HOW TO GET LEAN! The 7 simple things you can start doing today to build the body of your dreams!

Most of the clients I work with, have similar goals...lose fat, build muscle and GET LEAN! Long, lean, sculpted, strong muscles is what most of us are working and striving for.  It motivates us to get our workouts in, eat clean and live a healthy lifestyle.  We want to see the definition of our muscles and feel our bodies getting toned and tight. Make it happen this summer! You can absolutely get the lean, beautiful physique you want, by just adopting 7 simple practices. It is all about the choices you make. What you choose to do everyday makes a huge difference in how you look and feel.  What do you choose for yourself? What's it going to be? Choose to get lean! Here are 7 things you can start doing today to build that dream body! Let's get to it!!!

1 - Increase the intensity of your cardio workouts and switch up your resistance training program. You have to bump up your cardio...you can do that by increasing the duration, speed or intensity. Take your cardio up a notch and watch the fat melt off our body. ;) Same with your resistance training program.  How long have you been doing the same exercises in the same order with the same weights?  Change it up!  Dropsets, supersets, change the number of reps, change the exercises you are doing.  Shake things up!  Make those muscles work!!!

2- Want lean muscle? Eat protein.  As simple as that. ;) Guys...make sure you are consuming 1.5-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Girls...you are going to want to try and hit 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

3- Limit your consumption of fruit to 2 servings a day.  Yes, fruit is good for you but, fruit also has a lot of sugar and calories. Most people rely too heavily on fruit for snacks and as part of their meals. Eat more veggies and lean protein and less fruit.  No more than 2 servings a day.

4- No carbs or sugar after 3 pm.  If you think about it...what snacks are you reaching for late afternoon, early evening and worst of all, midnight? Carbs and sugar. When our energy is low and our hunger levels are high, we tend to crave carbs and sugar.  Definitely not the way to go if you want to get lean. By establishing a cutoff time and staying away from carbs and sugar in the evening, you will not only see the muscle definition you want, you will also notice your cravings start to dissipate.

5- Dry out and ditch the booze. Not only is alcohol full of empty calories, it also lowers your inhibitions, decreases your ability to burn fat and decreases the quality of your sleep. If you want to get lean, you absolutely have to eliminate or decrease the amount of alcohol you consume.

6- Make sure you are drinking enough water...64-96 ounces a day. Water is essential. You need to be hydrated in order for your muscles to work properly. If you are not drinking enough water it will decrease your metabolism and you will burn less calories.  Drink up!  It makes a difference!

7 - Sleep. There is no way around it!  If you want a healthy, lean physique, you absolutely have to make sure you are getting enough sleep every night.  You need to give your body a chance to recover and repair your muscles so you are ready to take on your workouts the next day.  It also regulates the hormones associated with weight gain and fat storage.  Too little sleep can cause your body to produce a hormone called cortisol.  Google it. ;) Lack of sleep is directly related to increased belly fat and weight gain.  It is not about hitting snooze. ;)  It is making sure you go to bed early to give your body the proper amount of sleep it needs to build those beautiful muscles and rejuvenate your body!

Let's do it!  Start making these changes today and you absolutely can have a lean, sculpted, beautiful body!