Proper “drying” is perhaps the most common request in fitness. The lifestyle of a modern person is such that his body does not “dry out” in its daily rhythm, but, on the contrary, gains extra pounds. After all, evolution prepared us for other conditions of life – when there is much more physical activity and less food resources. That’s all now and go to fitness “dry out” in order to look aesthetically pleasing. Although the question here is not only aesthetics: the most important thing is that being overweight can lead to health problems.
In general, when they talk about “drying” or “drying”, the first thing in my head is the image of a barber with a hairdryer conjuring over the styling. Let’s find out first what we mean by this ambiguous term. “Correct drying” is called such a change in body composition, when the percentage of fat decreases, while the muscle mass is retained or goes away insignificantly. In some cases, it may even increase, but this is also a separate topic. The priority in this case is precisely the issue of reducing the amount of fat. Simply put, we will lose fat while trying to preserve muscle.
On the way to achieving the desired result, we are interested in four aspects: motivation, nutrition, training, and recovery. It is worth noting that when approaching any question, there are always different strategies, meal plans, workouts, etc. I invite you to understand the essence of these aspects and the role they play in achieving the result. How and to what extent to use them is up to you!
So let’s start with motivation. One wise man said, “Start by imagining the end result.” This is the start – goal setting, visualization and consolidation in consciousness of where you plan to move. And there are two options here. The first is to roughly imagine what you want, noting that you just want to lose weight, dry out, and so on. The second is to clearly describe by what date and how you will look, what number the scales will show, what acquaintances will say and what emotions you will experience when looking at your reflection in the mirror. The “cherry on the cake” will be explaining to yourself why it is really important for you to become like that? This is a question that we rarely ask ourselves, but it will determine in a true measure those things that are of value to us. Of course, it is obvious that by following the first path, it may be possible to “dry out”, but the chances of success will dramatically increase when choosing the second option.
Now let’s talk about nutrition. We will understand globally, without reasoning about proteins, fats and carbohydrates, the necessary proportions of macronutrients and other subtleties, from which the motivation to achieve a result will disappear from those who are “drying out” at the stage of trying to understand what kind of “macronutrient” it is. In the context of reducing the fat component, we will be interested in the so-called energy balance – the difference between what you have eaten and what your body has used up in the process of life. In addition to physical activity, the latter also includes the energy that is spent on the fact that the lungs breathe, blood circulates in the heart, and so on. In general, ate – spent: we are interested in the difference between the number of calories. The body begins to “burn” fat when the consumption is about 10-20% more than the input. This is called a calorie deficit. If the difference is significantly higher, then the body can initiate the process of “saving energy”. Not the most interesting and pleasant story, which, moreover, can negatively affect health. If the difference is less, then the process will go, but more slowly. The second aspect worth paying attention to is the feeling of fullness. In fact, this is how comfortable we can handle this very calorie deficit. Hunger is always a signal from the brain that a stressful situation is approaching. And stress slows down the process of reducing the fat component. Therefore, there should be no feeling of hunger.
In general, it is not important how to gain the required calorie content. But, let’s be honest, if you make up a diet only from what is tasty, most likely you will have to starve. Because delicious foods tend to be high in energy and digestible quickly. Digested them – and again I want to eat. Something that is less tasty – for example, buckwheat with chicken – will allow you not to experience hunger for a long time. Although constantly eating chicken with buckwheat is also an unhealthy story. The foods included in the diet should both provide the body with the necessary substances and allow a comfortable life.
We’ve been talking about nutrition for so long! But that’s 80% – if not all 95% – of success! To summarize: you need to control the calorie content of the diet, creating a deficit of 10-20% in energy heetic balance, and you need to monitor your psycho-emotional state. How you will control calories is, in fact, unimportant. You can cook your own food, weighing each gram, and you can order rations for the day with delivery – by the way, the market now offers a lot of options! – you can count the calories of all dishes that you order in restaurants. But without a deficit, there will be no result, no matter how much fitness you do at the same time. When controlled, remember that we are “drying” in order to live, and not living in order to “dry”. Therefore, choose a comfortable diet for “living” a difficult period of “drying”. If you want to eat an eclair, eat it. But remember about the calorie content!
Let’s talk now about physical activity. The most important thing to know is that training does not “dry” us! Dries up the calorie deficit. Exercise is the tool that pushes our body to certain changes. That is, if it is necessary to strengthen health and develop muscles, then nothing but training will solve these problems. And in general, movement is life!
I know a lot of people don’t like going to the gym and are not fitness fans. As a rule, this happens if you simply did not find your type of training. There are so many programs, equipment and training methods in the arsenal of the fitness industry that anyone can choose the classes they like! And in order to do this most effectively, I always recommend that you seek advice from people who live by this – fitness trainers. I assure you that a competent specialist will always be able to choose a plan that will fit into your schedule and suit you emotionally.
A little about recovery. This question is especially relevant if you are in the fitness business. Any workout is about using the resources of the body. And in order to effectively replenish them, it is necessary to recover efficiently. What is important for this? Sleep. It is he who will determine 80% of the success in recovery. Don’t believe the myths that say you can sleep 6 hours on weekdays and then sleep on weekends. Studies have shown that it is important to maintain a regimen with the same bedtime and 8-9 hours of night rest every day. By the way, women need more sleep than men! A couple of life hacks for recovery – I recommend not eating at least 3 hours before bedtime. 30 minutes before “lights out” you can take a short walk or take a bath. This will improve the quality of your stay.
