3 Environmental Barriers to Weight Loss

1. Lack of Time: For women in particular, lack of time is cited as one of the most common barriers to losing weight. A study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that young women who are trying to lose weight are often in the process of moving away from home, starting new careers, dating, getting married, and becoming mothers. These major life events will not only sap your energy, but they also take up a lot of time.
   So with all of the pressures of work, family, and relationships, how do you make time to lose weight? Try one of these solutions:
   
   • Ask for help. Speak up and ask for help managing the tasks that take the most time in your schedule. Let your spouse or the kids help with the housework, even if it means it won't get done the way you like. Ask your employer for flexibility in your work schedule. Ask a neighbor or your parents to help. Put a time limitation on your request so that they know you are serious and organized about reaching weight loss success.
   
   
   • Prioritize. The time that you devote to losing weight may not be the best time for you to invest in other avenues in your life. See if there are ways to put some pursuits on the back burner so that your health takes the top slot. Use forward thinking as part of that process. If travel, having children, and pursing an aggressive career are on your list of life goals, remember that these hopes may be delayed if poor health due to obesity becomes a problem.
   
   
   • Organize a schedule. Get out an old-fashioned paper calendar. Find windows of time that are not consumed by absolute necessities. Find time slots for healthy food preparation and exercise. Pen in these items. Schedule your negotiable items around these top priorities. Finally, post the calendar in a place where you will be able to see it and use it as a daily guide for your weight loss success plan.
2. Lack of Social Support: Losing weight is one of the most difficult personal challenges you may ever confront. If the people around you don't give you the emotional support you need -- or worse yet, if they sabotage your efforts to lose weight -- you are much less likely to be successful. Try these techniques to get the social support you need.
   
   
   • Define your needs. You can't ask others for support if you don't know exactly what it is that you need. Get out a pen and paper and write out specific ways that each friend or family member can help you. For example, you may ask for friends to avoid eating high-fat foods in your presence. You may ask your spouse for a supportive comment each day. You might want family members to refrain from making defeating remarks that minimize or challenge your weight loss success.
   
   
   • Speak up. Once you know what you need, approach friends and family to ask for support. Taking the time to talk to them will help to show them that reaching weight loss success is an important goal for you.
   
   
   • Create a new network. If you still don't get the support you need, branch out and find a new social network. Find friends at the gym or your weight loss center. Online resources, such as the Weight Loss Forum or the Weight Loss Facebook page are also great ways to connect with others who can relate to your struggles.
3. Lack of Access to Healthy Food or Exercise Facilities: There is no doubt about it -- fast food is more accessible than healthy food. And if lack of time is also an issue in your life, you probably also know that fast food is quicker. It is not surprising that many people have trouble losing weight because they don't have easy access to the right food.
   That same challenge holds true for exercise. Most of us don't have a well-equipped gym and a personal trainer at our immediate disposal. So when we are already strapped for time, how do we get to the gym, learn to exercise, and find time for a calorie-busting workout?
   If you are going to get serious and lose weight, your best bet is to get resourceful and get creative.
   
   • Cook in bulk. When you create a schedule to support your weight loss efforts, schedule a time to prepare food for the entire week. Make healthy soups, roast vegetables, and precook chicken or another source of essential protein. Invest in a few small containers and package the food so that it is easy to find in the refrigerator. You may even find it helpful to schedule specific meals for each day so you know that your meals are covered for the week.
   
   
   • Exercise at home. You don't need fancy equipment or an expensive trainer to burn calories with exercise. Learn how to be your own trainer! Invest in a few exercise DVDs, or use fitness programming on television to work out. There are also great resources online. The American Council on Exercise provides an exercise library with instructions for performing specific workouts.

The path to weight loss or fat loss success isn't an easy one. But if you can identify and overcome the specific barriers that hold you back, you'll find that you will reach both short-and long-term goals.

http://weightloss.about.com/od/emotionsmotivation/a/Environmental-Barriers-To-Weight-Loss-Success.htm

5 Essential Elements of Successful Weight Loss Goals

1) Personalize your weight loss goals. The goals you set should meet your specific needs, lifestyle and circumstances. Don't get carried away with the exaggerated ads for weight loss products that claim to provide major results in a short period of time. For most people those programs are not healthy or realistic.

Losing a maximum of 1-2 pounds per week through diet and exercise is considered reasonable. But, like many others, you may choose to set a more personalized goal. Researchers at the University of Washington found that people like to express individuality through goal setting. Many of the participants in their weight loss study felt that "established guidelines and assigned goals did not consider their individual abilities, objectives, and constraints."

Before you set your goal for successful weight loss, take the time to define your needs and lifestyle. Ask yourself key questions before defining the goal or choosing a weight loss plan. In the long run, making this extra investment will help you to stay on track and address weight loss barriers as they arise. 

2) Collaborate with weight loss experts. Goals set with the help of an expert are more likely to be successful. A study at the University of California found that when patients were provided with help setting up and monitoring goals in the doctor's office they were more successful at attaining those goals. Moreover, similar studies have shown that other types of practitioners can help as well.
In choosing an expert to work with, try to find someone who can be involved for the duration of the weight loss process.

This way they can help to monitor your progress and provide feedback. For this reason, a physician may not always be the best source for collaboration. Consider other non-clinical providers. These may include a personal trainer, registered dietitian or weight loss coach.

