Expanding on a passionate topic of mine, which is to help people look better, feel better and move without restriction, we have put together a few simple strategies to help you get moving.

Firstly, let’s define the outcomes.

Look Better: Have lower body fat and lean, dense muscles. Also known as “ripped, shredded, toned, cut, lean”.

Unrestricted movement: being able to move your body how you want to, when you want. This is defined by you and you set your own ceilings. It should be progressive and constantly evolving. If you’re someone who hasn’t moved off the lounge for 4 years, starting with a pain free deep-squat might be your first point of contact. For others, it could be flipping, hand-balancing, weightlifting or climbing rocks etc.

Feel Better: A higher self-esteem based off the confidence you now possess from looking better and moving better. It’s natural and we all know what it feels like when we look and move better.

Today’s focus is how to LOOK BETTER and we can delve into the most effective ways to decrease body fat and maintain lean muscle mass to sustain the toned/ shredded look.

1. Build your muscles: Through hypertrophy and strength training. (and yes ladies, this is you too. You don’t have to look like the hulk, but if you keep running on the treadmill instead of hitting arse to grass squat volume, you won’t be any closer to that bikini body).

Muscle mass is metabolically active. Which means the more you have and the more you utilise it, the faster your metabolism will be. Your Total Daily Expenditure (TDE) is based off 2 things.

Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) + Your Activity Level (AL) = TDE

Despite what people tell you about genetics, you are in direct control of both BMR and AL

Those with a higher AL (especially those who weight train) will generally have a higher BMR.

Just like your local pub on a Tuesday night, these people are getting a 2 for 1 deal.

They are burning calories when they move and they are burning calories when they rest, because their BMR (metabolically active muscle mass) is constantly repairing and evolving, which just so happens to be done at the expense of your body’s energy (in the form of calories).