When most people start up on a healthy eating plan, they take a lot of time to figure out the perfect combination of proteins, carbs, andfats to be eating, making sure that their calorie intake is precisely where it needs to be.

This is good news because your calorie intake is one of the primary determinants of whether or not you see fat loss or not, so it cannot be overlooked.

But that said, another key element that you must make sure you’re not overlooking in your plan is hydration.  Staying well hydrated as you go about your healthy eating plan is equally as important as this will ensure that you feel your best at all times.

Those who aren’t adequately hydrated are going to suffer from slow metabolisms, increased feelings of hunger, and potentially also find that they don’t perform as well in the gym as they could.

Staying hydrated is important for not only fat loss but for overall health as well.

Let’s have a quick look at a few of the top things that you should know about hydration if you hope to see optimal progress.

Exercise Increases Your Water Need

The very first thing that you need to make sure that you fully realise is the fact that exercise is going to increase your water needs.  Most people do understand this but some forget to add extra fluid into their day when they are very active.

This is especially the case when you’re in the water.  If you’ve transferred your cardio session over to swimming, remember that you are still sweating and losing water.  Hydrating after being in the pool is important.

You Must Account For Calorie Laden Beverages

Next, you also must make sure that you account for calorie laden beverages that you take in.  This is where some people go wrong with their diets and by not thinking about the fact that they’re consuming calories here, they end up going over their intake target for the day.

Sadly, beverage calories don’t fill you up nearly as well as food calories do, so those who are downing calorie-rich beverages will often struggle to maintain their body weight.

Start making an effort to select only calorie-free drinks and you’ll do much better.

Most People Do Not Need Sports Drinks

Finally, the last thing that must be said about hydration is with regards to sports beverages.  Many people figure that these electrolyte containing drinks will help boost their sport performance and will replace lost sodium and potassium that their body needs.

The real truth however is that unless you’re training for a marathon or doing prolonged exercise that lasts over an hour, straight water will be fine.  There’s no need to add these calorie rich drinks into your day.

Unless they are calorie and sugar free, pass on them and go for water instead.

So there you have some important facts to remember about hydration.  Make sure you aren’t overlooking this element in your healthy eating plan.

In order to accurately assess the different types of cardio routines it’s imperative that you take some time to factor in the pros and cons of each approach.  Let’s have a closer look into the steady state versus interval training debate so that you can learn precisely what you need to know for optimal success.

Steady State Training

First let’s take a look at steady state training.  Steady state training will be where you perform your cardio at a moderate intensity for an extended period of time.  There will be no fluctuations in that intensity level, rather, you’ll maintain it for the entire time that you do the activity.

The advantage to this type of training is that it is great for beginners as it’s not too taxing on the body and likewise, it’s also good for those who are involved in intense weight lifting programs as it will ensure that overtraining doesn’t come about.

The drawback is that many people do find it to be quite boring and it won’t do much in terms of increasing your metabolic rate.  Still, when used properly, it can be effective for assisting fat loss since it will increase your overall daily calorie burn.

Interval Training

The second type of training is interval training.  Interval training, on the other hand, will be where you’ll perform brief all out periods of intense exercise coupled with periods of much lower intensity exercise.  Typically the lower intensity periods will be performed for twice the length of the intense periods, giving you enough time to actively rest.  Interval training has the benefit of being shorter in duration as most sessions will only last around 20 minutes or so and it will also offer more overall fitness improvements.  Furthermore, this type of training will cause you to burn more calories after it is completed as your overall metabolic rate will be ten times higher.  The drawback is that since it is so stressful on the body, overtraining from it is more likely and it’s not a form of cardio that you could be doing daily.  Interval training is more advanced as well, so not suitable for the beginner exerciser.

Which Is Best For You?

So there you have the main differences between interval and steady state training.  There’s not ‘one perfect’ way to train for everyone, but you need to assess your situation, what your goals are, and your current fitness level to decide which one will be right for you.  If you do this, then you should have no problem selecting the perfect form of cardio to get you to your end goals.

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When that’s the situation at hand, you don’t really care what you get as long as it’s something that will put an end to it.  Food cravings shoot through the roof and next thing you know, you’re sitting at the local drive-thru window.

If hunger is often getting the best of you on your weight loss program, it’s going to be imperative that you seek out some solutions to put an end to this before it destroys your efforts. Let’s have a quick look at a few methods to consider. Any of these should quickly calm your hunger pains and get you feeling well again.

