FEMALE MUSCLE

Are you just not getting the fat loss you’d hoped to see on your plan?

A common mistake is trying to focus on drastic fat loss to the exclusion of lean muscle preservation. It may be time to change your approach and focus on both. After all, you need muscle to achieve that tight and toned body you desire. Here are five proven strategies that will help you do just that.

1) Eat a meal every three hours. You have to feed the metabolic _ re to keep it burning. Going longer between meals slows your metabolism down. This will halt fat loss, make it easier for the body to store more body fat, and cause muscle loss.

2) Eat more protein with every meal. You’re likely watching your carbohydrates to increase fat burning, but are you eating enough protein to make up for the fewer carbs? Protein is used as an energy source when carb stores run empty. This is called gluconeogenesis. Not increasing lean protein can cause unnecessary muscle loss and halt fat loss. Aim for 1.5 grams per pound of body weight in carb-restriction phases.

3) Weight train four or five times per week. This is a great way to maintain lean muscle when consuming fewer calories. It has been proven that the body spares more lean muscle when weight training on a diet than dieting and cardio alone. Pump it up!

4) Perform HIIT cardio. Science has shown that HIIT is a big fat burner. It burns more calories 12 to 24 hours after the session is done. How? It’s called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). This increase in oxygen consumption after exercise causes more calories to be burned and a longer window of fat loss. Remember, fat burns best in
the presence of oxygen. HIIT cardio has also been shown to be a better option for sparing lean muscle than long marathon cardio sessions.

5) Time carbohydrates for fat loss and muscle recovery. There are two amazing windows for fat loss while ingesting carbohydrates. First is
breakfast. Consume slow-burning carbs such as oatmeal with lean protein and a small amount of healthy fats. This is refuel time after a long period of sleep, and the body will use these carbs to replenish glycogen stores and offset muscle breakdown with the protein. The second window is right after training. Consume fast-digesting protein such as whey. Insulin sensitivity is high and fast-digesting carbs such as white rice will be used to replenish glycogen and the protein to repair muscle tissue. No fat storage here.

For more ways to optimize your fat-burning potential, click here!