Here's something to go along with Fat Loss 4 Idiots, to speed up the weight loss. Check out the video below:
For more info on Turbulence Training, click here. Also, you can take the 21 day trial, risk free.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Update on My Fat Loss 4 Idiots Diet
I'm now updating on the results of my 11 day diet that I completed a week ago. (Sorry for the delay...)
I cheated badly in the last couple of days in the diet. But I still managed to lose five pounds. That's not bad at all considering what went on in my daily life! I've had to take my kids to the doctor so many times in the last couple of weeks (once for a broken thumb) and my allergies are flaring up big time! I feel miserable right now.
I'm still walking. Yesterday, I walked 1.6 miles on hills in my neighborhood. My legs groaned going uphill! LOL But I've got to do this so I can do the 3 mile walk this coming Saturday for the Komen Race for the Cure.
I will go back on the diet next week, after the Race. I'm still happy with the diet, I like what Fat Loss 4 Idiots does for me. My mom said she can see the difference and my clothes are starting to be too big for me. :-)
I cheated badly in the last couple of days in the diet. But I still managed to lose five pounds. That's not bad at all considering what went on in my daily life! I've had to take my kids to the doctor so many times in the last couple of weeks (once for a broken thumb) and my allergies are flaring up big time! I feel miserable right now.
I'm still walking. Yesterday, I walked 1.6 miles on hills in my neighborhood. My legs groaned going uphill! LOL But I've got to do this so I can do the 3 mile walk this coming Saturday for the Komen Race for the Cure.
I will go back on the diet next week, after the Race. I'm still happy with the diet, I like what Fat Loss 4 Idiots does for me. My mom said she can see the difference and my clothes are starting to be too big for me. :-)
Monday, April 7, 2008
New Cycle Started
Ok, I'm starting a new cycle of Fat Loss 4 Idiots. I've printed out my meal plan for the next 11 days.
Can't wait to see how much I'm gonna lose this time! :-)
Stick with me and find out how much I lose this time around. Also, for this cycle, I'm going to exercise a lot more than I did before for two reasons. One, obviously, to get myself in better shape. Reason #2 is to get ready for the Race for the Cure that I'm doing for breast cancer on May 3rd. I'm going to be walking 3 miles which should be a breeze but part of the trail is uphill! UGH! So, I better be in shape to do that! LOL
Stay tuned for updates...
Can't wait to see how much I'm gonna lose this time! :-)
Stick with me and find out how much I lose this time around. Also, for this cycle, I'm going to exercise a lot more than I did before for two reasons. One, obviously, to get myself in better shape. Reason #2 is to get ready for the Race for the Cure that I'm doing for breast cancer on May 3rd. I'm going to be walking 3 miles which should be a breeze but part of the trail is uphill! UGH! So, I better be in shape to do that! LOL
Stay tuned for updates...
Monday, March 24, 2008
I lost 5 more pounds
I lost a total of 11 pounds (maybe more) in two rounds of Fat Loss 4 Idiots. I have not had the chance to go another round yet. I've been sick with the flu and then other members of my family got it. sigh...
But I do intend to get back on the diet, probably by next Monday. I like to schedule my 11 day diet so that I have one weekend off. ;-) The first time I did the diet, I started on a Friday so I ended up getting no weekends off! So, the second round I started on a Monday and it was better that time. So, from now on, I start my diets on Mondays.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Go here for more information:
EZFatLoss4Idiots
But I do intend to get back on the diet, probably by next Monday. I like to schedule my 11 day diet so that I have one weekend off. ;-) The first time I did the diet, I started on a Friday so I ended up getting no weekends off! So, the second round I started on a Monday and it was better that time. So, from now on, I start my diets on Mondays.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Go here for more information:
EZFatLoss4Idiots
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Day 6 of my Diet
I guess I shouldn't say "DIET" in the subject line. This doesn't feel like a diet at all.
I guess I better back up and start from the beginning. I am on the "Fat Loss 4 Idiots" program (not diet). I'm on my second round now. During the first round, I lost 6 pounds! YAAY Me! :-)
I just had to try this diet after seeing it so many times on the Internet. I've done many diets and I did lose weight but I usually gained it all back and plus some. :-(
I'm shaped like a pear, most of my FAT is on my butt and thighs. I've been this way most of my life. I did lose weight and was a size 2-4 when I got married in 1990. But now 18 years later and three children later, I'm now a size 12. I would LOVE to get back into a size 8 or maybe a 6. I'm small so I'm not being unrealistic. I KNOW I won't get into a 2 again... never to be seen again... sniff...