Sip Hot Tea

One of the most effective strategies for doing away with hunger is to sip on a hot liquid such as hot tea. Dehydration itself can cause feelings of hunger to occur when what you actually are is just thirsty. In addition to that, hot beverages more than cold can help put an end to feelings of hunger as they tend to be more soothing on the stomach. So with both of these benefits acting in your favour, you really can’t go wrong with this quick tip. Try Green tea for the added antioxidant boost you get from it and the extra metabolic enhancing properties.

Shift Your Macronutrient Split

The second way to calm your hunger quickly is to consider shifting your macronutrient make-up of the diet. Lower carb diets do by nature tend to decrease the amount of hunger felt in the body so this is one very good way to gain control over it. While you definitely don’t want to avoid carbs altogether as that can cause extra hunger instead, do try and maintain a slightly elevated protein intake as well as healthy fat intake. This will ensure that you’re doing everything you can to keep yourself satiated between meals.

Get Active

Moving along, also consider getting active. Simply getting up and going for a walk can help to calm your hunger pains and as an added bonus, you’ll burn a few calories in the process. You do have to watch it with this tip however as there are limits. While some exercise can help reduce your hunger level. Too much exercise can just prompt additional hunger pains. A cardio overload especially can cause ongoing hunger that you just can’t get rid of, so listen to your body and what works best for you.

Fill Up On Fibre

Finally, the last way to combat hunger is to fill up on dietary fibre. Dietary fibre takes a long time to pass through your system and is going to quickly calm all your hunger pains. Meals that are devoid of fibre aren’t going to stick with you for a good period of time so it’s highly likely that you’ll find yourself wanting more food a short while later. Turn to foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains to get the most fibre possible. Eat these with each snack or meal and you’ll be all set, feeling a difference in no time.

So there you have the most effective strategies for combating hunger and making sure you can stick with your diet plan. Make good use of these and you should have no problem seeing the weight loss you’re after.

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If you’re stuck in a rut, congratulations, you’ve just reached a fat loss plateau. Fat loss plateaus are all too common among those doing weight loss workout and diet programs and unless you understand how to overcome them, they could end up being the end of your efforts.  Fortunately, with a few simple adjustments to your approach, you should easily be able to beat this plateau and get right back on to seeing the results that you’re after.  Let’s have a look at what you need to know.

Take A Three Day Diet Break

The very first method to help you beat a fat loss plateau is a simple three day break. Remember we don’t recommend anyone to “diet” this is a bad four letter word, however if you have been restricting your food intake for four weeks or longer, there’s a very good chance that your metabolic rate has slowed down because of it.

It’s only natural for the body to slow down how many calories it burns when less food is coming in as this is an essential defence reaction built in to prevent starvation.

The only way that you’re going to fix this issue however is to begin eating more calories once again so that you send a signal to the body that it’s okay to speed back up.

Do this and you’ll move one step in the right direction. Most people find after 3 days of eating at a higher calorie intake, upon going back to their reduced calorie diet, they see results much more quickly.

Assess Your Workout Program

The second must-do if you’re stuck in a fat loss plateau is to assess your workout program. When was the last time you changed something around?  Have you been going into the gym and doing the same session over and over again?

Remember, if you want your body to change, you must give it a reason to do so. Do you think that same old workout is going to do that? Definitely not. Shake things up a bit. Either add in some new and innovative exercises, increase the weight, decrease the rest time, or start adding in a few supersets into the routine.  Just do something that shocks your body so it starts responding again.
Track Your Calories More Carefully

Although we at Designer Physique are not fans of calorie counting, so to speak, we do know that one reason that some people hit a fat loss plateau in the first place is because they just aren’t keeping tabs on how many calories they’re eating throughout the day.

This is a grave mistake because without any calorie awareness, you’ll never know which direction you have to move if you aren’t seeing the results you desire.  If you’ve stopped losing weight and you’ve tried the above mentioned methods to no avail, the most likely reason is because you’re taking in too many calories, so to help solve the problem, you need to decrease your intake further.

To get weight loss moving, aim to eat around 300-500 fewer than what you have been and you’ll be seeing results in no time.
So there you have three highly effective ways that you can beat a fat loss plateau. Don’t let yourself get discouraged. Instead, take action and you’ll be right back on track to seeing success.

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Overtraining can be a very real and serious issue for some people and could take weeks if not months to get over if you aren’t careful.
Many people start off with the best intensions and simply want to put in plenty of hard work as they reach towards their goals but in the process they end up pushing things a little too far and overworking their body.

