10 Simple Ways You Can Achieve a Better Body

People often resort to crazy ways to shed those few extra pounds. But in THE LEAN BODY Promise, Lee Labrada offers some simple ways to lose the extra weight without losing your mind:

1. Protein: Eat a high protein, low fat Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner -- It is important to not only eat enough, but also to eat the right balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

2. Snack: Add a small snack into your diet at mid-morning and mid- afternoon. Meal frequency is important because it helps to increase your metabolism. Examples of what snacks to add can include fat free cottage cheese and a piece of fruit or a protein shake.

3. Water: Drinking enough water per day helps increase your satiety level making you less hungry while simultaneously flushing toxins from your body. Drink at least 8 - 10 glasses daily, and even more while you are working out regularly.

4. Sleep: Get plenty of rest - When your body isn't getting enough rest, it can lead to burnout and overtraining, which will actually slow your progress and derail your efforts. Get 8 hours of sleep each night.

5. 30 Minutes: Exercise just 30 minutes daily and alternate between weight training and cardiovascular exercise. Weight training has a profound effect on stimulating muscle tissue, which helps to increase the metabolism. That's because the more muscle you have, the more calories you will continue to burn, even at rest. Cardio helps to burn fat.

6. Cheat: Small rewards--every week you should reward yourself with what I call a cheat meal. The idea is that once a week you get to use one meal to eat anything you want. This way you won't feel as though you are depriving yourself and it will help motivate you to get back on track.

7. Be a realist: It is important that you set realistic goals for yourself, and that you also set a specific target date in which you want to have it accomplished. Try something like, "In six weeks, I am going to lose 15 pounds and fit into a size 6 dress." If you don't set realistic goals you will set yourself up for failure and give up in frustration.

8. Make a friend: Get a workout buddy or partner to help you stay accountable. Having a partner will help you to encourage each other and push each other to reach the goals you've set and you'll be there for each other for moral support during your program.

9. Measure: When you measure your progress, this helps to keep you motivated. You can do this by taking photos of yourself at specific incremental points of your program. "Taking a photo might seem like an awkward thing to do at first, especially if you feel you're out of shape. But this is one of the best ways to truly see your progress." Seeing your results yourself will be the fuel you need to stay motivated and keep going.

10. Write: Keep a training journal--A training journal is a good way to mark off your exercises as you do them. This will help motivate you on days that you don't feel like working out because you can look back and acknowledge your consistent track record.

Lee Labrada, author of The Lean Body Promise, has appeared on the covers of more than 100 magazines worldwide and has appeared as a fitness and nutrition expert on ABC's Extreme Makeover, CNBC, FOX, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, WGN, and ESPN television. He is president and CEO of Labrada Nutrition, an Inc 500 company. Lee was the mayorally appointed Fitness Czar of Houston, Texas, credited with helping the city shed its "Fattest City" title in 2004. Lee holds 22 professional bodybuilding titles, including Mr. Universe and is an IFBB Pro Bodybuilding Hall of Fame inductee.

SOURCE HarperCollins Publishers