5 Rules To Get In Shape
How to get in shape and Live Lean 365 days a year
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m answering an excellent viewer question on my 5 rules to get in shape.
In other words, what are 5 of the most important rules I follow to Live Lean 365 days a year.
I love these Freestyle Friday episodes because it gives me the opportunity to answer your direct questions.
So let me share these 5 rules to get in shape, as well as a bonus rule, that I think you’ll really like.
This exercise isn’t just for your health and fitness.
I also highly recommend you create similar rules for your life.
I wrote my 5 rules to get in shape in my journal.
So lets go through each one, in no particular order.
5 rules to get in shape and Live Lean 365 days a year:
Lean Lean Rule #1: Drink more water
When you think you’ve already had enough water for the day, drink more water.
It’s that simple.
Your body is made up of approximately 70% water, which is why water provides so many benefits to your body.
Check out this post on how much water you should drink per day.
I share a simple formula on how to calculate your daily water consumption goals.
The ironic thing with water is, if you don’t drink enough of it, your body can actually retain water, thus making you look and feel bloated.
When you drink enough water, your body flushes more stored water out of your system.
This helps give you a tighter and leaner looking physique.
Drinking water also helps improve the health of your skin, so you look and feel better, and may help reduce cellulite.
Bottom line: water should be your drink of choice.
Here are 5 tips to drink more water.
Live Lean Rule #2: Focus on eating primarily whole foods
If you’ve been watching my Brad’s Cookbook episodes, you should know by now, the importance of primarily eating whole foods.
The majority of the foods you eat should contain one ingredient, or a combination of ingredients that come from the earth.
A few examples include:
Protein
Healthy fat
Carbohydrates
Just like rule 1 states to drink more water, you should also focus on eating lots of vegetables.
Bottom line: focus on eating primarily one ingredients foods.
Live Lean Rule #3: Limit consumption of sugar
You may not like this one, but it’s important to limit sugar consumption.
Let me put it this way.
The over consumption of sugar is one of the leading reasons why so many people in the western world are fat, unhealthy, and at risk for disease.
Too much sugar creates chaos in your body since our muscle and liver cells have a limited storage capacity for sugar.
When these muscle and liver cells are at capacity, all the extra sugar can be stored in the fat cells.
So try to reduce the amount of sugar, especially refined sugar, in your diet.
If you have a sweet tooth, focus on consuming natural sources of sugar from fruits such as berries, apples, kiwis, and bananas.
Lastly, sugar is very acidic in the body.
When your body is in an overly acidic state, it can be a breeding ground for cancer.
Bottom line: reduce your consumption of sugar.
Live Lean Rule #4: Lift weights
This rule applies to men, women, older people, and younger people.
When I say lift weights, I’m referring too:
Resistance training is essential if you want to Live Lean because it helps build and maintain lean muscle and create an overall healthier body.
Building and maintaining lean muscle helps:
- reduce body fat
- increase bone density
- keep you looking and feeling young
When you’re in the gym, focus the majority of time lifting weight.
Don’t be a cardio king or queen.
But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do cardio.
There’s always a time and place for cardio, but you shouldn’t spend the majority of your time doing cardio.
You’re going to get faster and more sustainable results by lifting weights.
Of course it depends on your specific goals, but a ratio of lifting weights 75% of the time and cardio 25% of time, is a good start.
Also, one more thing.
Most people that just stand around at the gym are the same people that need to keep moving the most.
Next time you workout, look at the people that are always moving.
They typically are the sweaty ones who are lean, toned, and ripped.
So when you are in the gym, make sure you move your body more by using your time effectively.
Bottom line: get off the cardio machines and lift weights more often.
Live Lean Rule #5: Get more high quality sleep
You should be getting at least 6-8 hours of high quality sleep per day.
When you’re sleeping, your body’s producing hormones that will help you burn fat more effectively throughout the day.
Sleep will also help grow and repair your muscles.
Bottom line: get 6-8 hours of high quality sleep per night.
So those are my 5 rules to get in shape and Live Lean 365 days a year.
But I have one bonus rule that I want you to use on rare occasions.
Live Lean Bonus Rule: on occasion forget rules 1-5
Yes, forget these 5 rule to get in shape.
Say what?
That’s right.
To Live Lean you need to have balance in your life.
I’ve experienced this first hand.
If you’re cutting off all the fun things in your life, you’re never going to maintain the Live Lean lifestyle.
So depending on your goals, enjoy one cheat meal per week.
It’s that simple.
So I typically say one time per week, throw these 5 rules to get in shape out the door.
The only rule I recommend you try to stick to is drinking water.
But if you’re going to throw out the rules on occasion, promise me one thing.
The next day, you’re going to get back to living these 5 Live Lean rules.
That’s the sign of a true Live Lean champion.
Bottom line on my 5 rules to get in shape:
- Drink more water
- Focus on eating primarily whole foods
- Limit consumption of sugar
- Lift weights
- Get more high quality sleep
Bonus rule: on occasion forget these 5 rules to get in shape.
I hope you enjoyed my 5 rules to get in shape and Live Lean 365 days a year
If you enjoyed this post, show your support by clicking the social media buttons to share it with your friends.
Also, subscribe to our Live Lean TV YouTube channel, and leave a comment below with your questions, as well as the 5 rules that you live by.
I’ll be back soon with another recipe from Brad’s Cookbook, so I’ll see you then.
If you’re looking for workouts that quickly burn fat, check out more of my 4 minute Tabata Workouts here.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
YES. Forget rules 1-5 once in a while. When I’ve restricted myself way too much and for far too long, I’ve found that I fall harder. Living 1-5 95% of the time, though, has completely turned my life around. People think living healthy is complicated…it’s as simple as what you’ve said.
It really is simple! And once you master it, the treat meals are just cherries on top.