The most fundamental aspect of Creating a calorie deficit, meaning you are using up more calories than you are taking in, is the most essential step in decreasing body fat. Your body needs a specific number of calories to operate correctly; if you consume fewer calories than this requirement, your body will start using the body fat already stored in your body as an energy source.

Cutting back on your caloric intake and/or up your calorie expenditure through exercise will result in a calorie deficit. Aiming for a 500-calorie deficit per day will often lead to a weekly weight reduction of 0.5 to 1 kg., which should result in a weight loss of 0.5 - 1kg per week.

If you need more guidance with finding the right calorie deficit, we break it down step by step in our blog post 7 Tips for Successfully Losing Body Fat and Achieving Your Weight Loss Goals.

Compound exercises are more effective for working multiple muscle groups at once. This leads to greater overall muscle activation and development. This is because they involve multiple joints and muscle groups in one exercise, making it easier to engage multiple muscle fibres simultaneously. This makes them more efficient use of time and uses more energy in the gym, which gives you a better workout for the time invested.

Compound exercises also help to improve your functional strength. Functional strength is your ability to perform exercises relevant to everyday life, such as carrying groceries or lifting a heavy box. Compound exercises improve your overall strength by working for multiple muscle groups simultaneously and make you better equipped to handle everyday life. Additionally, these exercises can help reduce the risk of injuries by increasing the strength and stability of the joints and muscles.

Compound exercises are also more effective for burning calories, which helps with fat loss. Because they engage more muscle groups, they require more energy to perform, leading to more calories burned with each rep you do. This means that even after the workout, your body will continue to burn calories (body fat) as it repairs and rebuilds the muscles.

Compound exercises are more time-efficient for people with busy life schedules. By working for multiple muscle groups at once, you can get a full body workout in a shorter time frame, making it easier to fit exercise into a busy schedule. Also, most compound exercises are heavy-lifting exercises that use a high amount of weight, and as a result, your body requires a lot more oxygen to perform the movement, which leads to an increase in metabolic rate and better muscle growth over time.

So, don’t skip your compound exercises. They provide many benefits that isolation exercises can't match, from muscle development to functional strength and weight loss to time efficiency, making them a better choice to include in your workout routine.

Learn more about strength training with our blog post: Why Compound Exercises are the Key to Achieving Your Fitness Goals.

One of the best ways to stick with a fitness routine is to find activities you enjoy. This could be anything from going for a run to taking a dance class. By finding activities you enjoy, you'll be more likely to make time for them and look forward to doing them.

Make a list: Write down a list of physical activities you might enjoy. Be open to trying new things, and don't limit yourself to traditional forms of exercise.

Experiment: Try out different activities and see what you enjoy. You might find that you love running or prefer yoga or weightlifting.

Get creative: Think outside the box and try activities you've always wanted to do but haven't had a chance. This could be anything from rock climbing to stand-up paddleboarding.

Find a buddy: Consider finding a friend or family member to join you in your fitness pursuits. This can be a great way to motivate and support each other.

Mix it up: Don't be afraid to switch things up and try new activities. Variety can help to keep things interesting and prevent boredom.

If you like this, you will love our blog post, 7 Effective Ways to Make Time For Health and Fitness.

Eating a lot of fruits and vegetables should be the main part of a healthy diet and can have several benefits for weight loss and overall health.

Fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrients and low in calories, making them your best choice for losing that extra body fat. They are also high in fibre, which can help you feel full and satisfied after eating and may help to reduce cravings for unhealthy foods. Also, fruits and vegetables are good sources of antioxidants, which can help to protect the body against disease and improve overall health.

To help you incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet, try the following tips:

Keep a stash of frozen or pre-cut vegetables on hand for quick meals when life is crazy. This can be very helpful when you're short on time or don't feel like cooking.

Make a habit of adding a serving of vegetables to each meal. For example, you could add a side of steamed broccoli to your dinner or a handful of spinach to your morning smoothie.

Choose a wide range of different fruits and vegetables to ensure you get the most nutrients possible. Try to eat a rainbow of colours to ensure you get diverse nutrients.

Try experimenting with different cooking methods to make vegetables more appealing. Roasting, grilling, and sautéing are all good options.

Snack on fruit instead of processed foods for snacks. Keep a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter or pack some slices of apple or a handful of berries as a snack to take with you on the go.

Don’t stop now; there is much more to learn about whole foods here: The Beginner's Guide to Healthy Eating: 8 Nutrition Essentials for Weight Loss.

This is one of the most important parts of succeeding on your fitness journey and vital for a long, healthy and happy life. By starting on your fitness journey and increasing your workload at the gym, the effort you put into your food and changing your habits, your body will need extra sleep to recover from this additional stress.

Do not ignore this.

Get extra hours in and go to bed earlier. There isn’t any excuse unless you have a newborn baby. I sleep at 9 p.m. to make sure I can get my 8+ hours in before getting up at 5:30 a.m. to start work.

Getting sufficient sleep allows you to work harder in the gym, concentrate

better at work, feel less stressed, and keep your motivation up. Sufficient sleep strengthens your immune system and ensures your willpower is always there.

I advise at least 8 hours per night and suggest you record and monitor how much and well you sleep. Many fitness watches will monitor your sleep patterns and show if you consistently lack sleep. One brilliant tip is to set your phone to remind you at a certain time to put it down. Then, commit to a specific bedtime each day.

Learn more by reading our article; The Importance of Sleep for Optimal Health and Weight Management.

We all have stress in our lives.

Change can also be stressful. So, I want you to try and eliminate as much stress as possible, as it will only hinder your fat loss progress.

TIPS

Stop looking at your phone, tablet and laptop at least an hour before bed

Plan ahead so you don’t need to rush places

Prepare your bags in the evening so they are ready to go in the morning

Get 30 minutes of “quiet time” per day

Stop dwelling on things out of your control

Surround yourself with positive people and positive influences

Turn down the lights in your house at least an hour before you go to bed

Do not read or look at your phone in bed. The bed is for sleep and other fun shenanigans only!
Read our article; 5 Reasons Why Stress Can Make Fat Loss Harder to learn more.