If you don't have access to a professional expert, consider connecting with others online. The Weight Loss Forum at About.com is a great place to post your goals and let others hold you accountable. You'll find resources to set up a journal, post questions, and get support through the weight loss journey. 

3) Make weight loss goals measurable. In their advice to new exercisers, the American Council on Exercise recommends that goals be measurable in order to be successful. When setting a goal, decide how you will measure your progress and include this as part of your goal statement.

Weighing yourself on the scale is probably the easiest method of measuring weight loss progress. But remember that there are other ways to assess your weight. Both BMI and body fat measurements provide different ways of evaluating your body composition. BMI is easy to measure and provides a good indicator of how your weight affects your health. 

4) Set both short and long term goals. In a published study about goal setting, researchers in Great Britain confirmed that successful goals need to be ambitious. On the other hand, the American Council on Exercise reminds new exercisers that successful weight loss goals should be attainable. So how do you satisfy both requirements?

The answer is to set both long-term ambitious goals as well as short-term mini goals. The short-term goals act as stepping-stones to the larger goal. In the Great Britain study, researchers emphasized the importance of using "incremental steps that lead to progressive achievement." By setting these multiple weight loss goals, you'll set yourself up for success. 

5) Create deadlines for your weight loss goals. Goals are more successful when a clear deadline is attached. These deadlines should be attached to both the short term and long terms goals and can serve as reminders to measure your progress in the process of achieving your goal.
For many people, a seven-day structure works well for short-term goals. This provides for a fresh start each week on Sunday or Monday. But remember to personalize your goals and use a time frame that works for you.  

http://weightloss.about.com/od/emotionsmotivation/a/5-Essential-Elements-Of-Successful-Weight-Loss-Goals.htm

Overcome 3 Common Weight Loss Barriers...

What keeps you from losing weight? Are you having a hard time sticking to your diet? Do you hate to exercise? If the answer to either question is yes, then you are experiencing barriers to weight loss. Most people will confront some sort of challenge as they try to reach their weight loss goal. The ones who are successful at losing weight are the ones who have learned to overcome weight loss barriers.

   

Different Types of Weight Loss Barriers...

The first step to addressing the challenges that come up in the weight loss process is to understand each barrier. Once you can identify each challenge it becomes easier to develop the skills necessary to move past it. It is also helpful to understand that the challenges you confront are the same barriers that many other dieters confront as they try to eat well or stick to an exercise program. 

Some weight loss barriers are perceived barriers, meaning that the barrier is based on the thoughts or feelings of the dieter. Perceived barriers can be just as significant and real as concrete barriers which might include a health condition or physical limitation. Whether the challenge is perceived or concrete, most barriers can be divided into three.

Physical Barriers to Weight Loss...

Common physical barriers to weight loss include fatigue, discomfort, and underlying medical issues. While these barriers can be significant, there are ways to get around them and still lose weight.

• Communicate with your physician. Talk to your doctor if you can't lose weight. There may be a medical cause. Weight gain can be caused by medication, as well as hormonal imbalances, thyroid disorders, or menopause.


• Expand your health care team. Work with your primary care physician to get referrals to a registered dietitian or physical therapist who can tailor services to meet your needs. Often, if a physician referral is provided there is a greater chance that insurance will help cover the cost of the service. Be sure to check your policy for the specifics of your own program.


• Do your homework. Investigate different exercise plans or healthy cooking tips so that weight loss habits become more manageable. For example, non-weight bearing activities, such as water aerobics, are often more comfortable for people who are obese or who have joint problems. To make dieting less difficult, consider signing up for a cooking class to learn new ways to prepare healthy vegetables or lean meats.

Environmental Barriers to Weight Loss...

Sometimes the reason that you don't lose weight is that your environment doesn't support your diet and exercise plan. Environmental barriers can include lack of access to healthy foods or to exercise facilities, lack of social support, or lack of time due to social, family and professional pressures.

Emotional Barriers to Weight Loss...

It would seem likely that if you want to lose weight, the last thing holding you back would be your own feelings about weight loss. But emotional barriers to weight loss are well documented and can be significant. These barriers may include skepticism about your ability to lose weight, a negative physical activity history, stress, or lack of motivation.

http://weightloss.about.com/od/emotionsmotivation/a/3-Barriers-To-Weight-Loss-And-How-To-Overcome-Them.htm

Get Motivated to Lose Fat and Weight

Learn Secrets of Motivation and Achieve Weight Loss and Fat Loss Success...

Are you motivated to lose weight? Many people believe that motivation is a magical quality that some people have and some people don't. But there are easy techniques that anyone can learn. By understanding how motivation works, you can assemble the building blocks you need to achieve weight loss success.

Different Kinds of Motivation

There are two kinds of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is the inspiration that comes from an external source, outside of you. For example, if your physician tells you that you need to lose weight, you may be externally motivated to go on a diet out of fear of poor health. Many rewards are extrinsic sources. 

If you go on a diet in order to fit into a smaller dress size, your motivation is extrinsic.

Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, comes from within. If you exercise because of the sense of accomplishment you achieve at the end of the workout your source of motivation is intrinsic. If you choose a  healthy snack because it makes you feel better about yourself, you are internally or intrinsically motivated.

So why do different types of motivation matter? Extrinsic and intrinsic inspiration will come into play at different times during your weight loss experience. By understanding how to use both extrinsic and intrinsic forms, you equip yourself with the tools you need for weight loss success.

