Let's say you're doing everything right. You're prioritizing your protein. You're getting in your daily steps. You're lifting weights. So why have you still got lower belly fat and love handles, like I do?
Why aren't you losing fat from the areas you want?
Well, I've got good news and I've got bad news for you. The good news is that you're doing everything exactly right. The bad news is that you just have to be a little more patient. Fat loss never happens in a straight line. Generally speaking, your arms, legs, and face will always lean out first. At this point, the challenge becomes a mental one. You have to do those physical habits long enough and be consistent enough with them to see the results. And that's what holds most of us back. It's not that we don't know what to do. It's that we're not doing it for long enough. The truth is that fat loss is a slow process. The leaner you get, the harder your body will fight back. But I promise you, you just have to keep on going to see results. Just stay consistent and be patient.
Now when it comes to burning body fat and calories, the number one exercise you can do is walking. When was the last time you actually checked your daily step count? Walking might not feel like a fat burning session, but it's one of the best tools you've got. If you don't know where to start, let me suggest you walk for one hour every day. That's about 3 miles. Most people can get 2,000 steps in a mile, so that's 6,000 steps right there. Today I walked for 7 miles on the treadmill.
After each mile I did a set of pull ups before getting back to my steps.
When you add the steps I get just from my normal activities, my total daily steps will top out at around 16,000!
Walking is the number one exercise to help you burn body fat because it's the easiest one for you to stay consistent with. One of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to losing body fat is that they think the best or even the only way for them to lose weight is to eat less but that couldn't be further from the truth. One of the biggest factors that influences your maintenance calorie numbers is how active your lifestyle is. If you can walk 10,000 steps a day (= about 1.5 hours of walking), you're going to burn approximately 500 calories a day, which is 3,500 calories a week. Coincidentally, one pound of fat is 3,500 calories. That's how powerful walking is. Walking is not only sustainable, it's easy, it's free, and it's accessible -- anyone can do it. You're not going to get injured and can multitask while doing it.
This Friday I have my annual checkup with my cardiologist. I think he'll be pleasantly surprised at my weight and physique. The last time I saw him, I was over 30 percent body fat (i.e., officially "obese"). Today I hover around 15 percent, with the goal of reaching 12 percent before the end of summer. He will see that I've gone from 240 pounds down to 205. And walking has been the game-changer. Walking should be your main form of exercise, if we can even call it "exercise." If you combine it with a healthy diet and resistance training 2 or 3 days a week, you've got a winning formula.
Fitness is more than looking into a mirror and liking what you see. It's more than a number on the scales. It's about taking back control of your health.
Care to join me? If so, welcome!