A Nike Master Trainer's Advice To Burn Fat & Keep It Off For Good

What is it about a new calendar year that makes us all want to kick it into high gear? We're all about focusing on the multiple pillars of health here at mbg, and that includes mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and environmental health.

But we get it—sometimes you want advice on getting into shape fast, burning fat, and, of course, sustaining that fat loss.

To get the ball rolling, Betina recommends starting with some aerobic exercises.

"Aerobic exercise, like running, the StairMaster, etc., for longer than two minutes will burn fat for the period of time that you are working," she says. "If you can run for an extended period of time, it's likely you will burn a lot of calories."

So you've had your cardio day, or perhaps you warmed up with a run. Now, to sustain that work, it's important to bulk up a little. "I recommend high-intensity and strength training for sustained fat loss," Betina says.

Muscles actually burn calories to sustain themselves, so the stronger yours are, the better they are at helping you maintain a healthy state. With workouts like HIIT and lifting weights, "you will be able to get your heart rate up to an anaerobic state, which will speed up your metabolism and give you that EPOC1 (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) to keep you burning calories throughout the day."

No amount of exercise will help you shed unwanted weight if your diet isn't up to snuff, too, which is why we also got Betina's input on dietary tips to accompany your workouts for sustained fat loss.

"If you're doing an aerobic exercise, any kind of movement that will keep your heart rate up for an extended period of time like running, burns fat," she says. "So I recommend a good source of healthy fats and protein, like avocado toast with eggs."

And if you're doing anaerobic workouts, which means without oxygen, they "usually involve a movement that is so intense that you cannot sustain it for longer than 30 to 90 seconds. These movements deplete your carbs and sugar," Betina says. "So I recommend healthy carbs and protein post anaerobic exercise, like fruit and peanut butter or seeds."

And of course, to truly sustain long-term fat loss and an overall healthy lifestyle, it's important that your everyday habits reflect all your hard work at the gym, and that includes getting enough sleep.

"If you're incorporating workouts into your practice, recovery and sleep are huge factors in your journey!" Betina says. "I'd suggest making sure you are setting yourself up for a good night's sleep: Turn off screens at least an hour before bed, or use blackout curtains, an eye mask, etc."

Betina is also a fan of a good Epsom salt bath with lavender to help recover at the end of the day.