I'm walking 30 minutes a day 2-3 times a week along with my diet program (when I find the time!).
So far, on day 6 of this second round, I've lost about two pounds. So, that's a total of eight. Not bad. You don't want to lose weight too fast, it's not healthy. So, I'm pleased so far! ;-)
I better get something to eat now. :-)
I guess I better back up and start from the beginning. I am on the "Fat Loss 4 Idiots" program (not diet). I'm on my second round now. During the first round, I lost 6 pounds! YAAY Me! :-)
I just had to try this diet after seeing it so many times on the Internet. I've done many diets and I did lose weight but I usually gained it all back and plus some. :-(
I'm shaped like a pear, most of my FAT is on my butt and thighs. I've been this way most of my life. I did lose weight and was a size 2-4 when I got married in 1990. But now 18 years later and three children later, I'm now a size 12. I would LOVE to get back into a size 8 or maybe a 6. I'm small so I'm not being unrealistic. I KNOW I won't get into a 2 again... never to be seen again... sniff...
I'm walking 30 minutes a day 2-3 times a week along with my diet program (when I find the time!).
So far, on day 6 of this second round, I've lost about two pounds. So, that's a total of eight. Not bad. You don't want to lose weight too fast, it's not healthy. So, I'm pleased so far! ;-)
I better get something to eat now. :-)
Review of Fat Loss 4 Idiots
"Fat Loss 4 Idiots" is so idiot proof. I mean it. You just can't fail with this diet unless you have very little willpower. After purchase, you go to this site and enter all your favorite foods that they have listed. Then they will generate your 11 day meal program. You get to eat 4 meals a day, unlimited portions. The trick here is to eat until you're just about full, not bursting at the seams. That just defeats the purpose.
The program is teaching you HOW TO eat! :-) I know, I know, we all know how to eat... But "Fat Loss 4 Idiots" is trying to change your lifestyle so that you will learn HOW and WHEN to eat. Four small meals instead of 2-3 HUGE meals. While you're on the diet, there is no rice, potatoes, and very little bread.
The meal plan changes from day to day, no two days are the same. The trick is to get your body into thinking you need to burn calories all the time. That gets your metabolism running 24/7 so that you can be losing fat while you sleep. And while the plan changes from day to day, it gives you variety! I would be bored to death with the same foods all the time!
Once you reach your weight goal, "Fat Loss 4 Idiots" will tell you how to maintain your weight. It gives you tips on how to eat out, what to look for in restaurants, etc.
I would rate Fat Loss 4 Idiots two thumbs up, up high.
The program is teaching you HOW TO eat! :-) I know, I know, we all know how to eat... But "Fat Loss 4 Idiots" is trying to change your lifestyle so that you will learn HOW and WHEN to eat. Four small meals instead of 2-3 HUGE meals. While you're on the diet, there is no rice, potatoes, and very little bread.
The meal plan changes from day to day, no two days are the same. The trick is to get your body into thinking you need to burn calories all the time. That gets your metabolism running 24/7 so that you can be losing fat while you sleep. And while the plan changes from day to day, it gives you variety! I would be bored to death with the same foods all the time!
Once you reach your weight goal, "Fat Loss 4 Idiots" will tell you how to maintain your weight. It gives you tips on how to eat out, what to look for in restaurants, etc.
I would rate Fat Loss 4 Idiots two thumbs up, up high.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Plateaus - Why Your Fat Loss Stops
Tom Venuto of www.BurntheFat.com is having a "Super Lean" promotion where for every purchase of his ebook, he is giving away some super bonuses! The promotion ends February 13th at midnight so hurry there! Go here: www.BurntheFat.com
Today I'm posting an excerpt from one of two recent teleseminars featuring fat loss excerpt Tom Venuto. Tom had them transcribed and turned into ebooks and MP3 audios that he's actually giving away for free as part of a 3 day special promotion ending February 14th. Go to www.BurntheFat.com for more information on that.
I wanted to share this excerpt from the seminar with you in particular (I got permission from Tom to reprint this). I think you’ll find it fascinating because it explains the real reasons why people hit fat loss plateaus. It happens especially when you get down to that “last 10 lbs” or when you drop a lot of weight, and you hit the “good” body fat category, but you’re an “overachiever” and you still want to get even leaner… all the way to “ripped”, or at least lean enough to see your abs.
Breaking through plateaus is a challenge, but there IS something you can do about them... read on and see what Tom says about it.
