Lets face it being skinny fat sucks!

Its bad enough that both extremes are unaesthetic so just imagine combining the two in one body (ok, its not all that bad).

Well, many do walk around looking skinny, smooth and theres nothing about their physique that would indicate that they even lift (and there doesnt necessarily have to be unless this goes against your efforts and intentions). And although a lot of people couldnt be bothered to care, we here at FitnessVolt know how much you despise it and are willing to do whatever it takes to fix it.

Lets talk about skinny fat and how you can reverse it to look lean and muscular

Note: The following information pertains to both men and women who are skinny fat.

Being skinny-fat literally means youre at least somewhat in the normal body weight range with very little muscle mass and a good amount of fat covering up this little bit of muscle.

You probably know many people like this, in fact.

But if we had to lean toward either side as being more of an issue with this look itd be the lack of muscle.

So, if one were to have a decent amount under the fat, then this would undoubtedly improve the appearance of an individual who even had a little extra body fat.

For example, if you compare someone who has a decent amount of muscle to another person who has very little muscle (with all else being equal including body fat percentage), then the individual with more muscle is always going to look more impressive because he/she has the better overall body composition.

But if you have a very high amount of body fat (like more than 20%), then youre definitely going to want to burn this fat off while maintaining your muscle so that you dont add more body fat, making things worse.

Well, the good news is that you just need a little commitment to make big improvements.

There are a few different and very obvious reasons that can be the main culprit which include genetics, doing lots of cardio only/no serious weight training, excessively reducing your calories, and even dealing with chronic stress/health issues.

We do get a lot of our looks, body shape, and even body composition from our parents. Although, the last one can be changed hence the reason why were going to talk about how you can correct this.

Doing lots of cardio will definitely keep the weight off and itll strip muscle while also halting progress after a certain point. And if youre not weight training to gain or even maintain muscle mass, then fat will take its place, in the case of most healthy adults.

Then you have the evil symptoms of chronic stress which can increase cortisol (stress hormone) beyond healthy levels, therefore interfering with your bodys ability to build muscle while increasing body fat. But too much stress is just bad in general.

It can cause diseases of all sorts in the body and will wreak havoc on your health in general.

Now, as far as excessive caloric restriction in an effort to keep losing weight goes, well its just a bad idea.

By dramatically reducing the amount of calories that your body needs to run efficiently, youll mess with the normal function of your metabolism, making fat gain accumulation a natural side effect, not to mention you wont be feeding your body enough protein to maintain and build muscle.

Plus, youll be depriving your body of essential nutrients which is one of the most detrimental things you can do for your health.

And, your body will do what is needed to preserve energy, therefore, trying to lose all that weight by simply dropping most of your calories will work against you.

Most people think that when they hit a weight loss plateau, that the obvious solution would be to eat even fewer calories

But ok, by this logic, where do you go when youve lowered your caloric intake so much to where youre barely eating anything and you still havent reached your goals?

The big takeaway never think that eating like a bird is going to do anything beneficial for your body.

After all, calories are a unit of energy required for all bodily processes try driving your car with no gas (it aint going nowhere).

Since we know that skinny fat is a lack of muscle with a layer of fat over the top, the answer to this is quite simple and were going to explain exactly what is needed.

Theres no way around this one. You need to be hitting the weights or doing any form of resistance training a minimum of 3-4 days per week for at least 40-60 minutes at a time.

But you also need to be utilizing compound, multi-joint exercises to train all muscle groups efficiently. Compound movements are superior for increasing overall strength and oxygen consumption (which burns more calories) while improving general fitness. (1)

Examples of very effective compound exercises include the deadlift, squat (front or back), bench press, bent-over row, etc.

Also, for better performance and functionality we recommend focusing largely on closed-chain exercises which allow the body to move as one, in a more functional fashion and while the distal end of the extremity being worked is fixed to a solid surface. The squat, pushup, and pullup are great examples of closed-chain exercises since there are no body parts moving freely.

This allows for more muscle recruitment, better joint stability, and better neuromuscular coordination. (2)

And as a result, youre promoting muscle growth, increasing strength, improving all aspects of physical activity, and burning more calories; which is very efficient.

But you do want to include some open-chain exercises as well since you can still work multiple muscles at once and sometimes its the only option.

For instance, the bench press is considered an open-chain exercises since the distal end of where the movement originates is not fixed to a surface.

But its the creme of the crop for maximally stimulating the chest, and we havent found anything better. So, closed-chain exercises are needed and other great examples are the barbell curl, tricep extension, and dumbbell lateral raise (what would we do without these extremely beneficial movements)?

Open-chain exercises are also great for isolating a muscle for growth, strength, and developing a better mind/muscle connection, while also bringing up a weakness, and for better function of a joint (e.g. rehab purposes).

Now, we cant ignore the fact that progressive overload needs to be a weekly thing if you plan to keep building muscle. This means that you either must increase the poundages or increase the repetitions.

And well let you in on a little secret if you didnt know this before but you need to do both.

In fact, one recent study of 18 well-trained men found that both heavy/low-rep and lighter/high-rep training elicit very similar gains in muscle hypertrophy, while, of course, the heavy loads with low reps are better for strength. (3)

This study had participants train 3 times per week for 8 weeks with all variables being equal among them. And so, here we can see that an adequate stimulus for muscle growth can be achieved with muscular overload from both light/moderate and heavy resistance loads.

But even though there are many studies out there, you need to be able to listen to your body and know when to utilize either form of training.

Always going heavy is not recommended for your joints, physical structure, and nervous system. So, dont go all with maximum poundages every session. But include enough heavy training (at least once every week or two) to make consistent strength gains which is also important for growth.

For lighter load/higher rep days, try to keep the range around 20-25 and take your sets to failure for effective growth and strength improvements. And avoid doing more than 3-4 exercises per muscle group to ensure youre not overtaxing your system while also making sure youre training with a high enough intensity.

For moderate resistance training days, reps should be around 10-12.

And then for heavy days, 5-10 reps should be sufficient.

Keep your sets to about 3-4 per exercise and focus on contracting the target muscle/s rather than just moving weight.

If youre a natural lifter, train more frequently and keep the volume down to make sure youre re-stimulating each muscle to signal a growth response more often.

