The Cake Principle for Body Composition Goals

The other day I was thinking about how simple the keys to weight loss and body comp changes actually are, but how confusing the simplicity is for people to really understand and trust. 

There is so much great information already in existence from almost endless sources, but sometimes even the most simple information can get lost in translation.

I challenged myself to come up with a metaphor to help others clearly understand how to prioritize their efforts/focus when they want to make body composition or weight changes a top priority. I had fun with this and came up with The Cake Principle.

Believe it or not, the keys to achieving your ideal body composition fall within the structure of a 3-tiered cake.

Base Layer: DIET - keep it simple; consume clean, unrefined foods; consistency and moderation will get you to your goals

Second Layer: Strength Training - the stronger you get, the better! Strength gains equate to more metabolically active tissue and this means you burn more calories at rest (the other 23-hours in the day); strength gains also mean you will be building some very desirable curves*

Top Layer: Cardiovascular Training - notice this is the tiniest of the layers... I know you know what that implies. Aerobic training is good for ensuring you are in a caloric deficit and for maintaining cardiovascular health (this is very important). Running - strength training = INJURIES!

The ICING! This is all the little bits of extra activity that add up over a day, week, month, and year. Things like taking the stairs, going for walks, playing with your kids, playing soccer in the back yard, etc. These kinds of daily extras are, quite literally, the icing on the cake!

Use these principles as a jump off point for your body composition and weight loss goals and you will be off to a solid start in the right direction.

*If you neglect strength training, you may end up looking like a bag of skin. No one wants that.