EXCERPT FROM THE "SUPER LEAN" SEMINAR
Super Lean Seminar
QUESTION: "Our first question says, “Tom, I know you often say that to get to the point to be able to see your abs, you need to get to single-digit body fat. What if I hit a plateau at about 12% body fat? What do I need to do to break the plateau and get my fat% down to single digits? Should I do more cardio, more weight-training, manipulate my diet somehow?”
ANSWER: "You could do any of the above. You could manipulate your calories, change type of cardio, add cardio duration or frequency. You could increase cardio intensity. You could change your weight-training. You shouldn’t limit yourself.
One of the problems I see with quite a few programs is that they’re too dogmatic. If you hit a plateau, the person with the most flexibility in their approach is the person who’s going to be most likely to get through that plateau.
The first thing though is to understand what a plateau really is. This is important, because if you were losing weight, but now you’re not, there’s only one thing that that could mean; you were in a calorie deficit but you’re no longer in a calorie deficit.
You may be wondering why that happens.
There are four primary reasons you hit a plateau:
The first reason you hit a plateau is because your metabolism decreases. While this does not completely stop fat loss, it does slow down fat loss. If you’ve been cutting calories, especially if you cut them severely, your body adapts by decreasing the metabolic rate. That’s sometimes known as the “starvation response” or “Adaptive thermogenesis.”
The second reason is that you need fewer calories after you lose weight. Calorie needs are directly tied into your body weight. One problem is that after people lose a lot of weight, they tend to keep eating the same way they were eating when they were heavier.
So they’re feeding a smaller person the way they were when they were a bigger person, but when you’re a smaller person, you don’t need as many calories, even at rest (your basal metabolic rate is lower).
A third reason is that when you move that smaller body, you’re not burning as many calories. If you strap on a weighted vest or heavy backpack and go out and hike up a hill, you can tell, obviously, that if you’re lugging around extra weight, you’re burning more calories. So now can you see why, after you lose weight, you burn fewer calories?
The fourth reason is that most people either cheat on their diets or they forget to record part of their food intake. This one requires a little bit of honesty with yourself. Even if you don’t do it intentionally and you don’t “cheat” per se, unconsciously, we’re all terrible at estimating how much food we eat.
Some studies have even showed underreporting calorie intake as much as 50%. In other words, you say, “I’m only eating 1,200 calories a day, but I’m stuck at a plateau!” but you’re really eating 1,800 calories a day which doesn’t give you much of a deficit.
All of these reasons for plateaus get amplified in the later stages of a diet, because biologically speaking, your body is doing everything it possibly can to get you to go off your diet and to get weight to stabilize.
After a long period of dieting and after a large weight loss, your body cranks up the appetite, stimulates cravings and tries to trick you into eating more.
The leaner you get, the longer you've been dieting and the more aggressively you cut calories, the more your body tends to defend its weight, and hold on to remaining body fat.
So it’s really common to hit that plateau when you’re dieted down and leaner. Usually it’s nowhere near as difficult for the overweight person to start losing weight as it is for the lean person to get even more lean. The last 10 lbs is usually a lot harder than the first 10.
If you think about it, it’s pretty unnatural from a biological perspective to walk around with really low single-digit body fat. It’s not beneficial from a survival-of-the-species point of view to have low body fat. So this metabolic adaptation becomes more pronounced the leaner you get.
you’re also at a higher risk of losing muscle, because extra muscle is not economical when there’s a calorie shortage. Having extra muscle is like having an engine that’s bigger than you need - It’s like a gas guzzler.
The ultimate answer to why you plateau, why that last 10 pounds is so hard to lose and why it’s hard to break into those single digits is that you were in a calorie deficit but for all of the reasons mentioned above, you’re no longer in deficit.
The way to break the plateau then is to:
(1) re-stimulate metabolism and re-set fat-burning and starvation hormones, and
(2) re-establish the deficit.
(3) KEEP AFTER IT!
The question was, “How do I do that? More cardio, more weight training, manipulate my diet?”
You could do all of the above. Eating less or exercising more can both increase a deficit. But one thing you might want to do first, is give yourself a little break. Take your calories up to maintenance level, maybe for a week.
The idea there is not to try to accelerate fat loss, because what you’re actually doing is removing your calorie deficit for a short period of time. What you’re trying to do is facilitate the fat loss when you jump back into it.
It gives your body a physiological break from the stress of dieting; it resets some of those starvation hormones and stimulates your metabolism so when you go back to the calorie deficit, your body responds again.