For example, rather than doing five exercises for chest once a week, spread your chest training sessions out over a minimum of two workouts, with three or more being the upper limit. Same with all other muscle groups.

And what this allows you to do is train with a little more volume (e.g. sets/reps) per workout than if you were to train a muscle once per week. But why is this a good thing? Doesnt overtraining exist?

It does. But multiple studies have found there to be a dose-response relationship between volume and progression, more specifically where hypertrophy is concerned. However, there is a point at which you can go too far and this isnt established yet, but a high dose of volume is better suited for the more advanced lifters. (4)

If just starting out, less is more since intensity needs to be the primary focus. So, if a beginner to training, do 5 sets per muscle group a couple times per week rather than doing 20 sets per muscle group every week.

And again, it helps to know your body and recognize the symptoms of overtraining.

Pure cardio is great for a lot of people looking to burn fat and improve endurance, and it even burns more calories than your typical weight training session.

In fact, a session of cardio can burn 100 or more calories than a weight training session of equal effort.

But, weight training has its benefits to balance this out. Muscle burns additional calories by increasing your resting metabolism (calories burned at rest) although not dramatically.

Also, weight training has been shown to burn more calories for hours following a session than cardio does due to the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), especially when doing high-intensity interval training or HIIT, which involves short bursts of activity alternated with equally long recovery periods.

Well, fast-paced weight training (HIIT) at a very high level of effort can be extremely effective for building muscle and burning calories.

One study had several overweight and obese individuals do HIIT and moderate-intensity cardio to see which was more effective for making improvements in body composition. (5)

Well, it turns out that both resulted in similar improvements and it was concluded that HIIT is an effective, time-efficient method for weight loss.

10 minutes of HIIT is plenty and 20 min a day of regular cardio is sufficient for most people.

But choose either cardio or HIIT each day and dont do both.

Now, another huge benefit of weight training as a skinny fat person is because having too little muscle mass means you can experience a recomposition.

Whats this? Well, it basically means youll be able to put on muscle and lose fat at the same time. And if youre an adult with very little muscle right now, then this can indicate a few different things

So, to remedy this, you have to implement a rather challenging resistance training program and fix your diet which leads us to the next thing

Weve already established that the last thing you want to do when skinny fat is to dramatically reduce your calories because youre not extremely overweight youre skinny fat.

But when reversing this skinny fat syndrome, you dont want to increase your calories so much at first to where youre putting on additional fat.

So, you want to make sure to increase your calories little by little each week while making noticeable improvements and then you can gauge what may need to be adjusted from there.

Its also a good idea to keep track of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) so that youre not habitually falling back into excessive caloric restriction.

Then youll have a good base to work from.

And when you finally get to the point where your body is not recomping as much as it did before, then youll have to change up your strategy a little bit.

So, youll have to determine your maintenance calories (how many calories your body needs to maintain your current body weight), then adjust from there.

Heres our calorie calculator to make adjusting your numbers more effective for reaching your goals.

Now as far as the actual foods, sufficient protein intake from meat, dairy, and.or plant-based sources is a must for building and preserving muscle mass regardless of your goal/s.

Protein is the macronutrient that contains muscle-building amino acids and consuming plenty throughout the day is the only way to ensure youre remaining in a positive nitrogen balance; which is crucial for hypertrophy.

Check out our protein calculator to see how much you need based on your goals.

You can even be in a caloric deficit and build muscle with enough protein but itll take a bit longer to do. However, youll burn fat and look a lot more aesthetic, even if not building muscle, since youll be focusing more on preservation.

Then for carbs and fats, well, you need both but it depends on your activity levels. For instance, high-intensity training will require more carbs to ensure its being used as the main energy source and not muscle (unless you do keto of which fat will be used primarily to fuel your activities).

Eat more complex carb sources (e.g. sweet potatoes, oatmeal, rice, etc) to sustain your activities for a prolonged duration and limit the simple sugars (fast-digesting) which are best consumed right after intense activity to replenish your glycogen stores quickly for energy-burning and to spare muscle tissue.

But you dont want to consume too many carbs as this will just cause an excess of storage leading to fat gain.

Fats are also an important source of energy not to mention its vital for optimal health function, so you want to consume plenty of the healthy kind (e.g. avocados, nuts, healthy oils, etc).

Oh, and dont forget to include your veggies (mostly leafy greens) to get plenty of the important micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) for good health!

To have a better idea of your recommended macronutrient ratios, heres our macro calculator which will make keeping track so much easier.

If you remember, we mentioned how excessive stress is a destroyer and its often the result of lifestyle factors which include financial struggles, relationship issues, and just being in a difficult situation overall.

But certain medications and medical treatments can play a role as well.

Too much stress will make gaining muscle a nightmare and the undesirable fat gain is inevitable.

So, stress management is crucial for attaining your ideal physique. When cortisol and adrenaline (stress hormones) are constantly elevated, your normal bodily processes get thrown out of whack and disease eventually ensues. (6)

So, even if it werent for you wanting to get rid of the skinny fat physique, you cannot afford to live in constant stress for the sake of your overall health.

According to the American Institute of Stress, too much-prolonged stress increases your chances of developing many health issues which include

The list can go on

Here are 4 tips to lower your stress levels.

You dont have to be a skinny fat person regardless of what you may have previously thought. All it takes is making a few lifestyle adjustments and you can lean out while actually looking like you train.

But, itll definitely take some time and commitment to transform your physique (theres no way around it).

We hope learned plenty from this information and now its time for you to go from skinny fat to lean and jacked.

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How To Stop Being Skinny Fat and Put On Lean Muscle - FitnessVolt.com

Lets be honest: most of us make at least one New Years resolution, and then usually fairly quickly break it. We have a good idea of what we want to change, but then try to change everything all at once which never works. Instead, we should look to alter a number of small things which, by themselves, are relatively easy to achieve but when taken as a whole can alter your life for the better in a huge way. My own Top 5 health recommendations for you in 2020 are:

This is a key resolution and you dont need to join a gym this month to do it. Exercise not only assists weight loss but is also good for your mental health as well as keeping muscles strong, stimulating blood flow, and improving heart and lung fitness. Exercise for at least 3 times a week for about 30 minutes. Try walking during your lunch break, or take the stairs instead of the lift. If you are travelling a short distance cycle or walk instead of using your car and consider parking further away from your office than normal to get some walking time.

