How to Train Smarter not Harder

This is a guest post written by Mary Ann Blair, new mom and registered fitness nurse.  For more amazing health tips and information, follow her on Twitter or visit her at Higher Level Fitness.

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of research and interviewing for a big project I’m working on.

In fact, this project has been in the works for a few months now. And in the next few months I’ll be sharing with you my findings. You see, I’ve been coaching, consulting and designing meal and workout programs for women who want to get into their best body yet. And in this process, I’ve helped them figure out why they are not getting the results they want.

So far, and without fail, every single woman I’ve worked with shared the same story…

They stepped on the scale and/ or put on their favorite skinny jeans and / or looked in the mirror and didn’t like what they saw. Muffin top, flat bum, flabby arms, thick thighs.

So they did what they knew, eat less and exercise more. Some take the extra step and join a fitness class, dance their ass off at Zumba, register for the half marathon or join CrossFit.

In every one of these situations, the women spent way more time looking for classes to register for, how to organize time for child care in order to go and considering the budget costs of their weight loss endeavour and nowhere near enough time on the following four key elements to ensure that their body would give them the results they keep “working so hard” for..

Not you. You will work smarter, not harder. Invest your time and energy into these four simple things to guarantee sexy curves success.

1. Know your body shape. Are you pear, apple or chili shaped? Even hourglass bodies have their challenges when it comes to maintaining their figure. Knowing this not only helps you decide what clothes best suit your body but it also helps underline the foundation of how your workout and nutrition program will be designed.

For example, someone who is chili shaped (think Cameron Diaz) will need a significant amount of muscle-building exercises to create a shapely bum and small waist. Protein intake will determine how well the muscles will be fuelled to create these curves. Now, do you think a chili shaped body would benefit from doing several 45 min treadmill sessions a week?

You have to work with what you got or you won’t get what you worked for.

2. Keep a food diary. Nowadays, there’s no excuse for keeping track of what you eat. Apps like myfitnesspal.com, food journals like FITBOOK and good old pen and paper will help you see what eating habits are preventing you from progressing.

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. I know that it can be a pain to constantly record your food but you’re not meant to do it all the time. Use it as your gauge to see what improvements can be made and what changes can be realistically implemented.

3. Access expert resources. I can’t stress this enough. The biggest time saver and the number one strategy for getting into your best body fast is to hire a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach. A good coach will take the time to talk to you about your body shape, review your food log and give you a workout and eating plan best suited for your lifestyle.

The best part is that they keep you accountable and give you that extra push you need when needed. Let them effectively open the doors for you to see just how beautiful your body can transform into.

4. Stay consistent with YOUR program. It’s not easy. But just like a budget and financial plan keep you on track so can your workout and nutrition prescription. Slow and steady wins the race. Stay consistent and I guarantee you will achieve your desired outcome.

I don’t know where you are in your quest to get back your curves. But know that most times, all your issues are fixable. Make effective use of your time and money and follow the four principles.

What has helped or hindered you in your journey to getting sexy curves?