Back to the Basics by David Hutchings

Train well, eat well, recover well. Follow these three themes and you’ll be on your way to reaching your fitness goals.  Sometimes people get bogged down in the details before getting the basics right.

The information floating around makes it difficult to even identify the basics.

Firstly, nutrition.  Eat for your goal.  It’s that simple (theoretically).  If you want to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. Before you worry about supplements, fat burners or meal timing answer this: are you eating fewer calories than you burn through daily activity?  There are many apps that can tell you the amount of calories you should be eating to lose weight.  They’ll also help you track your food.  Get one and start tracking – then you’ll know whether you’re eating the right amount of calories.

Next, training.  You can lose weight by diet alone, but you’ll also lose muscle along with the fat which isn’t ideal.  This is where training comes in.  Training burns calories, but the right training will minimise muscle loss too.  Doubly beneficial. Having more lean muscle means you burn more calories just going about your daily life.  It also means you’ll have more muscle tone once the fat is burned off.

Lastly, recovery.  Watching your nutrition and training appropriately are vital, so is recovery.  You need rest so the body can prepare itself for the next day of training and eating well. Losing weight is stressful to the body in terms of training and being in a caloric deficit.  It’s also stressful on the mind.  Setbacks are frustrating and can take a toll mentally so ensure you are getting your rest.

If you’re trying to lose weight but haven’t been successful ask yourself this – am I eating, training, and recovering well?  Chances are if one of these boxes isn’t being ticked, it could be the reason.

David Hutchings is the owner of 360 Degree Fitness Limited  — a mobile personal and small group training business based in Wellington, New Zealand. He trains a variety of clients from regular folks trying to get a little fitter to athletes looking to increase their speed and strength. He likes to fish, hang out with his wife and son, and also enjoys classic rock and a good barbecue.

*Disclaimer: Result may vary from person to person.