Want to get lean and stay that way? Try applying some of these simple “More than / Less than” ratios to correct common exercise and eating mistakes that thwart your efforts to flatten that belly and trim your thighs:

• More water and tea than caloric beverages. We often ingest calories unnecessarily when we’re actually only thirsty. 300 calories from beer soda or juice you didn’t need every day is 31 pounds of fat in a year.
• More intensity in your aerobic workouts than time spent on the workout. Short bursts of very challenging work levels (8-10 on a 1-10 scale) burn calories and fat at a much higher rate per minute than longer, easier exercise bouts. They also carry over for the post-peak recovery so that your heart rate stays higher between the peaks and after the workout. The added long-term bonus is that with this approach you’ll push your fitness level and your capacity to burn even more fat even higher than with longer, moderate intensity steady state workouts.
• More veggies and less grains. While there’s some debate in the informed fitness nutrition community about whether skipping grains altogether is healthier and will keep you leaner, there’s certainly no disagreement about whether boosting the proportion of your diet focused on vegetables is a good idea. There’s simply no food that is more valuable and under-represented in most people’s diets. Nothing combines the array of nutrients and fills you up on so few calories as these under-appreciated gems.
• More sleep than screen time. Try to meditate or read something inspirational while lying in bed after the “have-to” daily tasks are completed. You may find that your late night “me” time is much more satisfying. I guarantee your hormone balance, fat metabolism, freshness in the morning and energy throughout the day will be much better as a result.

We’re offering a special of $49 for a limited evening class membership (Mon – Thu at 6pm) with Club TVT, our small group training program through the end of the year! Contact Dan at Tri Valley Trainer for more information.