6 Most Common Asked Questions (and my answers)

As a fitness professional and now working in the industry for over 3 years, I've helped thousands of individuals, and as expected I get a lot of questions about fitness and weight loss. I've come up with the 6 most common questions that I get asked and my answers to them. Hope this helps a friend or two out!

1. What is the best way to lose fat? In short, there is no 1 best way to lose fat. Every BODY is different, so it's impossible to say immediately what works best. It is important to consider both exercise and nutrition when trying to lose fat, so lets take a look at both. - Fat loss through exercise. Exercises that incorporate more than 1 muscle group and is weight bearing burns more calories per a minute. Also, training that includes bursts of greater intensity of work and short rest periods is going to force the body to work harder, which will help decrease body fat. Both strength training and endurance exercises both decrease body fat percent and when they are paired together correctly they will have a great impact on fat loss. I advise to do both. If you have a lot of fat to lose then start a plan that incorporates more cardio, but don't skip out on the weights as it's going to help burn more and replace fat with muscle to get that nice lean look. Plus it helps you build stronger bones and muscles which will help you power through those cardio workouts! - Fat loss through diet. There are many different ways of eating and those who are into one particular diet and stick with it, is because that lifestyle helps them meet their goals - including fat loss. When diets are created, there is a science behind WHY they work. Each body reacts differently to certain foods, amount of calories etc. Learn what is best for your body. How? No better way to do that, than to start experimenting. Find one that you can make work for your lifestyle. Please do not hop on the quick fix train only to gain it all back later once you're over it. Some popular diets include the Whole30, Paleo, Intermittent Fasting, Carb Cycling, Clean Eating, Vegetarian, Vegan, Plant Based, Ketogentic etc. I'm personally into the Whole30 lifestyle, with a mixture of Clean Eating while allowing for off plan meals 15% of the time. I teach this method of eating through my online Nutrition Clean Up groups. Check out the details for this service here, under "Services" then "Nutrition Support". 2. If I lift weights, won't I get too bulky? This all depends on 3 basic factors: genetics, gender and training intensity. In general, unless you're trying really hard to get bigger muscles, ie: adding calories, taking supplements and constantly in hypertrophy then no, you will not get bulky. From experience, most people do not lift nearly heavy enough or frequently enough to build bulk. It takes a lot of work and planning to bulk up! Males will develop larger muscles than females, due to having greater amounts of testosterone. Females, on the other hand, experience less muscle hypertrophy with strength improvement than males do. If you're a female who worries about getting too bulky, don't. You will build nice lean muscle that burns fat, unless you're working really hard to bulk up. 3. How do I get a flatter stomach? Genetics also plays a role in visible stomach muscles, however two types of exercises can help get a flatter stomach: strength training and cardio exercise. The abs are just like any other muscle in the body. For them to become visible you must grow them larger by doing ab exercises, but also decrease the layer of fat that lays over them. The reason why it's the most difficult part for people to have visible muscle is because it's an area of the body where we hold the most fat. The magical formula to obtaining abs is a combination of strength training, cardio exercises and a healthy diet. If you haven't obtained a flatter stomach or nicely defined abs, then chances are you're skipping a piece of the formula. You must consistently do all three, not just every so often, or do one but not the other. 4. How do I get rid of flabby arms? Flabby arms are typically a product of age. But one can decrease arm flab by decreasing their body fat percentage. One can not "spot reduce" fat in one specific part of the body because we can't dictate where our bodies decide to oxidize fat (wouldn't that be cool if we could!?). What you can do, is work to decrease your body fat in order to decrease the amount of fat all over the body, including the arms too. How do you decrease body fat? In case reading it in black and white in question number 1 wasn't enough, here it is a again, in simpler terms: STRENGTH TRAINING + CARDIO + NUTRITION! Are you starting to see a theme here? 5. How often should I workout? The average person should exercise 20 to 60 minutes, 3 to 5 days a week for optimal health and fitness. Exercising just 3 days a week may be enough for someone who was previously sedentary to improve their fitness level, but to see improvements beyond that they will need to add on more than just 3 days a week. For basic gains in strength, lifting 2-3 times a week is sufficient. Those who are more advanced, lifting weights more often is fine, but I recommend alternating between hard and easy days. To improve your cardiovascular endurance and fat burning include 2-3 days of cardio in your routine. 6. What dietary supplements or protein shakes do I need? You might be surprised by my answer for this one, but supplements are not necessary unless you have a known vitamin deficiency or do not eat a balanced diet. It is ALWAYS healthier to acquire vitamins and minerals from REAL food than to get them from a pill! I do understand that serious vitamin deficiencies do occur, in which that case supplements are useful. If you're eating a balanced diet, there is no reason for the average person to add supplements to their routine. Supplements are mostly appropriate for elite athletes or someone who has been training hard for many years because their bodies require more than the average persons. And don't even get me started on weight loss supplements. If the product claims that it will make you lose weight, STAY AWAY FROM IT. If you need to drop weight, there's no better way to do it than with good ole fashion exercise and better eating habits. Hope you learned a thing or two today! If you need further help with a training program or nutrition, be sure to check out my services on the home page! Train smart and eat well,

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