You also get mental break from the diet as well, which makes it easier to stick with the program when you go back to it.
You could also use a calorie cycling approach, to help prevent yourself from hitting another plateau, and we already covered calorie and carb cycling in the last call.
I also recommend, because so many people underestimate how much they eat, don’t take any chances. Count your calories, or at least become really aware of the portion sizes and maybe even consider keeping a journal.
You’ve probably been told many times by a lot of different “experts” that you don’t have to count calories. But when you’re in a plateau, I’d recommend that you stop guessing and really get serious about what you’re taking in.
Then what you need to do is reestablish that calorie deficit using every tool at your disposal.
Use nutrition by pulling back your portion sizes. Or use cardio. And by increased cardio, I mean increasing energy expenditure. You could increase your frequency. You could increase your duration.
But increasing energy expenditure is not necessarily doing longer workouts, just burning more calories. You could also take the same amount of time that you’re spending right now and increase your intensity.
The whole idea is just burn more calories and stimulate metabolism, which gives you your deficit back again or you can pull back your food intake and give yourself a deficit again from the food side.
There’s more than one way to do it and I don’t think that you should lock yourself in. Use all of the variables and remember that there are TWO sides to the energy balance equation, not one."
# # #
I Hope you enjoyed this excerpt, and mostly, I hope you put the information to good use!
This was just one short excerpt from almost two hours of audio in Tom's new "Super Lean" seminar. Tom is giving away the entire seminar for free with the purchase of his ebook Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle, but only until February 13th."
You can get more information on Tom's Burn The Fat program AND his new "Super Lean" seminar at: www.BurntheFat.com
Today I'm posting an excerpt from one of two recent teleseminars featuring fat loss excerpt Tom Venuto. Tom had them transcribed and turned into ebooks and MP3 audios that he's actually giving away for free as part of a 3 day special promotion ending February 14th. Go to www.BurntheFat.com for more information on that.
I wanted to share this excerpt from the seminar with you in particular (I got permission from Tom to reprint this). I think you’ll find it fascinating because it explains the real reasons why people hit fat loss plateaus. It happens especially when you get down to that “last 10 lbs” or when you drop a lot of weight, and you hit the “good” body fat category, but you’re an “overachiever” and you still want to get even leaner… all the way to “ripped”, or at least lean enough to see your abs.
Breaking through plateaus is a challenge, but there IS something you can do about them... read on and see what Tom says about it.
EXCERPT FROM THE "SUPER LEAN" SEMINAR
Super Lean Seminar
QUESTION: "Our first question says, “Tom, I know you often say that to get to the point to be able to see your abs, you need to get to single-digit body fat. What if I hit a plateau at about 12% body fat? What do I need to do to break the plateau and get my fat% down to single digits? Should I do more cardio, more weight-training, manipulate my diet somehow?”
ANSWER: "You could do any of the above. You could manipulate your calories, change type of cardio, add cardio duration or frequency. You could increase cardio intensity. You could change your weight-training. You shouldn’t limit yourself.
One of the problems I see with quite a few programs is that they’re too dogmatic. If you hit a plateau, the person with the most flexibility in their approach is the person who’s going to be most likely to get through that plateau.
The first thing though is to understand what a plateau really is. This is important, because if you were losing weight, but now you’re not, there’s only one thing that that could mean; you were in a calorie deficit but you’re no longer in a calorie deficit.
You may be wondering why that happens.
There are four primary reasons you hit a plateau:
The first reason you hit a plateau is because your metabolism decreases. While this does not completely stop fat loss, it does slow down fat loss. If you’ve been cutting calories, especially if you cut them severely, your body adapts by decreasing the metabolic rate. That’s sometimes known as the “starvation response” or “Adaptive thermogenesis.”
The second reason is that you need fewer calories after you lose weight. Calorie needs are directly tied into your body weight. One problem is that after people lose a lot of weight, they tend to keep eating the same way they were eating when they were heavier.
So they’re feeding a smaller person the way they were when they were a bigger person, but when you’re a smaller person, you don’t need as many calories, even at rest (your basal metabolic rate is lower).
A third reason is that when you move that smaller body, you’re not burning as many calories. If you strap on a weighted vest or heavy backpack and go out and hike up a hill, you can tell, obviously, that if you’re lugging around extra weight, you’re burning more calories. So now can you see why, after you lose weight, you burn fewer calories?
The fourth reason is that most people either cheat on their diets or they forget to record part of their food intake. This one requires a little bit of honesty with yourself. Even if you don’t do it intentionally and you don’t “cheat” per se, unconsciously, we’re all terrible at estimating how much food we eat.