Stopping smoking is the single biggest thing you can do to improve your overall long-term health and it is never too late to quit however old you are or how long you have been smoking. Smoking 20 cigarettes a day for a week takes one day off your life expectancy. The most effective way of quitting is by using a combination of medication and psychological support and there has never been a better time to stop smoking as new treatments are available to help you quit. These are available from your GP or local stop-smoking service, and your pharmacist can also give you advice and help on over-the-counter products to help you quit.

Losing weight is one of the most popular New Years resolutions but most people give up the battle by the end of January. Being overweight significantly increases your risk of developing heart disease and conditions such as diabetes and arthritis, as well as certain cancers. Set a reasonable goal and aim to lose around 2-3 kg a month. Remember the old adage; Breakfast like a king, lunch like a lord, supper like a pauper. Make breakfast the main meal of the day, avoid snacking, keep sugary and highly processed foods to a minimum and beware of the empty calories found in alcohol and fizzy drinks. Increase your consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, raw nuts and whole grains and reduce your intake of salt, refined grains, refined sugar and fatty foods.

Most of us do not drink enough fluid and so are at risk of dehydration. Our bodies are comprised of over 60 per cent water, which is critical for healthy cell functioning and staying hydrated also helps to regulate body temperature, lubricates the joints, boosts energy, and helps prevent constipation. (Feeling thirsty may not always be the first sign of significant dehydration earlier symptoms can include headache, fatigue and poor concentration.) Try to drink water regularly throughout the day along with other fluids such as milk, juice and moderate amounts of tea and coffee.

Most of us enjoy a social drink especially at the end of a hard day but alcohol related health problems are on the increase so make sure you stick to sensible limits long-term. The good news is that moderate alcohol intake appears to be slightly beneficial for your health but there is a very fine line between just enough and too much so always try to stick to a weekly intake of 14 units, with a rough guide being that one unit is equal to half a pint of beer, a 125ml glass of wine or a single measure of spirits. Always try to have 2 to 3 alcohol-free days a week and use a measure if pouring drinks at home many people pour a triple believing it to be a single. Try drinking spritzers or having a soft drink between alcoholic drinks if socializing.

I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2020!

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Five ways to improve your health in 2020 - Spectator.co.uk

It's January, meaning you're ready to get fit. Subscribing to Joe Wicks' YouTube channel ready. Joining an actual, full-on gym ready. But, like most people, you also have long working days, a social life or merely a date with the upcoming series of Winter Love Island. So how do you maximise results in the minimum amount of time?

I spoke to three expert trainers about how to squeeze the most out of the sweat box, whether you manage to make it one, two or three days a week.

Weston West is a former footballer, mixed martial artist and personal trainer who specialises in bodybuilding, fat loss and sports performance. If your goal is tighter, faster, stronger, he's your guy.

ONE DAY A WEEK

"If the aim is to develop muscle and burn fat, and you're going once a week and only have under an hour, I would suggest a mixture of resistance training and high intensity (HIIT) training.

"Start with the resistance training [training using external 'resistance' weights, like dumbbells or body weight, to strengthen muscles, i.e. lifting weights or doing press-ups] and do a full body session with a focus on compound movements. These are moves that work more than one muscle at once, like squats, deadlifts and shoulder presses.

"Follow the resistance training with high intensity cardio circuits e.g. a minute of jumping lunges or sprints, and throw some bodyweight exercises, like push-ups, into that. You could also mix it up by doing resistance exercises back-to-back, with a small HIIT interval in between."

TWO DAYS A WEEK

"With two days of 30 to 45-minute sessions, still stick to resistance training and HIIT hybrids. But two opportunities to train means you can either do two full body sessions or one upper body session and one lower body session.

"If you're an absolute beginner, stick to full body to start with. Recovery rate is also important if it takes you a while to recover after a full body session on Tuesday, then repeating that on Thursday or Friday isn't ideal. But if you do an upper body on Tuesday, then your legs will be fine for a lower body session later in the week."

THREE DAYS A WEEK

"I'm a massive fan of the push/pull/legs programme, with a high intensity element. This basically means one day you do resistance push exercises things like press-ups, bench presses, shoulder presses. The second day you focus on pull exercises seated rows, lat pulldowns, bicep curls, deadlifts. And on the final day focus on your legs in general. But you add in the HIIT at the end so you spend 30 minutes doing resistance exercises and the last 15 minutes doing HIIT circuits to get the fat burning element in there."

OUTSIDE OF THE GYM

"The basis of any plan to get fitter or to develop muscle has to have an adequate and appropriate nutritional plan in place. If your goal is to lose fat, you have to maintain a calorie deficit, AKA eating fewer calories than you normally would.

"I also always recommend extra stretching just ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes in the evening is hugely beneficial and helps the muscles recover. Put a yoga for beginners video on YouTube, and stretch."

Photo by Charlie Kwai

Hannah Lewin is a personal trainer working exclusively with women, with a non-aesthetic focus. She and her clients hone in on strength, improving form and stamina. If your goal is to get stronger, without worrying about fat loss, she's for you.

ONE DAY A WEEK

"With one session a week in the gym, you need to be looking at a full body approach. Work top to bottom, with big compound moves the chest press, the deadlift, etc. Also make sure you have different movement patterns in the form of push, pull and hinge movement [e.g. deadlift] exercises.

"When increasing strength, you've also got to look at progressive overload. So roughly every six weeks, you want to look at overloading to make sure you're not plateauing. It can come in different forms: it could be increasing the amount of weight you're lifting or increasing the repetitions of an exercise you do, or just decreasing rest time between sets."

TWO DAYS A WEEK

"I still think total body approach is best for two days a week, although you can split this into an upper body and lower body-focused approach. But stick to total body, with perhaps a variation in volume between day one and day two."

THREE DAYS A WEEK

"With three days a week you can split into a push/pull/full body schedule. Push exercises, pull exercises and then a full body day, with variations on volume. Maybe day one is more moderate in volume and sets a baseline for the week and you build it up, until day three is your highest volume workout. Then that gives you several days to recover. If the gym's really busy, just get a couple of dumbbells theres nothing on a machine you cant replicate with free weights and a mat."

OUTSIDE OF THE GYM

"The key is resting. Walking will also aid recovery, keeping your joints moving and not being too sedentary. If you can, also get a sports massage that will release muscle pressure."

