– Are you feeling a little bit
heavier than you might like? Do you wanna lose some
weight ahead of race season? I know that I do. And, for most of us,
being lighter will improve our power to weight ratio on the bike, and it makes running that much easier. And it's one thing knowing it, it's another thing actioning it.
So, we've put together eight ways for you to drop those excess pounds. (chill music) You might not expect fueling
to come high on the list, or even on the list at all, when it comes to weight loss. But, you'd be wrong. The trick is how you do it. So, reducing your calories
will lead to weight loss if everything else remains the same. But, don't forget, as a triathlete you still need to train. And you want your body to function. Ultimately, you can't do that if it's running completely empty. Make sure you still fuel
during your training. As this is when your body's actually burning energy. And if you're doing a ride
or run of 90 minutes or more, then don't limit yourself. Just use your usual snacks, otherwise you could end up
detrimenting your training or, by the time you get home, you'll be so hungry
you'll end up overeating. (energetic music) Staying hydrated is essential, whether you're trying
to lose weight or not. But drinking water can actually help hold off hunger for a little bit longer.
And it can sometimes be tempting to think that you're hungry, when actually you're just thirsty. So, make sure you have plenty of water before your mealtimes. And when it comes to your sessions, if you do need a high energy
drink to fuel you through it, just make sure you change it back to water or an electrolyte type
drink when you've finished. But, how much should you actually drink? You might well have heard of the two litres a day per person. But, that comes from research
that's over 70 years old. When they worked out that,
for every calorie you eat, on average you needed 1ml of water.
And they presumed that the
average person eat around 1,900 calories, therefore
1.9 litres of water. But, more recently, the
National Academy of Medicine have done a little bit
more research into this. And they have now found out that actually you should have, well, for an average
man, around 3.7 litres, which is 15 cups of water. And the average woman,
around 2.7 litres of water, which is 11 cups. Now, that probably sounds a huge amount. And you're thinking, gosh, I don't drink that much. But, that includes food. So, obviously, some foods have
more water in than others. So, you've got to take that into account. It's really hard to measure, and everyone is obviously different.
So, things are affected
like your environment. If you're somewhere hot,
you're gonna need more water. Depending on what exercise you're doing, what food you're eating, the list goes on. But, the NAM do also
suggest that, actually, you just need to listen to
your own body and thirst. But, one way of measuring yourself, if you sweat a lot, try weighing yourself before your session. And then weighing
yourself again afterwards and seeing what that difference is. You can also mix things up, so maybe swap your
calorific mocha-choco-latte for an espresso, or maybe try some herbal
tea or some flavoured water. Whilst we're on the topic of drink, I'm not suggesting for a moment that you should ban all alcohol.
But, maybe think about
swapping the calorific pint of cider or beer or
a large glass of wine, for something a little less calorific such as a gin and tonic, or maybe even use soda
water with your spirit. As that will reduce your
calories dramatically, and you still get a
chance to enjoy a drink. (energetic music) HIIT style, short sharp sessions are great for raising your heart rate, but also keeping your body
burning more fuel for longer, even after your session has finished. And it's really easy to incorporate this into your triathlon training. On the run, for example, you could add in some interval sessions. Or on the bike, a great workout to do on the turbo is 10 lots of 30 seconds
absolutely max out, with 90 seconds really easy
recovery in between each one.
Or, if you want something
a little bit different, then why not try a HIIT
style body weight session. We've already made a video on that, and you can find the link
in the description below. And the same goes for weight training, as it will raise your
metabolism for longer as a result of excess post
exercise oxygen consumption, otherwise known as EPOC. Which, in simple terms, means more oxygen is required for
a longer period of time, and therefore more calories
are going to be burned. (slow chilled music) There are so many diets out there, and some apparently are
more successful than others. But there's one thing
they all have in common, and that is they're reducing the amount of calories that you consume, whether it's consciously or not. Simply put, if you reduce
the amount of calories that you take in, but you maintain the same amount of training
or activity levels, you are going to lose weight.
