Summer is here and most of your reading this are probably in pursuit of getting leaner for a holiday or event. Not ideal, it’s kinda late. Getting lean (reducing your body fat percentage) should be an endeavour you’re always working on regardless of season, however here’s 5 tips to help you get leaner this summer.
1) Use tougher exercises in the gym.
If you go to the gym and then lift weights in a lying down position or seated, you’re wasting an opportunity as far as I’m concerned.
Pick compound exercises, do things standing and move through space. Exercises like deadlifts, squats, rows, overhead presses, dips, chinups, farmers walks, burpees and sprinting should form the vast majority of your workouts.
Isolating areas won’t really help here.
2) Control your NEAT (Non-exercise activity).
This means the stuff you do outside the gym is just as important as your efforts in the gym. You could go for walks outdoors, invest in a standing desk, foam roll whilst watching Netflix, take the stairs instead of the lift or ride a bike to the gym etc. Gardening and swimming are great summer options too.
These are small things which will have a big impact.
3) Get out in the sun.
There are two supplements that can help you with fat loss as well as general health. Probiotics and vitamin D. With research I’ve seen showing direct links to increased fat loss when these supplements were added to a nutrition and workout regime. Keep in mind we’re talking a bonus to your efforts. They won’t fix a bad plan.
I advise spending upto 30 minutes daily in the sun reading or walking to get your vitamin D. For everyday that you don’t spend in the sun, take a vitamin D supplement.
Pre and Probiotics can be useful to help with gut health and ‘good bacteria’. It’s best to stick to foods such as dark chocolate, bananas, yoghurt and oatmeal however a supplement can be useful.
4) It doesn’t matter which diet style you go for, what works is a calorie deficit.
So whether you like low carb, high carb, no carb or only carb just stick to what you find convenient and make sure it’s something that can be adhered to long-term.
There is no magic diet, only a calorie deficit which is crucial (eating less than your body needs to maintain bodyweight). This would depend on activity too as a deficit can be created through activity alone so work it all out for yourself using a TDEE calculator.
5) Increase your consumption of lentils, beans and water.
Bit of a random trio but fibre is a vital part of our diets. Foods that contain high fibre and high protein are also satiating (they keep you feeling full for longer). In the case of lentils and beans you’ll also get plenty of workout fuel in the form of low GI carbohydrates and a ton of protein too.
I bet you guys aren’t yet sold on fibre yet. Fibre also rids the body of extra estrogen. Done.
…and water is GAINS. Literally everything is better with more water. You’ll have more energy, strength, focus, you’ll eat less and you’ll aid fat loss through a few pathways too.
Summer is already here but you should always be trying to get leaner.
Wish you some GAINS.