Photo: Charlie Kwai

Chris Eastwood is a Group Exercise Instructor at Virgin Active, Nuffield Health and David Lloyd Harbour Club in central London. He teaches a range of classes, including Body Attack (sports cardio), Body Pump, Spinning, a bar bell workout and Body Balance (a holistic workout mixing elements of Tai Chi, yoga and pilates).

ONE DAY A WEEK

"Go to either a 30-minute HIIT class or a VIIT class (Variable Intensity Interval Training). It means you'll be switching between weightlifting and cardiovascular work, like mixing bodyweight movements and short circuits, but also bringing in things like yoga and pilates. There's a class called Grit I would recommend."

TWO DAYS A WEEK

"I'd recommend doing two different classes: one gains class, like Body Pump, and then a cardio-based HIIT class like spinning, so you're using different muscle fibres. You could also stick with one well-rounded VIIT class, which gets in a strength element, a cardio element and a mobility element. Then, depending on how you're feeling that week, vary the second session."

THREE DAYS A WEEK

"I'd do one weights session, one really good cardio/HIIT class and one yoga or pilates class. So youre getting a really rounded sense of fitness and all the foundation blocks for a healthy body."

OUTSIDE OF THE GYM

"Incorporate stretching into your workout. Dont just see it as an optional extra; its a vital part of your routine. Spend 10 to 15 minutes using a foam roller after each workout, otherwise the problems that occur will very quickly start to outweigh any benefits you see from exercise."

@moya_lm

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How to Get Fit If You Only Have One, Two Or Three Days a Week to Do It - VICE UK

I completed my first Dry January in 2018, four months after a loved one was rushed into emergency surgery for a liver transplant that would ultimately save her life.

Before that moment, I had mostly scoffed at Dry January, the cultural phenomenon that involves swearing off alcoholic beverages in the first month of the new year. It seemed like a silly manifestation of wellness culture, an excuse to post pictures of green juice on Instagram alongside hashtags like #healthyliving and clich captions like "New year, new me!"

However, in December 2017, my sentiments toward Dry January shifted. Alcoholism runs on both sides of my family, and I began to have my own reckoning with the countless nights spent sloshed with friends, slinking out of dive bars at 3 a.m. and waking up at noon with hangovers that felt like taking a screwdriver to the skull.

I had spent so long ascribing excessive alcohol consumption to youth and societal messaging that equates drinking and fun. Yet after witnessing someone dear to me nearly die at the hands of drinking, I couldn't shake the thoughts that clouded my head in the hazy aftermath of a night out: If you're not more careful, this might kill you.

So I decided to do Dry January in earnest, in quiet solidarity and in hopes of better understanding my relationship with alcohol. Here's why I have vowed to do it every year since.

Since Dry January became part of the zeitgeist, it has evoked everything from praise to ridicule, including on this website. Though variations of the movement have existed for the past decade, it rose in popularity in 2014 when the nonprofit Alcohol Change UK launched its sober-month challenge. The campaign was designed to curb heavy drinking in the United Kingdom, where one person dies every hour as a result of alcohol, according to Alcohol Change UK.

The nonprofit asserts that it is not anti-alcohol but rather focused on reducing harm from alcohol, both for people seeking a healthier relationship with it and for those indirectly affected by drinking.

"The harm doesn't end with the individual; each of us who drinks too much is part of a family and a community who feel the effects too, whether through frequent use of emergency services, drink driving, violence or neglect," its website says.

Six years later, some have surmised that the phenomenon is losing steam amid the rise of "sober curious" culture and a continued shift toward healthier lifestyles that helped propel the success of lower-calorie and lower-ABV beverages like hard seltzer. In a recent YouGov survey of more than 22,000 adults, 14% indicated an interest in partaking in Dry January this year, compared with 23% the year before. Thirty-three percent said they "don't ever" drink, up from 24% in December 2018.

Still, I've found significant value in a more regimented abstention from imbibing, even if it's temporary. My first year of Dry January had less to do with a desire to follow a social movement and more with proving to myself I didn't need to drink.

My semi-flawed logic told myself that if I could make it through January 2018 without drinking, then I'd be free from the grips of alcoholism. This is, of course, not how genetically predisposed diseases work, and while I'm grateful not to have manifested any addictive tendencies yet in my 28 years of life, I knew that my relationship with alcohol was fraught at best.

An afternoon of too many mimosas. Bethany Biron/Business Insider

The first time I got drunk I was 18, an age I'd later learn made me a relatively late bloomer compared with many of my peers, who had already been slamming Mike's Hard Lemonade and shotgunning Natty Lights in unchaperoned suburban basements.

While attending a family wedding, my similarly underage and inexperienced cousin and I sensed an opportunity to catch up. We ordered "Grey Goose on the rocks," trying our best to emulate sophisticated adults we had seen in movies, before quickly discovering we did not like the taste of straight vodka. Switching to Champagne, we kept refilling our flutes until the fizzing bubbles left us in fits of giggles as the ground beneath us started spinning.

What a feeling, I remember thinking, marveling at the light-headed sense of euphoria I felt as I whirled around the dance floor.

Over the next few months, I waded tepidly into the party scene, before diving in headfirst to repeatedly try and fail to test my limits. I had my fair share of shameful moments at the mercy of alcohol, and while I'm thankful I managed to stay safe in these situations, I have regrets.

Perhaps most troublingly, I began to love how drinking seemed to help me escape my overly anxious, self-conscious mind. I felt like an enhanced version of myself, someone who could dance and socialize freely. It would take a long time and a lot of therapy to learn that drinking wasn't the only way to attain that, and even today I am constantly working on it.

It's not a perfect process, but giving up alcohol for the month helps me to reflect on why I drink and to try to understand what I'm gaining from doing it. It gives me pause when I consider cracking open a beer on a boring Wednesday night in February, a moment to remember that the liquid inside has the power to destroy.

And so I put it back.

Staring down the bottom of a red Solo cup of wine. Bethany Biron/Business Insider

Despite my conviction to get through my first Dry January in 2018, I had my doubts. So much of my social life was enmeshed in drinking, and what about Friday-night happy hour with my colleagues? What would I do at a bar without a drink in my hand?

