Step It Up Part III-X Factors

We have been talking about fat loss over the last few weeks.  Cardio and strength are the obvious but there are other factors I feel are very relevant to your success in dropping bodyfat. 

Here they are...


1. Mental Focus
You need to have a clear vision of where you want to go. Something that drives you to get your butt out of bed in the morning.  Put that vision or long term goals up where you can see it each day. Also make it more tangible by adding some visual effect to it. Here's an example. I have some serious business goals that I want to accomplish by the May of next year and I need to focus daily moving towards accomplishing these goals.  I set them at  conference put on by my coaching organization called NPE. I have this great NPE coffee mug that I fill every morning on the way to work. That visual aid reminds me of why I get up and do what I do each day. Bottom line it has to be more about just losing weight maybe it's being there for your kids or gaining more self confidence in your business by being more fit whatever it is write it down and post it up with something visual that reminds you of where you want to go.

2. Hydration When the body is well hydrated your fat burning organ the liver works better. You also flush out excess water retention which can appear like fat.  If you are dehydrated your liver has to redirect it's efforts to help the kidneys function better thus putting a monkey  wrench in the fat burning machinery. A good rule of thumb is to drink 1/2 your bodyweight in ounces. So if you weigh 200 pounds drink 100 ounces which equates to 12.5 8 oz glasses.

3.)Sleep- Studies show people who are sleep deprived tend to gain more weight. This is attribute to higher levels of the hormone ghrelin which tells your boy your hungry driving you to eat more calories. So get 7-8 hours a night to nip this problem in the butt.

4.)Stress- When you are under a lot of stress or aren't managing it well you tend to release more of the hormone cortisol which leads to high blood sugar and more storage of abdominal fat. If you are feeling stressed make sure you find outlets such as exercise, meditation/relaxation techniques and give yourself downtime.  If this hormone is high it tends to drive more stress eating as well.

5.)Set the environment- You need a create an environment that motivates you. Back in the 80s when I started working out we had this little gym with heavy metal music cranking and that did it for me. I'm a hairband fan so I now use my I-Pod with my favorite music and work out at gyms and my studio which have windows and the layouts I like.  Many times a home gym just doesn't cut it because of all the distractions or even the big industrial gym either.  Find a place that energizes you instead of sucks energy from you.


So these are a few other things to keep in mind to help you be successful in your fat loss quest. Please post any other tips you might have so others can benefit as well. The bottom line is draw up a good plan and execute it. If you don't know how to do than than hire someone who does so you can quit wasting time and start making progress.