2851: 7 Fail-proof Ways to Rev Up Your Fat Burning and Get Lean by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits on How to Train Smartly

[00:00:00] Überlass deine gesunde Ernährung und die Gains nicht nur deinem Bauchgefühl. Denn bei der Ernährung gaukelt uns unser innerer Schweinehund manchmal ganz schön was vor. Sag stattdessen Hallo zu deinem neuen Coach, Yasio. Yasio ist die meistgenutzte Ernährungs-App Europas, made in Germany. Egal ob Massephase oder ein bisschen Abnehmen, tracke Kalorien, Proteine, Carbs, Fette, Bewegung und Intervallfasten. Und mit den Tasty-Rezepten bist du ready für deine Ziele. Let's go! Lade die Yasio-App jetzt herunter.

[00:00:30] Lade die Optimal Health Daily 7 Fail-Proof Ways to Rev Up Your Fat Burning and Get Lean by Leo Babauta of ZenHabits.net And I'm Dr. Neal Malik reading you some of the most popular health and fitness blogs out there with permission from the websites, of course. I actually really like talking about fat burning. There are so many myths out there. I like setting people straight. In fact, the timing is perfect.

[00:00:54] Just this past week, my students and I were talking about fat metabolism during exercise. So, let's hear what Leo has to say on the topic as we optimize your life. 7 Fail-Proof Ways to Rev Up Your Fat Burning and Get Lean by Leo Babauta of ZenHabits.net If you're like me, you can eat healthy much of the time, exercise a lot, and still find your fat burning efforts at a plateau.

[00:01:23] It seems easier to lose the first 30 pounds than the last bit of fat around your middle. And if you're like me, you want to get lean for reasons that may vary from improved physical performance to better health to better looks. It's not always easy to get rid of that stubborn belly fat, or any fat for that matter, as you can't spot reduce just your belly fat. So, I've created a list of things you can do to break through that plateau if you've been exercising and eating fairly healthy for a while, but have seen your progress slow considerably.

[00:01:53] That's the situation I found myself in recently, and these are the techniques I've been using to pretty good success. Who should use these tips? Again, this post is aimed at those who have been exercising regularly for at least a few months, and who already eat fairly healthy. It's for those who want to break through a plateau and speed up their fat burning, lean making progress. It's for those who are looking for leanness, and not hugeness. If that's you, listen on.

[00:02:21] If you don't exercise regularly, I highly recommend you start right away, assuming you don't have major health problems, and that you start out slowly. These tips aren't for you. If you regularly eat junk food, that's sugary foods, fried foods, fast foods, fatty foods, processed foods, or refined carbs, this isn't the place to start. Better start with the basics. Learning to slowly wean yourself from these junk foods and start eating mostly whole foods instead.

[00:02:47] I'm not saying you can never have sweets or french fries, but you should cut back on them and only have them in moderation. If you're looking to build massive amounts of muscle, this post isn't for you. To do that, the prescription is pretty simple. One, do compound lifts like the squat, deadlift, bench press, standing military press, standing barbell row, power clean, pull-ups, etc. Two, lift heavy and continue to progress. And three, eat a lot, including lots of protein.

[00:03:16] I recommend lifting three times a week, full body routine, unless you're a serious bodybuilder, in which case, you know better than I do how to reach your goals. But if you're looking to get lean, as I said, these tips will help take you from your foundation of healthy eating and regular exercise to your goal of losing that last bit of stubborn fat. How to rev up your fat burning. You don't have to do all of the following tips. Pick ones that will work best for you and give them a try.

[00:03:43] If they don't do much after a few weeks, try some of the other tips. So here we go. Tip number one, lean your diet. I typically eat pretty healthy. As a vegetarian, I stick with lots of veggies, fruits, lean protein, nuts, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and good fats. For the most part. But I also allow some indulgences, including veggie pizza, some sweets, and other treats.

[00:04:07] And while I think that's a good lifestyle to have, sometimes you have to get a little strict with yourself for a little while to achieve your goals. So right now, I'm on a self-created diet with only one menu plan. I eat the same things every day. I have a set breakfast, set lunch, set dinner, and set snacks. I've taken the choice out of eating, and for me, that's been working. That might not work for everyone. The key is to cut out the junk food and other treats, except for maybe one to two cheat meals a week.

[00:04:35] Cut back on grains for a little while, and focus more on lean protein, veggies, fruits, and good fats. With a diet like this, you'll get lean faster. Tip number two, intervals. If you do cardio exercise, such as running, cycling, rowing, or what have you, rev it up with higher intensity intervals. This means going at a little under full speed for a short interval, and then going slow for another short interval.