Turns out it is, in fact, possible to enjoy yourself without drinking, and when an urge ensues (usually around the end of week two for me) there is a bevy of apps and resources to help motivate. Try Dry, an app developed by Alcohol Change UK that includes a calendar tracker, tips, and motivational quotes, has been especially helpful in seeing my progress and staying inspired. I also keep my fridge stocked with La Croix and find that the carbonated water emulates some of the enjoyment of opening a cold beer at the end of a long day.

In past years, I have also reaped the well-documented benefits of Dry January, including improved sleep quality, higher energy levels, clearer skin, weight loss, and a fatter wallet from saving money. A 2018 study from the University of Sussex found that one month of sobriety could lower levels of drinking throughout the year.

"The simple act of taking a month off alcohol helps people drink less in the long term: by August people are reporting one extra dry day per week," Richard de Visser, the researcher who led the study, said in a statement. "There are also considerable immediate benefits: nine in ten people save money, seven in ten sleep better and three in five lose weight."

Ultimately, I still enjoy drinking. I like a crisp IPA, a tart ros, and the occasional celebratory tequila shot. It's taken the better part of the past decade, but I've gotten better at understanding my limits and the enjoyment of having one or two and only one or two glasses of wine with dinner.

I still overindulge sometimes, but when that happens I try to be kind to myself. (Another resolution for 2020!) The goal is no longer to unwind so much that I unfurl completely, but to try to find a happy medium, however challenging that might be.

Do I feel profoundly changed by Dry January? Not exactly. However, I do complete the month with a sense of satisfaction and a firmer grasp on my relationship with alcohol. To me, that's worth it.

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Dry January helps me understand relationship with alcohol - Business Insider

If youre trying to lose weight fast, it can be easy to get caught up with fad diet or other 'quick fixes' that promise a flat stomach in days.That's especially true in January when you've just eaten your own bodyweight in poultry, or a vegan alternative, and are now thinking of next summer's beach holiday. Don't worry about it though; there are ways to lose weight that are tried and trusted. It might not be the easy and quick weight loss of your dreams, but it's very doable. We have nothing against the keto diet, for instance but a lot of people will find it is difficult to fit into their lifestyle. We've tried to keep these diet, workout and weight-loss tips as simple as possible so you can get fit and in shape, in 2020.

So, if you're serious about losing weight, you've come to the right place. We won't promise you'll get a six pack in as many hours, but we can guarantee expert advice and key tips for losing weight quickly, but in a healthy and sustainable way.Weve also got the lowdown on the best exercise for losing weight fast, and all the gear youll need to get started.

The best way for you to lose weight fast will depend on your starting point, your end goal, and your lifestyle. In this article we lay out ten strategies that are applicable to everyone, whether you're a fitness novice looking to shed several stone, or you simply require motivation to keep going.

Generally speaking the best way to lose weight quickly, and maintain that weight loss, is to follow a steady, manageable plan. Dont try to take on more than you can reasonably fit into one day, unless youre willing to make the sacrifice. Most likely sleep or your social life.

The NHS recommends that you aim to lose no more than 2 lbs (1kg) per week; anymore than that and you risk burning out and giving up.With that in mind, here are ten strategies to get you losing weight quickly.

Best abs workouts for (mainly) women

(Image credit: Pixabay)

The short answer to the question of how to lose weight fast is to achieve a consistent calorie deficit. That is, burn more calories than you consume.

If you eat 2,500 calories a day the recommended daily amount for a man, although of course this can vary wildly depending on your height, weight and frame and burn 3,000, you are in a calorie deficit.

If, however, you burn 3,000 but have consumed 3,500, youre not in a calorie deficit, even though you've almost certainly been working out a lot have burned that much energy.

What you need to do is ensure youre eating the right food and doing the right exercise so that youre sufficiently full and satisfied even when consuming fewer calories than you burn. Here's how...

(Image credit: RitaE from Pixabay)

As we alluded to above, a common pitfall that many people experience when trying to lose weight is that as they start exercising more, they feel like they need to eat more to keep their energy levels up and consequently fail to see results.Instead, we recommend adapting your diet to get the most out of your calories.

All foods have different energy densities. Foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains have low energy density, which means you will get fuller faster when eating these than you would high energy density foods.

Nutritionist Jenna Hope explains: Proteins and healthy fats promote more stable blood glucose levels, keeping you fuller across a time period and less likely to crave sugar or over eat, and so these are the kinds of foods you should get the majority of your calories from.

Consuming the same amount of calories as you are now (or fewer if possible), but getting more nutritional value from them will help you feel fuller for longer and lose weight more quickly as a result.

Cutting down on sugar will help reduce your waistline

We all know that some foods and some food groups are healthier than others, and that we need every type of food in our diet. The problem is that many of us arent getting the right balance.

Spoon Guru nutritionist Isabel Butler (MSc, ANutr) recommends that the best way to reduce weight and maintain the weight loss is by simply eating a balanced and healthy diet, without refusing yourself particular foods If you do cut out foods, you need to make sure your diet is still balanced and you are getting the nutrients your body needs from other sources.

For example, unless you're training to become a weightlifter, there's nothing wrong with carbs per se despite what keto diet fans might tell you but the biggest food culprit when it comes to hindering weight loss is the simple carbohydrate.

Could complete meal replacement product Huel help you diet effectively?

Compared to complex carbs like beans, whole grains and vegetables, which break down and release energy slowly, thereby keeping you full and energised, simple carbs such as sugar and starchy foods which break down into sugars such as pasta and spuds give you a shorter boost of energy, then leave you wanting more.

The likelihood is that the more simple carbs you eat, the more youll end up eating overall, harming the balance of your calorie deficit.

One easy trick if you're a carb fan is to swap out white pasta or rice for courgetti, or noodles made from other vegetables like butternut squash. This can make an arrabiata, curry or stir fry much lower in calories. Youll hardly notice the difference when youre eating it, but youll be fuller for longer despite consuming fewer calories.

Spiralizing vegetables is a great alternative to pasta

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Sometimes its a real struggle to reduce the calories you take in, or even just to track them. If youre constantly on the move and dont have the time to count calories, or you have the best intentions and are cooking fresh with ingredients that arent all labelled with their nutrition info broken down, then accurately tracking calories can be a nightmare.

To ensure youre getting a good mix of nutrients, as well as all-important protein, you could try a food substitute such as Huel.

