5 powerful strategies to lose weight fast and safe in 2011

First off let me wish any regular readers or those of you visiting my blog for the first time a happy new year and I sincerely hope that if your not already in great shape that you make this year the time in your life when you decide and more importantly take action to get in the best condition of your life regardless of your age or past experience.

There is so much doom and gloom out there at the moment that it is easy to get down and become de-motivated about things we have no control over. However improving your health and looking good is one of the few things that we can control and when you feel good about yourself the ability to cope and deal with whatever life throws at you is much easier and the world in general is a much better place.

(Even though it is only early January I am already thinking of getting away this summer. If you want to be in great shape for the summer or a holiday then you need to be starting now.)

On this blog I intend to give you all the information and support that you need to achieve this whether you are regular gym goer, on a budget, are looking to get started or have been training for a while and need some fresh ideas to take you to the next level. For those of you that are experienced trainers then expect some advanced strategies and tips that I have gained from my research and thousands of hours training clients to get in tremendous shape.

Personally I intend this year to be my best year for looking and feeling good. Towards the end of last year I have suffered with injury and inflammation in my body which has seriously hampered my ability and motivation to work at the level I have wanted and this has meant my physique and mental attitude have suffered. However I am on the road to recovery and after turning 41 at the end of January my goal is have a better body than most guys in there twenties so the challenge is on. I will be posting my starting pictures on the blog shortly then adding regular updates of how I am progressing and what strategies I am using both from a training, nutrition and mental perspective. I hope you decide to start your journey too and look forward to hearing about your success.

Ok to get you thinking and hopefully ready to make something happen here are some straightforward strategies to lose weight fast and safe that sound simple but are very important in being successful so just take one and apply it from today see what happens.

1.Eat Less –It doesn’t get simpler than this but amazes me how so many people don’t seem to get this idea. When trying to lose fat most people think of doing more exercise and eating less but when the fat stops disappearing most people try to blast through this by doing more exercise. This is possible but a lot harder to judge and very time consuming so a much easier solution is just eating less. However the thought of this seems to strike fear into people and they find it very difficult to make this work mainly because they are following the wrong nutrition strategy for them. Here is an article I wrote about to find the right fat loss diet for you and your lifestyle so you have a much better chance of getting results. Personally after many years or experimentation I have found a strategy of intermittent fasting as laid out in the Eat Stop Eat combined with a reduced carb approach shown in Cheat Your Way thin as one that I use as my lifestyle approach to eating and staying lean.

2.Perform High Intensity Exercise – High intensity whether it is cardio or resistance training is how you should approach all your workouts. This works better than traditional ‘steady cardio’ workouts for many reasons but here is the main one for me. High intensity intervals and resistance circuit type training burn more calories than ‘normal cardio’ not just in the workout but also for many hours after you finish so your body is burning fat for longer. So although your workouts will be shorter your overall calorie burn from each workout will be more, as your metabolism remains elevated. This is one of the big secrets to losing fat and why you have to apply this strategy in your training. It doesn’t matter if you have just started just make sure that you work as hard as possible keep building up the intensity as you progress. The best fat loss program I have used that gives you all the workouts you need from beginner to advanced to turn your body into a fat burning machine is Turbulence Training.

3.Find Support – This is one of the most important factors too losing weight but is more than often overlooked. Trying to lose weight on your own can be hard with many people feeling isolated from family and friends as they try to avoid temptation and stick with their program. If you feel that you would benefit from some social support then ask a friend or friends or people you work with to see if they want to start with you. Failing that there are now many places on the Internet (such as this blog) where you can ask questions and make contact with other people who share your goals and issues. Having the ability to discuss experiences and progress position will keep you more motivated and less likely to miss workouts or cheat on your nutrition. I would also make it clear to family and friends how important losing weight is too you and that you need their support.  A lot of people hide their weight loss plans from those closest to them in case they don’t see them through and look like a failure but I think by telling everybody what you plan to do it shows that this time you really do intend to get the job done.

4.Eat more Fruits And Vegetables - Yes you have heard or read this a zillion times but are you really doing it? When I ask clients how much fruit and veg they are eating they always tell me lots but when we do food diaries it is clear they not having enough. This is especially true with vegetables but if you can increase the amount of vegetables you consume while reducing other foods such as grains and dairy this will make a big difference to your fat loss results, as it will dramatically decrease your calorie intake while you still feel you are eating normally. If you’re not sure about this just try for one week to eat only vegetables, healthy fats, and protein for every meal and see what happens.

5.Make Goals and set deadlines – Targeting goals and giving yourself  deadlines is a very powerful strategy to lose weight fast but one that most people fail to do. I favour to have short goals on a daily and weekly basis mixed with longer deadlines. The short-term goals include targets to be met during my workouts or following certain nutrition plans each day or over the week. Having targets that you can consistently hit gives you a good feeling of accomplishment and will increase confidence and momentum towards your overall long-term weight loss goal.

When it comes to longer deadlines I use between a month or up to 4 months. I think longer than this can be overwhelming and feel unattainable. I like to use events such as birthdays, parties, holidays, or sporting events to really focus my clients or myself. For example I have yet too train a bride to be who didn’t hit their weight loss goal for their big day. Events such as these are incredible motivators and create the correct mindset for weight loss. It is the same for film stars. The reason that all of these top stars look great on film is not that they are somehow different too us mere mortals. It is because they are completely focused because they have a deadline that must be reached. This means they don’t miss workouts; they train like demons and when not in the gym they watch their diet and lead an appropriate lifestyle.

If you can put any or all of these 5 strategies into effect then you will have very effective plan to lose weight fast and safe this New Year. Don’t let another year slip by without making the changes you know you want for your health and well being so take action now and make those goals a reality.

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