If you want a flatter stomach, you’re better off focusing on your diet; exercise alone won’t get you there.
With this hard to reach area, you’d see more progress changing your diet first and then using exercise as the tool to come in and fine-tune and tone things.
And this is true for most people; changing your diet will be more impactful than adding in one hour of exercise each day.
Given this information, it doesn’t mean that you should skip exercise altogether. It’s just the opposite. And the 80/20 rule applies here — 80% is diet, 20% is exercise.
So while the last article showed you how to eat better, this one is going to help you boost your hard work by showing you some shortcuts to get the other 20% there.
See, exercise is great on so many levels.
It gives you energy, helps you sleep better, improves your focus and mental clarity, keeps your heart and brain healthy, and it can be great on your joints (if you choose the right one).
Exercise also introduces your body to a safe level of stress so that it can prepare to fight back should it ever need to. This helps you build strength and keeps you safe in times of emergency.
So while you’ll see more improvements when you focus on your diet, exercise is still a huge piece of the puzzle you don’t want to miss.
The next question becomes: how can you make exercise more enjoyable, especially when you don’t have time, and when you don’t really want to do it?
Try These 4 Exercise Hacks to Improve Your Chances of Actually Working Out
In the last five years, I’ve radically transformed my workout routine and am much more disciplined than I used to be.
And I owe it to these four exercise hacks, starting with the most basic one people miss:
#1: Get More Quality Sleep
One of the biggest reasons why people don’t work out consistently is because they’re so tired. This is because they’re not consistently getting enough sleep.
So when that early morning alarm starts buzzing, the day starts out with a struggle to fight the snooze button and actually get out of bed instead of being ready to take on the day.
This is a HUGE mistake.
When you’re sleep deprived, you’ll affect everything from your weight, appetite control, hormones, immune system, breathing, and blood pressure.
You’re also more likely to be short-tempered and irritable the next day.
And you can kiss being productive and having any type of focus goodbye.
If this sounds like you, it’s no wonder you don’t feel like working out.
The key to being able to have enough energy to workout comes down to getting enough sleep.
I wrote this natural ways to get deep sleep article for a client recently that covers this topic in detail. Be sure to check that out when you’re done here.
Some of the most important points from that guide to hit include:
1. To get at least eight hours of sleep, do the math to find out when you need to be in bed by.
Start your bedtime 30 minutes before that. So if you need to wake up by 5am, you need to start to wind down by 8:30pm, assuming it takes about 30 minutes to get ready for bed. I bet some of you reading this are like yeah, right! I usually don’t get to bed until 11 pm.
This is why it’s hard for you to function the next day.
It’s essential that you figure out how to log enough sleep each night.
2. Another thing that could be affecting your quality of sleep is if you’re staring at screens 1-2 hours before bed.
Whether that’s a TV, laptop, iPad, or any other bright-light device, these are ruining your sleep.
The bright light confuses your brain into thinking it’s still daytime. When this happens, your body doesn’t release melatonin, an essential sleep hormone, like it should.
So when you do eventually try to fall asleep, you won’t be able to because your body hasn’t released melatonin for you to do so.
The best advice here is to skip the TV shows, Facebook browsing, and anything else that’s getting in the way of your sleep.
3. That also includes getting rid of alcohol, caffeine, and other sugary drinks before bed.
These foods act as stimulants which are the last thing you want to take before bed.
Ditch these by 1pm at the latest and see how fast your sleep improves.
4. My last favorite piece of advice here is to get ready for bed after dinner.
This doesn’t mean you need to be in bed by 6pm, but if you’re someone who falls asleep on the couch watching TV or Facebooking this can help you wind down and signal to your body that it’s almost bedtime.
Brush your teeth after you eat and throw on those pjs. Shut the TV off at least an hour before bed and you’ll have a nice comforting sleep.
And if you feel like you already have your sleep down, move on to this next step.
#2: Stop Leaving Your House to Workout
I know. I used to preach that you should go to the gym and blah blah blah.
I’ll admit I was wrong.
The gym works for me. But that’s because I work from home and need social interaction in my life.
But I now realize how impractical this is for most people.
And the good news is there’s an easy and affordable solution here: find an at-home program you’re actually excited to try.
There are plenty of options to choose from now, which means it’s even easier than ever to workout without leaving home. And you don’t even have to get dressed to do these if you don’t want to.
I’ve mentioned that my favorite workout is P.volve but that doesn’t mean it’s right for you. (Btw, here’s an affiliate link if you want to check P.volve out, it doesn’t cost you anything for the free 15-day trial but it will give you a discount if you decide to stick with it. And full disclosure, I might get a discount too)
What I will say is that I’ve also shifted my mindset back to doing only low-impact exercises.
HIIT exercises and running were just way too hard on my system and hormones and I think this is true for many people.
If you’re feeling exhausted, ravenous, or like your energy levels are always unstable, try tapering back the intensity of your workouts to see if that helps.
I also don’t use heavy weights — 2lb hand weights is all I do now — and instead use resistance bands, ankle weights, and my body weight. You’d be surprised how much you sweat with just these!
And if you think about it, it makes sense. Whatever your body weight is, it’s more than enough resistance to see a difference.