Fortunately, overtraining is very preventable as long as you know what to be on the lookout for and how to use effective workout strategies to avoid it.

Let’s have a quick peak at one particular strategy that proves to be very effective for avoiding overtraining: the deloading week.

What A Deloading Week Is
The very first thing that you need to come to understand is what a deloading week is in the first place.  A deloading week is a period of time where you don’t completely take the full week off the gym altogether, but rather decrease your volume and weight lifted significantly.

In doing so, you’re going to help to give your body a chance for much more intensive recovery and help ensure that you’re fully ready to move forward with your hard training efforts.

While having one or two days off each workout is definitely important for encouraging a good recovery in the first place, often it simply isn’t enough.  You need more time than this for the body to completely repair itself.  

That’s where the deloading week comes in. During this deloading week you’ll want to cut back the total amount of volume you’re doing by half and then also back off the amount of weight lifted by 30-50% as well.

This means that if you were doing four sets of bench press at 50 kgs, you would now do two sets of bench press at about 25 to 30 kgs instead.

This will definitely feel easy for the body but that’s the whole point.  You don’t want it to feel like a lot of ‘work’ as then you’re pushing your body too hard and it won’t be getting the recovery that you’re after.

How Often To Do A Deloading Week
Most people will do best adding a deloading week into their program once every six to eight weeks. If you have a very poor recovery system or if you’re dieting intensely, you may need them more often, while if you have a very good recovery system, you may be able to push it up to ten or twelve weeks instead.

Either way, at the end of twelve weeks you should take one regardless as this will ensure that you also stay mentally fresh as well.

Getting Back Into Things After A Deloading Week
After taking the deloading week, you want to ease back into your training slowly.  Don’t go full out the very first session you’re back.  Take two or three workouts to get back up to speed and then go from there.

You’ll very likely find that once you do get back into it, you feel stronger than you ever have before.
So there you have the main things that you need to know about taking a deloading week.  When used correctly, this is a very effective method to increase your workout success.

As you go about your workout program, one of the top things that you must make sure you’re aiming to accomplish is to boost your metabolic rate so that you burn more calories all day long. Since fat loss does come down to how many calories you burn off versus how many calories you expend, the more you can tilt the scale towards the expenditure side of things, the faster your progress is going to go.

That said, there are some specific things that you can do with the way that you structure your workout program to ensure that you’re making the most of the metabolic spike you should be noticing.

By pairing selected exercises together, you can target a very large number of muscle groups total in the body, really increasing not only your calorie burn during the session, but the calorie burn you experience afterwards as well.

Let’s have a quick peak at some of the top exercise pairings that you need to know about. Note that for each of these pairings you can either complete all reps of one exercise first and then move directly into the second, or you can choose to perform one rep of one movement and then proceed into a second rep of the next movement.

Squats to Shoulder Press

The first of the top exercise pairings to consider is a squat to a shoulder press. This works great if you perform squats holding a dumbbell at shoulder height because from there, you simply press directly overhead after each rep to move into the shoulder press movement.

Lunges To Bicep Curl

Lunges to Bicep Curl

The next pairing to try out is the lunge into bicep curl. With this one you’ll take one step forward to move into the lunge position and upon rising back up to the start, perform a curl with the dumbbells you’re holding.

Note that you will have to use a lighter weight for the lunge to accommodate the dumbbell curl, so consider taking your reps slightly higher for this exercise.

Deadlift to Bent Over Row

Deadlift To Bent Over Row

The next exercise pairing to consider is the deadlift into a bent over row. This is a perfect pairing for really hitting the back of the body and creating a look that gets you noticed.

To perform it, perform one rep of the deadlift movement and as soon as you reach the bent over position again, pull the weight directly upwards executing a bent over row. Remember to keep the back flat while doing so to prevent the development of back pain.

Plank To Mountain Climbers

Plank to Mountain Climbers

Finally, the last pairing which will really hit the core muscles extensively is the plank into mountain climbers. Mountain climbers are one of the best calorie burning movements out there and will really increase your heart rate just like running sprints would do.

Alternating this with the plank exercise for total core support and development will further help push your muscles to the limit and get you closer to getting a chiselled midsection.

So next time you’re looking for something new to try out with your workout program, consider these exercise pairings. They’ll definitely help you take your progress to the next level.

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If you aren’t taking the time to plan out your diet and make sure your workouts are top-notch for fat burning and strengthening the muscles, you’re going to be hoping on a lost cause.

Let’s walk you through the step by step process of what you need to do to guarantee your success.

