I know how it feels to be overweight, lacking in self-confidence with low self-esteem
Is food restriction and hours of boring cardio taking its toll on you physically and mentally and you are still not getting the results your hard work deserves?
When I was 14 years old I weighed 14 stone. I get that this is so much more than a physical thing. I went down the cardio and dieting route and although the scales went down, I was still not happy when I looked in the mirror. The hours of cardio became a chore, it drained me and it was unsustainable, and I still didn’t have the toned physique I dreamed of despite all my hard work.
Does this sound like you?
Here are my top tips, from my own personal journey, on how to achieve your fat loss goals
- Lift Weights
I know if I hadn’t started to lift weights and been taught how to lift safely and effectively, I would not have changed my body and my life. Lifting weights made me strong, lean and healthy, and it felt so good physically and mentally.
Are you scared lifting weights will make you bulky?
This is one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding females and strength training. It won’t happen due to females producing a lot less testosterone than men and therefore won’t increase muscle mass at the same rate as men.
You can work at the same intensities as men but build the lean, slender physique of a fitness model instead of a bodybuilder.
Are you unsure on how to train in the gym?
Low weights and high reps are not the answer!
A certain level of stress must be placed on the body’s muscles and joints in order to create adaptations to allow for lean muscle growth.
The majority of women exercise mainly to improve their physiques, so they don’t necessarily need to perform one-, two-, or three-rep maxes like strength athletes. Sticking between six and 12 reps should be sufficient for optimal lean muscle development, assuming you’re working at a maximal level of intensity.
Women should make sure to use compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, push-ups and pull-ups to stimulate their nervous systems to the highest degree.
Are you worried you will get hurt from lifting heavy weights?
If you’re not confident with your form, seek out a qualified professional to learn proper exercise technique. Focus on quality movement and form and build a foundation of strength to work towards for the long term.
Once you’ve gained confidence in your ability to complete a lift with perfect technique, you’ll be able to increase the weight without worry, and progress faster than you ever dreamed.
- Cardio alone is not the answer
Do you think you need to focus on cardio to lose fat?
While there’s no question cardiovascular exercise can help you lose fat and is important for your health, if you focus only on cardio, you’ll likely lose weight but you’ll lose muscle if you don’t engage in resistance training.
Having more muscle speeds up your metabolism because it burns calories at a faster rate than fat. If you perform too much cardio, you can actually lose muscle.
If improving body composition is your goal, it’s important to incorporate, if not prioritize weight training and other exercise methods that involve working at high intensities for shorter periods of time.
- Nutrition
Still not seeing results?
Exercise is important, but YOUR DIET will have a much greater impact on your weight loss and your health for that matter. You can’t out train a bad diet.
Making sure you have a good balance of all your macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, fat) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) is essential, and make sure you are eating enough of these good whole foods. Our instinct is to restrict when it comes to trying to lose weight, and this can often have the opposite effect as our body goes into starvation mode and starts storing fat to survive. The majority of my clients come to me on low calorie diets. We increase their intake and boom! their bodies start to let go of the stored fat and they start seeing instant results.
- Stress
Stress levels also have a big impact on fat loss.
Work on reducing stress and getting a requisite amount of sleep per night. Aim for at least seven hours of sleep per night.
Keep it simple. Master the basics to achieve your fat loss goals! If you are struggling on the training or emotional front to put all this together, then please feel free to contact me. I do know how it feels, and will be there to support you on your journey every step of the way.
Places left for Online Coaching. Contact me for more details
(Fat loss or cycling/rowing/running specific)
I also run a free Facebook group for mature female cyclists where I share lots of tips for improving on hills, endurance, speed, power, health, strength and hormones. Here’s the link if you’d like to join:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/agewithoutlimits
Or if you’d like to see more info about the Online Cycling Transformation Program for Mature Females, where we transform your health, performance, enjoyment and longevity on and off the bike, here is that link:
https://go.heidivilesperformance.uk/apply-now
