Get It Done: My Plan, Your Goal: 60 Recipes and Workout Sessions for a Fit, Lean Body. Bradley Simmonds
energy it needs from calories – calories are your fuel. So it makes sense that the more exercise you do, the more calories are burnt, the more body fat is reduced.
As a side note, this doesn’t mean you go and eat as many calories as you like from whatever food you fancy when you’ve had a great workout. We need to consider the quality of those calories. For example, there are 89 calories in a banana and about 75 calories in two pieces of chocolate, but because the chocolate has such high levels of added sugar and saturated fat, it’s nowhere near as good for you as the higher calorie banana that also contains fibre and potassium.
Look at the whole picture, not just the number of calories in the food you’re eating, to work out how wholesome and nourishing something is.
WEEKLY SAMPLE FITNESS PLAN
Regardless or whether you’re a fitness beginner, you’re intermediate or you’re already very fit (advanced), if you want to lose weight, aim to exercise 4–5 times a week for 45–60 minutes at a time, choosing the rest days that best suit you.
| MONDAY | Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced HIIT Workout (see here) followed by 3 sets of 5 different bodyweight weight-loss exercises for Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced (see here) OR choose a high-intensity class like boxing, spinning or circuits |
| TUESDAY | Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced HIIT Workout (see here) followed by 3 sets of 5 different bodyweight weight-loss exercises for Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced (see here) OR choose a high-intensity class like boxing, spinning or circuits |
| WEDNESDAY | REST |
| THURSDAY | Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced HIIT Workout (see here) followed by 3 sets of 5 different bodyweight weight-loss exercises for Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced (see here) OR choose a high-intensity class like boxing, spinning or circuits |
| FRIDAY | Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced HIIT Workout (see here) followed by 3 sets of 5 different bodyweight weight-loss exercises for Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced (see here) OR choose a high-intensity class like boxing, spinning or circuits |
| SATURDAY | REST |
| SUNDAY | REST |
2 TONING WITHOUT BULKING AND GETTING STRONG
Strong not Skinny has become a popular mantra in the last year or so and for good reason. It’s a positive sign of our more health-conscious times that a lot of women are seeking a stronger, more toned body shape, rather than fetishising the unhealthy ‘skinny’ look. I’m going to explain how to achieve a body that’s toned or ‘lean’. It’s easier than you think, but some people have the wrong idea.
IS TONING JUST FOR WOMEN?
Toning is an increase of muscle tissue combined with a decrease in body fat. When people say they want to be more ‘ripped’, ‘sculpted’ or ‘lean’, they essentially mean toned – all of these words mean the same thing. ‘Toning’ has simply been more associated with women when actually it can be applied to both genders.
THE SOLUTION
FOOD
1 EAT PROTEIN
Protein is an essential part of our diets because protein is what our muscles, skin, nails and hair are made up of. Without protein, it would be impossible for us to build, repair or maintain muscle. The best way to get your protein hit if you want to get ‘toned’ is by eating meat low in saturated fat such as chicken (the more saturated the fat, the harder you have to work at the gym to counteract the effect of the fat), fish, seafood, eggs, beans, pulses, tofu and soy. Examples of protein with higher levels of saturated fat are lamb, beef, bacon, sausages and cheese. I’m not suggesting you completely eliminate these from your fridge – they are delicious after all! – but definitely be conscious of how often you’re eating them. My advice would be to enjoy them once or twice a week.
Protein shakes. High-quality protein shakes are an easy way of introducing additional protein into your diet. Protein shakes are great for vegetarians or vegans whose diets might be low in protein or for anyone looking to continuously increase their muscle mass.
I wouldn’t use protein shakes when they’re high in sugar. They’ll ultimately hold you back from reaching your toning or weight-loss goals. Instead use a good-quality brand recommended by trusted athletes or fitness experts.
Skin, hair and nails. You’ve probably seen the words collagen, keratin and elastin on shampoos, face creams in magazines and on the TV. Let me let you into a secret: they are all just proteins naturally found in our hair, skin and nails. As we get older they break down, so eating protein doesn’t just help with muscle repair and growth, it affects how we look on the outside too.
2 DON’T FEAR CARBS
Protein is important, but carbohydrates are just as vital, so long as they’re the right ones. If you’re working out, you need complex carbs (not white processed ones!) such as brown rice, whole grains, sweet potato or quinoa with every meal to restore energy and keep your blood sugar levels balanced. The fibre and nutrients will keep cravings at bay and slow down digestion, keeping your energy levels nice and stable, and stopping you feeling hungry for longer.
FITNESS
FAT-BURNING BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES COMBINED WITH WEIGHT TRAINING
You can increase the size of your muscles through different types of weight training and eating protein, however you won’t get definition without additional fat-burning exercises. Many people (mainly women) are scared of using weights because they’re worried they might ‘bulk’ up and many people (mainly guys) think that by using just weights they will gain LEAN muscle (that’s muscle not surrounded by fat). Both of these assumptions are wrong. Women CAN use weights without bulking, and men MUST combine weight training with fat-burning cardio if they want to appear toned.
So, what you need to do to become TONED is:
• Lose the fat that’s covering your muscles (I should mention here that if you’re already very overweight, it’s a good idea to make weight loss your first goal and start off on see here, then once you’ve arrived at a healthy weight, make your way here).
• Build more muscle.
• Combine the two for sustainable results.
My style of weight training combined with fat-burning bodyweight exercises for toning will help you build muscle and increase the rate at which you burn calories simply by doing nothing at all (this is your resting metabolic rate), so you lose fat faster.
WEEKLY SAMPLE FITNESS PLAN
Regardless or whether you’re a fitness beginner, you’re intermediate or you’re already very fit (advanced), if you want to tone, aim to exercise 4–5 times a week for 30–45 minutes, choosing the rest days that best suit you.
Advanced A session can be swapped for classes such as yoga, Pilates or body pump.