If you want to lose body fat, you’re not alone. Effective fat loss, however, can be very challenging at times, especially if you try to overcomplicate things. Many magazines, articles, Instagram “experts” and YouTubers alike love to share their opinions on the matter. This in turn can over complicate things. Below, you’ll find four simple tips that you need to remember for effective fat loss. Stick to them, and it’ll work for you too.
Find Types of Exercise You Enjoy Doing
Exercise is important but not the most crucial aspect of fat loss, believe it or not. It can help, though, and a ton of additional benefits come with doing it. Finding a type of exercise you enjoy doing is key. Why? Because you’ll do it more often. Add some high intensity intervals into your cardio mix. Switch it up occasionally with longer duration exercises like a long bike run or jog and just have fun with it. Let’s look at four other important tips for fat loss.
1. Increase Your NEAT
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT, is the energy your body uses for daily movement other than exercise. Len Kravitz, PhD, defines NEAT as “the energy expenditure of daily activities such as sitting, standing, walking, and talking – all activities that are not considered planned physical activity of a person’s daily life.” It is basically the “micro” exercise you do each day while going about your daily activities. By walking more and aiming to be more active day to day, it will, collectively, make a big difference.
In one research study it was determined that lean subjects (higher NEAT level) expend approximately 350 more calories a day (i.e. walking and standing) when compared to obese subjects (lower NEAT level). That amount of calories over the course of one year (with all other factors being equal) would equate to a weight-loss of 36.5 pounds!
2. Improve Sleep and Stress
Sleep and stress play a huge role in fat loss. Make sure you’re getting a minimum of 8 hours a night, and keep your stress levels under control. Look after yourself and get into a routine with it. A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal showed that individuals who got less than 5.5 hours of sleep each night, lost 60 percent more lean muscle that those who got adequate sleep. In addition, wearing a sleep mask at night (as seen in photo) has some benefits to be aware of. A new study suggests that blocking out light while you slumber can improve your memory, alertness, and reaction time, according to a new study published in the journal, Sleep.
3. Eat a Balanced Diet
The most important aspect of fat loss is how you eat. You don’t have to be perfect, but you do have to be consistent. Fad diets, come and go, and should be avoided. Instead, a balanced, healthy eating approach should be adopted. Focus on the 5-a-day plan that the CDC put forth. Basically, eat 5 servings each day of fruits and vegetables. A good choice is to eat 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit each day. Finally, remember the following quote from exercise scientist, Tim Noakes, MD, PhD, “the benefits of exercise are unbelievable, but if you have to exercise to keep your weight down, your diet is wrong.”
4. Try Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting (IF) is a great way to tap into your fat stores most likely more than you’re currently doing. It basically follows an eating plan using an eight hour window, typically from 12 pm to 8 PM. The reason why this can be good is after twelve hours of no food, your body shifts from utilizing carbs etc. to burning more fat. Jefit has written about IF on several occasions. See here and here.
The tips above are a few good, easy options to try to help you lose some of that subcutaneous and deeper visceral fat before the Holiday season kicks into gear.
Stay Strong Together
Jefit, named best strength training app by Sports Illustrated, Esquire, GQ, Men’s Health, Greatest, Forbes Health, and many others. We offer a community responsible for 92,000,000 workouts to date! The app, which recently passed 10 million downloads, comes equipped with a customizable workout planner and training log. The app also has ability to track data, offer audio coaching cues, and can share workouts with friends. Visit our members-only Facebook group. Connect with like-minded people, share tips, and advice to help get closer to reaching your fitness goals.
Read the scientific paper published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research using the Jefit app. Also, a great Jefit app review was published by MUO that can be found here.
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