Some studies have even showed underreporting calorie intake as much as 50%. In other words, you say, “I’m only eating 1,200 calories a day, but I’m stuck at a plateau!” but you’re really eating 1,800 calories a day which doesn’t give you much of a deficit.
All of these reasons for plateaus get amplified in the later stages of a diet, because biologically speaking, your body is doing everything it possibly can to get you to go off your diet and to get weight to stabilize.
After a long period of dieting and after a large weight loss, your body cranks up the appetite, stimulates cravings and tries to trick you into eating more.
The leaner you get, the longer you've been dieting and the more aggressively you cut calories, the more your body tends to defend its weight, and hold on to remaining body fat.
So it’s really common to hit that plateau when you’re dieted down and leaner. Usually it’s nowhere near as difficult for the overweight person to start losing weight as it is for the lean person to get even more lean. The last 10 lbs is usually a lot harder than the first 10.
If you think about it, it’s pretty unnatural from a biological perspective to walk around with really low single-digit body fat. It’s not beneficial from a survival-of-the-species point of view to have low body fat. So this metabolic adaptation becomes more pronounced the leaner you get.
you’re also at a higher risk of losing muscle, because extra muscle is not economical when there’s a calorie shortage. Having extra muscle is like having an engine that’s bigger than you need - It’s like a gas guzzler.
The ultimate answer to why you plateau, why that last 10 pounds is so hard to lose and why it’s hard to break into those single digits is that you were in a calorie deficit but for all of the reasons mentioned above, you’re no longer in deficit.
The way to break the plateau then is to:
(1) re-stimulate metabolism and re-set fat-burning and starvation hormones, and
(2) re-establish the deficit.
(3) KEEP AFTER IT!
The question was, “How do I do that? More cardio, more weight training, manipulate my diet?”
You could do all of the above. Eating less or exercising more can both increase a deficit. But one thing you might want to do first, is give yourself a little break. Take your calories up to maintenance level, maybe for a week.
The idea there is not to try to accelerate fat loss, because what you’re actually doing is removing your calorie deficit for a short period of time. What you’re trying to do is facilitate the fat loss when you jump back into it.
It gives your body a physiological break from the stress of dieting; it resets some of those starvation hormones and stimulates your metabolism so when you go back to the calorie deficit, your body responds again.
You also get mental break from the diet as well, which makes it easier to stick with the program when you go back to it.
You could also use a calorie cycling approach, to help prevent yourself from hitting another plateau, and we already covered calorie and carb cycling in the last call.
I also recommend, because so many people underestimate how much they eat, don’t take any chances. Count your calories, or at least become really aware of the portion sizes and maybe even consider keeping a journal.
You’ve probably been told many times by a lot of different “experts” that you don’t have to count calories. But when you’re in a plateau, I’d recommend that you stop guessing and really get serious about what you’re taking in.
Then what you need to do is reestablish that calorie deficit using every tool at your disposal.
Use nutrition by pulling back your portion sizes. Or use cardio. And by increased cardio, I mean increasing energy expenditure. You could increase your frequency. You could increase your duration.
But increasing energy expenditure is not necessarily doing longer workouts, just burning more calories. You could also take the same amount of time that you’re spending right now and increase your intensity.
The whole idea is just burn more calories and stimulate metabolism, which gives you your deficit back again or you can pull back your food intake and give yourself a deficit again from the food side.
There’s more than one way to do it and I don’t think that you should lock yourself in. Use all of the variables and remember that there are TWO sides to the energy balance equation, not one."
# # #
I Hope you enjoyed this excerpt, and mostly, I hope you put the information to good use!
This was just one short excerpt from almost two hours of audio in Tom's new "Super Lean" seminar. Tom is giving away the entire seminar for free with the purchase of his ebook Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle, but only until February 13th."
You can get more information on Tom's Burn The Fat program AND his new "Super Lean" seminar at: www.BurntheFat.com
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
7 Fat Loss Strategies For Busy Moms
7 Fat Loss Strategies For Busy Moms
By Holly Rigsby, CPT
Fit Yummy Mummy
Would you like to "jump start" your metabolism and lose your ‘mommy belly' once and for all? If so, the following seven tips are exactly what you need to improve your workouts and ignite your metabolism. Try some or all of these tips, but beware, the result may be a number of admiring second glances and the need to pull your ‘skinny jeans' out of the closet.