Step One: Get Your Diet Down

The very first step is making sure your diet is down solid.  The single most important factor that will determine whether you succeed with this goal or not is going to be the foods that you’re putting in your mouth on a daily basis.

There’s no getting around it – unless you’re eating properly, you just won’t reach the body fat levels that are low enough to see good definition.

When setting your diet plan, you want to make sure your calorie intake is correct first, if you are unsure please see someone qualified to give you a proper nutrition plan.

Second, make sure you’re using a higher protein intake. Protein is going to be a must to ensure your metabolism stays strong and you preserve all your lean muscle tissue.

Also stick to unprocessed carbs and healthy fats.  You could also consider carb cycling so your heavy workout days are high in carbs and your off days are low in carbs.  This will help keep your hunger under control but your energy high.

Step Two: Factor In Your Workouts

Next you have to figure out your workouts.  For best results, use a full body weight lifting workout program as this will increase the metabolic rate the most.  Focus on compound lifts such as squats, shoulder press, bench press, deadlifts, lunges, and bent over rows.

Add some interval cardio training to those sessions but make sure that you still have one day off each week for rest.

Abdominal exercises can be added at the end of the workout if you so choose but keep in mind that training the abs isn’t what gets you a six pack – getting your body fat levels down is, so that’s what you need to focus on.

Step Three: Be Smart With Your Lifestyle

Finally, the last step to get six pack abs successfully is to make sure that your lifestyle supports your goals.  Aim to keep stress levels low and make sure that you’re getting enough sleep each night.  This will help to keep your metabolism higher and prevent the chances that you eat for emotional reasons.

In addition to that, it’ll also help to control the cortisol release in the body, which can actually cause you to store fat in the stomach region.

By leading a proper lifestyle and making sure your diet and workout plan are in place, you will see yourself quickly moving forward to this goal.

Getting six pack abs definitely isn’t easy, but with the right approach and enough determination, it’s a goal that you can strive for and succeed at.

The following morning you then convince yourself there is no point starting mid way through the week,  so you allow the rest of the week eating everything you can get your hands on and not doing one ounce of exercise because you will start on Monday!

You may be able to relate to this, I certainly can…the problem is that day never arrives, there is always something getting in the way..you may even be a few days into your new healthy regime and had one treat or missed one training session and this sparks a major blow out and a promise to start again tomorrow, after eating everything you can get your eyes onto!!

The thing is it can be really hard to get started especially when you have a busy lifestyle and have formed some bad habits.  I have put together some golden rules  to help you  to kick start the new healthy you today.

1:  Start Today:
In fact start straight away..As soon as you have made the decision to lose weight, tone up or get fit, don’t put it off.  Maybe you have made the decision while eating a packet of chips or eating chocolate.. put whatever it is down, even better throw it out and start straight away.  Maybe even put your running shoes on and head out for a walk or run depending on your fitness level. 
Whatever you do don’t put it off and have one more treat or even one more day of indulgence, this will make it so much harder for you in the long run. You will feel much better and more in control if you resist temptation from the get go and set yourself on the path to succeed right now.

2:  Set a Goal
It’s much easier to start and stick to something if you have a goal in mind.  This means actually writing the goal down, telling your family and friends about it and actually visualizing achieving that goal.  Take some time out and close your eyes and image you have already achieved what it is that you want.  How does it make you feel?  Who is there?  What are they saying to you?  And what are you saying to yourself?  What can you see, taste, smell and feel?

If emotionally charge your goal you will make it more real and this will give you more motivation to achieve it.
Don’t just do this visualisation once, make it also part of your daily routine.

 3:  Prepare

Sports and Fitness models Kelly Rennie and Justine Switalla talk about preparing their meals in advance and always having healthy snacks, protein and their meals with them where ever they go.  If you make your meals in advance or at the very least have a plan of what you are going to eat you are less likely to skip meals or grab for something unhealthy as you will be suitably topped up and if not you will have something healthy with you to snack on. 

If your goal is exercise related you can get prepared by having your exercise gear ready to go when you wake in the morning or take it with you to work so you can go straight from your job to the gym or out for a run, swim or whatever it is you decide to do.
4:  Keep hydrated
Often people mistake hunger for thirst!  If you have just eaten or it’s less than an hour and a half since you last ate and you still feel hungry, try grabbing for a glass of water instead of a snack and then wait for 20 minutes, you will probably find the hunger subsides. 
Keep in mind your body needs to be well hydrated to function properly.   If you are exercising you will be losing fluid through sweat. Our bodies are 75% water so just a loss of 2% through metabolic activity during exercise will have  a negative effect on your performance and health.

