Written by Sara Frenza (@sara_frenza) & Photo by James Patrick
Fat loss starts with an intentional plan. Without this, you’re just floating in the breeze, hoping for a miracle. That’s because fat loss isn’t always the easiest goal to achieve. So, here’s a plan to set yourself up to not only lose fat, but to win every single day.
Step 1: Plan Your Week
Get your week in-hand with a plan. First and foremost, take a look at your meals; by planning your meals in advance, you can ensure you’re eating a balanced diet, and also avoiding unhealthy options more often than not. So, develop a meal plan you can stick to, a grocery list to ensure you get all the ingredients you’ll need, and then hit the grocery aisles.
Once you’ve got everything you need, schedule, schedule, schedule! Schedule everything from your meal prep time (try to prep for a few days at a time) to your exercise routine to your stress-relieving activity. That’s right—I want you to anticipate you’re going to need stress-relief and plan it ahead of time, just like you would your workout routine, because life is full of unavoidable stressors. Oh, and did I mention, plan your bedtimes? When you’ve got 7-9 hours of quality sleep under your belt, your body is in an optimal place for fat loss.
Step 2: Prep Your Day for Success
Prepping your day for success takes initiative, but I know you’ve got it in spades. So, here’s my approach for setting your day up for success: get everything ready the night before. So, have your meals ready and on-hand. You’ve meal prepped for a few days at a time, so this should be no issue. Then, prep your clothes, water, and any supplements for the next day, including an intra-workout drink for your workout. Put your supps near the coffee maker so you don’t accidentally skip out on any.
Also, prep your gym bag for the next day. This just creates an element of excitement—I especially love picking out my workout clothes for the next day, because I firmly believe that when you feel great, you perform better. Finally, at the end of the day, you’ll need a good bedtime routine to get the best sleep possible. So, prep for that, too. You can do that by making your bed each morning so you get to crawl into a nice, tidy bed at night, put your water bottle beside the bed, and your journal and/or reading material on your nightstand. Prep your bedroom for R&R.
Step 3: Set Your Intentions
Every night before bed, set your intentions for the next day. Since you’ve got your journal handy on your nightstand (see, you’ve set yourself up for success already!), it should come naturally to simply grab the journal and get crackin’ on your intentions for the following day. This helps you stay focused—you can refer back to your journal throughout the next day if you’re running low on motivation or drive, or if you just need a reminder of your “why.”
So, there you have it. Three easy steps to set yourself up to the not only seize the day, but to win it. All of these steps in conjunction with one another will help you to lose fat. A great routine just means less on-the-spot decision making—we’re human and humans make mistakes when faced with decisions. So, remove this wild card element wherever possible and turn on autopilot to enjoy faster, easier, and lasting fat loss. And ultimately, a healthy body you’ll love to live in. Now, get after it!