2538: Three Simple Ways to Lose Fat by Nia Shanks on Optimizing Health & Cardiovascular Fitness

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[00:01:09] That's the idea behind our new podcast, Good Sleep. Greg, our host from Optimal Relationships

[00:01:15] Daily is here to help ease you into a peaceful night's rest with some positive affirmations.

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[00:01:39] and be sure to pick the one from Optimal Living Daily. This is Optimal Health Daily Episode 2538.

[00:01:46] Three Simple Ways to Lose Fat by Nea Shanks of neaashanks.com and I'm your host and narrator,

[00:01:52] Dr. Neil Mollick. Hey there, happy Wednesday and welcome back to Optimal Health Daily,

[00:01:57] where I read to you from popular health and fitness blogs to help you optimize your health.

[00:02:02] Now today's Wednesday and like I do every Wednesday, I like to share that little bit

[00:02:07] of inspiration with you. So with that, here we go. Quote,

[00:02:12] There are many wonderful things that will never be done if you do not do them.

[00:02:18] Charles D. Gill. Alright and with that, let's get to today's post and start optimizing your life.

[00:02:29] Three Simple Ways to Lose Fat by Nea Shanks of neaashanks.com

[00:02:34] I haven't talked specifically about fat loss in a while, that's mostly because I prefer to

[00:02:39] focus on getting stronger to looking better. You don't have to focus on losing body fat in

[00:02:44] order to achieve it. My clients focus on getting stronger and improving their performance in the

[00:02:49] gym. Fat loss is just a great side effect. However, summer is quickly approaching and that

[00:02:55] means people will be flocking to the beach, lakes and pool parties. Inevitably, it also

[00:03:01] means people will be searching for the latest and greatest and most miraculous ways to lose

[00:03:05] body fat as quickly as possible. Well, I'm not going to tell you I have discovered the

[00:03:10] holy grail of fat loss or anything like that. Anyone who claims to have a miracle pill or

[00:03:16] program is only after your money. There is no overnight cure for fat loss. Like it or not,

[00:03:23] you will have to put in the time and work to lose body fat. I'm going to share with you

[00:03:28] my three favorite ways to lose body fat so you can get swimsuit ready.

[00:03:33] I thrive on keeping things simple. From my training to nutrition

[00:03:38] to how I live my life in general, I am all about simplicity.

[00:03:42] When it comes to losing fat, I like to follow the same format, the simpler, the better. Three

[00:03:48] methods I'm about to share with you for increasing fat loss are incredibly simple,

[00:03:52] but they produce results. My three favorite fat loss methods.

[00:03:57] 1. Go for a walk every day

[00:04:01] Now, I know many people have ranted and raved that low-intensity cardio doesn't work for fat loss.

[00:04:07] Well, that's not the experience my clients and I have had. Granted, we also eat smart and lift

[00:04:12] heavy weights, but adding in a few walks each week definitely helps burn some extra calories.

[00:04:18] This is the simplest method to incorporate into your current regimen.

[00:04:22] Start by going for a brisk 30-minute walk about five times per week or every day,

[00:04:27] first thing in the morning. Why first thing in the morning? Because if you wait until later

[00:04:33] in the day, you'll be more likely to come up with an excuse for not going on a walk.

[00:04:38] Get it done first thing and get on with your day. Every two weeks, increase the time by

[00:04:44] five minutes. You can even add in a second walk later in the day. Let me give you a

[00:04:49] personal example. I was finishing up a degree at the University of Louisville a few years ago

[00:04:54] and I lived in a small apartment. I brought my dog back with me after I visited home one weekend

[00:05:00] and I knew I was going to be busy walking her because she's a very high-energy dog.

[00:05:05] Each morning, I take her for about a 40-minute walk. When I came home in the early afternoon,

[00:05:10] I take her out again for about 15 minutes and then we'd go out for one more 40-minute

[00:05:16] walk to end the day. That added up to an extra 95 minutes of additional activity every day.

[00:05:22] The result? After a few weeks, I dropped a couple of pounds of fat without even trying.

