See Your New Self

Lots of us were in great shape when we were younger – in high school, say, or in college. Is that your case? If that describes you, excellent! Go find some pictures of yourself from “back in the day” – not only will they bring up great old memories, they’ll remind you of the shape your body is used to being in. Look at yourself – remember the feeling that came from having a trim, fit body that responded quickly to every demand you placed on it?

Don’t feel bad if this isn’t you, because you can still visualize your new body. Don’t rush through this exercise – take the time to really see all of your new body. You know how important it is to have goals and deadlines, but keep them reasonable. For instance, five pounds a week might be too much, but one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half pounds a week is reasonable and attainable.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Show the depth of your commitment by taking a risk. Get yourself something new, some piece of clothing in the size you’re aiming for – something that’ll really highlight your new weight and make you look really good – and hang it where you’ll see it all the time, like in your bedroom. Sometimes, it’s too easy to forget a weight loss goal. These pants, or whatever it is you get, will be a great reminder. This tip has worked wonders for many people who were wavering in their commitment to losing weight.

If You Want Something Done Right, Sometimes You Need To Get A Little Help . . .

If you go to the gym to work out on your own, are you more likely to work out, or to spend the afternoon watching sports on the big screen televisions? Now think of that same scenario, only you go to the gym with a buddy with whom you regularly work out. It’s easier to live up to things like doing your workouts when there are others depending on you.

Setting up an accountability friendship is another approach you might take. This is a technique that will make you feel very judged, especially at first. Every single day, before brushing your teeth, send your accountability friend a brief email, listing everything you ate that day. You need to be honest! Having to tell another person about your eating, when that person know you’re trying to lose weight, will frequently give you all the willpower necessary to resist temptation!

Accountability is a powerful motivator, and you’ll find this to be one of the most effective tips you’ll ever encounter.

Recognize Accomplishment – and then Get Back to Work!

Maybe your body’s gotten so out of shape it’s a source of shame. I understand. That doesn’t mean you have to be miserable all the time you’re on your weight loss plan. If you’ve had a successful week with your weight loss program, give yourself a little treat in recognition of a job well done! You can have a special dessert to mark the occasion.

You’re much more likely to get frustrated and quit if you never reward yourself when you achieve your goals. What’s worse, without recognizing your achievements, you might wind up sabotaging yourself. Letting an oppressive weight loss program make you miserable can be the worst thing that can happen to you, yet you can avoid it by permitting yourself a little indulgence once a week or so.

These motivational guidelines can give you powerful support in achieving your weight loss goals. Remember that if you do overeat or skip your workout, it’s not something to eat your heart out over. Nobody’s perfect, and plenty of good people have messed up on a weight loss program. Just get over it and get back to work!

1. Muscle recruitment is your best friend. Muscle recruitment refers to how much muscle you use while exercising. So why is this important? If you want to lose fat and/or weight you need to burn off a lot of calories. The more muscle you use the more calories you burn, so the more fat you lose. Engaging lots of muscle is simple; it\’s all about exercises you choose.

Here\’s something you\’ve probably seen at the gym: A guy with way too much belly spending an hour isolating his biceps and triceps. Bad choice my friend. Since biceps and triceps are small muscle groups, working them individually doesn\’t recruit much muscle. Let me show you a better option. Rows (cable, dumbbell, or barbell) trigger the large muscles of the back and the biceps at the same time. Tricep pushups or dips trigger the chest and shoulders as well as the triceps. Some other good picks for arsenal are bench presses, squats, and deadlifts. Of course there are many more exercises out there that also fit the bill.

2 . You Should Use Circuit Training Workouts. I have never seen a better approach to fat loss than circuit training. Here\’s how you to do it: work your way through a sequence of 4 – 6 exercises with 5 – 15 seconds of rest (based on your fitness level) between each exercise. This is anaerobic cardio and when combined with correct eating habits, it results in fat loss. For best results your goal should be to complete your circuit as many times as you can in 60 minutes. If you can\’t endure for that long, workout for a shorter period of time (at least 20 minutes) and increase your time in small increments with each workout.

3. Use a journal to keep the results coming. Listen up because this is really important! If you don\’t keep pushing your body to the next level, your results won\’t go to the next level. The human body has an amazing ability to adapt – that means what was once a challenge will no longer be a challenge after a little while. If your workout stops being tough, you will stop losing fat. So keep a journal (during your workout), and track the following (per exercise), weight or intensity, amount of repititions, and total amount of sets. By increasing at least one of these each time you train a muscle group, you will make sure positive results continue.

5 Vary the exercises and methods (stability ball, free weights, calisthenics, plyometrics, etc) you use. You might have also heard this called muscle confusion. It puts a constantly changing demand on your body, which keeps your body from adapting and prevents plateau.

So here\’s the short – lose fat and pounds and you\’ll get ripped (DUH). To get there, combine these pointers with a quality nutrition plan and you won\’t be disappointed with the results. 2- 3 sessions of power cardio (brisk incline walk, swimming, or jump rope) per week , 10 – 30 minutes long should be performed on your days off from strength training. See ya next time…..

Vaughn Council is a personal trainer with many years of experience. If you have been looking into fat loss programs, visit his site. You\’ll find great information on circuit training workouts, and much more.