You have less time, less energy, more commitments and more pulling you in many different directions. It feels harder and harder to strip off the unwanted belly fat.
In this article I am going to give you the top 5 ways to strip off belly fat with your limited time.
I know that you want to be the leader of your family and the alpha of the pack.
Leading by example, providing the life you know your family deserves, but how can you do this when you feel sluggish and have lost pride in your own appearance.
You can feel your gut getting bigger and bigger as the weeks go by and it feels like you are on a slippery slope to losing the battle permanently.
If you don’t do something now, what are you going to be like in 10 years time? Less fit, more tired and even more out of shape. It wasn’t that long ago that you were proud of the way you looked and bounced out of bed.
The good news is that it is not too late. I have been helping Men just like you for years get their energy and fitness back and finally strip off the belly fat that they desperately want to get rid of. Ensuring that they are now proud down at the swimming pool and at the beach, feeling like they are setting a good example for their family.
Here are my top 5 ways to strip belly fat
- Focus on whole foods
- Develop a sleep routine
- Strength Train
- Sprint
- Hydrate
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Focus on whole foods
You can train the house down, but if you eat like shit, then guess what, your results will be just as shit. Here is an extremely simple approach that I guarantee will give you results.
Only eat foods that contain one or two ingredients!!!
What does this mean?
When you eat a piece of steak, all that is in the steak is beef, when you eat an apple, the ingredient is ‘apple’, when eating a carrot you are simply eating carrot.
Contrast that to eating nearly anything that comes from a packet and of course on the back there is going to be multiple ingredients that make up that food. Even health foods such as protein bars, give them the flick and focus on real whole foods that aren’t made in a factory.
More examples of wholefoods
- Meats
- Chicken, beef, venison, fish, lamb
- Eggs
- Vegetables
- Spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, beans, sweet potato
- Nuts
- Walnuts, macadamias, pecans, pistachios, almonds
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Develop a sleep routine
If you are not sleeping well then your results will be seriously impacted. I know what you are about to say, but what if I have to get up for a baby etc.
This means that the limited sleep that you can afford you must make the most of. Quality sleep will always be your goal. If it’s only 4 hours, then lets make it count.
You need to be able to have your head hit the pillow and be asleep within a couple minutes – If you’re lucky your partner might be up for some hanky panky, but let’s be real, these days it is far less often. The goal is; head hits the pillow, within 5 mins you are asleep and out to it until either your alarm goes off or you are awakened by a little one that needs you. Either way, those hours MUST BE QUALITY and it all starts before you go to bed by getting a good sleep routine in place.
We need this routine to be simple and easy to implement, no relaxing baths for you my friend, but a nice Epsom bath would be magic, those days are loooong gone.
Step 1.
Make your room as dark as you possibly can – the darker the better. The best approach is purchasing some black out curtains. When light is getting through and touching your skin it impacts your sleep hormone melatonin and brings you out of sleep mode.
Step 2.
I know your partner wants the room warmer, but around 16 degrees is going to be the perfect temperature and use the blankets to warm yourself up rather than heaters.
Step 3.
Give this one a shot before you simply dismiss it as being stupid. Before you go to bed write down 3 things that you are grateful for. This will put you in a positive frame of mind that can enhance your ability to relax, unwind and move out of the ‘fight or flight state’.
Step 4.
Do not work 1 hour prior going to bed and reduce screen time.
It is best not to sit there with your laptop out, smartphone in your hand and watch tv at the same time. Lit screens reduce your body’s ability to produce the sleep hormone melatonin, impacting your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Secondly, working late at night impacts your ability to move into a parasympathetic state, which is your rest and recovery mode.
Step 5.
Remove technology from your room to reduce EMF’s (electro magnetic frequencies). This means that you need to get tv’s, laptops, gaming out of the room and if you can, get rid of smartphones as well. If you need to have your phone in your room then switch it to flight mode.
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Strength Train
You must be performing strength training in the form of weights 3 x p/wk.
Focus on the big compound lifts to get the biggest bang for your buck – no time wasting with isolation exercises, sorry but the bicep curls have to go. You will get bigger guns from doing chin ups anyway.
When you hit the gym, be there with a purpose, have your plan, get through your routine in 40mins executing each exercise with perfect form to its maximum and get out.
The more muscle you carry the higher your metabolic rate will be and then the more fat you are going to burn. The effects from a hard strength training session will also last 48-72 hours with an elevated metabolic rate, so you are getting a doubling effect on your metabolism. An immediate boost as well as a long lasting effect.
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Sprint
One of the very best forms of exercise for body composition and function (you want to be running around with the kids, playing footy, cricket etc) is sprint training. Sprinting is an incredibly natural movement for us, more so than our gym training and sitting on a bike cycling, but we lose it because we never do it. Think about it, when was the last time you did a full on sprint? On that note, because it has been such a long time, whatever you do, do not go down to the park and give it an all out 100% 40m sprint. Guarantee it will be a loooong time before doing it again (injury).
Sprinting will fire up your metabolism, burn large quantities of calories, and train your hamstrings and core, better than nearly any other exercise.
Start by sprinting once per week and then move to two sessions per week.
Give yourself a really good 10-15min warm up and then complete 4 x 40m sprint at 60% – yes only 60%, think about form and getting used to sprinting again.
Sprint the 40m and then very slowly walk back to the start line and repeat.
Your goal is to build up to 10 sprints and build up over time to giving it 100%.
I’ll repeat, do not go 100% first time down at the park
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5. Hydrate
I am sure you have heard this before. Make sure you drink water throughout the day, every day.
At its most simplistic level, being hydrated helps every single cell in your body perform their jobs better. Your body is made up of cells, help those little guys function better and everything works better. Simple, easy, do it!!!!
So how much?
Take your bodyweight in kg and multiply it by 0.03 = Your daily intake in litres
Example 80kg x 0.03 = 2.4L
Or let’s make it even easier. Drink 2L of water per day not including what you drink when exercising
Get Hydrated!! There’s a reason you have heard it before and are now hearing it again – it is important so bloody well do it……everyday!!!!!
I can guarantee that if you put these 5 tips in motion you will see big changes within 14 days.
Let me know how you get on, I love getting feedback