This is not marketed as a dietary aid, but it is highly nutritious, and makes calorie counting a lot easier. A word of caution though: Huel may replace meals from a nutritional standpoint, but slurping a cool, slightly slimy milkshake instead of getting your teeth into a warm, healthy paella isnt for everyone.

Some people thrive on intermittent fasting, which means significantly cutting calories or completely fasting for a portion of the day or week, and then eating normally for the rest.

The most popular form of intermittent fasting is the 5:2 diet, where you eat normally for five days a week but then eating no more than 600 calories two days a week.

Theres also the 16:8 diet, which is a bit different. With this diet you can eat anything for 8 hours a day, but can only drink water during a 16 hour fast. The recommended time to eat is between 10am and 6pm, although this can be flexible depending on what time youd prefer to start or end eating (as long as you stay within an eight hour window).

The benefits of intermittent fasting is that during the fast period the body will run out of carbohydrates to run on, and so start to take energy from the bodys fat stores, thus starting to burn that belly fat once and for all.

Drinking water will also rehydrate during exercise

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Drinking more water especially before a meal can help us to feel fuller, thereby helping us to stop eating sooner and consume fewer calories than we otherwise would have.

What's more, few of us consider what we drink when we total up our daily calorie count and so potentially hundreds of extra calories can sneak into our bodies. Replacing fruit juices, fizzy drinks and even tea and coffee with water means we can save up our calorie allowance for the good stuff: the food that fills us up.

Top tip: keep a reusable water bottle with you at all times and restrict what else you drink. This can feel like a hard habit to break at first, but is surprisingly easy to maintain once you have a zero calorie drink to hand 24/7.

Read more: These are the best reusable water bottles

Reducing the amount of alcohol we drink also comes with benefits. Most obviously, alcoholic drinks are often very calorific, so drinking less alcohol means consuming fewer calories. Simple.

Secondly, drinking alcohol increases our appetite, so were more likely to eat more than usual and more of the bad stuff when weve been drinking. Cheesy chips, Im looking at you.

Lastly, we all know how we feel after a night of heavy drinking. Ready for a session and the gym and a day eating fruit, veg and simple carbohydrates? We didnt think so. Drinking alcohol not only means we take in more calories at the time, but can affect our ability to function well and make healthy choices the next day.

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Now weve tackled diet and nutrition (calories in), its time to look at exercise (calories out).

Even if you're eating healthily and are reasonably active in your daily life, its unlikely youll be able to lose weight quickly without additional exercise, whether that's running, gym, crossfit, team sports, cycling or any of the other myriad activities available.

What's more, working out will make you look and feel better and in our view, once you start looking and feeling better, it gets a lot easier to find the will power needed to improve your diet.

When it comes to choosing what type of exercise you do, the most important thing is that it's something you enjoy and will stick to. Don't force yourself to run if chances are you'll be walking ten minutes in.

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There are two main types of exercise: cardio training and weight or resistance training.

Both burn calories, the difference is that whilst cardio burns a lot of calories upfront, weight training continues to to burn calories post workout.

This is because weight training builds muscle, and muscle burns more than fat as you carry out day-to-day tasks. In short, the greater your muscle:fat ratio, the more calories you burn even when you are standing still.

Weight training may seem daunting, but you dont have to join a gym and face up to the squat rack right away. There are so many weight exercises you can do at home with simple bits of equipment from dumbbells to kettlebells, and balls to ropes.

Were not going to cover all the exercises you can do with weights here, so why not pick the body part you want to start burning fat from and toning up, and check out one of our guides below:

All of this aside, dont neglect cardio, as cardio workouts are important for fitness and stamina, and will still burn calories.

Kettlebells are a very powerful weightloss tool

As well doing both cardio and weight training, if you want to lose weight its also important to vary the intensity with which you exercise.

In any given week, and within any given workout, you should exercise both aerobically (a little out of breath but not gasping) and anaerobically (going flat out, like when running for a bus).

Aerobic exercise needs oxygen to give muscles energy and generally requires moderate exertion. Examples include gentler running, cycling and swimming.

Its a crucial part of losing weight quickly because it uses both sugar and fat as its energy source, but to burn fat you need to do it for long enough that youve burned through your sugar stores first.

Anaerobic exercise, on the other hand, primarily uses sugar as its fuel. This doesnt mean that its not good for weight loss, though. Anaerobic exercise helps build muscle, and as we explained above, this will help you burn calories even when youre resting. Anaerobic exercises are generally high intensity, for example sprinting and weight lifting.

A running watch or fitness tracker will help you to know what intensity exercise you're doing. As they either have built-in heart-rate trackers or pair with ones you strap to your chest, they can show you how hard you're working out and let you know when you need to push it harder.

Find out more about heart rate zone training

Keep track of your weight loss and fitness goals with a running watch

Its important to decide how you want to measure your success and keep track consistently, understanding that you will see daily fluctuations due to things like digestive contents and water retention.

Running watches are the easiest way to track your progress, remain motivated and keep weight off. Depending how fancy you go, you can track pretty much any metric that works for you, certainly way beyond whether youve achieved your 10,000 steps. Whether its weight, BMI, resting heart rate, calories burned or activity level, the best running watch will track it all.

Many wearables branded as fitness trackers also have a stab at these more advanced metrics nowadays, but we'd always recommend a watch over a band.

Another way to keep track of your progress is the old fashioned method of weighing yourself. The great thing about modern bathroom scales is they don't just tell you your weight; they also let you know your body fat percentage.

The best bathroom scales to monitor weight loss

This is a much, much better metric to track than weight alone. If you're working out while dieting you can easily put on weight, even when running a calorie deficit, just because muscle is denser than fat so there can be less of you, yet weight more.

Now, although the calculations of body fat percentage scales produce are based on sound science, accuracy can vary. The key thing to note is that if the overall trend is going down, you're doing well.

We can't stress enough the importance of giving your body time to lose weight. You can lose weight faster by using the right gear and having the right knowledge and attitude, but you'll likely need to redefine what 'fast' means to you.

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16:8 intermittent fasting, which people sometimes call the 16:8 diet or 16:8 plan, is a popular type of fasting. People who follow this eating plan will fast for 16 hours a day and consume all of their calories during the remaining 8 hours.

