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Fitness Tips from a Pro
ill Cunningham is a Personal Fitness Coach at Kenny Ray Personal Fitness. He has over five years of experience, apprenticed under the tutelage of Kenny Ray, and received his certification from the National Federation of Professional Trainers. Bill is Functional Movement Screen certified. Continuing education highlights include multiple workshops with Mike Boyle, former Boston University, Boston Bruins, and Boston Red Sox strength and conditioning coach; Gray Cook, renowned Physical Therapist and Strength Coach; and Kelly Starrett, CrossFit mobility guru. Kenny Ray Personal fitness places an emphasis on symmetrical, functional movement and increasing strength in all clients.
Things to think about for fat loss: Losing body fat is 80% about nutrition/ hydration, and 20% about exercise. Most people think exercise is the key piece, but that is not the case.
You need to perform vigorous exercise at least 5 times per week if you are serious about losing body fat. You can make excellent food choices, but still have poor nutritional habits. Eating the right foods is only part of the equation. You also must eat frequently enough (five times per day), and each feeding (notice I didn’t say ‘meal’ or ‘snack’) should include a lean protein and a complex carbohydrate. Losing fat requires consuming a certain amount of calories per day, which can be calculated based on personal factors like resting metabolic rate, activity level, and current weight. If you fail to plan you can plan to fail. You must plan because you are attempting to change your lifestyle, and change the way your body functions. These are large undertakings, so consistency is key! Meals should be premade and packaged, mostly on the weekends. Your workout appointments should be set in stone and rarely altered. Planning even trickles down to details like having a neat, well stocked gym bag. It all matters, because you’re trying to create a new habit.
Adhering to the guidelines during the week, and slipping on the weekends isn’t going to work. Saturday and Sunday make up 28.6% of the week. A dedicated fat loss candidate is trying to reach 90% compliance. Many people sabotage their efforts with the consumption of alcohol. Lean muscle is what burns body fat. Your exercise plan is flawed if it does not primarily focus on strength training. You can lose weight by having a very low daily caloric intake, but you will not lose body fat. When you under-nourish your body to lose weight, your body will utilize muscle tissue for energy, leaving fat tissue behind. The result is a smaller, less healthy individual who still has a very high body fat percentage. Anyone can lose body fat. It’s about having a good plan, being consistent, taking a longterm approach, and persevering through the tough times.
