Earlier this week, I got a message from a dear friend who lives much too far away to pop into the gym for a chat. He, like many others, posed the question, “do you have any tips for losing extra belly?”

He and his wife had started working out and stopped eating foods they deemed to be “not so good for you”, but they weren’t yet seeing results.

I’ll share my response:

“Good and tough question. There’s a lot of variables that play into it, and tons of ways that you might need to tweak your workouts and diet. But let’s start with the basics, because usually the simplest things make the biggest impact:

1. Get at least 1 palm sized serving (for her, 2 for you) of protein per meal
2. 1-2 fist sized servings of veggies per meal
3. Drinking enough water – 2.5 litres minimum for her, 3.5 minimum for you
4. Sleeping 8 hours per night
5. Exercise – aim for at least 3 days of resistance training and 2 low intensity bouts of cardio (can even just be a long walk together)

We always start with what you can add in rather than what you should take away. This does a few things, but the best is that it leaves you feeling less deprived (and less likely to rebel and eat all the things you think you shouldn’t). Also, getting in your protein and veggies first at each meal will fill you up more and clean up the junk food consumption just by not feeling as hungry. Water and sleep are also the most underrated tool for recovery and weight loss!!

Get consistent with each of those 5 for 3-6 months, and then if it’s still stubborn, look to where you may need to get more specific. Consistency is key.”

I hope you didn’t open this blog hoping for a magic answer, one little action that would revolutionize your fitness journey. Those five tips above may seem simple…and they are! BUT are they simple tips that you’re already doing consistently, or are they simple tips that you just know you “should be” doing?

Food for thought – instead of starting a fitness journey thinking of all the things you believe you need to cut out of your routine, think instead of what new things you’re adding in. Being healthy, after all, is supposed to add to your well being, not take away from it!

Need some help getting started? You can request your free consult on our training page, or send us an email with any questions to heidi@saskbiomechanics.ca