Use Extrinsic Motivation to Accomplish Short Term Goals

People often begin an exercise or weight loss program for external reasons: their clothes don't fit, their doctor has told them that they need to lose weight, family and friends have put pressure on them to slim down. These extrinsic factors are great for getting the ball rolling.

When you feel outside pressure to lose weight, let it motivate you to gather information. You may not be ready to go on a diet, but you can learn more about weight loss goals and exercise programme. Find out if there are small steps you can take to improve your health before you take the plunge and commit to a full-scale weight-loss program. Ask your physician about how making small changes to your diet or lifestyle will affect your health.

Extrinsic motivation can also be helpful when you need a gentle nudge to achieve short-term goals. For example, you might know that exercise is good for you, you may even know that you'll feel better after you complete a workout, but on some days you might still struggle to get to the gym. On those days, promise yourself a healthy reward. Set the DVD to record your favorite show or pick up some bubble bath and reward yourself with time in the tub after the workout is complete.

Foster Intrinsic Motivation to Achieve Long-Term Success

While extrinsic motivation may help you overcome short-term challenges, people who are successful at weight loss are usually motivated by intrinsic factors. Eating well and exercising makes them feel good so they continue to practice healthy habits for the long term. So how do you create internal motivation? The good news is that most people already have it. All you have to do is find it, identify it and acknowledge it.

3 Steps to Foster Internal Motivation

1. Set short-term goals. Set yourself up for success by setting very short-term achievable goals. Your long-term goal might be to lose 30 pounds, but a good short-term goal might be to eat a lean healthy breakfast each day during the week. If a weekly goal seems too broad, set a goal for just one day or even an hour. Swap the high calorie soda for water during one meal or commit to cut your lunch in half and save half for another day.
2. Keep a journal. Write out each goal in a journal. At the end of the day, comment on the day's success. Keep in mind that just taking the time to write in your journal is healthy and an accomplishment in itself. Use positive words that describe how you feel about your actions.
3. Acknowledge your success. Take time to review your successes and give yourself credit. Review    your journal on a regular basis and take pride in every step you've taken to improve your health

As you move through the process of fostering internal motivation, you'll find that your confidence in your own abilities will increase. When you acknowledge the success of small accomplishments, it becomes easier to believe that larger goals are attainable. You begin to believe in yourself and in your ability to change your health by changing your weight.

http://weightloss.about.com/

The Secret Of Fat Burning Via Squats

This is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. During the first 15 years of my life, I never did any kind of sports or let alone help my dad with yard work. Instead, I lived the couch-potato lifestyle… spending my days playing Doom on my 486DX2… watching movies from my couch… and washing down cheetos with coke.

Guess what, I got sick of being embarrassed by my man boobs every time I went shirtless at the pool… tired of sucking my gut in like an overweight couch potato… fed up with being weak, out of shape and sucking at sports. Many guys accept what should be humiliating – not me. It made me miserable, angry, proactive. It motivated me to take ACTION.  

Maybe you’ve had a similar experience...

Well, it wasn’t exactly easy to figure out how to gain strength and muscle, and how to lose my man boobs and belly fat. I spent the next few years trying every technique in the book – Pushups, situps, biceps curls, db flyes, triceps kickbacks, machines, cardio, working out 5x/week, supplements – you name it.

Nothing Worked Until I Started To Squat...

My first “breakthrough” came when I began training with a guy who had been lifting for many years, who had the kind of body I wanted, and who was one of the strongest guys in my gym. As I learned from him, the most powerful exercise to gain strength and muscle naturally, while losing fat, is the one that I’ve been doing since he showed it to me our first workout 12 years ago…

The Squat.

But my REAL breakthrough came four years later when I discovered the amazing training method of Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s life long mentor – the legendary Reg Park, 3x Mr Universe and 2nd guy ever to Bench Press 500lb.

In his book “Strength & Bulk Training for Weight lifters,” Park revealed his secret training strategy – 5 sets of 5 reps of free weight compound like the Squat. It was this 5×5 method that I discovered by dumb luck in 2003 thanks to Glenn Pendlay MS USAW (coach of 97 champions and gold medalists) who had spread this program on little known websites which don’t even exist anymore.

For a long time I was skeptical because 5×5 was radically different from the split routines I had been doing since 1999. But when I got my home gym in 2004 and no longer had access to machines, I decided to test-drive this 5×5 claimed to build strength and muscle in only 3 workouts per week… doing only 3 exercises per workout… for low reps… without training until pumped and sore. Heck, I was bored to death with the routines I had used for years anyway because I wasn’t getting any results, so I thought I had nothing to lose.

Today, At Age 30, I’m In The Best Shape Of My Life, Ever...

Okay, I’m still only 5’8″ with skinny ankles and 6.7″ wrists – can’t change rotten genetics. But my body-weight has skyrocketed from 132lb to 175lb, almost 43lb of raw, drug-free muscle gain WITHOUT turning into a fatty, quite the opposite, my man boobs and belly fat have vanished, and made place for 6 pack abs. I don’t want to be a bodybuilder, but people I meet routinely ask if I lift weights (some have even cried “steroids!” even though I’m totally natural).

