With Summer practically here, you might be thinking: "how do I trim my waistline the most in the least amount of time?"
You can never argue with a wholesome diet, regular exercise, a healthy amount of sleep, and a manageable caloric deficit.
But what else can you do to trim down your waistline for your next Summer vacation?
Cardio can be a fantastic addition to your daily regimen.
Even 30 minutes a day of steady-state cardio (stacked over a few months) can yield a significant difference in your waistline.
For every 30 minutes of steady-state (zone 2) cardio, you can burn anywhere from 200-500 calories. Let's call it 300 to be fair…
If you do 30 minutes of cardio 5 days per week, you'll shave 1,500 calories off per week.
(1 pound of fat is 3,500 calories)
That means, across your first month, you can burn 6,000 calories, or ~1.7 pounds of fat.
That's nothing to scoff at!
Since 1 pound of fat is more calorically dense (and physically more voluminous) than one pound of muscle, that's serious progress!
The trick with cardio is timing and diet…
The truth most fitness influencers don't speak about is: it takes your body longer to turn fat into energy than it does to turn lean muscle into energy.
So, even though you might be cranking on the bike or stairmaster for 30 minutes a day, you might not notice your waistline melting away like you hoped.
In fact, you might be seeing your muscle melt away faster than your love handles!
The solution?
For the best cardio results, try eating a healthy portion of protein before you do your cardio!
The idea here is to keep your body away from using your lean muscle as fuel, and point at using your fat stores instead.
What about cold plunging?
Cold plunging may not incinerate 300 calories in less time than cardio…
What it will do is help your body convert white fat (stubborn, "visceral" fat that loves to hang onto your belly, legs, and butt) into brown fat (easily-accessible fat your body can use for energy).
Combine cold plunging with protein-fueled, steady-state cardio, and you have the golden protocol for accelerated fat loss!
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Ideally in the morning, aim for 4 minutes of deliberate cold exposure, leaving you in a state of shiver by the time you're done
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This will help your body start converting white fat to brown fat, and accelerate your metabolism for the day
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To keep your body from using your lean muscle as fuel, aim for 30 grams of protein before your cardio session
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Hit 20-30 minutes of manageable steady-state cardio per day (in addition to a wholesome diet, healthy sleep, and plenty of water)
Watch the fat eviscerate off your body…
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