Last Updated on December 1, 2017 by MarcyPro

Lifestyle and training adjustments

As we mentioned in Part One of our two-part love handle-elimination strategy, getting rid of all of that stubborn fat that just doesn’t seem to go away, can be difficult.

You can do thousands and thousands of sit-ups and crunches but those alone won’t fix the love handle problem. Likewise, throwing a bunch of weights around isn’t going to tackle the issue either.  

This has to be a multi-faceted approach in order to make some real, lasting change. So let’s put our crosshairs on those lingering fat deposits the right way.

First, we gave you some valuable nutrition tips. In this article, we show you how to compliment those with some highly-effective lifestyle and training advice. We know that you can do this!

 

Lifestyle Adjustments

 

• Workout Smart Instead of Hard

 

You see it everywhere—people grunting and sweating in the gym, working out like there’s no tomorrow. In actuality, while it’s good to hit your maximum weight lifting peaks once in awhile, doing it too much can wear your body out and also lead to injuries. Overtraining can also force your body to retain the stress-causing hormone cortisol, which in turn auto-retains fat stores for survival purposes. Therefore, training moderately at about 60% to 70% of your max is suggested.

 

• Always Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Proper rest and sleep are very underrated when it comes to health and fitness. That probably had to do with the fact that it’s not exactly glamorous. Sleep deprivation will throw your hormones out of whack, creating irritability. Your body will automatically crave fatty or high carb foods because of elevated levels of cortisol, and metabolism will slow down in order to conserve energy. At least seven hours of sleep per night is recommended.

 

• Get Your Engine Started

 

When you wake up in the morning, instead of automatically eating your breakfast, drink two cups of water in order to get your metabolism going. This also jump-starts your digestive system so by the time you begin eating your breakfast, it will be more efficiently absorbed.

 

• The Health & Fitness Lifestyle

 

 

Build a better you by making healthy lifestyle choices. Instead of hitting the bar after work for happy hour, in order to get sloshed with the work crew, go for a jog in your local park, or just get out for some fresh air by walking with a friend. When it comes to food intake, instead of reaching for that bag of chips, eat a piece of fruit such as an apple or mango. Likewise, ditch that beer or mixed drink for some sparkling water with lemon juice, or some homemade ice tea with honey and lemon. Whatever you do, remember to stay away from fast (and fast casual) dining establishments, which only feed you highly-processed food.

Training

 

• Weight Training

 

Compound exercises, such as chest presses, power cleans, deadlifts, and squats really go a long way in improving your health and fitness levels. These exercises stimulate multiple muscles groups simultaneously. As your body seeks to repair itself, you’ll build more lean body mass. This causes your metabolism to increase, which in turn boosts your caloric burn rate, even at rest.

Burn Baby, Burn

High intensity interval training, or HIIT workouts create an after-burn effect, which dramatically drives up your heart rate and metabolism. You can also increase your caloric burn for 24-48 hours after your session. Incorporating HIIT-style training, such as explosive calisthenics or sprinting, can greatly increase your body’s ability to burn off all that lingering fat.

 

• Slower Means Faster

 

If you’re working out with weights and engaging in a cardio routine and the results aren’t happening as they were before, you may have hit a plateau. In order to get past this hurdle, sometimes you need to shock your body. Try integrating a couple of longer (at least 30 minute) cardio sessions into your weekly workout schedule. This type of training not only speeds up your resting metabolism, but also taps into those deeper, more stubborn fat.

A More Comprehensive Approach

Individually, nutrition, lifestyle, and training elements may work to a certain degree but won’t be nearly as effective when incorporated as a whole. Combining these three all-important facets of health and fitness can change your life for the better, as well as finally get rid of those love handles…and beyond!

Be sure to check out Marcy Pro to see our wide variety of fitness equipment, including a wide array of Smith cages and other workout machines, and start burning those calories today!