By Fitness Editor, Paula Jager CSCS, Owner of CrossFit Jaguar
A topic of hot debate in the health & fitness world has long been–what matters most when it comes to fat loss: exercise or nutrition? They are both important but I would say without a doubt it is 80% nutrition. You are what you eat–literally.
So you want to lose body fat and get in better shape for the summer months? You’ve fine tuned your nutrition, portions and macronutrient ratios and the scale is moving in the right direction do you still need to exercise since it’s primarily nutrition that matters? Absolutely–we all need to move to feel better, be healthier and look our best. Exercise is vital for those things and our mental and physical well being. And it will facilitate the fat loss but some methods/exercises are better for shedding fat.
A few of us may have an occupation or lifestyle which is physical on a daily basis such as a construction or field worker, athlete or farmer, etc. . . and if you’re tossing bales of hay all day, lugging concrete blocks around, sprinting up and down a field and moving functionally on a regular basis chances are you won’t need to go to a gym and chances are also good you don’t have much excess body fat to lose.
For the other 95% that sit at a desk all day or in a car for the majority of their workday do need a structured exercise program. That also includes stay at home moms and dads. You can lose the fat but to look and function your best you need to build/maintain lean muscle tissue and you’re not going to do that sitting on your duff all day or lifting nothing heavier than a 2 year old.
By incorporating a sound exercise program along with your nutritional efforts you will expedite your fat loss along with build/maintain lean muscle tissue, strong bones, increase energy, improve physiological markers and you will look better.
Elements necessary for your exercise program MUST include:
- Lifting heavy things: weights, people, rocks, bales of hay, etc. You don’t need endless repetitions of light weight! Rather choose basic compound movements and stick with repetitions in the 6-12 range. Circuit the movements using one for legs, one for pull and one for push. One day includes vertical push/pull and the next includes horizontal push/pull. For the legs make one day quad dominant and the next hip dominant. Work both the anterior and posterior chains of the body.
- SPRINT!!! Yes, you must move and move with speed and intensity relative to your fitness level in a progressive fashion. Run, row, bike or climb; whatever you enjoy that doesn’t overtax your joints/capabilities.
- Mix it up: Do a sprint/lift heavy things combo to add variety and keep your body guessing. Lift something heavy 8 to 10 times, run, bike, row or jump for x number of meters/times/seconds and then throw in a core movement. Repeat for a desired number of rounds or a timeframe. Get creative with your workouts.
What about. . . ?
- Bodyweight exercises: good for beginners but after getting competent at these movements you will need to add auxiliary resistance to continue to see improvements
- Yoga, Tai Chi, deep breathing & meditation: good for overall well being, flexibility and improved mobility but not so much for fat loss. A great complement to sprinting and lifting heavy things.
- Those of us with adrenal/thyroid and other health challenges: you’re no different you still need to move and lift heavy things. You must go more slowly and not as often allowing recovery between efforts/workouts. Do not push too hard but you must push–gently. Listen to your body and find a balance for both healing and facilitating that healing with movement. Your body will not recover/repair/rebuild without movement and proper nutrition.
Your nutritional efforts are a lifestyle that is to be commended and will be rewarded in and of itself. Take them and your health to the next level by adding in the other 20% (exercise), and it doesn’t matter where you workout–at home, in a gym, at a park just so you do. A circuit style of heavy lifting and sprinting will be your best choice when it comes to burning off the fat. Ditch the long slow aerobic stuff. Build some muscle (highly metabolically active tissue), rev up your metabolism, improve hormonal output and watch the fat melt away!
About the Author
Paula Jager CSCS and Level 1 CrossFit and CF Nutrition Certified is the owner of CrossFit Jaguar.
Her exercise and nutrition programs yield life changing results
@ Tina. Push-ups. And lots of them.
I wanted to make a comment on belly fat/weight loss. I started the BED diet( Donna Gates) almost a month ago. I loss 8 pounds in a week & all of my ex. tummy weight. I think extra weight Including in your stomach area could be; poor food combining, wheat belly and/or Candida overgrowth. I also alleviated most of my brain fog & have been blessed with much more energy. Their is lots of info on the net. about healing this condition & regaining your life again 🙂
P.S. I’m nearing 50 & a mom to 6 blessings
I agree with this as the less stressed I am the less weight I carry in my middle.
Paula, I would really like to see an article (and maybe you have but I have missed it) on exercise for adrenal fatigue. You mention it in this post but briefly. I miss my past workouts of strength training and high intensity interval training. I am now able to walk a bit and do some yoga. I would really like get back to the strength training.
It would probably have to be small, slow and calculated. starting with a very small count of reps. Using small weights. Fives or less 🙁 Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Hi Louise,
I did write one awhile back on adrenal fatigue and case study on a personal client of mine. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/staying-fit-with-hormonal-challenges/
Nothing wrong at all with starting small; it’s starting that’s important! Then consistency and small increments of progression. Joni is still with me and the strongest she’s ever been in her life right now. Good luck and keep me posted.
Hi Louise, I actually did write a post on that awhile back, a case study with a client of mine. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/staying-fit-with-hormonal-challenges/
Of course you can get back to strength training; start wherever you need to–the important thing is starting! After that it’s consistency and small increments in a progressive manner. btw Joni is still with me and the strongest she’s ever been. Good luck and please keep me posted.
Ideas for those of us who don’t have access to a gym w weights, other than a set of free-weights @ home?
– Pushups – Vary how you do them. Hands close together/far apart, incline/decline, etc.
– Pull-ups and Chin-ups – Try anyplace you can hang on to. You could get a bar that sticks in a doorway.
– Sit-ups – Get an exercise ball and modify the angle. Also, do crunches and other core-strengthening.
– Weights – I believe in functional training, so even in the gym, I do things you could do with weights found around the house. Curls, rows, etc. can be done with any number of things (e.g. 5 gallon pail).
– Squats and legs – Good squats with no weights with VERY good posture and all the way down! As you get stronger, find objects you can hang onto. You could also start doing squat jumps to increase your verticle.
Good suggestions and I would also start building my collection of free weights. You can do many if not all of the compound movements with a pair of dumbbells. Every couple of weeks, months or as your strength increases get a pair of dumbbells to add to your collection. Before you know it you will have a well equipped little home gym. Later on you can add a weight bench and pair of squat stands. You can find some excellent deals online on Craig’s list or E bay
Best exercise for fat loss is exercising self control via what you put in your shopping trolley/mouth!
Yoga/ meditation can lower cortisol facilitating fat loss.
A comment on yoga…it may not be a calorie/fat burner as such, but your mental state has everything to do with your body’s wellness, and yoga can cause a very positive shift in that department! Less stress and a calmer mind can cause your body to “let go” of fat. It is also very enjoyable, I do it because I truly enjoy the process as well as the results; I alternate yoga with weight training, and find it to be the perfect combination for me.
Thanks, this is helpful stuff!
Sharing!