12 Rules I live by to lose fat and stay lean

Not long ago I read a interesting article from a guy I follow a lot online who you could call a mentor. In this article he discussed that he had 12 rules by which he lived his life and he claimed that doing this had led to him staying focused, productive and more importantly successful in working towards and reaching goals that he had set himself.

Sorry but as it is Christmas I couldn´t resist using a sexy girl in a Santa outfit.

The rules that he laid out were applicable to all areas of his life including, health, career, relationships and his outlook and attitude to life but I thought it would fun and helpful if you had a set of rules that you could follow that would make sure you stayed disciplined and motivated to improve your health, lose fat and then maintain your results so you never had to worry about dealing with weight issues again. So as Christmas is on the way as I write this I thought 12 rules would be very appropriate. Therefore here are my personal rules that I follow to help me stay lean or lose a little body fat should I feel the need. These are in no particular order except I do think number one is the most important for me.

1. Early to bed Early to rise. – I think getting 7-8 hours quality sleep and waking feeling refreshed is one of the most important things you can do if you want a lean healthy body. In fact if you want to build muscle or achieve anything else in your life then having adequate levels of sleep is essential. Not only does your body perform more effectively in terms of your metabolism, hormone release and other important functions but you have more energy and feel less stressed so lessen the potential to make emotional decisions that are not beneficial to how you look and feel. I have found going to bed at 10 and waking at around 5.30-6.00 works really well for me in terms of my energy, well being and productivity.

2. I do some form of activity every day. – When just maintaining my weight I will do arranged workouts 3-4 times a week. When trying to lean out I will increase this to 5-6 times per week. On the other days I will do activities that are enjoyable such as walking, swimming or playing some form of sport or being active with my family.

3. I eat protein with every meal either as a whole food or using a quality protein supplement and vary my protein sources on a regular basis. Protein not only helps develop and maintain lean muscle which is vital to help you lose fat and stay lean but also stimulates your metabolism, helps you recover quickly and decreases hunger cravings. I vary my choices so that I get all the essential amino acids needed for optimal results.

4. Every meal must contain at least 1 form of natural food. The more natural foods you eat the less chance you have or gaining fat and the better your body will perform.

5. I limit my drinking to just one evening a week and stay within my set limits of consumption. The only time I will allow myself to break this rule is if there is a special social event I have to attend.

6. I follow a low carb day –high carb day cycling strategy during the week as explained in burn the fat feed the muscle. I find this is the best way for me to eat how I want to eat while still being able to get and remain lean.

7. Perform regular interval training. Interval training whether done in the traditional manner using cardio exercises such as running or cycling or with using other equipment and bodyweight as shown in 247 fat loss must be performed every week. The amount of sessions and level of intensity will be dictated by my goals at that time.

8. Do at least 3 sessions of planned resistance training every week. Regardless of goals unless I am ill I will do 3 resistance workouts every week. This figure may increase when trying to get lean or build muscle but for general health and muscle maintenance 3 sessions is my minimum.

9. Every workout must be planned. I will not go to the gym or do any other workout without knowing exactly what I should be doing and what I need to achieve.

10. Drink at least 3-4 litres of water a day. This figure will increase in the summer and on intense workout days but whatever my movements I will consume this amount.

11. Eating out is limited to only once a week when trying to get lean. When maintaining I don´t go over 3 times per week.
12. I will spend time relaxing everyday and focusing on reducing stress levels.

Now this is not the complete list of everything I do but it does serve as a framework within which I can manage my lifestyle and use different strategies to improve or accelerate my results. Unfortunately losing fat and staying lean is not just a set formula that you can follow which will guarantee results but you do need some form of guidelines which help to cover all the necessary factors for fat loss and optimal health such as hormonal management, energy balances, reduced stress levels, clean nutrition and efficient training methods. Therefore if you don’t have this in place already then I encourage you to start thinking about what you need to be doing on a consistent basis that is not only going to allow you to transform your physique but more importantly is going to allow you to create a lifestyle of good habits that will give you a healthy and body that will serve you well for a lifetime.

If anybody has their own rules for fat loss or can think of any others that would be good follow please share in the comments.

If you enjoyed this article please share it via Facebook or Google + Thanks

Be Sociable, Share!

•