat too much fat, even good fat, so learn to read your food labels and see what it’s found in.

Focus on good fats from nuts, seeds, coconut, olive and flax oil and avocado. The fat in organic meat and fish is good too. I even saved the fat from my lamb sausages this morning to reuse (they were organic).

Often we sabotage our weight loss efforts but eating fatty foods such as hot and potato chips, ice cream, pastries and friend foods. They have bad fat sources in them and the quantity is too much.

Be mindful of your cheat meals that you don’t overdo them and eat to excess.

Honestly, most of us know what to do, it’s just learning the practical skills of shopping and sticking to your list, cooking the healthiest ways and good meals and eating them regularly.

Plus its knowing what to choose when you go out to breakfast, lunch or dinner and having the discipline to stick to it.

If you need more assistance with your nutrition coaching, join us and we’ll coach you along the way.