More importantly, I feel extremely confident about my body today and One of the things I’ve realized is that looking like a cover-model isn’t automatically going to change your life and make you “happy” on the inside. In fact, if you think achieving perfect symmetry will be the answer to all of life’s problems, I’ve got bad news for you…

Subsequently, I can also tell you that if you focus on gaining strength, eat mostly whole foods and start ignoring the mirror, you’ll not only look better and be stronger than 99% of those curl monkeys, your confidence will also go through the roof.

http://stronglifts.com/

The Basics of Weight Loss

Rules of Weight Loss

To lose one pound of fat, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. That sounds like a lot of calories and you certainly wouldn't want to try to burn 3500 calories in one day. However, by taking it step-by-step, you can determine just what you need to do each day to burn or cut out those extra calories. Below is a step by step process for getting started.

1. Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to maintain basic bodily functions like breathing and digestion. This is the minimum number of calories you need to eat each day. Keep in mind that no calculator will be 100% accurate, so you may need to adjust these numbers as you learn more about your own metabolism.
2. Calculate your activity level. For a week or so, keep an activity journal and use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, lifting weights, etc. throughout the day. Another, easier option is to wear a heart rate monitor that calculates calories burned. After a week, add your totals for each day and average them out to get a general idea of how many calories you burn each day.
3. Keep track of how many calories you eat. For at least a week, enter and track your calories online (e.g., with Calorie Count) or use a food journal to write down what you eat and drink each day. Be as accurate as possible, measuring when you need to or looking up nutritional information for restaurants, if you eat out. After a week, add your totals for each day and average them out to get a general idea of how many calories you eat each day.
4. Add it up. Take your BMR number and add your activity calories. Then subtract your food calories from that total. If you're eating more than your BMR + your activity calories, you're at risk for gaining weight.

Example:  

Mary's BMR is 1400 calories and she burns 900 calories with regular exercise, walking around and doing household chores. To maintain her weight, she should be eating 2300 calories (1400 + 900= 2300). However, after keeping a food journal, Mary finds that she's eating 2550 calories every day. By eating 250 more calories than her body needs, Mary will gain about a pound every 2-3 weeks.

This example shows how easy it is to gain weight without even knowing it. However, it's also easy to lose weight, even if the process itself can be slow. You can start by making small changes in your diet and activity levels and immediately start burning more calories than you're eating. If you can find a way to burn an extra 200 to 500 calories most days of the week with both exercise and diet, you're on the right track. 

http://exercise.about.com/

Exercise for Weight Loss: 7 Steps to Success

1. Be sure you are healthy enough for exercise. It is generally a good idea to visit your doctor to be sure that you are healthy enough for vigorous exercise. Even if there are barriers that prevent you from participating in some popular forms of exercise, your physician may be able to suggest modifications that can be made so that you can begin a workout plan.
   You may also want to connect with other experts at the beginning of your plan. If you have physical limitations or previous injuries, a physical therapist may be able to help. Or a visit with a personal trainer may be worth the investment, as well. A good trainer will assess your level of fitness, help you set goals and design a weight-loss workout routine for you to follow...
2. Don't feel pressured to buy tools or gimmicks. The most common question asked by new exercisers is: what is the best exercise for weight loss? The answer is simple. The best weight-loss exercise is the one that you do. It is not necessary to buy a set of DVDs or an expensive new piece of equipment to lose weight.
   At the beginning of a new exercise plan, focus on building a fitness habit. Once regular exercise is part of your daily schedule you can make adjustments to the type and intensity of your workout. But in the beginning, consistency is the key to success. So choose activities that you enjoy doing.
   
3. Grab a few friends for company and accountability. One of the best predictors of success in a weight-loss exercise plan is social support. If your friends make exercise more enjoyable, you are more likely to continue the habit. Friends will also help to hold you accountable.
   If your immediate circle of friends is not interested in participating in your new weight-loss workout, then look a little further. Would some co-workers like to join you for an aerobics class after the office? Perhaps you have neighbors that would be willing to put the kids in strollers and walk or run through the neighborhood.
   
4. Get equipped with exercise clothing. Invest in a good pair of shoes and breathable workout clothing. For your first purchase, you may want to avoid the big box retailers and go to a sport-specific store. Neighborhood walking and running stores are great resources. Often these smaller owner-operated stores have staff that are actively involved in the sport and can make specific recommendations for fit and wear.
   Once you make the initial purchase, make new workout shoes or clothing an incentive for continued success. Set short-term goals and reward yourself with a new outfit that will make you feel more comfortable and confident during future workouts.
   
5. Write out a plan. It's easy to decide that you want to exercise. Getting it done is the hard part. There will always be another task, job or priority that can get in the way of your workout. To be sure that your workout remains a top priority, get out a calendar and schedule each activity in advance. Once you have the plan in writing, post it in a highly visible spot. Let it serve as a constant reminder. Set out workout clothing and pack a gym bag the night before your workout.
   
6. Vary your workouts. Exercise for weight loss should include aerobic activity, which raises your heart rate, strength training that builds muscle, and flexibility training to increase range of motion in the joints and decrease stress. When you schedule your weight-loss workouts, try to vary the activity that you do every day. For example, you may want to jog on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays grab the bike and head to a park for some push-ups, lunges, and sit-ups. Stretch and balance in yoga on Sunday.
   
7. Use active recovery days. Try to do something every day. That's right, no days off! Remember that when you schedule your workouts you will vary the type of activities you assign to each day. If you know you are going to do a longer or harder workout one day, schedule an easy workout, an active recovery, for the day after.
   