[00:05:00] There are tons of great interval workouts, but one of my favorites recently are Tabata intervals. Basically, 20 seconds of intense exercise, then 10 seconds of rest, and repeat those intervals 8 times. That's a total of 4 minutes. A great workout in a short amount of time. I suggest easing into interval training if you haven't done much of it before. Just pick up the pace for a minute, then go slower for another minute. Don't overdo it at first.

[00:05:26] Also realize that if you do intense intervals, you'll probably have to cut back on the duration of the exercise. Tip three, Metcon workouts. These are usually workouts that combine strength training with cardio at high intensities. Generally, they're about 20 minutes, give or take 10 minutes, and they use a combination of exercises with no rest in between. CrossFit is the ultimate expression of this philosophy. Typical workouts include doing 4 rounds of 400-meter sprints and 50 squats as fast as you can,

[00:05:55] or 100 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats as fast as you can. You get the idea. Tip number four, hills. If you normally run, add some challenge to your runs with hills. Hills are like strength training for runners. They add intensity and are a great way to rev up the fat burning. I suggest easing into hill running if you're not used to it. Start by running a slightly hilly course, gentle, rolling hills. Then run a course with hills that are a bit tougher.

[00:06:24] Then, when you're good and strong after a few weeks, do some hill repeats up a challenging hill. Run hard up the hill, then go easy down the hill for 5-7 repeats. You'll curse my name when you're done. Tip number five, heavy weights. If you normally do strength training, but only do bodyweight exercises, which are great, or do high reps with lighter or medium weights, try increasing the intensity. Do this gradually, of course, as you don't want to overdo it at first.

[00:06:51] Aim for three sets of five reps with a heavier weight for each exercise you do. This will help you build more muscle and increase your metabolism. Tip number six, compound lifts. Combine the tip I just mentioned of lifting heavier weights with this one. Only do compound lifts. That means no isolation lifts. That's when you're only working one muscle group at a time. Be sure that each lift uses two or more joints. Bicep curls are an example of an isolation lift.

[00:07:21] Only the elbow joint is involved. Examples of compound lifts include the bench press, because your shoulder and elbow joints are involved. Or the pull-up. Again, shoulder and elbow. Squat. Knees and hips and back are involved in that case. With compound lifts, you're working more muscles at once. And as a result, you're going to build more muscle overall. Compound lifts are also more functional. They mimic real-world motions. No one lifts anything like they do in a bicep curl,

[00:07:48] but we squat every day, thinking of picking up something off the floor or sitting down and then getting up. And finally, tip number seven, extra activities. If you're doing all of the tips I just mentioned, you're on a great track to get lean. But if you've stepped up the intensity and are eating super lean for a month or so and want to take it to the next level, then add some extra activities to your schedule several times a week. These could include anything where you get active for at least 30 minutes, like playing sports, going on a hike, doing some yard work,

[00:08:18] doing some intense house cleaning. No, the Roomba doesn't count. Going swimming, etc. Just get active, in addition to your regular workouts. This extra activity will help you burn those extra calories and help break through your plateau. You just listened to the post titled 7 Fail-Proof Ways to Rev Up Your Fat-Burning and Get Lean by Leo Bavada of zenhabits.net and I'll be right back with my commentary. Dr. Neil here for my commentary.

[00:08:49] Leo's tips are spot on. If we took a step back and re-examine some of the themes of what he's trying to say with his seven tips, it's this. Incorporate some variety. Do something different. So whenever you hit that plateau, that basically means it's time to do something different. If you've been lifting the same amount of weight, the same number of reps for the same number of sets, maybe decrease the weight or make it heavier. That'll change your reps automatically. That'll change the number of sets you do.

[00:09:18] This forces your body to adapt and that's a good thing. Because when you plateau, your body's basically saying, I'm used to this. What else you got? That's when it's time to show it what else you got. You may actually find that if you reach a weight loss plateau or a body fat plateau, what you may need is to not necessarily cut more calories from your diet. This is because as we lose weight, the body burns fewer calories. Think of it this way. The more weight you carry,

[00:09:47] the harder your body has to work, which means the more calories you burn. But as you lose the weight, that's just less calories your body has to burn. And so to put it another way, your metabolism slows down. Now to make up for the fact that your metabolism is slowing down, incorporate extra activities, as Leo mentioned. Force the body to adapt by mixing up your routine. Lift heavier or lift lighter. Incorporate high intensity activity like intervals.

[00:10:15] Or incorporate Metcon or metabolic conditioning workouts. This is why change in variety, especially when you hit a plateau, and especially with regards to your exercise, can be so powerful to smash through that plateau. That's enough from me for today. I'll be back tomorrow for our usual Friday Q&A. Thank you in advance for sending in your questions. So definitely stay tuned for that, where your optimal life awaits.