There is a reason I crossed out the word ‘easy’ and put ‘simple instead’. There isn’t much that comes with lifestyle change, health, fitness, wellness etc. that comes easy. The answers however, are simple (easy to understand). As a health fitness professional it is my desire and my passion to help anyone that I cross paths with, to reach their goals if that is what they are seeking. A lot of times, that involves enlightening them on what to believe and what not to believe when it comes to health and wellness. If you are ever promised fast, easy, effortless results, RUN. Most likely they will not be healthy, maintainable or realistic methods that you should use to reach your goals.
I want to help educate you on ways to help burn fat faster, as part of a lifestyle change, not a quick fix that is promised to you that will create miracles 3 weeks before your next planned vacation. I want to help bring out the healthier, stronger version of you through these methods which all can almost be grouped into two categories… you guessed it… diet and exercise. So here it goes, 10 Simple Ways to Burn Fat Faster.
- Increase your protein intake – Increasing the amount of protein you get in your diet will help boost your metabolism and also help maintain your muscle mass which we will talk about later. Both increased metabolism and increased muscle mass are catalysts for burning fat.
- Drink more water – The more hydrated you are, the more efficiently your body will run. If you are not properly hydrated, your body will not do its job efficiently and will in turn slow down your metabolism. Slower metabolism = slower fat burning process.
- EAT BREAKFAST – Kick start your metabolism from the get go! Eating breakfast will get your metabolism going early, so that your body will process properly for the rest of the day. Also, if your first meal is early, you are less likely to overeat/over snack during the rest of the day as a result of being hungry.
- Increase fiber – Increasing your fiber through clean, healthy sources (fruits and vegetables) will help keep you fuller longer. Dark colored vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and artichokes are all great sources of fiber.
- Increase good fat intake – When you increase one macronutrient (protein, fat, carbohydrate) you must decrease another to reach your caloric goals. By decreasing carb intake, and increasing fat, you lower insulin levels in your body. By doing this, you allow your body to access fat stores and use them for energy, while “also allowing fat to enter and fuel your muscles (https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/how-eating-more-fat-helps-you-lose-more-weight.html)
- Eat smaller, more frequent meals – By doing this, you allow your metabolism to be continuously running smoothly throughout the day.
- Take a look at when you are consuming your carbs – The timing in which you consume your carbs, as well as the source of carbs can play a role in fat loss. Try and keep your carb consumption to the morning, and/or after your workout. This way your body will use those carbohydrates as fuel instead of storing them as fat. Also, try and get your carbohydrates form clean sources such as sweet potatoes, oatmeal, other vegetables, etc.
- Increase lean muscle mass (LIFT WEIGHTS! That means you too ladies!) – Increasing lean muscle mass will allow your body to burn calories even after you are done working out! Simply put, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn even at rest.
- Incorporate HIIT into your training – High Intensity Interval Training will give you a better bang for you buck when it comes to cardio. Adding short bursts of high intensity followed by brief rest periods will allow you to burn more calories, in a shorter amount of time.
- SLEEP – How great is it to be told you need to sleep more!? This means going to bed earlier for those of us who wake up before the sun. Studies show that people who get more sleep make better food choices, and consume less extra calories than those who are sleep deprived.
So, as you can see, these are not necessarily easy lifestyle changes to incorporate into your every day, however they are simple, necessary steps that need to be taken in order to increase fat loss. Try adding 2-3 of these methods into your daily routine to start, and see what differences you notice! Eat clean, train mean, burn fat, and become a stronger, more confident, more energetic version of you.