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Calorie cycling is a dieting technique that involves cycling between lower calorie and higher calorie periods. Our bodies are designed to protect us from losing the vital nutrients they need. So, when you reduce your calories your metabolism slows down, as the body sees the reduction in calories as a threat against its survival. This is your body’s way of protecting itself from starvation, and which is the reason why many will start to lose weight on a low-calorie diet but then plateau. When calorie cycling you will alternate between high, medium, and low-calorie days. The basic principles are as...

If you want to tone up, you must first have a low body fat percentage so that the muscle definition you’re building is visible. It is not possible to use spot reduction for fat loss, for example doing sit ups won’t help you to lose fat on your stomach. You have to reduce your overall fat percentage first and then begin to work on toning. Subcutaneous fat (the deepest layer of fat) is the most difficult to lose, it is less effective at burning free fatty acids and is less metabolically active than visceral fat. Explosive exercises are good for...

HIIT stands for high intensity interval training and involves short bursts of high intensity exercises paired with low intensity recovery periods. The recovery periods are essential to prep the body and allow it to perform its best during the next high intensity period. HIIT Training is specifically designed for burning fat, building strength, and enhancing endurance. An example of a HIIT circuit would be 30 seconds of burpees, 15 seconds of rest, 30 seconds of push ups, 15 seconds of rest, then repeat. HIIT has been shown to produce the same results as a longer training session. HIIT spikes your...

Nutrition can be confusing, knowing what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat. Everyone is different, so it’s all about finding what’s right for you. Looking at the Healthy Eating Pyramid is a good place to start. The pyramid is a representation of the proportions of various food groups to include for a healthy balanced diet, it can be helpful to use as a guide when formulating a diet plan. Sweets, fats, and processed foods should be used sparingly. Foods such as meat, fish and eggs should be consumed in 2 servings a day. Grains, pasta, and...

Summer is finally here, which means so is cutting season. Cutting involves lowering body fat percentage through adapting the diet. However, cutting differs from regular dieting in that the aim is to maintain muscle mass whilst losing fat. As with any weight loss regime, to cut you will need to be in a calorie deficit, consuming less calories than you expend. One pound of body fat is equal to approximately 3,500 calories, now, while this does not factor in the complexity around fat loss, it is a useful benchmark to keep in mind. It is possible to safely lose 1...