   
   Active recovery workouts get your blood pumping but are not vigorous. Easy lap swimming, a gentle yoga class, and a long walk with a friend could all be recovery day workouts.
   
   
   http://weightloss.about.com/
   
   

High Intensity for Burning Fat

 

 "These High-Intensity Interval Workouts, Circuit Workouts & Strength Workouts Get You Lean & Ripped So Fast, Your Friends Will Beg You to Tell Them Your Secret..."

 Here are the 6 WORST things you can do if you want to ignite your body's own fat-burning furnace and get lean, strong & totally ripped in less time:

Doing isolated exercises like bicep curls and tricep kick-backs will NOT get you any significant results. These one-muscle-at-a-time moves simply don't stimulate enough muscle fibers to build lean muscle or expend enough energy to maximize your calorie burn.

If you want to build lean muscle while burning fat so you can get serious definition, you need to perform exercises that stimulate as many muscles and expend as much energy as possible at the same time. Using these types of exercises (which I'll reveal on the next page) will dramatically accelerate your results.

Fancy machines may make the gym look high-end, but truthfully, about the only thing they're good for is for sitting down while you tie your shoes or catch your breath! The problem is this: Machines alter the way your body naturally moves and restrict your range of motion. This severely limits your ability to fully activate all of your muscles fibers -- that means less fat burning and less muscle definition. Worse yet, machines can cause excessive strain on your joints, leading to nagging injuries down the road.

If you want fast results, it's critical that you incorporate exercises that allow your body to move naturally with full range of motion so you can skyrocket your metabolism and tone your entire physique. In minute, I'll explain the 6 primary movements that are the foundation of these full-body exercises...and I'll also fill you in on the best types of weights to use for your workouts.

Look, you need to do cardio if you want to lose weight and burn fat...BUT there's a right way and a wrong way to do your cardio workouts. If you've been pounding the pavement or the treadmill with nothing to show for it (except sore joints and a pair of stinky worn out sneakers), you already know it takes a lot of effort to get minimal results.

In this article, I'm going to reveal the most effective way to pump up your cardio routine that will get you insane results in half the time of your regular cardio workout -- without causing unnecessary stress on your joints. Seriously, don't skip this article because once you learn this simple trick, you'll kick yourself for not doing it all along.

 If you want washboard abs, doing traditional ab exercises like crunches and sit-ups WILL NOT get you a six pack. In fact, doing any exercises that target your abs won't get you a six pack either! These so-called "ab" exercises are a complete waste of time. They don't make your abs get any more defined and they definitely don't burn any fat.

The key to getting sculpted abs is to burn off that stubborn layer of belly fat that's hiding them! In the next few minutes, I'll show you how to burn away the "ab flab" while stimulating all 6 of your abdominal muscles at the same time so you can finally carve out your six pack abs

.Repeating the same workouts over and over is a surefire way to STOP getting results. We're creatures of habit and we tend to stick to things we're familiar with and good at. But when it comes to your workouts, if you want to keep making progress and keep seeing changes in your body, you've got to start switching things up.

You see, your body has an amazingly ability to adapt quickly and when it does, that's when you hit the dreaded plateau and you stop making progress. On the next page, I'm going to tell you exactly how often you need to change up your workout routine so you can keep your body guessing to accelerate the results process.

Longer workouts do NOT equal better or faster results. If you've been slaving away at the gym and your body isn't visibly changing, you can't do more of the same thing and expect a different result.

When it comes to getting lean and fit, your body responds to quality over quantity.

I'm going to tell you the #1 way to super-charge your workouts -- this simple, yet overlooked method is the single fastest way to getting lean and ripped while cutting your workout time almost in half. No joke - this technique will open up a can of whoop-ass on your workout!

 

The Most Effective Exercises Are Always Functional In Nature

Now that you know why isolated exercises aren't the answer to reaching your full fitness potential, here’s what will accelerate your muscle development, fat-loss, and performance.

When you train using full-body functional exercises with challenging weights at a high intensity, using various interval and circuit training formats -- not only will you gain real strength, but you'll build a super lean athletic body in the process.

There are several natural, primary movements that you perform in your daily life. They can be broken down into 6 patterns: push, pull, squat, dead lift, rotation and flexion / extension of torso. So, in order for an exercise to become "functional", it must incorporate at least one of the 6 primary movements.

Think about it. Your body works as a whole - the sum of it's parts - never in isolation. When's the last time you participated in any activity that required you to use only one muscle at a time? So why would you train any differently?

Performing functional exercises using your own body weight, dumbbells, barbells, and techniques used in power lifting and Olympic weightlifting is essential to gaining functional strength and boosting your metabolism. Combined with various time based intervals, repetitions, and speed, you'll be training your whole body to burn more fat and pack on lean muscle without even thinking about it.

With High Intensity Fat Burning Workouts, you'll discover which functional exercises are the biggest metabolic boosters (be prepared, you probably haven't done most of these before!). By correctly implementing these turbo-exercises into your workouts, you will finally be able to unleash your full fat-burning and muscle building potential -- getting you a stronger, leaner, and more athletic build.

http://www.askthetrainer.com/

Effective Fat Loss Running Programs

Running Exercise Program for Beginners

By Michael Behnken  

Key Tips for Beginning a Running Exercise Program: Start Off On the Right Foot! If you’re interested in information about running for beginners, there are some important things that you must be keeping in mind at all times to ensure that you see nothing but the best results from this new form of training.

