Sometimes, the best things in life really are free.
When it comes to weight loss (fat loss) and having solid plan for success, one of the most important things that you can do is prioritize your efforts. Many of us were taught that if you gain weight, it's because you don't exercise enough. As a result, people tend to put too much emphasis on exercising, at the expense of other factors that are even more important to their journey to getting into shape. With that in mind, the best way to remember how to prioritize your efforts is to remember the word "free".
Free, in this case, is your mnemonic for the words food, rest, exercise, and effort. Think of it this way: if you are stressed and have a jam-packed day with responsibilities, obligations, work, and very little time to prioritize yourself but still want to stay on track with your goals, you would be best served to put what little time you do have into making sure your food or nutritional intake is as good as it can possibly be. You can still lose bodyfat if you eat adequate macronutrients and ensure that you are in a slight caloric deficit, meaning you are consuming less energy than you are expending. If you have a little more time, focus on making sure you get adequate amounts of restful sleep. Making sure your body's myriad systems have the opportunity to rest and reset themselves will keep you on your path. Sleep is also critically important for your mental health and cognitive function. The third-most important step for achieving your fat loss and fitness goals is exercise! Yes, you read that correctly. For example, with a fat loss goal requiring some form of caloric deficit, it is far simpler for you to avoid ingesting an additional 350 calories (avoiding a typical candy bar) than it is for you to burn an additional 350 calories (walking for 1.5 hours). The last element to prioritize is your effort. Once you've made adequate time to exercise, do your best to make it count. Stay focused on your goal, whether that goal is the lose belly fat or to build the glutes or arms you've always wanted.
Now, let's reverse the order of these priorities. Effort, exercise, rest and food. Many people have done it-- most of us are guilty of it at some point, partly because of what the fitness community told us in generations past. However, putting high effort exercise ahead of proper rest and nutrition undermines the effectiveness of the workout at best, and usually leads to exhaustion, overexertion and acute injuries at worst. You do not want your airline pilot flying you from Los Angeles to New York City without a full night of rest and a nutritious meal before taking off!
On any given day, when you feel like you "have" to exercise, remember to ask yourself: "Am I adequately nourished for this workout? Did I get enough rest last night?" If the answer to either of those questions is "no", do yourself a favor and prioritize both of those elements immediately. Skip the workout! You will thank yourself in the long run.