1. The majority of your workouts should be composed of free-weight, bodyweight or cable exercises.
Compared to machines, free-weight, bodyweight and cable movements often require more skill, create muscular balance, and have a greater metabolic cost. For example, it is more difficult to balance the weights, and to coordinate muscles when performing free-weight exercises. Although this may sound like a disadvantage, it is actually a benefit. By balancing and stabilizing free-weights or cables you are working more muscles through a greater range of motion resulting in more muscles developed and more calories burned.
2. Use exercises that work more than one muscle at a time.
When focusing on fat loss, you can't worry about "shaping" exercises, instead you should use exercises that'll get you the biggest bang for your buck and work as many muscles as possible. Isolation exercises can be used at the end of a workout to work on a specific target area, but they just serve to supplement your core movements.
Virtually every savvy fitness professional is privy to the fact that compound exercises recruit the most muscle groups for any given body part.
If you seek lean, toned muscles and the increase in metabolism that comes with them, you must choose exercises that work as many different muscles as possible. One of the main reasons why squats are superior to leg extensions for improving your body is that they also work your butt, hamstrings and inner thighs in addition to toning your quadriceps while leg extensions focus on just the front of your thigh and don't really offer any other benefit. That same rationale hold true for arm exercises too. That's why dumbell presses and dips will are more valuable for your arms than triceps kickbacks and pushdowns.
A good rule of thumb is to use movements that will allow you to use the most weight. These will have a systemic effect on your body that'll help maintain or increase your lean muscle, and in turn ignite your metabolism.
3. Pair exercises.
Pair your exercises together so that you alternate between upper-body exercises and lower-body exercises or between exercises that target opposing muscle groups (e.g. chest and back).
This type of approach will keep your workouts short and efficient by eliminating much of the downtime that comes between sets of a single exercise since you are working on one movement while resting from another. This approach can also yield huge benefits in your mission to burn fat. Since you'll constantly be moving and keeping your heart rate elevated, you'll be burning far more calories than you would during a typical workout.
4. Keep your reps between 8 and 12.
Through research, it has been determined that the best range for building lean muscle is roughly between 8-12 reps. Since the main focus of your resistance training efforts is to gain lean body mass and stimulate your metabolism, this rep range fills the bill perfectly. "High reps for tone and fat loss" is one of the biggest (and most unproductive) training myths! Somehow the aerobics, yoga and Pilates' community have convinced us that when we perform bodyweight exercises or light resistance training for high reps, our muscles magically take on a beautiful shape without growing or bulging. On the other hand, if you challenge yourself with moderately heavy weights, your body will take on a bulky, unflattering appearance. If you believe this, you probably still believe in the Tooth Fairy!
5. Rest only 30 to 60 seconds between sets.
When you keep the rest periods under one minute, it's easier to stay focused on the task at hand and keeps your heart rate elevated. In addition, it forces your muscles to recover more quickly between sets, along with keeping your nervous system revved up.
If your first movement in an upper/lower body pair is squats, you might want to rest 60 seconds before attempting your second movement. However, if your first exercise is a fairly "easy" exercise, like lat pull downs, you might only wish to wait 30 seconds before doing the second part of the pair.
6. Perform total body workouts.
You must drop the notion that muscle groups work independently of one another. Muscles work together and should be trained that way. Besides, not only does this approach mean less time in the gym, but by working the whole body three times per week, you'll be maximizing the fat burning effect of your program.
7. Cardio is not the cure-all for fat loss.
Cardiovascular exercise aids in the creation of a caloric deficit, but the caloric expenditure during cardio is temporary. Strength training addresses the core of the problem by permanently increasing the rate at which the body burns calories by adding muscle. The best programs will include both strength training and cardiovascular training, but the core or the programs effectiveness is resistance training.
Take these strategies and incorporate them into your workout routine. Not only will you save a lot of time, but you'll also soon see a leaner and more toned body. Not to mention a few more turned heads and the re-emergence of your skinny jeans.
About the Author
Holly Rigsby is a nationally recognized women’s fitness coach, certified personal trainer (CPT) and the author of the internationally popular e-book – Fit Yummy Mummy - Burn Your Baby Fat & Get Your Body Back. Go to Fit Yummy Mummy to get your FREE copy of her special report: "The Five Ways To Boost Your Metabolism."
By Holly Rigsby, CPT
Fit Yummy Mummy
Would you like to "jump start" your metabolism and lose your ‘mommy belly' once and for all? If so, the following seven tips are exactly what you need to improve your workouts and ignite your metabolism. Try some or all of these tips, but beware, the result may be a number of admiring second glances and the need to pull your ‘skinny jeans' out of the closet.