Take It At a Comfortable Pace

The very best piece of advice I recommend you adhere to when beginning a running exercise program is to take it at a comfortable pace. Even if you do have a bit of background in running, don’t try and go for a 30 minute run the very first week.

Instead, build up to this. You’re going to enjoy the process a lot more if you’re doing comfortable runs and will find that you reach your end goal sooner as well.

Effective Training Methods for Runners

By Nick Prukhop 

The Runner’s Program: The reason I wanted to cover fitness training first in this series on running is that over the years I have seen way too many de- conditioned, overweight people attempting to lose weight by running before they have “learned to walk”.

Creating an Effective Running Program

By Nick Prukhop

Running by Design:Creating an effective running program is part science and part art – depending on your comfort level and preferences. For most of us we have just “laced up our new running shoes and hit the road”!

Introduction to Running: Tips & Observations

By Nick Prukop 

Introduction to Running: I have been a dedicated runner since my freshman year at Syracuse University starting in the fall of 64. This year marks the 49th year of my running life and in this spirit, I thought I would share some of my top recommendations and observations.

Top 5 Hidden Benefits of a Running Exercise Program

By Sarka-Jonae Miller 

Top 5 Hidden Benefits of a Running Exercise Program: It is a favored pastime and chosen activity for weight loss. Everyone knows that running burns a lot of calories and improves endurance.

Cardio Conditioning and Training

By Nick Prukop    

Cardio Conditioning and Training: The real power of being fit is in the ability of the cardiovascular system to perform at high levels throughout the day. The process of becoming fit is inherently tied to the heart’s ability to pump blood and oxygen to the organs, tissues, muscles, and extremities.

Top 5 Best Cardio Exercises to Lose Weight

By Sarka-Jonae Miller  

The Top 5 Best Cardio Exercises to Lose Weight: You already know that losing weight means you have to exercise, but do you know the top 5 cardio exercises for weight loss? The best cardio exercises burn significant calories per hour plus provide other benefits.

Top 5 Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

By Sarka-Jonae Miller   

The Top 5 Benefits of Aerobic Exercise exercise is often misunderstood as merely a tool for weight loss, or worse something only athletes need to do for sports performance. Aerobic exercise, also called cardio, has numerous health benefits.

Running for Weight Loss

By David Dack  

Beginning a Weight Loss Running Program: Embarking on a weight loss running program is the best approach for losing those pounds and keeping them off for good. According to many studies, running burns mad calories, boosts metabolism levels, prevents cardiovascular problems, and will help you get into the best shape.

High Intensity Interval Training

By Dr Ron Fritz  

Gain Maximum Bang For Your Exercising Buck: “Oh, the weather outside is frightful, and the fire is so delightful”.  Hey, hold the phone! While I don’t know too much about a delightful fire, I do know that most of the country is enjoying friendly, not frightful weather.

Exercises to Lose Weight Quickly

By Michael Behnken  

Is it Really Possible to Lose Weight Fast? Weight loss, and specifically long-term weight loss from fat reduction, is not a “quick” process. If you are overweight, there is a very good chance that your excess weight didn’t just magically appear overnight. In other words, if you gained weight slowly over the last few months.

Best Cardio Workout

By Michael Behnken  

Creating Effective Cardio Workouts for Results: You either love or hate cardio. There is no in-between. If you have already checked out the best cardio exercise page you know that regardless of the type of cardio exercise you do, your heart rate ultimately determines your workout intensity.

Best Cardio Machines

By Michael Behnken  

What You Need to Know About the Best Cardio Machines: Your Body is Always Ultimately Going to be the Best Cardio Machine! Whether a cardiovascular exercise is effective or not has less to do with the machine than you would think. Cardio exercise is not fun for most people, especially avid weight trainers.

Best Cardio Exercise

By Michael Behnken  

Get Fit, Ripped & Healthy with the Best Cardio Exercise: Cardio exercise is short for cardiovascular or cardiopulmonary exercise. Cardio is aerobic exercise which means in the presence of oxygen. By contrast weight training is anaerobic which means without oxygen.

Workout Routines for Beginners

By Michael Behnken    

Workout Routines – Essential Information You Must Know: Workouts and Workout Routines are Periods of Structured Continuous Exercise. Doing 20 push-ups when you wake in the morning or doing 20 sit-ups before bedtime are not workouts. Each workout usually consists of 20-90 minutes of continuous aerobic (cardio) or anaerobic (weights, sprints) exercises, or a combination of both.

http://www.askthetrainer.com/

Fat Loss and Weight Loss Tips To Get Fit Fast

Workout Tips To Get Fit Fast

 By Flavia Del Monte  

Do You Want To Get Fit Fast? Do you want some insider information to get fit fast? Of course we all want tips and tricks to get stronger, faster, leaner, quicker, and fitter. Every little tip or trick if incorporated into your fitness goals can make a huge difference. Don’t let your routines get stagnant.

Essential Criteria for Effective Diets and Workouts for Fat Loss

 By Vince Del Monte  

Essential Criteria for Effective Diets and Workouts for Fat Loss In order to lose fat, it’s crucial that your diet and workout routine are working in concert. If these two aren’t tuned to fat loss and to each other, you can just end up spining your wheels, getting nowhere.