So make sure you carry water with you at all times and especially when you are exercising.

If you stick to some of these basic rules you will be well on your way to achieving the new healthy you without waiting for a tomorrow that never comes.

Oh dear.. if getting wrinkles, grey hairs and sagging everything wasn’t enough.. Imagine my shock when I discovered my once muscley arms had turned to jelly!!! 

Ok it does seem a little unfair, as other than the lack of muscle, I am slim, run most days of the week and try and eat well!  So why all of a sudden, at 37 years of age, I wake up one morning and notice my muscles in my arms are no longer toned and taunt? 

Does this sound familiar?

Apparently it’s a little old thing called the loss of muscle mass.    You see most people are unaware of the fact that they start to lose bone and muscle density steadily once they reach their thirties, this is why a lot of people also start to put on weight at around the same age.   The more muscle you have the faster you burn energy, the more you can eat! – sounds great to me!

Great so how do I stop this steady decline in muscle mass?

One of the best things you can do is some form of resistance training by way of weights.  These strength training exercises help build your muscle up slowly over time – please don’t worry you are not going to turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger, in fact this is impossible.  Start out by learning which exercises are best and the correct way of doing them.  It might be beneficial to get help from a personal trainer to start to ensure you are on the right track and don’t injure yourself.

If you have done resistance training in the past you will probably have quicker results, than if you have never touch a weight in your life, as muscles have great memory!  Often a few days sometimes a week after a hard workout they will remind you they are still very sore too!!  This is a good thing.

However, strength training exercises are only half of the solution.  Without the right nutritional balance you may be wasting your time.  You should also be consuming high quality protein, carbohydrates and fats in the correct proportion and quantity so you can build muscle. This can be hard to achieve in a busy lifestyle.  The simplest way to get enough protein into your diet is through a protein powder.. check out http://tonysfeir.com.au/products/naturel-healthy-proteins/  for a list of different types of 100% natural protein powders to help you on your way.

You will be able to stay younger for longer if you exercise correctly and consume the right protein powders and dietary supplements. You should also stay away from cigarettes and alcohol and try to get as much sleep as possible. You will feel happier and healthier if you follow these tips to look after yourself.

It’s often hard to get motivated to train and it is much easier to just hibernate inside and eat nice warm “comfy” foods.  The problem with this is when spring time comes and it’s time to start thinking about donning a swimsuit again and the new pair of shorts purchased last summer just won’t do up!

 Oh yes I think we can all relate!  Springtime will soon be upon us but don’t worry. It is not too late, even if you have put on a couple of kg’s already you can lose them easily in time for summer with a few motivational tips I have put together to help you stay motivated and get back on track to exercise!

Set yourself a Goal
This is very important to help you stay on track and keep motivated.  Set yourself a fitness goal and stick to it.  There are plenty of events happening during the winter months, whether it be a 12 week type challenge to a fun run from 5k’s to half marathons.  Whatever it is make sure you write your goal down, the date you want to achieve it (so this might be the date of the event) and tell people about it, as this will keep you more motivated to stick to it.

Find an Exercise Buddy
It’s always fun to exercise with someone so find yourself an exercise partner during these dull winter months so that you have absolutely no reason to skip your regular exercise routine. Having a partner will put the right kind of pressure on you and you will also receive the right kind of motivation.  If you have someone relying on you to turn up to train with, you will be less likely to skip training.

Mix it Up
Another great way to remain motivated to exercise during winter is to do something different from your regular workout routine so that you do not feel bored. This is probably a good time to get out of the gym and do something else. If you can get together a group of like-minded friends you could take dance lessons together or play indoor netball. Maybe even take up hot-yoga as this will certainly warm you up and you will burn a lot of calories while stretching at the same time.

 Wear the Right Clothes
If you prefer to do your exercise at the gym it is important to wear the right workout clothes that keep you comfortable as well as looking stylish. Do not underestimate the importance of looking good, both in gym gear and in regular clothes, because this motivates you to keep on working out. If all you do is wear comfy sweat pants and shirts you will not do anything more than laze on the couch in front of the television. I certainly know that if I wear bulky clothes I don’t even realize half the time I’ve put on weight and therefore don’t have the urgency to exercise! 

 I really hope these tips help you to stay motivated to exercise and help you to be fit and healthy throughout the winter so you look and feel fantastic even if you do occasionally indulge yourself with winter comfy foods!