25 Diet and Exercise Tips That Will Completely Transform Your Body

This article will teach you how to transform your body for good!

Changing your body is not easy, but it can be done if you know what to do.

With the right information, you can transform your body in the shortest time possible.

If you have failed in transforming your body so far, it means you are doing something wrong. And I see how that’s possible….there is so much misinformation and contradicting advice out there. You might actually sabotage your results without knowing.

Firstly, I would like to warn you: this is not quick fix plan. Changing how you look will take time and effort. Trust me, those “how to transform your body in a month” articles are B.S.

You’ll notice that most of the tips focus on diet. That’s because diet is the key to transforming your body. This is not to undermine the importance of exercise. Give diet 100% attention and exercise 100% attention.

I know this information can be overwhelming. Especially if you haven’t been doing most of the things in this list. So implement one thing at a time.

Search no more….. 25 diet and exercise tips that will completely transform your body.

Eat enough – low calorie diets are not healthy

This point is not based on the starvation mode myth. Even though, you may lose weight on low-calorie diets. It will have negative effects on your health.

For one, low calorie diets lead to loss of muscle. Since the body doesn’t get enough energy from the foods you eat, it is forced to break down muscle tissue and use it for energy.

Another thing is low calorie diets lower testosterone levels. A hormone which is important for both men and women. To build muscle faster you need high testosterone levels.

You should eat enough calories to maintain lean muscle mass, stay energetic, and still lose weight. There is no specific number of what your calorie deficit should be. Our bodies are different. Just don’t exceed a deficit of 1,000 calories.

You may not be eating enough, if you frequently experience; fatigue, constipation, nausea and diarrhea.

Choose one, fat loss or building muscle

Ever heard of this old African proverb.… Two roads overcame the Hyena.

Don’t try to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. While it’s not impossible, it is complicated and it doesn’t work for everybody.

Where you are right now, should help you decide whether to build muscle or lose. If you have excess fat, lose it first (by maintaining a calorie deficit) then build muscle later. If you are skinny, start building muscle right away.

Start slowly

Once you make the decision to start working out. Go easy at the start.

This might be hard thing to do, especially when you are motivated and pumped up. But pushing yourself at the start will do you no good. I might lead to injuries, torn ligaments and muscle soreness.

Start slowly then gradually advance as you get fitter.

Eat Carbohydrates with low glycemic index

The popularity of low-carb diets has led most people to believe that all carbs are bad. Well…..there are carbs you should definitely stay away from. But you still need carbs for a healthy weight loss.

The idea that low-carb diets are superior is ridiculous. You need to eat balanced meals for a healthy weight loss. After all, diet composition has little effect on weight loss, as you’ll see later.

Don’t be fooled by the initial weight loss on low carb-diet. It’s usually due to loss of water weight and you’ll gain it all back when you start eating carbs again.

Glycemic index should help you decide which carbs to eat. Eat carbs with low glycemic index and complex carbs.

Eat A LOT of vegetables (try to get most of the carbs from them), fruits and complex carbs like, sweet potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal and whole grains.

Healthy fats are good for your health

A decade ago, low fat diets were as popular as low carbs are now. There are some who still avoid fats today.

Fats are a great source of energy, and they will help improve your health. Most of your fats should come from saturated and monounsaturated fats like olive oil, avocado, coconut oil, vegetable oil and nuts. Fish oil is also a great source of healthy fats. Avoid or limit the intake of trans fats.

Don’t eat too much fat – remember a gram of fat has 9 calories. Only 30% or less daily caloric intake should come from fats.

You need proteins

Proteins are very important in building and retaining muscle. To get maximum results, you’ll need to eat enough proteins.

Eat healthy proteins and keep your daily protein caloric intake between 30-35%.

Focus on the bigger muscle groups

Focusing on bigger muscle groups is a great way to get the most out of your workout.

Ab exercises are not the most effective way to get rid of belly fat – they burn very little calories. Instead do exercises which work the biggest muscles groups – the back, chest and legs.

Start doing serious ab training after you have reduced body fat percentage. Or you can do 2 or 3 ab exercises after each workout are enough.

“But I don’t want to be muscular……”

Said every woman ever. Many women don’t want to do strength training because of the fear of building muscles. They end up missing out on the benefits of strength training.

This shouldn’t worry you anymore. Very few women are muscular. And those who are have either trained hard for many years or use drugs.

It’s not possible for women to build big muscles because of their hormones. Due to low testosterone and high fat levels you can’t be muscular from moderate resistance training.

Even if you like cardio, try to balance it with strength training.

You cannot spot reduce

Whether you are trying to get rid of belly fat, flabby arms or man boobs, the only solution is to reduce overall body fat percentage.

Spot reduction is a myth. Building muscle is spot specific but fat loss is not. No exercise can get rid of fat on the stomach or thighs.

The only way to get rid of fat at a particular spot is to lose overall body fat.

Visualization will help

To accomplish great things we must first dream, then visualize, then plan… believe… act! – Alfred A. Montapert

Yes, the law of attraction. I believe in it and so do some of the most successful people.

