How to Get Faster Fitness Results

Want to know how to get faster fitness results? Of course, you do. In a culture that thrives on quick and easy, getting to the goal FAST is our number one priority. Let me be the hundredth person to tell you that there is no easy button for physical change. You’re smart- you know that. However, there are ways to get results faster. “Changing your body” is much different from “losing weight.” Weight loss can be accomplished without exercise and ultimately, all you’re really doing is making a smaller version of the same body. The scale might have a lower number, but the image hasn’t changed: same slumped shoulders, jiggly arms, and potentially a smaller (but still flabby) belly. This is why we don’t believe in weight loss programs that forgo exercise. Here are some ways to change your body and shift your body composition.

1. Your Nutrition is Off

Your diet may be “really healthy” right now. You buy organic, you shop at Whole Foods, your food says “free-range,” but you are not seeing fat loss and a shift in your body composition. For years you heard the 80%/20% ratio on food to exercise when trying to drop pounds and you feel like you are nailing the 80%. If you are not seeing changes, you are probably consuming the wrong amount of macro-nutrients. What does that actually mean? You probably need to better balance your protein, carbohydrate, and healthy fat percentages. We use the “Balanced Plate” method making sure that we have a plate full of plants, lean protein, and healthy fat.

2. Your Fitness is a Bit Stale

Still wondering how to get faster fitness results? Let me share the 3 Principles of Fitness Training: Overload, Specificity & Progression. You cannot do the same type of workout every day and expect different results. I know you LOVE your favorite fitness class and that’s amazing, but you have to perform different modalities to see change. You can always use that class as part of your weekly plan, but it shouldn’t be the only type of exercise you use. Here are 3 key factors in change:

1. 1. 1. 1. OVERLOAD your muscles weekly. You must lift heavier weights. 
      2. 2. Change the SPECIFICITY of your movement.
      3. 3. Experience muscular and endurance-based PROGRESSION on a monthly basis.
   
   
   

3. You Have a Screen Issue

The endless scroll is keeping you from the sleep that you need to recover and rest your muscles and joints. The Sleep Foundation teaches us that using TVs, tablets, smartphones, laptops, or other electronic devices before bed delays your body’s internal clock (a.k.a., your circadian rhythm), suppresses the release of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, and makes it more difficult to fall asleep. In a study on sleep and weight loss, scientists found that sleeping 5.5 hours each night over a two-week period while on a calorie-restricted diet resulted in LESS fat loss when compared to sleeping 8.5 hours each night. 

You are doing healthy things already. Some simple shifts to your current plan will make all the difference you need to get faster fitness results. Want more healthy tips? Read, Grocery Shopping Tips for a Healthy Diet.