Suggested benefits of the 16:8 plan include weight loss and fat loss, as well as the prevention of type 2 diabetes and other obesity-associated conditions.

Read on to learn more about the 16:8 intermittent fasting plan, including how to do it and the health benefits and side effects.

16:8 intermittent fasting is a form of time-restricted fasting. It involves consuming foods during an 8-hour window and avoiding food, or fasting, for the remaining 16 hours each day.

Some people believe that this method works by supporting the body's circadian rhythm, which is its internal clock.

Most people who follow the 16:8 plan abstain from food at night and for part of the morning and evening. They tend to consume their daily calories during the middle of the day.

There are no restrictions on the types or amounts of food that a person can eat during the 8-hour window. This flexibility makes the plan relatively easy to follow.

The easiest way to follow the 16:8 diet is to choose a 16-hour fasting window that includes the time that a person spends sleeping.

Some experts advise finishing food consumption in the early evening, as metabolism slows down after this time. However, this is not feasible for everyone.

Some people may not be able to consume their evening meal until 7 p.m. or later. Even so, it is best to avoid food for 23 hours before bed.

People may choose one of the following 8-hour eating windows:

Within this timeframe, people can eat their meals and snacks at convenient times. Eating regularly is important to prevent blood sugar peaks and dips and to avoid excessive hunger.

Some people may need to experiment to find the best eating window and mealtimes for their lifestyle.

While the 16:8 intermittent fasting plan does not specify which foods to eat and avoid, it is beneficial to focus on healthful eating and to limit or avoid junk foods. The consumption of too much unhealthful food may cause weight gain and contribute to disease.

A balanced diet focuses primarily on:

Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are high in fiber, so they can help keep a person feeling full and satisfied. Healthful fats and proteins can also contribute to satiety.

Beverages can play a role in satiety for those following the 16:8 intermittent fasting diet. Drinking water regularly throughout the day can help reduce calorie intake because people often mistake thirst for hunger.

The 16:8 diet plan permits the consumption of calorie-free drinks such as water and unsweetened tea and coffee during the 16-hour fasting window. It is important to consume fluids regularly to avoid dehydration.

People may find it easier to stick to the 16:8 diet when they follow these tips:

Researchers have been studying intermittent fasting for decades.

Study findings are sometimes contradictory and inconclusive. However, the research on intermittent fasting, including 16:8 fasting, indicates that it may provide the following benefits:

Eating during a set period can help people reduce the number of calories that they consume. It may also help boost metabolism.

A 2017 study suggests that intermittent fasting leads to greater weight loss and fat loss in men with obesity than regular calorie restriction.

Research from 2016 reports that men who followed a 16:8 approach for 8 weeks while resistance training showed a decrease in fat mass. The participants maintained their muscle mass throughout.

In contrast, a 2017 study found very little difference in weight loss between participants who practiced intermittent fasting in the form of alternate-day fasting rather than 16:8 fasting and those who reduced their overall calorie intake. The dropout rate was also high among those in the intermittent fasting group.

Supporters of intermittent fasting suggest that it can prevent several conditions and diseases, including:

However, the research in this area remains limited.

A 2014 review reports that intermittent fasting shows promise as an alternative to traditional calorie restriction for type 2 diabetes risk reduction and weight loss in people who have overweight or obesity.

The researchers caution, however, that more research is necessary before they can reach reliable conclusions.

A 2018 study indicates that in addition to weight loss, an 8-hour eating window may help reduce blood pressure in adults with obesity.

Other studies report that intermittent fasting reduces fasting glucose by 36% in those with prediabetes, although it has no effect on healthy individuals. It may also decrease fasting insulin by 1157% after 3 to 24 weeks of intermittent fasting.

Time-restricted fasting, such as the 16:8 method, may also protect learning and memory and slow down diseases that affect the brain.

A 2017 annual review notes that animal research has indicated that this form of fasting reduces the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and cancer.

Animal studies suggest that intermittent fasting may help animals live longer. For example, one study found that short-term repeated fasting increased the life span of female mice.

The National Institute on Aging point out that, even after decades of research, scientists still cannot explain why fasting may lengthen life span. As a result, they cannot confirm the long-term safety of this practice.

Human studies in the area are limited, and the potential benefits of intermittent fasting for human longevity are not yet known.

16:8 intermittent fasting has some associated risks and side effects. As a result, the plan is not right for everyone.

Potential side effects and risks include:

Intermittent fasting may be less beneficial for women than men. Some research on animals suggests that intermittent fasting could negatively affect female fertility.

Individuals with a history of disordered eating may wish to avoid intermittent fasting. The National Eating Disorders Association warn that fasting is a risk factor for eating disorders.

The 16:8 plan may also not be suitable for those with a history of depression and anxiety. Some research indicates that short-term calorie restriction might relieve depression but that chronic calorie restriction can have the opposite effect. More research is necessary to understand the implications of these findings.

16:8 intermittent fasting is unsuitable for those who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to conceive.

The National Institute on Aging conclude that there is insufficient evidence to recommend any fasting diet, especially for older adults.

People who wish to try the 16:8 method or other types of intermittent fasting should talk to their doctor first, especially if they are taking medications or have:

Anyone who has any concerns or experiences any adverse effects of the diet should see a doctor.

While evidence indicates that the 16:8 method may be helpful for diabetes prevention, it may not be suitable for those who already have the condition.

The 16:8 intermittent fasting diet is not suitable for people with type 1 diabetes. However, some people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes may be able to try the diet under a doctor's supervision.

People with diabetes who wish to try the 16:8 intermittent fasting plan should see their doctor before making changes to their eating habits.

16:8 intermittent fasting is a popular form of intermittent fasting. Potential benefits include weight loss, fat loss, and a reduction in the risk of some diseases.

This diet plan may also be easier to follow than other types of fasting. People doing 16:8 intermittent fasting should focus on eating high fiber whole foods, and they should stay hydrated throughout the day.

The plan is not right for everyone. Individuals who wish to follow the 16:8 intermittent fasting diet should speak to a doctor or dietitian if they have any concerns or underlying health conditions.

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16:8 intermittent fasting: Benefits, how-to, and tips - Medical News Today

As some get ready for a healthier start of the year, one lifestyle choice that many talked about in 2019 has showed serious results.

