Losing it!

How do you get the body you want for the summer months and keep it, all the way to next summer, and the summer after that, and the summer a...

How do you get the body you want for the summer months and keep it, all the way to next summer, and the summer after that, and the summer after that?

By losing fat, not weight, and by putting on muscle. Adding lean body mass is the fat-burning secret. Did you know that a pound of muscle uses between 75 and 100 calories a day and a pound of fat uses just 3? Also, let's think about this for a moment-that pound of fat does nothing for you, while that pound of muscle is working for you and helping you lose fat at an alarming rate.

FAT, NOT WEIGHT

But because those pounds of muscle you are putting on are burning through calories, what do you need to feed those muscles? Adequate amounts of food. When the average person wants to lose weight, they typically cut calories and go to the gym to either run on the treadmill or mindlessly push through some other form of cardio. They are eating a fraction of their daily caloric needs, which results in losing weight and muscle, which is never sustainable.

Look at it this way: Remember how that pound of muscle needs about 75 to 100 calories a day? Well, let's say you weigh 160 pounds; you'll burn through roughly 1,760 calories a day by doing nothing. Add in some frantic, cardio-type exercise, then cut your calories down to about 1,000 a day or less, and you will lose weight (which means muscle and fat). Next, you will get "hangry" (angry and hungry), and then you will eat your way back to fatter, with less muscle than you started. Furthermore, you won't be strong enough to support your joints, which means you won't be able to avoid injury, which means you'll be in a really bad place when it comes to sustainable fat loss.

So, my dear "I want to get shredded and hot before summer" friends, let's start painting a different, more realistic picture! You need to become a fat-burning machine in order to maintain healthy fat loss, and there are some specific steps you need to take to get there. Here's what I recommend to all of my clients to gain muscle and lose fat-an awesome combination that will make you a lean, mean, fat-burning machine and let you keep that bikini body from the moment you attain it all the way up until you are the hottest grandma/grandpa on the beach!

Fat Loss Tips (AKA, Steps you need to take to get hot)

LIFT. HEAVY. WEIGHTS. Find a personal trainer who knows :What the heck he/she is doing and listen to him or her. Make sure your trainer is encouraging you to not over-train, because when under 'extreme stress, your body is more likely to hold on to body fat. YOU ShOULD BE lifting, BaSeD on your ability to recover. Handle STRESS, AROUND TWO TO THREE TIMES A WEEK. Those lifting sessions should include compound movements like the dead lift, back squat, bench press and strict press. These movements are multi-joint movements that use large muscle groups, and as you train these movements, you will lose more fat. Compound movements also increase joint strength, help you to prevent injury and literally help tou live longer! Also, add in some isolated movements. Working on building smaller specific muscle groups is okay and not bad thing. I am a huge fan of aesthetic gains in the gym, and I'm EOrry-but bicep curls are valuable. Want to get better at chin-ups? IThen add in some bicep curls and get awesome arms to boot!

IT'S NOT SUPER SEXY OR COOL TO NOT EAT.

EAT ENOUGH CALORIES TO SUSTAIN YOUR LIFE! Please don't starve. It's not super sexy or cool to not eat. In fact, it makes life dull and miserable. MOST WOMEN AREN'T EATING ENOUGH ALREADY, and then they start a workout plan and wonder why they are not seeing any results. You have to actually eat enough calories to sustain fat loss; when you are eating a clean, awesome, delicious Paleo diet, this is the magic elixir needed to help to lose fat and put on lean muscle mass. So, EAT! Most women need at least 1,800 calories a day in order to sustain healthy fat loss and put on muscle! Although I'm not a fan of calorie counting, it might be a really good idea to track your food for a few days to make sure you are not way under your caloric needs.

CHILL OUT!

That's right-relax a little. If your body thinks that being alive really sucks, there is no way it's going to let go of that extra fat. I'm a huge fan of sitting down during the day for about five to 10 minutes, closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing. (Shhhhh ... it's called meditation, but that word tends to scare folks away, so let's just call it "breathing.") It's truly amazing that this one little thing can really help you lose fat. IF YOU ARE OKAY IN YOUR HEAD, YOU'LL EVENTUALLY BE OKAY IN YOUR BODY. It's just how we tick. You must be at peace with yourself in order to see results, so set a reminder on your phone to take a timeout and just breathe, every day.

SLEEP.

Crazy, right? What do you mean, sleep? I can sleep when I'm dead! I can't sleep! I need time to get shredded! Well, sorry, but if you don't sleep, you won't recover. You make your muscle-building and fat-burning gains when you are resting, not when you are actually pumping iron. So make sure you get at least eight to 10 hours a night of shuteye. Other amazing results of getting enough sleep include HEAL THIER-LOOKING SKIN, HAPPIER HORMONES AND A JUMP-STARTED SEX DRIVE (my second form of exercise next to lifting weights).

SPRINT.

Run fast, but not for very long. Simple as that. Do not pound the pavement for miles or take out your aggression on a poor, defenseless treadmill. Go outside and sprint! Short duration at high intensity is magical. This is where you'll get lean, baby. There are moving vans filled with science on how this works, but I'll just give you a visual: Close your eyes and imagine the Summer Olympics. Think about the marathon runners, and then think about the sprinters. Which ones do you want to look like? Enough said.

WALK.

Yup, walk. Your body understands this. It's not overly taxing, IT'S GREAT FOR YOUR MIND. BODY AND SPIRIT, and it will help you lose fat.

That's it! LIFT SOME HEAVY WEIGHTS, EAT ENOUGH CALORIES TO SUPPORT FAT LOSS, CHILL THE HECK OUT FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES A DAY, SLEEP PLENTY, SPRINT AND WALK. Now, I can't wait for you to send me some real "before" and "after" pictures-and the coolest thing is, you'll be able to keep those "after" pictures forever!