Getting lean shouldn't be tough.

"Losing weight" seems to be the most common goal if you're an over-40 man or woman.

Digging a little deeper, the thing that everyone really wants is to lose unwanted bodyfat.

How do I know? Well, a few days per week I do phone calls and zoom video-conference calls with online age-management personal training clients from around the globe.

Everyone starts with a "Strategy Session" to help us understand what they want to accomplish, and when, so we can create a personalized training-and-nutrition plan to achieve their priority-one goal.

Here are a few takeaways after delivering over 100,000 weight-loss transformation programs since 1996.

5 Healthy Ways to Lose Weight

If you want to be healthier and happier, stop doing the little things that mess you up.  

Show me someone, over the age of 40, who makes a habit of skipping workouts or consuming a calorie surplus, well, I'll bet they're struggling in their health.  

If you want to lose weight and keep it off, follow these five strategies.

1. Master a few basic exercises 

When it comes to resistance training, do fewer things. Do them better. Do them more often.      

Maybe it's barbell box squats and dumbbell squeeze presses.    

Know your goal-based set, rep, and tempo scheme. Know how much intensity and volume is appropriate.  

When it comes to your workout frequency, really commit to training four times per week.  

To supercharge your metabolism, do progressive resistance exercise and conditioning with focused determination. 

2. Go grocery shopping on Sundays

Nutrition does not need to be complicated.

Go to the actual store or order online and have groceries delivered to your doorstep. Nowadays it's never been easier to get supplies for the week.  

Prepare your meals ahead of time.    

I suggest you cook on Sundays and Wednesdays. This is a cost-effective way to live. It saves both time and money.

And if you think you're doing enough when it comes to meal prep, work smarter and with greater efficiency.    

Buy in bulk and cook in bulk too. It's amazing how many meals you can prepare in a slow cooker, or on a few baking sheets in the oven.

Remember, perfect never happens.

So forgive yourself when you mess up and then get back to business.    

3. Choose a workout time that works for you

Win your mornings for optimal productivity.  

Once again, train first before your day gets in the way. Get it over with.    

Some coaches recommend late-morning workouts as ideal.  

Guess what? Both are effective strategies.    

There is more than one path to productivity.

Go ahead and chat with any of our client-athletes who made over their mornings to become really productive and enjoyable.

There will be many similarities but you may find a few different approaches too.

But who really cares? Figure out what works for you.

Adapt stuff from various sources and make it your own.    

Or just invest in the best online age-management personal trainer to guide you, step-by-step, along the way. (Hint. Hint.)  

4. Keep your nutrition simple

You don't need 14 “diet” tactics. Just do a few really well.   

Ever wonder why your diet isn't working?

I don't care if you follow the keto diet, the paleo diet, or the gelato diet... you can't eat unlimited calories and maintain a healthy bodyfat.

Many false gurus will teach that calories don't matter, but this is untrue and violates fundamental laws of physics. Remember that calories always matter.

Side note: If you choose the "Gelato Diet," at least you'll die happy.

Bodyfat is burned in the kitchen. In other words, you can't out-train poor nutritional habits.

Choose fresh, unprocessed, and organic food when possible. Save the sweet-and-creamy frozen dessert of Italian origin, aka gelato, for your free meals.

Know a few key numbers (think achieving 14% bodyfat for over-40 men and 20% for over-40 women) and focus on improving them.    

By the way, anyone who tries to tell you that achieving athletic levels of bodyfat is complicated or really, really hard probably doesn't understand training and nutrition.

Perhaps they're trying to scare you into buying a bottle of "SuperMaxJacked3000" or whatever magic-supplement pills they're selling nowadays.   

I'm not suggesting being healthy is easy; however, for the most part, it's pretty straightforward and simple.

But you must do the work.

You just need to know the "best practice" way to hit your priority-one goal, using a concept called Minimum Effective Dose (MED). This is simply the smallest dose that will produce a desired outcome.  

Anything beyond the MED is wasteful.  

5. Find an expert coach with plenty of success stories  

Why waste time in "trial-and-error mode" when you can simply hire an experienced coach?  

Professional coaching is more than distributing information or education.    

There's no shortage of inexperienced personal trainers to meet you at the gym and count your reps.  

In the book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell popularized a theory that 10,000 hours of practice can turn anyone into an expert; however, it's probably double that according to recent research.

Becoming an expert at something requires likely 20,000 hours of perfect practice over a decade or more.

World-class coaching is certainly more than spreadsheets or workout cards. In fact, that's a fraction of it at most.    

Coaching is about helping someone go from where they are to where they want to be.    

It's helping someone ascend to heights they wouldn't consider pursuing on their own.    

It's providing motivation, inspiration, accountability and much more.    

Coaching is sometimes just letting someone know that you're on their side.    

Look, most of my livelihood for the past 25+ years has been driven by my success (or sometimes lack of success) in coaching - and I still have much to learn.    

But I can tell you that most of your unhealthy friends and family members, who are struggling with preventable diseases, like diabetes and heart issues, could benefit from coaching.   

Invest in a professional coach, with documented success stories, and shortcut your way to a lean-and-strong body.    

Summary:

To lose weight (aka bodyfat) and maintain it, focus on mastering a few key exercises, training four times a week with intensity. Simplify your nutrition by planning meals in advance, cooking on Sundays and Wednesdays, and avoiding excessive calorie intake. Prioritize morning workouts for productivity, but find what time works best for you. Opt for fresh, unprocessed foods, understand key bodyfat percentages, and avoid gimmicky diets. Seek expert coaching with a proven track record to accelerate your fitness journey.

To your success,    

Coach Joe

Joseph Arangio helps 40+ men and women get leaner, stronger, and happier. He's delivered over 100,000 transformation programs to satisfied clients around the globe. If you want to lose weight from home, with the best online longevity personal trainer, or you want to visit the best age-management personal trainer in the Lehigh Valley, you can take a free 14-day trial.