A Better You: It’s time to get that sexy back

January is an important month of the year and some of you would have started work and some will be getting back on Monday.

This means you are headed for the dreaded traffic nightmare that awaits.

Much about life and work operates in the same way.

There are moments of pandemonium but as long as you are moving in the right direction, you will get there.

Planning is critical and planning is key to being successful in achieving your goals and dreams.

Here are some tips to tackle your fitness goal tips and the most important one is how to lose 10kgs.

Have a big goal but fulfil smaller impactful actions – break your fitness goal into bite size chunks like waiting to burn 0.5kg a week.

I agree Christmas has been kind to you but it’s time to get back your sexy look and take down the dual mirror.

It is easier to figure out how to burn 0.5kg than to burn 20-times the value.

Once we figure out how to burn 0.5kg then all we do is repeat the behaviour week in and week out and add some refining.

The important thing to understand here is that there are 7 700 calories in 1kg which means there are 3 850 calories in half a kilogram and if you are wanting to lose 0.5kg then you need to reduce your calories by having a deficient of 3 850 per week.

Sound simple right?

Well it is not!

It will be too complex right now to explain “why not” with limited writing space so I am going to go straight to the action and tell you, how you are going to “double whammy” the 3 850 calories.

In 20 weeks, you would lose 10kg.

It will be sooner if you are diligent on your training regime but worst-case scenario 20 weeks, best case between 10 and 14 weeks.

The game plan is that you need to reduce your food intake by 550 calories through smarter healthier options.

By exercising it acts as a backup for calorie deficit but you are not going to count the calories that you burn from training so you can add it back on your plate.

It is sort of a fail-safe system or mental cheat that works.

If you falter a little on the nutrition, your back up will kick in. Aim to burn at least 500 calories from exercises per day, every day and non-negotiable!

Often what tends to happen is people start to bargain with themselves, “well I can have another glass of wine because I trained this morning, or I have trained hard, I deserve this chocolate.”

Rewarding yourself in moderation is very important but be careful of the negative style bargaining because you will put those calories, twice as fast as you lost them.

Just to recap, remember, your primary goal, which is to reduce 550 calories through food intake per day.

Good nutrition is your number-one goal for 2020 and exercise is second.

Below I will give you a Success framework to follow, adopt it and then tweak it according to your lifestyle.

Fitness is key

• 1kg = 7700 calories or 29 400 kilojoules
• Average female needs 1800 calories a
  day
• Average male needs 2400 calories a day. If you are doing some serious daily training, then add 200 calories to your total
• Remember, this advice is for the general population

Planning for Success

• Pack your gym clothes the night before
• Stay away from cellphone and electronics two hours before bed
• Go to bed early, no later than 9.00pm
•  Set your alarm clock for 5am and for only one wake up! Learn discipline.

Early morning routine

• Wake up switch on your APP Waze and estimate your traffic time to work
• Kickstart your day with a good cup of coffee and water
• Get Cracking on your morning routine
• Go to gym or gym at home
• If time is limited, then follow a home 15-minute stretching and metabolic workout followed by 5 minutes of meditation
• If you can only train in the morning, then wake up 30 minutes earlier otherwise hit a workout during your lunch break or late afternoon after work.
• Aim to burn 500 calories for each session for seven days a week.

Choose your Exercise

Spice it up daily – these exercises will burn 500 calories according to Harvard study based on a 56kg person. If you weigh 70kg you will burn on average 10 – 12% more which means you time will reduce by on average 10 % provided you keep the intensity.
1. Gym Ski Machine – 45mins
2. Spinning – 40 mins
3. Skipping – 50 mins
4. Swimming – 50 mins
5. Rock Climbing – 45mins
6. Cycling 32kph – 30 mins
7. Running 16 kph or 6 min mile – 30 mins
8. CrossFit workout – 40 minutes
9. Walking – 2 hours
10. Weight lifting – 2.5 hours

In summary, don’t go balls to the wall every day, you won’t be able to manage, the goal is 500 calories of exercise so if you take the same principle of breaking up your exercise throughout the day then you would have achieved your goal.

For this you would need to purchase a fitness watch to track your steps, movement, heart rate and fitness.

It makes life so much easier in monitoring your progress towards your goals.

On weekends, the famous coined term is “binge watching” perhaps try that for a hike or a walk with the family in a park.

Get outdoors, spend some family time together but keep moving.

Good Luck for the next 10 – 20 weeks.

Smash your goals and remember to seek professional help if you feel lost, a quality performance trainer, a modern dietician or a sports scientist.

Sean van Staden is a sport scientist. Follow him on Twitter at @SeanVStaden or visit advancedsp.co.za.

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