KickStart 2018: Body Fat Blaster Home Workout

Alright now! The holiday season is winding down and its time to start setting those 2018 goals. Every year you tell yourself, "I'm going to get a gym membership, lose weight, get in shape, start eating healthier" or whatever it may be! As a personal trainer and a member of a gym, I've witnessed the influx of new faces that are seen come January. We've all seen the people looking around not sure what to do, members texting while using the equipment, no available treadmills and the creepy guy in the corner watching the girls do glute kickbacks! Just ridiculous I tell you. RIDICULOUS!! I applaud each and every new face that I see in the gym looking to lead a healthier lifestyle but statistics have clearly shown that attendance drastically decreases as the months go on and approximately 67% of people who have a membership, DON'T use it! So your probably wondering, How can I commit to these "New Year, New Me" goals To Staying Committed' for everyone looking to kickstart 2018 with a bang and not lose momentum during the process. I've put together a Body Fat Blaster Home Workout Video at the end of this article!! Enjoy!

1. Discover Your Why!

Embarking on your fitness journey is a lifetime decision and for first timers it can be challenging, intimidating, nerve wrecking and quite confusing in the beginning. The very first step you must do is figure out WHY you want this is the first place? I mean after all, you are going to experience feelings of discomfort, uncertainty, laziness and feelings of wanting to give up. The reason we experience such feelings is because we are stepping out of our comfort zones and introducing new things to our bodies that we don't usually do, task at work may be ramping up, your kids have very busy schedules, or sometimes your subconscious mind is telling you "Relax, don't go, take a break etc". Don't be worried, these feelings and life occurrences are very NORMAL, even for those who are 5-10+ years into their Health and Wellness journey. The key is to find your WHY for investing your money and time into making a change. (Examples: The doctor may have said you are at risk for cardiovascular diseases or diabetes and need to consume less carbs and work out more. Maybe you have a vacation or wedding coming up and you want to slim down and tone up for that honeymoon on the beach!) Whatever the IT is; you must find it for when times get hard, you can think back to why you started in the first place and reestablish the same drive you had when you initially started.

2. Set S.M.A.R.T Goals!

So now that you've written down what your why is, the next step in making sure you kick the year off with a bang and stay committed to your why is to set goals. You're probably thinking to yourself.."I just want to trim down a bit, look good in a bathing suit, put on some lean muscle." These are what I like to call surface goals. Goals that don't really tell you anything and give you little to no sense of direction. We want to set SMART goals.

Specific - Your goal must specifically state what is to be accomplished. They should be clear and easy to understand. Ex. "I want to reduce my belly fat and improve core strength" as opposed to "I want to get in shape".

Measurable - The goal must be measurable so that you can see if your making progress. Ex. "I want to lose 5 inches around my waist" instead of saying "I want to lose weight"

Attainable - Create a goal that is realistically achievable. "I want to lose 30 pounds in 1 month" is almost ridiculous. "I want to lose 1-2 pounds a week for a total of 4-8 pounds a month" is an attainable and realistic goal. It IS possible to lose more than 8 pounds per month, this is just an example!

Relevant - Make sure the style of training your going to do in the gym is relevant to your main goal. For example, lifting heavy weights would not be ideal for someone getting ready for a marathon. For reducing body weight, you'll want to focus on a combination of compound movements (squats, pushups, pull-ups, deadlifts, etc), cardio (row machine, treadmill, stair master are my favorite.), and ALWAYS core work!! I mean c'mon now, who doesn't want nice abs?!

Time Bound - Your goals should have a deadline or estimated timeline for completion. They could be short term (1-3 months) and long term (6-12 months) goals but this allows you to monitor your goals on a weekly or bi weekly basis. Ex. "I want to lose 10 pounds over a 2 month span and 20 pounds over 5 months".

3. Have A Plan!

So, you've decided to put the donuts down and pick the weights up!! Congratulations!! For most gym goers their number one goal is, "I Want to Lose Weight!" but you aren't sure where to begin. One of the most important steps you must do is HAVE A PLAN!

How many time per week do I need to go to the gym?

This question has no one RIGHT answer because each individual is different and even if 2 people are on the same program, what one person may achieve in 2 days of going to the gym, another may need 3 or 4 days to achieve similar results. For the sake of this article which is focused on reducing body fat, for any NEW or "I haven't been to the gym in months/years" gym goers, I recommend going at it 2-3x per week to get yourself in the habit of regularly attending. After you commit to a number of days to attend the gym and which days those will be, WRITE THEM DOWN!!

What will I do on each day?

Each day you walk into the gym you should have an idea of WHAT you will be doing for the time that you spend in the gym! If your in the gym really attacking those goals like you said you were going to, you should have very little idle time. NO TEXTING YOUR FRIENDS, TELL MOM YOU'LL BE HOME LATE FOR DINNER, TELL YOUR BOSS YOUR BUSY GETTING GAINS I CAN'T TALK RIGHT NOW! Ideally, each day you should be doing something different to avoid any plateaus, overuse injuries, and most importantly BORDEM. If your looking to reduce body and your plan is to attend the gym for 3 days per week, your workout plan may look something like this:

Monday: Upper Body/Core/Cardio (chest, back, biceps, triceps)

Wednesday: Lower Body/Core/Cardio

(hamstrings, quads, calves, glutes)

Friday: Full Body HIIT/Core/Cardio

(High Intensity Exercises that engage ALL muscle groups)

After you have decided what you plan to do on each day, WRITE IT DOWN!!

What do I eat?

This is probably the second most confusing question for someone looking to start the new year on a good note. Your body NEEDS fuel, there's no way around it. If your looking to lose weight, reduce belly fat, tone up, or however you may call it; your nutrition is going to be the DEALBREAKER between you achieving your goals or not achieving them. You can go to the gym 5 days per week, lift your ass off and do tons of cardio but if you aren't consuming the proper nutrients that are going to supplement your goals, you WILL NOT see the results. So, what do you eat?

*Consume your carbs earlier in the day (breakfast) and around your workout. Approximately 1-2 hours before and within an hour after your workout. Aim for high fiber options which are going to make you feel fuller longer and suppress your appetite resulting in less calories consumed.

-Oats, quinoa, sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole grain breads and pastas (make sure the first ingredient reads WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR and fiber intake is 3% or higher.)

*Eat a HIGH protein diet. You should be consuming protein with each meal, snacks included. To help refuel and put your muscles in an anabolic state (recovery) from intense workouts, you want to make sure your post workout meal contains lean proteins such as:

-Meat - Chicken, beef, lamb, turkey bacon

-Fish and Seafood - Salmon, trout, shrimps, lobster, etc.

-Eggs - Feel free to go for organic options if you'd like but regular is fine.

*There are several debates on high fat versus low fat diets but I recommend consuming them in moderation throughout the day to help supplement your fiber intake. You should be consuming healthy fats for each meal to help suppress appetite, metabolize and transfer vitamins and minerals, improve cell function, hormone production and more. See List Below For Examples.

You Will Find All Instructions For How To Complete This Home Workout In The Video! Make sure to download an Interval Timer from your app store, grab some water and bring high energy!

Beginner - 30 seconds of Work and 15 seconds of Active Rest

Intermediate- 45 seconds of Work and 30 seconds of Active Rest

Advanced - 1 minute of Work and 45 seconds of Active Rest