And the key is to do
it at a sensible rate, so that your body doesn't overreact or think that you're starving it. So, with that in mind, the actual recommendation is to not reduce your average daily intake by
more than 500 calories a day. Otherwise you run the risk of your body breaking down the muscle,
and using that as fuel. Consistency is key, so be patient and the weight will stay off. There's a few things you can
do just to trick your brain. So, try putting your
food in a smaller plate, and then you'll think that
you've eaten more than you have. And another way is just eat slowly, and enjoy what you're eating. And, therefore, your
brain has time to register that your stomach is full. Rather than eating on the fly, when you're likely to eat
more than you need to. Running at the same intensity and for the same amount of time as cycling will automatically burn more energy. So, it's worth looking
at your training week, and seeing if you can incorporate
a little bit more running, but just make sure you do
it within safe parameters.
(slow r'n'b music) And obviously, you'll still
need to have a healthy balance to fully prepare for your next event. And, you need to look after your body, so don't suddenly up your running volume before you're ready. And, if you're maybe
carrying a few extra pounds, then that should be a little
bit more impact on your joints. So just ensure that you've got the correct supportive footwear, and where possible mix up the terrain.
Well, with this in mind, see if you can add in any extra walking. Even if you're not ready to
up your running volume yet, you can add in some walking
intervals to your usual session. And, whenever possible, leave the car at home. Try not to take the lift, use the stairs instead. As much as these seem like
tiny, insignificant changes, I promise you they all add up. Well, this is probably
the most obvious one, but not always as easy as it sounds. You need to have a balanced diet. Now, there's no point in
purely counting the calories if you're missing out the nutrients. Make sure you're still getting in the minerals, the vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and fibre, for your body to function efficiently. And having fresh produce
is the best way to do this, because it's packed with nutrients for the same amount of calories. So, for example, if you
are trying to reduce your calorie intake, still make sure you're getting
in the vital nutrients.
So, for example, this muffin, as delicious as it is, is worth around two to
three hundred calories, and doesn't really have
much on the nutrients level. Whereas this small plate of food is probably similar with the calories, but the amount of nutrients I would get and the feeling of being
full for so much longer would definitely outweigh the muffin. Office snacks are my worst enemy, and if you're anything like me you'll get hungry between your meal times.
So, to try and resist
the chocolate biscuits, bring in some healthy snacks that will just help you that little bit. And, personally I like to go
with some celery and houmous, or maybe some almond butter. And I do love fruit, just be aware it does have a slightly
higher sugar content. Well, a cup of coffee can
actually have a positive effect. But, I hate to break it to you, you're not gonna lose weight automatically by just sitting, sipping your
favourite brew all morning. If, however, you use it just
before a training session, then it can help trick your mind as it reduces that perception of effort, and it delays the feeling of fatigue. So, basically, you can
train harder and for longer, therefore using more calories, which will help you lose weight. (fast contemporary music) Have a measurable goal and write it down. As it will just help you keep on track. And, a good tip here
is using a food diary. And I find that, if you're writing down everything that you eat, not only is good for a record, but it also just makes you that much more conscious
of what you're having.
So, if you're going to put
your hand in the sweet jar and grab another few sweets, it makes you think is it worth the effort of eating those sweets then having to write it down afterwards. And it's something that
really helps for me. Be realistic with the timeframe and the amount of weight
that you want to lose. 'Cause it's not always about
the numbers on the scales.
If you want a more accurate reading, then you could get your body
fat percentage measured, as it won't be affected
by any muscle gain. And the overall aim for most triathletes is to go faster in your next event. So just make sure, even though you're trying to lose weight, you don't lose sight of that end goal. The best methods for weight loss are still eternally debated. All you need to do is type the word diet into a search engine and you'll get bombarded
with various options. However, if you stick to the key points, and you make sure you do
any changes gradually, consistently, and look
after your overall health.
Then you'll find that you'll lose weight and it will stay off. Now, if you haven't done so already, you can click on the
globe to subscribe to GTN. And if you've enjoyed this, hit the thumb up button. And that HIIT session I talked about earlier on in this video, if you want some ideas for that, why not watch this video just here. And if you're gonna do a turbo session, then there's a great workout just here..