Transforming your Body

We all want to feel confident and happy in our own skin, especially with summer only around the corner. Sometimes however with busy life schedules we can put nutrition and exercise low on our priority list. I have been there myself, and I decided to set myself a goal of transforming my body for a fitness competition. I would like to share with you 5 tips that helped me transform my body.

1. Nutrition – This is the most important factor in improving body composition. Weight loss is achieved by eating fewer calories and burning more calories with physical exercise. To lose weight you must be in a calorie deficit. I always advise my clients to track their daily calorie intake using an app such as My Fitness Pal. It’s important to control portion sizes, eat a high quality lean protein source with every meal and include a large quantity of high fibre veggies with your meals.

2. Sleep – This can be over looked but improving sleep will absolutely improve your body composition. A lack of sleep causes a increase in the appetite stimulating hormone ghrelin and a decrease in leptin, a hormone which helps you feel full and burn fat. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep every night.

3. Resistance Training – Strength training should be an integral part of anyone’s goal to build a stronger, leaner body. Progressive resistance training builds lean muscle mass, which ultimately helps burn more calories, even when your body is at rest! I recommend 3 resistance training sessions per week for best results.

4. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) – This is the most efficient way to perform cardio. This can be described as short sharp bursts of max effort lasting anywhere between 20-90 seconds. With short recovery time this will kick up the intensity of your cardio. Numerous studies have shown that HIIT increases your metabolism, regulating insulin levels and helps burn fat by burning more calories.

5. Set Goals – Setting goals can mean the different between success and failure. Realistic, well planned weight loss or strength goals will keep you focused and motivated. They provide a plan for change as you transition to a healthier lifestyle.

It can be helpful to have motivation on a fitness journey with personal training sessions where we can talk about your current fitness goals, and you can experience a 1 on 1 fitness session with professional guidance.

Shannon Tella
Personal Trainer, Reformer Pilates Instuctor & Fitness Competitor

All services are provided by instructors on a self-employed basis.