Find a workout that you like — you can even find ones on Amazon that stream right to your TV — and that’s in your skill level and give it a shot for 30 days.
If, after that point, you don’t like it, no biggy. You can move on and try something you do enjoy.
The next exercise hack is perfect if you’re not ready to workout just yet.
#3: Keep Track of Your Steps
Walking is still one of the best exercises you can do.
It’s great mentally and physically and it’s beyond easy to do.
It’s also helpful for losing weight.
So if that’s your goal, eventually you’ll want to get up to 10k, 12k, or even 15k steps each day.
But before you get there, start small hitting 5k, 7k, and eventually 10k steps so that you don’t injure yourself.
You can do this by wearing a fitness tracker — you don’t have to splurge on a fancy one just to track steps — or carrying your phone in your pocket if you have an iPhone.
Track this for a few days to see your baseline and, if you’re already surpassing these step goals, move onto the next exercise hack.
This one’s also great if you’re not able to get enough walking time in.
#4: Workout for 20 Mins, Even If It’s Just Stretching
While I definitely recommend working out more than this, I do believe that just 20 minutes a day is enough to see a huge difference.
Walking 10 minutes one way and turning back to complete a 20 minute loop is all it takes to feel better, I promise.
And, as I just mentioned, if that’s not an option, you can at least get a 20 minute stretch session in.
Do this and you’ll start to feel better in no time.
Just be sure not to overdo your 20 minutes or you won’t be able to increase your time since you’ll be too injured to even workout.
Once you get used to the 20 minutes a day, you can eventually bump this up and increase your progress from there.
Figure out a time you can squeeze in 20 minutes of movement and set an alarm to remind you to get it done. And don’t hit snooze or cancel it when it does go off.
You’ll feel better when you go through with this and worse off if you don’t.
But before you decide to combine all of these tips at once, be sure to read this final section first.
Putting It All Together: Achieving Success With a New Diet or Fitness Plan
I know you want instant success. I get it. I was there too.
But this is about the slow and steady route.
Going too hard is a recipe for messing with your appetite and hormones and never making any real progress.
So instead of trying to combine all of these tips at once, do yourself a favor and:
#1: Focus On One Variable At a Time
You didn’t get here overnight so it’s unrealistic to expect that you’ll change overnight or that you’ll see progress that fast.
But I can tell you that you will see more progress (and faster) when you focus on one variable at a time.
Get this one tweak right, whatever you decide that is, and you’ll notice a difference right away.
So whether you’re working on these healthy eating tips or the workout ones in this guide, choose one variable and stick with it for at least 30 days.
Create this habit and you’ll have enough positive momentum to tackle the next one.
And before you do, make sure you:
#2: Think About What You’re Trying to Achieve Before Starting Any New Diet or Exercise Plan
Don’t let the marketing phrases sell you on a certain program or food product.
That’s what their job is to do.
Instead, figure out what you want first, write it down, and then find those programs or products that match what you’re looking for.
For me, I wanted a low-impact workout that wouldn’t bulk me up or cause too much stress on my joints like I found with weight lifting programs.
I was amazed to find a company that literally hit all of these marks and more (still talking about P.Volve here).
But that wouldn’t have happened unless I had the main components mapped out before I set out searching.
To do just that, think about your goal for this program or product.
Do you want to lose body fat? Build muscle? Find a simple program that won’t be too difficult for you to do?
Do you need one that’s under 30 minutes and low-impact?
When it comes to food, I look for programs that are low-carb and higher in fat but not necessarily ketogenic. This helps me narrow down options incredibly fast.
But these targets may not be right for you.
That’s why it’s essential that you keep an open mind too — you may find that what works for you and what you like is the complete opposite of what you had envisioned or what works for me.
Diet and exercise should be specific to your needs. I’m just here to give you possible ideas on what to try next.
The last point to consider here is choosing the right tool: diet or exercise.
Again, this is a personal choice and one you’ll need to make.
Here’s what I can tell you with regards to choosing between these two.
- Pick one or the other but not both. So pick either adding in more exercise or changing how you eat, but not both.
- Choose the one thing that will make the biggest impact. So if you know you already eat well and exercise, maybe focusing on your sleep is for you. And if you already have a job that keeps you moving, focus on how you can make changes to your diet — cutting back on sugar, caffeine, alcohol, etc.
- Remember that your diet will have a bigger impact than exercise. So if you’re not ready to get more movement in, take a look at how you can improve your diet first.
- If you’re still stuck, go with the one that you struggle with the most. This will give you an amazing self-confidence boost. The more you do something you don’t want to do, the better you’ll feel. This happens with exercises and the tasks that you often put off the most. Do the opposite — avoid what you hate doing — and you’ll feel worse about yourself and you’ll lose any potential momentum you may have had. I bet you’ve probably experienced this before.
Now It’s Your Turn
With these helpful exercise hacks, you have the power to make at least one positive change in your life.
I hope that you feel motivated enough to do just that.
The next step is up to you but I believe you can do it!
And if you need my help, I’m here for you. Email me direct at devan@behappynothangry.com.
To finding what works for you,
Devan