Alright! Its 2012; we all know that most of us, if not all of us, are partly guilty of eating like crap over the holidays. For some, eating like crap left them with the consequence of elevated body fat levels. It could be the belly, for others its the thighs and bum and for some it’s the upper back.

Wherever you store most of your fat, it’s a situation that can be dealt with. And hey! It’s a new year, so why not kick start your health and fitness goals with these ten tips to get you results immediately with your physique and health:

1. Drink green, white and black tea

Wine, beer, soft drinks and sugary drinks were probably the dominant liquids consumed during the Christmas break. Now you must think of a bang for your buck liquid alternative to drink so your body can start repairing and burning fat. Drinking various herbal teas on a regular basis is a great way to kick start your metabolism, lower inflammation, aid in detoxification of harmful toxins and prevent cancer.

Green tea is my favourite. It increases insulin sensitivity so you can burn more fat, raises basal metabolic rate, blocks up to 30 grams of starch during meals, and kills intestinal pathogens. These are just a few things green tea does in the body. A word of warning, make sure your brewing tea leaves in a tea net, as drinking excess tea from chlorinated tea bags will increase the risk of breast cancer. Aim for at least 2 cups of tea a day with out fail.

2.  Alkalise the blood with raw juices

Alkalizing the blood is one of the best methods to increase energy and vitality. Too many people overlook the importance of alkalizing the blood. If you have a raw juicer, I recommend trying green juices first thing in the morning when you wake up to alkalize the blood. A good green juice combo is a mix of, celery, cucumber, spinach, lime, ginger, pineapple and green apple. Feel free to try different vegetable and fruit combos. Remember, don’t use to much fruit as over consumption of fructose can lead to fat storage. If you don’t have a raw juicer, try green vegetable powders such as primal greens from Poliquin or Vital Greens.

3.  Give cancer risk a knockout with unlimited consumption of cruciferous vegetables

Ok, we all know that we should eat our vegetables, but how many of you out there actually eat 5-7 servings of vegetables a day. Is that to much? Ok, how about 3 servings, I think that’s easy enough? Cruciferous vegetables such broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussel sprouts all contain a unique antioxidant called sulpheraphane. This potent phytochemical is primal for decreasing cancer and decease risk. But to maximize absorption of this phytonutrient and other antioxidants, eat these vegetables organic, and steam them for about 3-5 minutes.

4.  Don’t overlook the leg press

Over use of machines in the gym is definitely a big no no if you want a healthy, strong and lean body; but using machines such as the leg press smartly can bring about fast and effective results with body composition.

At the end of your workout try these 2 finishers:

2 minutes on the leg press non stop (BRUTAL!!)

3 drop sets of 6 reps (heavy) to 12 reps (medium weight) to 25 reps (light)

This is also brutal. These finishers will not only leave in a wheel chair, but it will trigger the release of a potent fat burning hormone called growth hormone.

5.  Forget six pack training and focus on interval training

The truth is, if you really want diamond cut abs, six pack training such as crunches and leg raises are not the most effective way to get you there. Instead, focus on all out interval and sprint training. For some people, running as fast as they can on a treadmill can be foreign and quite a challenging experience; but through clinical practice and numerous study’s, it has been proven that interval training is far more superior for ripping up than sit ups are.

Try interval training either on the treadmill or rower, and focus on either 30 seconds off maximal activity with 30 seconds rest, or 1 minute off continues activity with 1 minute rest. For an even greater challenge, try 20 seconds of maximal activity with 10 seconds rest.

6.  Eliminate pro inflammatory foods such as gluten, soy, dairy and wheat

Food induced inflammation is one of the biggest reasons for phantom fat storage. I refer to phantom fat storage as to when im dealing with a client that stores fat for no reason, even when there off carbohydrates and sugar, eating a high protein diet and training there hearts out till they fall to the floor. When you have inflammation, your body releases stress hormones such as cortisol, which is a fat storing hormone, especially for the abdominal area. The usual suspects? Well you can certainly point the finger at gluten, wheat, soy, dairy and some times even eggs. Eliminate these foods out of your diet and I guarantee you will see fast results with how you feel mentally, physically and how great your physique is.

7.  Take fish oils and carnitine for rapid fat loss

I have written numerous articles on the outstanding benefits of regular supplementation of fish oil. For an even better bang for your buck supplement protocol, try paring fish oils and carnitine together.

L-carnitine is an amino acid. Its main reason for being potent for fat loss is that it drives stored fat into a place called the mitochondria. The mitochondria is located in every cell in our body, it is the powerhouse of our cells, the fire, the flame, the engine, when fat is shuttled into the mitochondria, its burned and metabolized for energy. Omega-3 fish oils also aid in this process by increasing cellular activity, making these two supplements the bread and butter for rapid fat loss.

8. Go on a 14 day protein boot camp

Any time I want to lose body fat quickly and get my health back on track, I engage in a 14 day protein bootcamp. During this period you follow one simple rule, if it doesn’t walk, run, swim, or fly, or is not a nut or a vegetable, then don’t eat it!! Even fruit! During the 14 days you want to give your body a rest from consuming sugars and carb rich foods. Instead focus on getting your carbohydrates only from vegetables. The animal protein and smart fats will increase thermogenisis (heat) in the body and raise basal metabolic rate. This 14 day initiation period is crucial if you’re serious about losing the holiday pounds. For some people it can be a struggle; for others, it’s easy. The results speak for themselves. And remember during the 14 days you are aloud unlimited consumption of vegetables, reasonable amounts of smart fats such as nuts, oils and butter, and hit for 5-7 servings of animal protein a day.

9. Don’t eat more than 2 hours before bed time.

Pre-bedtime meals can be a major roadblock for long-term fat loss success. I always believe to eat if you’re feeling hungry, as long as it’s the right food; eating too close to bed time can alter your quality of sleep. If you eat too close to bed time and your food is still digesting when you sleep, your body’s ability to reach stage 5 sleep, which is the deepest sleep you can reach, is impaired. When you reach a deep sleep, your body is flooded with anabolic hormones such as growth hormone and melatonin. These two hormones are primary for recovery from stress, building the immune system, and burning fat.

Try not to eat 2 hours before bed time, this will ensure your dinner is fully digested, and your body can reach a deep sleep. If you feel a bit peckish, take 15 grams of a fiber supplement before you sleep, which should ease of the hunger.

10.  Shop smart in the supermarket; avoid tuna, non-organic strawberries and canned tomatoes

Toxic load in the body is one of the worst things to promote. If there’re 3 foods I would say to avoid in the supermarket, it would be tuna due to the high mercury levels, non-organic strawberries due to the high pesticide content and canned tomatoes due to the high heavy metal content. There are a lot of other foods I recommend to avoid, but start with these 3. Consuming too many toxins can really destroy the body from the inside out, be smart when you shop, by organic food when you can, especially fruits, vegetables, and meat should be free range, grass fed, and organic when possible.

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