Steps to lose weight & build muscle
When it comes to fat loss and boosting muscle it’s as much about having the mentality and focus to hit goals as the actual programme. There are a few no-brainer ways to keep yourself focussed and able to enjoy your own fitness journey. And we’re always here to keep you motivated with your individual fitness goals.
Realistic fitness goals; go slow and steady
Set realistic goals and stick to them. Rather than jump all in and train too hard, damage your muscles by not resting enough because you’re going hard 6x a week, or causing yourself an injury somewhere else. What does this mean? Take a good look at your goal – weight loss, fat loss, muscle building or endurance exercise and figure out what your end goal is (+2kg of muscle by the end of the summer) and then divide it up realistically over time. Note that as a beginner you can fairly easily put on around 6.5kg of muscle in less than 6 months. As a seasoned weightlifter, you’re looking at around 0.9kg per year as your muscles are already fairly maxed.
Enthusiasm is more important than skill because the critical element in developing expertise is the desire to practice.
– Gretchen Rubin
Muscle mass and good nutrition are in, dieting is out
Gaining muscle mass and seeing results is about fat loss, too. The two are inseparably linked. But did you know that dieting is actually out because most diets are just not maintainable long-term? The buzzword nowadays is diet maintenance. As soon as you label a food ‘bad’ or ‘restricted’ the cravings begin, so it’s much better to replace highly fatty foods with healthier versions or to up your protein at meals and eat less carbs. There are many ways to do this, and one of the easiest are meal replacement products like our breakfast based on milk protein and oats, this contains enough vitamins and minerals to fully replace a meal while being low in sugar and fat. The added benefits are that you feel more full so snack less between meals, and your muscles can still gain more mass through the right nutrition.
Training setbacks are nothing
We all have those days or even weeks where we skip the gym or eat pizza for three meals. It’s natural. The trick is not to let it totally blow out the fitness and training regime for the next 3 months, along the lines of ‘oh well I already blew it so missing the gym today won’t hurt.’ Make peace with the off day you had and get back into it the next day. There’s always tomorrow and a fresh start. Even with setbacks, we can make sure our bodies are at their best once we go back to the gym or train outside, a good vitamin like Total Health sets everything up in the right way. This supplement uniquely combines vitamins, minerals and fish oil and 1 capsule a day is all you need. Benefits include vitamin B3 and B12 promoting energy metabolism and reducing fatigue, and vitamin C and selenium supporting the immune system.
Make going to the gym or working out as easy as possible
It’s important to make your life as easy as possible when setting up a new training regime and one focussed on fat loss and muscle building is the same. Make sure you can fit some extra gym time into your day, for example by getting up an hour earlier in the morning and working out then instead of always skipping it on the way home because you’re too tired. Pack your gym bag the night before. Get some healthy snacks in the cupboard so that when you do reach for one, it’s a good one. Treat yourself to some new workout clothes so that you’re feeling your best hitting the gym.
Good nutritional planning is key
Even the best laid plans can go the wrong way, so imagine if you don’t have a plan at all. The basis of any fat loss and muscle building is good nutrition, and luckily we can really help you plan some stuff out in advance here. You can read our blog on the 5 tips for successful meal prepping, and prepare your meals well in advance. This will help you keep on track and hit your goals much more easily.
Get your head into your fitness goals the right way, and the rest will easily follow. Remember to enjoy every step of the journey because when you enjoy it, you’re more likely to stick to your planning and see the results.