[00:05:28] I usually check my weight every couple of weeks just to see how things are going

[00:05:32] and I was shocked when I saw my weight was two pounds less than it normally had been.

[00:05:37] I had consistently weighed 122 pounds for a few months but it was down to 120 pounds

[00:05:43] after a few weeks of walking my dog. It wasn't my intention to lose body fat but it happened because

[00:05:50] of all the extra activity and I didn't lose any muscle either because I was still improving

[00:05:55] my performance in the gym. As I announced to everyone a couple of weeks ago, I moved again.

[00:06:00] I was living out in the country and my dog could run around all day. Now I'm back in

[00:06:05] town and once again I find myself going for a few dog walks each day. I recorded my

[00:06:11] weight and measurements a week ago and I'll keep track of what happens from adding in the

[00:06:15] additional activity of walking every day. Like I said, going for a walk every day does burn fat

[00:06:21] if you do it consistently but keep in mind I am eating smart and also deadlifting, squatting,

[00:06:27] rowing and pressing heavy every week. 2. Run Hill Sprints

[00:06:33] This is another favorite of mine that I really like to use during the summer.

[00:06:37] Not only is running hill sprints very effective for burning fat but just like going for a walk outside

[00:06:42] each day it allows you to get some fresh air and sunshine. There's also something freeing about

[00:06:48] running hill sprints. I can't really explain it but if you've ever busted your butt running up a hill

[00:06:53] you know what I mean. It just feels good to run. Adding in some hill sprints two to three times

[00:06:59] per week can kick your fat loss up a notch. 3. Swing a Kettlebell

[00:07:06] I really like kettlebell swings and I like them even more for fat loss. Dan John wrote an article

[00:07:11] for TNation about how to properly perform a kettlebell swing and also the many benefits.

[00:07:17] I've linked it in this post for you to check out. In that article he discussed how kettlebell

[00:07:22] swings are excellent for fat loss. A simple way to incorporate swings for fat loss is to

[00:07:28] perform them multiple times per week or even every day. Dan suggests performing a set number each day

[00:07:34] or several times per week. For example you can have a goal of 100 swings every day. You don't

[00:07:41] perform them all at once but in bite-sized pieces throughout the day. For example you could perform

[00:07:48] two sets of 20 reps in the morning, two sets of 20 reps in the afternoon and then a final set

[00:07:54] of 20 reps later in the evening. Just add the swings into your current training program and see what

[00:07:59] happens. So there you have it, my three favorite methods for losing body fat. If you want to burn

[00:08:05] some extra fat before summer, pick one of those methods and apply it consistently. You can even

[00:08:11] alternate them. Perform method number one for four to six weeks and then method number two

[00:08:16] for four to six weeks and then perform method number three for four to six weeks. That way

[00:08:21] you don't get bored and your body doesn't get used to one single method.

[00:08:29] You just listened to the post titled Three Simple Ways to Lose Fat by Nea Shanks of neashanks.com

[00:08:35] and I'll be right back with my commentary. Dr. Neal here for my commentary. So do we need to

[00:08:42] do all of those things to lose body fat? No, in fact today's author Nea mentioned

[00:08:47] that we can just pick one of her suggestions and apply it consistently.

[00:08:51] Low intensity cardiovascular activity can help the body burn fat so long as we do it consistently.

[00:08:59] High intensity interval training can help the body burn fat so long as we do it consistently.

[00:09:06] Think of it this way, I often get asked, Dr. Neal, if I want my clothes to fit better,

[00:09:12] which type of workout is best? Will walking work or should I increase the intensity and run?

[00:09:17] Or should I do some resistance training? My answer is all of those work. Why? How is it possible that

[00:09:25] all of those can help the body burn fat? This is because if we're consistent with our workouts,

[00:09:31] whatever kind it is and we pay attention to our diets, the body will burn fat. The key

[00:09:38] is to be consistent. All right, that'll do it for another edition of Optimal Health Daily.

[00:09:43] Thank you so much for listening and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.