Ever wonder if it’s possible to keep your metabolism moving for 24 hours, even when you’re not working out? Well just the simple process of working out actually raises your metabolic rate even while at rest. This is termed the “afterburn” effect, where your metabolism actually remains elevated for a period of 24 hours after your workout. But there are other ways, other than working out, including the food you eat, that can help keep your metabolism moving. Here is a 24-hour rundown on a few ways you can keep your fat burning elevated!
7:30 AM
Rise and shine! Within 30 minutes of waking, replenish starving muscles with a shot of branched-chain amino acids! During sleep, your muscles have used up important nutrients to help drive the recovery process. Replenishing your muscles helps preserve muscle tissue and switches your body’s fuel source over to fat burning!
Maximum Fat-Loss Tip: Deliver a dose of free-form BCAAs to your muscles, which get rapidly absorbed and delivered quickly to start repairing and rebuilding muscles right away!
8:00 AM
Get your butt to the gym, pronto! Perform a fasted cardio session on an empty stomach to activate fat burning quickly! Warm up for 5 minutes, then try 15 30-second intervals on the treadmill.
Maximum Fat-Loss Tip: To kickstart fat burning into high gear, supplement with a fat burner that contains green tea and caffeine, this combination has been shown to increase metabolic rate.
9:00 AM – MEAL 1
After an intense workout, get a good breakfast full of fiber and lean-muscle building protein! Research has shown a good breakfast will stop you from eating more throughout the day, plus a diet rich in fiber will help to control insulin release and decrease blood glucose levels.
Maximum Fat-Loss Tip: Mix ½ cup of oatmeal, one tbsp of natural peanut butter, a scoop of chocolate protein powder, a few ice cubes, and some cold water for a delicious and quick protein smoothie!
11:00 AM – MEAL 2
Grab a protein-rich mini meal, such as plain non-fat cottage cheese; one cup packs 32 grams of protein, 10 grams of carbs and only 150 calories! Add ½ cup of diced pineapple— loaded in fiber, and high in energy-metabolizing vitamin B6 and the recovery antioxidant vitamin C!
Maximum Fat-Loss Tip: Eating protein every few hours can keep your metabolism working and keep muscles sustained between meals. Aim for five to six protein-rich meals each day.
12:00 PM
Get your second serving of your fat burner to keep your energy up, your focus dialed in and your metabolism elevated!
1:30 PM – MEAL 3
Load up on fish, such as salmon or tuna. It has been shown that a diet a diet rich in fat has the ability to preserve lean muscle tissue. Serve it up with a side of green veggies and 1/3 cup of brown rice to keep your energy levels sustained.
Maximum Fat-Loss Tip: Not a fan of fish? Substitute for a different protein source and use an omega oil supplement. Omega oil is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, the good fats that are optimal for health and performance.
3:00 PM – MEAL 4
Have a serving of red meat, such as steak or even extra lean ground beef, which provides a source of saturated fats, including CLA. This fat has been shown to help preserve lean tissue and increase the use of fat as fuel. Red meat also provides a source of creatine that helps drive the production of ATP, our muscles primary energy source during workouts!
3:30 PM – PRE-WORKOUT
Take your pre-workout supplement. If you want to train with intensity, increase your calorie burning and ensure you have plenty of energy to get through your workout, use a pre-workout supplement that contains BCAA, arginine, citrulline, creatine, beta-alanine and tyrosine.
4:00 PM
Hit the gym floor. Combine compound movements such as squats, presses and deadlifts with high volume, and rep ranges of eight to 12, which is the optimal range to build metabolically active muscle!
Maximum Fat-Loss Tip: Get in at least four to five workouts with the weights each week. Weight training raises metabolic rate, even while at rest¬— the “afterburn” effect.
6:00 PM – POST-WORKOUT
Post-workout is the only time to load up on simple carbs! Within the first hour after your workout, muscles are most receptive to the up-take of important muscle-building nutrients.
Maximum Fat Loss Tip: Fill muscles up quickly with a 2:1 ratio of simple carbs to protein. Blend a carbohydrate powder with a scoop of whey isolate. Avoid eating any fat at this time; it will only slow down digestion, which is not ideal.
7:30 PM – MEAL 5
Make your next meal chicken! Protein consumption should account for approximately one gram per pound of bodyweight. And don’t forget the complex carbs; your post-workout meal should provide carbs to help drive muscle glycogen storage.
Maximum Fat-Loss Tip: Add hot sauce to your meat. It has been shown that the active ingredient in hot peppers, capsaicin, can increase metabolic rate and decrease hunger!
8:00 PM
De-stress and un-wind, avoid the urge to do work or, worse, eat something bad by reading a book, trying a new hobby or even playing a video game!
9:30 PM – MEAL 6
Keep your last meal light. Try egg whites, which are one of the best sources of protein. In fact you’ll absorb 100 percent of this protein that provides every one of the essential amino acids!
11:00 PM – NIGHTTIME NUTRIENTS
Before hitting the sack, get in a last serving of protein! During sleep, growth hormone and other important growth factors are released that help drive the recovery process. Feeding your muscles protein helps drive these processes.
Maximum Fat-Loss Tip: Opt for a blended protein, which has a slow-digesting release rate. This will ensure you are providing your muscles with a steady supply of amino acids while you sleep!
