Blogger and personal trainer Julia Buckley discusses the most effective ways to burn fat and how she decided to share this through her book, The Fat Burn Revolution
After discovering a love for fitness and exercise, Julia Buckley made the decision to qualify as a personal trainer. She hasn't looked back since and began blogging about her fitness journey on her self-named blog . 13 years later, Julia runs a successful website, creates fitness videos on YouTube, trains clients and, most recently, released a book, The Fat Burn Revolution. We spoke to the fitness blogger on the best ways to burn fat and how we should all approach getting fit.
Firstly, what made you decide to start blogging?
My background is in journalism. I’ve worked for lots of websites and magazines over the years. As my passion for exercise grew I found myself writing about more and more until I found myself specialising in writing for fitness media. I decided to qualify as a Personal Trainer to learn more about fitness and become a better informed writer, but I loved the practical side and ended up taking on clients straight after the course.
I’ve been blogging since 2001 in various places. I really enjoy having a personal blog because it gives me a personal space to talk about what I want to, when I want to, how I want to. I also love the direct connection it allows with my readers.
How do you balance blogging with other interests?
I offer online fitness coaching and use Facebook groups as a hub for my clients. There’s also a very popular and wonderfully supportive Facebook group for people following the programme in my book, The Fat Burn Revolution . So I spend a lot of time on Facebook too, supporting my clients and making sure my readers have everything they need to succeed.
I also hangout on Twitter a lot – come say hi!
What is your favourite kind of workout?
I’ve talked a lot on my blog recently about my journey to discovering the type of training in The Fat Burn Revolution 12-week programme ( this is probably the most comprehensive post on that ). I would train for hours every day and ran countless miles each week trying to get the body I have now. Eventually I discovered I was doing totally the wrong the type of training for my goals. Now I usually exercise for less than an hour per day as well as taking more rest days and I’m in much better shape.
You recently released a book, The Fat Burn Revolution. How did this come around?
I devised The Fat Burn Revolution programme so I could help other people enjoy all the benefits I’d experienced, without the trial and error. I went for book format, rather than putting it out in magazine articles, so I’d have the freedom to deliver the message in the no-nonsense, no-hype way I wanted and also so I’d have space to offer a complete comprehensive programme that people could follow for the long-term.
What are your top secrets for the most effective ways to burn fat?
My top six fat burning tips are:
- Train smart, know what you want and get a plan
- Train harder, not longer
- Stay focused, reals sustainable results don’t come overnight
- Don’t be afraid to lift heavy weights
- Don’t “diet”, just ditch the processed crap
For optimal fat burning you need to focus on training in a way that will boost your metabolism and increase your power and strength, rather than workouts that plod on for hours. So go for short, intense sessions that leave you totally spent after a short amount of time – certainly less than an hour. And lift “real” weights – that is, weights that you can’t lift for more than around ten reps.
What advice would you give to somebody who is considering getting fit?
Planning is so important. Most people don’t stick with exercise because they don’t have a plan. Doing identical daily workouts or wandering into the gym and doing “whatever” doesn’t get great results. You need a route map to get you to where you want to be. I recommend reassessing your progress and goals every three months. If you’re following a well-devised plan, your body can change a lot in just a few months. If you’re not, it probably won’t.
What is your favourite pre and post-workout meal?
I’m an egg fiend! I’m also a fan of no-fuss food. So probably something like scrambled eggs, avocado, cherry tomatoes and spinach. I don’t usually eat right before working out.
What philosophy do you live by?
There's a little card I keep on my desk on which I've written (in glitter pen!): How can I make today awesome - for me and at least one other person?
You also create fitness videos on YouTube. What can we expect from your channel?
My new online fitness programme, Extreme Inferno which kicks off in a few weeks will be a bit different from my previous programmes. This time I’m including several real-time workout videos so people can exercise along with me. However, it won’t be just a case of me putting the videos out for people to follow and leaving them to it, I’m very interactive with my members of the group and even those who choose the most basic level of membership will have me keeping an eye on them via the Facebook group. Anyone who’d like to know more is welcome to join my Fat Burn Revolution Facebook group where I’ll be releasing more details on Extreme Inferno.