Start visualizing how you will look when you lose weight, the clothes you will wear and even how you will carry yourself.

If this is hard for you, get a photo of someone with a body you admire and stick it somewhere you’ll see it everyday. This will keep you motivated and focused.

Don’t burn your money of fat burner supplements

Seriously, don’t even spend a dime on them. They simply don’t work!

Some will even have negative effects in the long run. Just use the tips I share here, to keep your metabolism up.

Drink green tea, coffee, or black tea…they are known to slightly boost metabolism. Save that fat burner money and spend it on healthy foods and on learning how to improve your health.

Choose a routine that fits your lifestyle

We all have different lifestyles and strength levels. Choose a routine which suits your life.

Having a workout routine is great, but the most important thing is sticking to it. If you choose a routine that you can’t stick to, you will be jumping from one workout to another, and you will never see results.

You also have to be realistic. Nothing much can come from those 4-minutes workouts. The workouts should be consistent and last long enough.

How important is diet composition?

The number of calories that come from carbohydrates, proteins and fats have a less impact on weight loss than does overall caloric intake.

This study shows that it’s energy intake that determines weight loss and not diet composition.

That said you should eat a diet composition which is good for your health. Your daily caloric intake should be 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fats and 30 percent proteins.

Know your daily caloric needs

Your daily caloric needs depend on your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). TDEE is determined by factors like your age, weight, height and level of activity.

To know your daily caloric needs, click the above link and enter your details. That will give you the number of calories you should eat to maintain current weight. If you want to lose weight, maintain a daily deficit of 500-800 calories.

Increase fiber intake to transform your body

Eating high-fiber diet is an effective way to enhance weight loss. Satiety and low calorie intake are the possible explanation for this.

You will find fiber in most plant products like vegetables, fruits, and cereals. It is recommended you eat 25-30 grams of fiber daily.

Track your progress

You can’t manage what you can’t measure – Peter Drucker

Check your weight before you start a routine and continue monitoring it. Don’t obsess over it though – weighing yourself morning and night is not a good idea……that will only lead to anxiety.

Weigh yourself after every two weeks.

Give leg muscles the attention they deserve

Leg muscles are neglected by many people. Focus is always on the more visible muscles like arms and chest.

Neglecting legs is a very big mistake. They are the biggest muscle groups so training them will burn the most calories and boost metabolism big time.

Whether you don’t like working legs or you don’t want big legs, you still have to train them. Training legs also boosts testosterone and growth hormones.

Training legs is not an option. You have to! Check out this leg workout.

How you sit matters

If you spend most of the day seated, it’s important you sit properly. Slouching not only affects your posture, it also causes muscle imbalances.

Avoid slouching and try to keep the back straight. You should also stand up and stretch after every 2 or three hours.

Progression is important

It is very common to see people doing the same routine all year through. You can’t get great results from that kind of training.

The best approach is to start doing more challenging exercises after every 3-4 weeks. If an exercise becomes easy (when you can do 10-15 reps) find a more challenging one. Muscles grow when they are challenged and stressed.

Stay away from fried foods

Most foods are fried with trans fats, and they are not healthy. Another thing is most fried foods are carbs with high glycemic index.

Avoid them completely or eat them occasionally and in moderation, if you have to.

Snack on vegetables

Snacking is one of the reason people overeat. While it’s not a bad thing, snacking on junk and unhealthy foods makes it so.

Instead of getting excess calories from fried foods and junk, eat vegetables. Preferably fresh vegetables….they are healthier than canned and cooked ones. When buying the veggies check for pesticides free ones.

How to stay motivated

Getting started isn’t as hard as staying consistent. You need to keep the fire burning after the New Year’s resolution crowd burns out.

I have found youtube videos to be very motivating. Just search for “motivational videos” on youtube, there are plenty of them.

Getting a workout partner is also another great way to stay motivated. You will be more disciplined if you are accountable to someone else. If you can’t find one, the other option is to hire a personal trainer.

Doing new exercises will also make the workouts enjoyable. You can burn a lot of calories learning new jump rope skills.

Control salt intake

We need salt, and it is important for our health. But too much of it is not good.

Studies have linked excess salt consumption to obesity.

Drink lots of water

You obviously know this one, just a reminder. Start drinking 8 glasses a day, if you haven’t been. It will make a huge difference in your health and skin.

Stay focused and continue learning

Always keep your eyes on the prize and continue learning. It’s so easy to get destructed and discouraged.

Learn what works for you and keep doing it. Jumping from one routine or diet to another will not bring success. Stay focused and don’t listen to the naysayers.

Other important tips

Get enough sleep. Do high intensity interval training. Eat breakfast. Workout in the morning. Avoid sugar. Get enough rest between workouts.

Final Word

It’s not hard to transform your body if you do the right things. These tips will help lay a strong foundation for a healthy body transformation.

Are there any other tips that have worked for you or someone you know? Leave a comment below.

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