Originally posted on https://www.fithaus.io/blog/fitness/5-ways-to-kickstart-your-metabolism-and-fat-loss/

Fat loss is a super common fitness goal for many of our clients. We’ve heard countless stories of people being frustrated about not achieving their fat loss goals despite fitting in great workouts, getting in their cardio, and eating well.

As we’ve mentioned on our previous videos, achieving weight loss is a journey, not a sprint. Remember, at the core of any weight loss regimen has two main components which contribute to a caloric deficit:

1. They limit the amount of food you can consume
2. They increase the amount of calories and fat you burn

1. Use HIIT for your cardio

Shorter, higher intensity cardio sessions result in more efficient fat loss over time than lower intensity sessions. If you’re able to, I’d recommend incorporating HIIT for all cardio. HIIT sessions can be kept to 20-30 minutes in length and can start with a low intensity warm-up, before going all-out as fast as possible for 30-60 seconds, alternating between a low-intensity recovery period in between sets. If you’re just getting started with HIIT, you may need to extend the rest period to 1.5-2 times as long as your high intensity interval. For example, if the HIIT interval of your workout is 45 seconds, you can consider resting up to 90 seconds if you need it! You’d rinse and repeat the process over the 20-30 minute time period and then finish off with 2-3 minutes of cool down at low intensity. As you progress, you can increase the duration of your HIIT interval and reduce the amount of rest time. HIIT can be tiresome so it’s important to implement a phased approach to HIIT training as you don’t want to sap your energy for the rest of your workouts.

2. Lift Heavy Weights

We shouldn’t be afraid to lift heavy weights provided that our form is on point. You can book a personal trainer to assist in helping with your development and to make sure you’re avoiding any risk of injury. Various studies have shown that lifting heavy can help with speeding up fat loss. In general, we should focus on the key, compound lifts and getting stronger on these movements.

3. Avoid Consecutive Days of Rest

If you’re looking to maintain a high metabolic rate, we should try and minimize the number of consecutive days of rest. Rather than training 5 or 6 days straight and taking two days to recover, I’d consider training 3 or 4 days and then taking one day off, followed by another 3 or 4 days of training. You can also chat with your personal trainer about providing you with a program to complete on your off-days so that you can still progress towards your goals without your personal trainer being present.

If fitting in consecutive workout days isn’t possible, you can also implement other forms of exercise like walking to work, taking the stairs up to your condo, etc. Fitting in an exercise doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go into the gym on each day. The weather in Toronto is absolutely beautiful during the summers so if you’d prefer to spend a summer night strolling through High Park or walking through Queen West, then by all means! We understand that life can get busy and the key to any successful training program is consistency.

4. Split Up Your Cardio and Weight Training

Instead of incorporating both cardio and weight training into one workout, you should consider splitting them up into separate workouts all together. If you have the time, you can even split them up into separate parts of your day. This will help you increase your metabolic rate at two different times of day, which can further accelerate your weight loss. We realize that this may not be possible for a lot of our clients who are busy professionals, but it is a suggestion nonetheless!

5. Avoid Drinking Unnecessary Calories

We’ve all heard this before, but sticking to water is a much better bet relative to drinking juice, sodas, or sugary teas and coffees. It can be very easy to fall into the trap of drinking too many calories. One of the main reasons we suggest avoiding this trap is due to the fact that drinking these liquids won’t help us feel full. If you’re able to, I’d suggest cutting down on these types of drinks significantly, or cutting them out all together if possible. For me personally, I found that cutting out beer during the summers really helped with my calorie intake. It can be difficult at times during the summers in Toronto with all the patios that are available, but if you make a conscious effort to cut back, it can definitely go a long way in helping you progress towards your fitness goals.

Try incorporating some of the tips above and let us know how it goes! I’d also recommend chatting with your personal trainer about any questions or concerns that you have about your nutrition. Our team is here to help and we’d also be happy to review a food log for free of charge with any of our personal training packages. We’d provide you with a phased approach to nutritional recommendations to help you with achieving your fitness goals!