It’s the start of a new year – and what a year 2019 has been.

Thank you so much for reading my articles, and I hope you found some benefit from them.

I thought a nice way to end the year would be to summarise the various hints and tips I have been writing about since May.

1 The key to fat loss is a calorie deficit. No fad diets, no quick fixes or special pills or shakes.

It takes a conscious effort to lose fat by reducing your calorie intake.

A great tool for this is logging your food on your mobile with MyFitnessPal. Reducing your intake by between approximately 300 and 500 calories constantly will result in fat loss if everything else stays the same.

2 The best method to lose fat and gain muscle is to perform resistance-based exercises. Studies have shown that the average woman who resistance trains two to three times per week for two months will gain around 2lb of muscle and lose around 3lb to 4lb of fat. As your muscle mass increases, so does your resting metabolism, which means you burn more calories.

3 Perform compound exercises. This is when you use multiple muscle groups at the same time, such as quadriceps, glutes and calves in a squat, rather than an isolation exercise like a leg extension, which just works your quadriceps. Compound exercises work well in most programmes as they require a lot of energy, burning more calories as well as working more than just one muscle at a time.

4 Think about your exercise programme. Ensure you cover the six main functions of the body – squatting, pushing, pulling, hinging, rotating and carrying – effectively, and at your own fitness level, and you will achieve results.

5 Have a clear goal. Before even starting an exercise routine, you must have a SMART goal to aim for. SMART stands for Smart, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. Examples include losing two inches off your waist by your holiday, achieving a sub-30 minutes 5km run in two months or performing ten full press-ups by your next birthday. Having a clear goal set out is very important, especially when the going gets tough as it reminds you why you started and what you’re striving for.

6 Boost your neat. This is the energy expended for anything we do that isn’t sleeping, eating or intentional exercise. Examples include walking, standing, fidgeting or doing housework.

Have a wonderful Christmas and new year. And good luck in January! Remember not to be swayed by quick fixes as they’ll be out in force in the new year. Roll on 2020.

By Rob Carr