Weight loss is hard. Everyone loses their motivation for diet and exercise. So that’s why I’m bringing you 7 tips to help you lose more fat in less time over this upcoming week. Here are this week’s guidelines.

Monday

Plan to set a personal record in your workout today. If you are a beginner, that might mean using a higher level on the cardio machine for 1-2 minutes, or doing 2-3 extra pushups per set. For the advanced fat loss program, it might mean using 2.5 more pounds per dumbbell in your split squats, or extending your intervals by 5 seconds per sprint.

Tuesday

Plan to get 30 minutes of activity. For beginners, walking is acceptable. It helps you recover from Monday’s workout and simply improves your overall health. Advanced fat loss programs might use a bodyweight circuit on this day.

Also, I want you to make a big nutrition change on this day and eliminate all sources of trans-fatty acids from your diet.

Read your food labels, and don’t eat anything that contains hydrogenated oils. Also, be sure to look at the breakdown of fats – if the total fat content is greater than the sum of the saturated and unsaturated fat contents, then the product contains trans-fats.

Trans-fats will kill ya. As Dr. Bruce Holub from the University of Guelph says, “there is no safe level of the fats and food producers should cease and desist the industrial production of trans fats in the country.”

Wednesday

Perform your regularly schedule strength and interval training workout. And if you haven’t already, purchase a new cooking appliance, such as a grill or steamer to help you prepare healthy, nutritious, low-fat protein sources or high-fiber, nutrient rich vegetables in a convenient manner.

Healthy food preparation is a SMALL effort for a LARGE reward.

Thursday

30 minutes of activity, anyway that you can get it. And then at dinner, try a new source of lean protein, such as salmon, bison, or ostrich (or switch back to lean, red meat if you’ve only been chowing down on chicken).

Friday

Have another great strength and interval workout. And at some point during the day, recruit a new member into your social support group (remember I spoke about how important this is?), such as a new workout partner or healthy-eating nutrition buddy. This will add strength to your commitment.

Saturday

30 minutes of activity. It’s the weekend, find something fun to do with a friend. On weekends, I try and get into the gym with an old friend and amaze them with several bodyweight exercises that they have never seen before.

Sunday

Get another 30 minutes of exercise nice and early to start your day. Then plan your shopping list, head on to the grocery store or even better a fresh, open market and get your weekly produce and lean protein sources.

Make sure to include 1 new vegetable and 1 new source of lean protein in your purchases.

One big step everyday towards a better body!