Best Stretching and Strengthening Exercises for the Peroneal Muscles

 By Mae Barraclough

Strengthening and Stretching the Peroneal Muscles Introduction In all the hubbub in the world of leg exercises surrounding the quads, hamstrings, and calves, you may have never heard of the peroneals! These three little guys are often overlooked in favour of the more glamorous, showy leg muscles, but if you’re serious about health and fitness.

Top 5 Benefits of Body weight Training Exercises

 By Mae Barraclough

Avoid Fitness Gimmicks: Body weight Training Exercises are Still the Best Way to Get Strong and Lean You may not know much about body weight exercises. This is due to the fact that, unlike all the trendy fitness equipment out there, body weight exercises have no marketing department. Since body weight training exercises require no equipment beyond the resistance.

Balance Exercises for Seniors

 By Mae Barraclough   

Balance Exercises for Seniors Everyone from the youngest exercisers to the oldest can benefit from balance training exercises. All functional movements require a working balance system, from getting up out of your chair to walking to dancing to sprinting and everything in between. Good balance prevents injury, improves athletic performance, and eases activities and daily chores.

Overpronation Foot Problems: How to Fix Flat Feet

 By Mae Barraclough

Overpronation Foot Problems What is Overpronation? Overpronation is a pesky foot problem in which the feet roll excessively inward when you walk or run. Commonly called “flat feet”, overpronation can occur for a couple different reasons; the foot may indeed be flat, lacking an arch, or the arch may be high but collapse too far.

Weight Training Set Structure

 By Mae Barraclough  

Weight Training Set Structure: How to Structure the Sets in Your Workouts Effective Ways to Structure Weight Training Sets How you design your personal exercise program is completely up to you. There are different structures you should know about that you can use to help you meet your individual goals.

Caffeine and Exercise

 By Mae Barraclough  

Caffeine and Exercise The most widely used stimulant in the world, caffeine is found in a variety of plants as well as commonly consumed foods and drinks such as tea, chocolate, cocoa, cola, and of course, coffee. Caffeine is becoming increasingly popular among athletes, available as energy drinks, sports gels, supplements, and even injections.

 

 

Benefits of Strength Training for Women

 By Rochelle Ramirez  

Strength Training: Top Priority in Women’s Fitness Introduction Strength training does so many amazing things for the body that it should be included in everyone’s fitness program, no matter what their overall goal may be. From boosting metabolism by building muscle mass, to lessening the risks of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, strength training.

Functional Training Exercises for Beginners

 By Mae Barraclough   

Functional Training Exercises for Beginners What is Functional Training? Functional training has recently become a popular buzzword in the fitness industry. However, if you line up several trainers and ask them to define functional training, chances are you’ll get several different answers. Functional training exercises begin with body weight alone, then can be progressed with various forms of resistance and stability equipment such as resistance bands BOSU balls, stability balls, dumbbells, barbells, kettle bells, and more. The number one rule when progressing a functional training exercise  is to master the basic movement before adding resistance or instability.

Over training Syndrome

 By Mae Barraclough   

Overtraining Syndrome: The Effects of Excessive Exercise on Your Health So you’re a devoted exerciser who is always hitting the gym hard, passionately pursuing your weight training goals. Or maybe you’re a runner or cyclist logging hour after hour of training as you attempt to better your times. The underlying problem may be over-training syndrome, affecting many exercisers and athletes who push themselves hard. While it’s great to zealously pursue your fitness goals and you should be congratulated for that, you need to make sure you’re not actually going overboard. Over-training causes many physiological and psychological issues while increasing your risk of injury through entering the cumulative injury cycle.

The Ins and Outs of Exercise Cool-Downs

 By Mae Barraclough 

The Importance of a Cool-Down After Exercise Introduction For many exercisers, the cool-down is the most neglected part of a workout. Most people have never learned the reasons why a cool-down is important, much less the proper way to do a cool-down. Many of us focus on the warm-up to get ready for the harder work to come during the actual workout, then overlook balancing our workouts by getting our bodies back to an optimal resting state by cooling down. If you’re not warming up either, you need to look into that right away and make sure to add a warm up before every work out!

Best Plyo metric Training Exercises

 By Mae Barraclough   

Best Plyometric Training Exercises for Increasing Athletic Performance What is Plyometric Training? Plyometric training, also known as “reactive training” or “jump training,” employs the explosive movements of jumping, bounding, and hopping to train the neuromuscular system for efficiency, build muscular power, and increase dynamic stabilization. If you’re an athlete or just a fit person in good physical condition looking to take your performance to the next level, plyometric exercise may help you achieve your goals.

Best Foot and Ankle Exercises for Men and Women

 By Mae Barraclough  

Stabilize and Strengthen the Foot and Ankle Complex with the Best Foot and Ankle Exercises Introduction The feet and ankles provide support and shock absorption for the whole body. Stabilizing and strengthening the feet and ankles is key, adding structural integrity to the whole movement system, enhancing performance while preventing injury.

Balance Training Exercises

 By May Barraclough 

Health and Fitness Benefits of Balance Training Exercises Why is Balance Important? All functional movements, from walking down the street, to dancing, to properly executing a squat, require a working balance system. A basic definition of balance is the body being in a still state of equilibrium.

http://www.askthetrainer.com/

Exercises By Muscle Group

Lower Body

 The lower body includes the largest muscle in the body: The Gluteus Maximus. Working the glutes, along with the quads, hamstrings, calves and hips can help shape your body and keep you strong for daily activities. Get details for a variety of lower body exercises along with instructions and pictures.