1. The majority of your workouts should be composed of free-weight, bodyweight or cable exercises.
Compared to machines, free-weight, bodyweight and cable movements often require more skill, create muscular balance, and have a greater metabolic cost. For example, it is more difficult to balance the weights, and to coordinate muscles when performing free-weight exercises. Although this may sound like a disadvantage, it is actually a benefit. By balancing and stabilizing free-weights or cables you are working more muscles through a greater range of motion resulting in more muscles developed and more calories burned.
2. Use exercises that work more than one muscle at a time.
When focusing on fat loss, you can't worry about "shaping" exercises, instead you should use exercises that'll get you the biggest bang for your buck and work as many muscles as possible. Isolation exercises can be used at the end of a workout to work on a specific target area, but they just serve to supplement your core movements.
Virtually every savvy fitness professional is privy to the fact that compound exercises recruit the most muscle groups for any given body part.
If you seek lean, toned muscles and the increase in metabolism that comes with them, you must choose exercises that work as many different muscles as possible. One of the main reasons why squats are superior to leg extensions for improving your body is that they also work your butt, hamstrings and inner thighs in addition to toning your quadriceps while leg extensions focus on just the front of your thigh and don't really offer any other benefit. That same rationale hold true for arm exercises too. That's why dumbell presses and dips will are more valuable for your arms than triceps kickbacks and pushdowns.
A good rule of thumb is to use movements that will allow you to use the most weight. These will have a systemic effect on your body that'll help maintain or increase your lean muscle, and in turn ignite your metabolism.
3. Pair exercises.
Pair your exercises together so that you alternate between upper-body exercises and lower-body exercises or between exercises that target opposing muscle groups (e.g. chest and back).
This type of approach will keep your workouts short and efficient by eliminating much of the downtime that comes between sets of a single exercise since you are working on one movement while resting from another. This approach can also yield huge benefits in your mission to burn fat. Since you'll constantly be moving and keeping your heart rate elevated, you'll be burning far more calories than you would during a typical workout.
4. Keep your reps between 8 and 12.
Through research, it has been determined that the best range for building lean muscle is roughly between 8-12 reps. Since the main focus of your resistance training efforts is to gain lean body mass and stimulate your metabolism, this rep range fills the bill perfectly. "High reps for tone and fat loss" is one of the biggest (and most unproductive) training myths! Somehow the aerobics, yoga and Pilates' community have convinced us that when we perform bodyweight exercises or light resistance training for high reps, our muscles magically take on a beautiful shape without growing or bulging. On the other hand, if you challenge yourself with moderately heavy weights, your body will take on a bulky, unflattering appearance. If you believe this, you probably still believe in the Tooth Fairy!
5. Rest only 30 to 60 seconds between sets.
When you keep the rest periods under one minute, it's easier to stay focused on the task at hand and keeps your heart rate elevated. In addition, it forces your muscles to recover more quickly between sets, along with keeping your nervous system revved up.
If your first movement in an upper/lower body pair is squats, you might want to rest 60 seconds before attempting your second movement. However, if your first exercise is a fairly "easy" exercise, like lat pull downs, you might only wish to wait 30 seconds before doing the second part of the pair.
6. Perform total body workouts.
You must drop the notion that muscle groups work independently of one another. Muscles work together and should be trained that way. Besides, not only does this approach mean less time in the gym, but by working the whole body three times per week, you'll be maximizing the fat burning effect of your program.
7. Cardio is not the cure-all for fat loss.
Cardiovascular exercise aids in the creation of a caloric deficit, but the caloric expenditure during cardio is temporary. Strength training addresses the core of the problem by permanently increasing the rate at which the body burns calories by adding muscle. The best programs will include both strength training and cardiovascular training, but the core or the programs effectiveness is resistance training.
Take these strategies and incorporate them into your workout routine. Not only will you save a lot of time, but you'll also soon see a leaner and more toned body. Not to mention a few more turned heads and the re-emergence of your skinny jeans.
About the Author
Holly Rigsby is a nationally recognized women’s fitness coach, certified personal trainer (CPT) and the author of the internationally popular e-book – Fit Yummy Mummy - Burn Your Baby Fat & Get Your Body Back. Go to Fit Yummy Mummy to get your FREE copy of her special report: "The Five Ways To Boost Your Metabolism."
