1. Light Exercise Before Breakfast
When you wake up, you likely have not eaten for 10-14 hours. In a fasted state like this your body is using different energy sources than usual to keep you going. When you go for a walk in the sun or a light swim for 20-30 minutes, you increase the metabolic demands from your body. What will actually be fueling you is your fat!
*Note: An intense, full workout is great in the morning if that is the best time for you to fit it into your schedule. However, it is not ideal because you will be boosting your cortisol levels through the roof first thing in the morning. Any workout is better than none, but ideally you lightly exercise in the morning and crush it in the afternoon.
2. Drink 1-2 Cups of Coffee Before Noon
The caffeine in coffee has a thermogenic effect- meaning it raises the internal temperature of your body and boosts your metabolism. Focus on the quality of your coffee and avoid cream and sweeteners. Research shows that medium roast whole bean organic coffee stored in a sealed package in the shade at room temp grounded up right before you drink it gives you the maximum benefits of coffee while avoiding the potential chemicals and oxidation that strips coffee of its natural benefits. If you are going to enjoy a cup of joe, might as well maximize the benefits!
3. Finish Eating 4 Hours Before Bedtime
When the body sleeps, the systems slow down. This includes your metabolism. If you have a banana at Noon, it will process through and be used for energy fairly quickly. If you have one before bed, it will take much longer to metabolize. Additionally, your body will switch over to fat burning mode much quicker the sooner you stop eating!
*Eating includes drinking anything with calories.
4. Strength Train (Yes That Means You Too Women!)
Muscle requires more energy to sustain itself than fat. When you change your body composition to have more muscle mass than fat mass, your body requires more calories to sustain its weight. This has a cascading effect, the more muscle, the less fat as long as you maintain your diet! Additionally, strength training promotes the release of fat burning hormones. And don't worry women, you won't look like a body builder from strength training 2 days a week.
5. Eat Healthy Fats and Cut Down on Carbs
Yes, eating more fat can reduce your fat. I ate a diet composed of 70% fats, 20% protein, and 10% carbohydrates for 90 days and reduced my body fat from 12.9% to 8.9%. But don't just eat any fats. Your diet should be composed mostly of Omega-6 fats vs. Omega-3 and Trans fats. Some foods that contain high levels of Omega-3s are egg yolks, fresh wild caught fish (sardines, tuna, salmon), and nuts. Always eat organic when possible!