Eight simple and effective tips that can optimize your lean muscle building and fat burning

I am continually asked how to lose fat and tone, i.e. build muscle.  I’ve tried to synthesize a lot of information down to eight tips.  How many of these have you incorporated into your lifestyle?  They WILL make the difference. Let me know if you need me to elaborate and show you what to do.

1.  Keep you workouts short, preferably less than 30 minutes. Intensity matters more than duration. Short bursts of high intensity training burns more fat & calories, improves cardio endurance, builds muscle and improves your hormone profile.

2.  Stick to doing compound movements like squats, lunges, push ups and pull ups. Add outside resistance when you’re ready.  Remember the more muscles you can stimulate at one time the more calories you’ll burn and better the results!

3.  That being said, if you’re still tired and dragging yourself hours after the workout, you probably overdid it.  Three to four intense workouts per week is probably enough.

4.  Eat to stoke your body’s fat burning furnace: Cut out all refined/processed foods…that includes all the so-called “healthy” bars and snacks! Eat real food and less of it.  Stick to whole foods that your body was meant to eat.

5.  Consume enough protein, about 0.7 – 1 gram of protein for each pound of lean body weight is a good estimate.  Protein helps keep you satisfied longer.

6. Keep your eye on how many carbohydrates you’re eating.  A sweet spot for many people trying to lose weight and get lean is about 100 grams of carbs a day. Watch your grain intake.  All grains, even whole grains, are high in sugar…your body stores extra sugar intake as fat. Watch fruit intake as well!  Yes…fruits are good for you, but most of them are also quite high in sugar.

7.  Don’t stay away from fats…especially good fats found in olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds and coconut.  Eating ample amounts of good fat will help you stay healthy and actually accelerate your body’s own fat burning process!  Plus, you’ll feel satiated longer.

8.  Get enough sleep!  When you disrupt the natural rhythms of sleep, you play havoc with many important biological processes such as the replenishment of biochemicals and the release of important hormones like melatonin and human growth hormone. Even a small amount of light during sleep throws off your natural circadian rhythms, disrupting appetite and potentially leading to weight gain.  Sleep 6 – 9 hours a night, uninterrupted, in the dark.