Why Should You Work Your Butt, Hips and Thighs?
The lower body includes some of the largest muscles in the body, muscles that are involved in almost every movement we make, from standing and walking to running and squatting. Working these muscles means you'll not only build strength and lean-muscle tissue, but you'll also burn more calories. Strong legs will also make daily activities easier and help protect you from injury.

How Often Should You Train Your Lower Body?
Like all muscles in your body, you can perform lower-body exercises up to three nonconsecutive days a week. If you're lifting heavy weights (enough that you can only complete six to eight repetitions), you'll need two or more days of rest before you perform the exercise again. For this reason, you might only work your lower body once or twice a week. If your goal is endurance and strength, stick with 1 to 3 sets of 12 to 16 repetitions and at least one day of rest before you perform the exercises again.

 

What Exercises Should You Do?

In the study, scientists found that squats are an overall great exercise for activating the gluteus maximus and the gluteus medius. While they weren't the number one exercise for muscle activation, they still remain my personal favorite for overall lower body work.Squats are a great exercise for the glutes, hips and thighs and adding a ball to the move can add great support for the back while allowing you to get into perfect squat position to protect the knees. How to do it:

1. Stand with about hip or shoulder-width apart and place an exercise ball behind your lower back and against a sturdy wall for support.
2. If you choose to hold weights, you can keep them at your sides, hold them just over the shoulders or prop them on the upper thighs.
3. Bend the knees and lower into a squat, keeping the knees in line with the toes.
4. Lower down as far as you can (but no lower than 90 degrees) and push into the heels to go back to starting position.
5. Do 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 16 reps.

Tips:

• Keep your knees in line with your toes.
• Press through the heel of your foot as you push up from the squat.
• Avoid letting the knee bend over the toe.

http://exercise.about.com/

How to Lose Weight - The Basics of Weight Loss

At it's most basic, losing weight is about burning more calories than you eat. That seems simple enough, but if were really that simple, none of us would have a weight problem. Too often we take drastic measures to see results -- diets, pills or those weird fitness gadgets on infomercials that promise instant success. Maybe you lose weight but what happens when you go off that diet or stop that crazy workout program? You gain it all back and more. The real secret to weight loss is to make small, lasting changes. The key is to forget about instant results and settle in for the long run.

Rules of Weight Loss

To lose one pound of fat, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. That sounds like a lot of calories and you certainly wouldn't want to try to burn 3500 calories in one day. However, by taking it step-by-step, you can determine just what you need to do each day to burn or cut out those extra calories. Below is a step by step process for getting started.

1. Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to maintain basic bodily functions like breathing and digestion. This is the minimum number of calories you need to eat each day. Keep in mind that no calculator will be 100% accurate, so you may need to adjust these numbers as you learn more about your own metabolism.
2. Calculate your activity level. For a week or so, keep an activity journal and use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, lifting weights, etc. throughout the day. Another, easier option is to wear a heart rate monitor that calculates calories burned. After a week, add your totals for each day and average them out to get a general idea of how many calories you burn each day.
3. Keep track of how many calories you eat. For at least a week, enter and track your calories online (e.g., with Calorie Count) or use a food journal to write down what you eat and drink each day. Be as accurate as possible, measuring when you need to or looking up nutritional information for restaurants, if you eat out. After a week, add your totals for each day and average them out to get a general idea of how many calories you eat each day.
4. Add it up. Take your BMR number and add your activity calories. Then subtract your food calories from that total. If you're eating more than your BMR + your activity calories, you're at risk for gaining weight.

Example:

Mary's BMR is 1400 calories and she burns 900 calories with regular exercise, walking around and doing household chores. To maintain her weight, she should be eating 2300 calories (1400 + 900= 2300). However, after keeping a food journal, Mary finds that she's eating 2550 calories every day. By eating 250 more calories than her body needs, Mary will gain about a pound every 2-3 weeks.

This example shows how easy it is to gain weight without even knowing it. However, it's also easy to lose weight, even if the process itself can be slow. You can start by making small changes in your diet and activity levels and immediately start burning more calories than you're eating. If you can find a way to burn an extra 200 to 500 calories most days of the week with both exercise and diet, you're on the right track. Try these ideas:

Instead of...	Do this...
An afternoon Coke	Drink a glass of water. (calories saved: 97)
An Egg McMuffin	Eat a small whole wheat bagel +1 Tbsp of peanut butter (calories saved: 185)
Using your break eat sweets	Walk up and down a flight of stairs for 10 minutes (calories burned: 100)
Hitting the snooze button	Get up 10 minutes early and go for a brisk walk (calories burned: 100)
Watching TV after work	Do 10 minutes of yoga (calories burned: 50)

Total Calories Saved: 532 (based on a 140-pound person)

How Much Exercise Do I Need?

Exercise is an important weight loss tool, but how much you need varies from person to person. The guidelines recommend at least 250 minutes per week, which comes out to about 50 minutes, 5 days a week. If you're a beginner, start small, for example with 3 days of cardio for 15-30 minutes, gradually adding time each week to give your body time to adapt.

http://exercise.about.com/cs/weightloss/a/howtoloseweight.htm