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Fast Weight Loss Tips
Are you interested in losing weight? If you are, are you in a hurry to do so? While it is advised that you do not rely heavily on fast weight loss, also commonly referred to as rapid weight loss, there are many individuals who do. If you are interested in losing weight, as quickly as possible, you will want to continue reading on.
One of the many ways that you can go about achieving a fat weight loss or rapid weight loss is by reducing the foods that you eat. When reducing your food consumption, it is important that you only reduce your consumption a little bit. Unfortunately, many individuals who want to achieve fast weight loss think that they need to stop eating altogether, even if it is for two or three days. That is something that you do not want to do. You will upset your metabolism. If you stop eating, your body will start to eat your muscles. You want to lose FAT, not MUSCLE. Once you resume eating again, you will likely gain all of your weight back, almost automatically. It is also important to mention that starving yourself is dangerous to your health.
In conjunction with reducing your food intake, it is advised that you reduce the amount of sweets or junk food that you eat. For fast weight loss, you will want to completely eliminate junk food from your diet, even if it is only for a short period of time. This means that if you want a snack, you should grab an apple or an orange instead of a chocolate bar or a bag of chips. With candy and other sweets being high in calories, you may see a significant decrease in your calorie consumption by eliminating them from your diet. Sometimes, eating sweets will tell your body to eat MORE, not less! Eating junk food will trigger your hunger pains!
Exercise is another way that you can go about achieving fast weight loss. The thing about using exercise to achieve fast weight loss is that it is a little bit tricky. With exercise, you may not notice a significant weight loss right away. For instance, it typically takes most individuals at least a week or two to notice an improvement in their appearance with the use of exercise. With that in mind, the more overweight you are, the sooner you may see a decrease in your weight, often quickly.
In keeping with exercise to lose weight, exercise is important to losing weight, as it helps to limit your calorie intake. When you burn off calories, with the use of exercise, your body absorbs less calories. This is what makes it possible for you to lose weight. Although your first instinct may be to start exercising as much as possible, right away, you may want to refrain from doing so. If you aren’t usually physically active, it is best to start out slow. This should significantly reduce your risk of injuries.
The above mentioned fast weight loss tips may help you achieve fast weight loss, even if it is only a small weight loss. As a reminder, it is important to proceed with caution. While it is more than possible for you to achieve your fast weight loss goal, it can also be dangerous to you and your health.
To get more info on sensible weight loss, go to Reviews of Diet Programs
One of the many ways that you can go about achieving a fat weight loss or rapid weight loss is by reducing the foods that you eat. When reducing your food consumption, it is important that you only reduce your consumption a little bit. Unfortunately, many individuals who want to achieve fast weight loss think that they need to stop eating altogether, even if it is for two or three days. That is something that you do not want to do. You will upset your metabolism. If you stop eating, your body will start to eat your muscles. You want to lose FAT, not MUSCLE. Once you resume eating again, you will likely gain all of your weight back, almost automatically. It is also important to mention that starving yourself is dangerous to your health.
In conjunction with reducing your food intake, it is advised that you reduce the amount of sweets or junk food that you eat. For fast weight loss, you will want to completely eliminate junk food from your diet, even if it is only for a short period of time. This means that if you want a snack, you should grab an apple or an orange instead of a chocolate bar or a bag of chips. With candy and other sweets being high in calories, you may see a significant decrease in your calorie consumption by eliminating them from your diet. Sometimes, eating sweets will tell your body to eat MORE, not less! Eating junk food will trigger your hunger pains!
Exercise is another way that you can go about achieving fast weight loss. The thing about using exercise to achieve fast weight loss is that it is a little bit tricky. With exercise, you may not notice a significant weight loss right away. For instance, it typically takes most individuals at least a week or two to notice an improvement in their appearance with the use of exercise. With that in mind, the more overweight you are, the sooner you may see a decrease in your weight, often quickly.
In keeping with exercise to lose weight, exercise is important to losing weight, as it helps to limit your calorie intake. When you burn off calories, with the use of exercise, your body absorbs less calories. This is what makes it possible for you to lose weight. Although your first instinct may be to start exercising as much as possible, right away, you may want to refrain from doing so. If you aren’t usually physically active, it is best to start out slow. This should significantly reduce your risk of injuries.
The above mentioned fast weight loss tips may help you achieve fast weight loss, even if it is only a small weight loss. As a reminder, it is important to proceed with caution. While it is more than possible for you to achieve your fast weight loss goal, it can also be dangerous to you and your health.
To get more info on sensible weight loss, go to Reviews of Diet Programs
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