While it may seem like a new fad, intermittent fasting has been around for centuries and has helped people like morning anchor Roxanne Vargas lose over 30 pounds in the last year.

Its a very easy eating styleto get into where before you felt like you needed to have breakfast or havethree meals every three hours or so, said nutrition coach Javier Milian.

The word fasting can be intimidating, but Milian says don't focus on when you're not eating: Focus on your eating window.

It's really what you need to do, he says. I get to eat from this time to this time at that time I stop and thats it. Im not worried about food anymore."

"Obviously, making good choices within those hours are going to have a greater effect, but that fact that youre restricting yourself already to that eating window is going to create a calorie deficit and gives you health benefits.

There are different ways to fast. Alternate day fasting promotes a "24 hours on, 24 hours off" method. So, think having dinner tonight then not eating again until dinner tomorrow. But the most common option you hear about is the 16-8 method.

I usually have my clients sendme over their schedules if youre busy youre not too hungry, but where arethose gaps in the day where you can probably start to have some meals, Miliansaid. Theres always that mental aspect that you need to overcome. Understandingthat the first week or two of anything you do is going to be tough.

Milian also says that exercise is important to achieve the best results for your body and your mind. It may not work for everyone, like those who are diabetic, so make sure you have a conversation with your doctor when making this lifestyle change.

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NBC 6 Anchor Shares Story of Weight Loss Through Intermittent Fasting - NBC 6 South Florida

My name is Lisa Hasselbeck (@queencityketo), Im 36, and I live in Cincinnati, Ohio. Over 300 pounds and two miscarriages later, I decided to change my eating habits and try keto and intermittent fasting. I lost 118 pounds and gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby.

For the majority of my adult life, Ive been the bigger girl in the room. After years of dealing with fertility issues, including two miscarriages, I was at my highest weight ever at 323 pounds. Although, my weight may have even been higher than that; I stopped putting myself on a scale when I got to a certain point as it didn't make me happy. I used food to cope with my sadness over our pregnancy losses and the weight piled on at an alarming rate.

I was only 30 at the time but I felt like my body was already breaking down. I experienced migraines that I couldnt control, even with medication. My menstrual cycles were extremely irregular (thanks, PCOS), my knees and feet ached, and my body hurt just getting out of bed. It was such a scary experience feeling that unhealthy at such a young age. What's worse was imagining my future.

I discovered lots of threads and posts from people who cut out grains and sugar, and some who were doing this via the keto diet, and eventually I immersed myself in learning about the high-fat-, low-carb plan. The first few days I read everything I could find. My husband had already begun his own health journey at the time (he ultimately lost 122 pounds and is training for a triathlon). So we dove into keto together, starting off with little things like taking the buns off of our cheeseburgers or getting broccoli in lieu of fries.

The nice thing about keto was that the foods I ate were all foods that I enjoyed: meat, cheese, veggies, cream, seafood. I knew that in order to be successful I had to have a positive perspective, so I centered mine around the foods I could have, not the ones that were considered off-limits on keto.

About a year and a half into this new lifestyle, I had lost 118 poundsand something even more wonderful happened. I became pregnant naturally after years of fertility issues. (Although I can't say for certain whether my lifestyle changes were part of the reason for my pregnancy, of course!)

During my pregnancy, I stayed low carb and keto-ish because it made me feel my best. I worked at out most days and now have a very happy, healthy, incredible 9-month-old baby sibling to my amazing little 6-year-old.

I wouldn't have been able to keep up such a big lifestyle change without my support system. My husband was at the gym sweating right next to me. My sister listened to me go on and on about a keto food or product (she's lost 70+ pounds herself!). My parents, who changed up our meals at family gatherings, had my back the entire way.

I also found friends friends and a supportive community on Instagram. Actually, Instagram has been pivotal for me in my weight-loss journey. I used the social media platform as well as Pinterest to find new keto-friendly recipes. My friend Anna Hunley (@keto_in_pearls) also wrote an incredible keto cookbook, and if Im cooking something using a recipe, its probably one of hers.

If a dish has more than a handful of ingredients or any items I cant find at my local grocery store, I probably wont make it. Instead, I stick to the basics and I try to finish eating by 8 p.m.

My relationship with working out prior to this journey was, well, nonexistent. But once I figured out keto, I knew that I wanted to incorporate some sort of regular gym routine into my life.

I began adding weight and resistance training into my workouts. I absolutely loathed cardio, so I didn't worry about thatand I still do the bare minimum there. But weight lifting and Pilates became my go-to exercises, and they still help me feel strong and toned.

A meal, a day, even a couple of days wont ruin all of your progressbut giving up entirely will. I had to remember that if I ate something that wasnt part of my plan, I had to just accept that it happened and move on. Some days, I had to take it meal by meal because planning so far out would feel overwhelming. I accepted that the journey would be imperfect, especially on a diet like keto that takes time to get used to.

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'Keto And Intermittent Fasting Helped Me Lose 118 Lbs. After I Let The Weight Pile On After My Miscarriages' - Women's Health

Jenna Jameson has been a proud advocate of the keto diet. She lost over 80 pounds while on keto last year and has shared with her followers plenty of tips and fun ways to sneak in your favorite fast foods without going completely off the rails.

But in December she announced in an Instagram post that she was thinking of quitting the restrictive diet plan.

"Confession. Ive gained 20 pounds. Ugh. I decided to take a break from #keto and live my best carby life. The weight came back fast and furious. I know a lot of people are quitting keto because its hard to maintain and after a year and a half I concur. Not sure if Im going to go back full force or just calorie count," Jenna wrote in her post.

But it looks the model is ready to hop back on the keto train.

Today she shared a photo of herself on Instagram, with a lengthy caption detailing her decision to give keto a try again. Jenna wrote, "Heres my jumping off point back into #keto Im 153 pounds I went shopping this morning at Trader Joes (Im in LA for a few days) I got my trusty arugula salad, garlic spread, sliced pastrami, Persian cucumbers and zucchini noodles and some grass fed butter. Its time to take off 30 pounds! Im slowly edging back into #intermittentfasting but Im ravenous because Ive truly been eating everything and anything Im super excited to show everyone progress pics! Hows everyone else doing on their 2020 goals?

Good luck, Jenna!

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Jenna Jameson Says Shes Back On Keto, Intermittent Fasting After 30-Pound Weight Gain - Women's Health