My Fitness Hut Blog

Get A Lean And Toned Body!

2009-11-20T18:36:00.021-06:00

The way to get a lean and toned body is not very complicated! Be consistent with your fitness program and you will get and stay lean and toned!

Here are some tips to get your body lean and toned:

1. If you want fat loss, weight loss and a lean and toned body then you MUST eat for fat loss! Everyone needs a meal plan! You need to have some sort of idea of what you are going to eat for the day. If you don't have a meal plan, you might eat anything at any time! If you have a plan, you are more likely to follow it or at least eat similar foods. And, record what you eat in a food journal to hold yourself accountable.

2. Burn more fat by working large muscle groups, not by working out longer! Maximize your time in the gym and get the results you want! The quality of your workouts are better than the quantity of your workouts!

Shorten your weight training workouts to 50 minutes (3 days a week) or less and ramp up the intensity! Doing this will give you more fat burn and calorie burn during and after your workout!

Compound strength exercises (with weights or bodyweight) like squats, deadlift, lunges, standing bentover rows, squat-to curl-to press and bench press are great examples. Full-body core exercises like planks and side planks work well also. Spend less time posing on "mirror exercises" like bicep curls, calf raises and tricep extensions.

3. Do short, intense cardio workouts (about 20 minutes, 3 days a week)! Sprint Intervals or similar cardio exercises activate and shape the bulkier, shapely fast-twitch muscle fibers. This type of cardio will also burn fat and calories like crazy and give you superior heart health!

4. Walk 30 minutes every day, especially on your non-workout days. Walking helps you to keep an active lifestyle.

Consistently do these 4 things and you WILL have the lean and toned body of your dreams!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Farmer's Walk Exercise Builds Core Strength

2009-11-18T17:43:00.039-06:00

Ever heard of the farmer's walk exercise (think farmer walking with heavy milk containers)!? Do the farmer's walk exercise to primarily improve core strength (especially back strength), grip strength and burn fat. The exercise can be done to improve maximal strength or to improve endurance strength (at a distance, timed or untimed).

Do the farmer's walk exercise by picking up a dumbbell in each hand. Pick up the dumbbells by deadlifting them (to protect your back) or lifting them from the weight rack. Hold each dumbbell with your arms extended by your sides and walk!

If you are doing the farmer's walk exercise to improve maximal strength, you will use heavy dumbbells. The combined weight of the dumbbells should be about equal to your body weight. You may have to work your way up to this amount of weight by improving your deadlift, squat and grip strength. Grip strength can be improved by lifting with thick barbells, doing plate pinches or squeezing hand grippers.

Walk about 10-15 yards, stop and set the dumbbells down or let them drop. Rest for 1-2 minutes and walk back. That is 1 repetition. Use good upright posture and look straight ahead while walking! Never lean forward or jut your head forward while walking!

If you are trying to build serious strength, work up to walking with each dumbbell being equal to your bodyweight weight (or more)!

If you are trying to improve endurance strength, do the farmer's walk with lighter dumbbells. Experiment with the dumbbell weight amount so you are challenged. The distance would be increased to 30-40 yards. To challenge yourself more, do timed farmer's walk intervals.

Add the farmer's walk exercise to your routine!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Quick Weight Loss vs. Optimal Health, Part 2

2009-11-17T17:08:00.028-06:00

Quick weight loss implies that it's something that probably won't last! Health should be stressed before weight loss and beauty! It does you no good to look great if your body is a total wreck and unhealthy!

Optimal health involves making lifestyle changes to improve your:

1. health
2. fitness
3. energy levels
4. quality of life

We are living longer on this earth so quality of life is important!

The "quick weight loss lifestyle" is narrow minded when you compare it to the "optimal health lifestyle!"

Quick weight loss leads to slowed metabolism, a weaker immune system, hormonal imbalances, loss of lean mass, increased body fat, decreased energy levels, disrupted sleep patterns, short-term results and yo-yo dieting!

I'll take the optimal health option any day over quick weight loss!

So, here are some tips to help you achieve your best health and fitness:

1. Make a commitment TODAY to a lifestyle of health and fitness! Without this commitment, you will eventually go back to short-term solutions like quick weight loss!

2. Make the needed changes to your eating habits! Severely limit foods like sugars, processed foods, fast foods, fat-filled packaged foods, etc. Eat more foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meats. Get help with your meal plan if needed! Get your nutrition mainly from food! Add in supplements like multivitamins and fish oil to support your meal plan and improve your health.

3. Commit to regular exercise and an active lifestyle! Walk as much as you can everyday!

4. Get enough rest! If you don't sleep enough, your body won't function as well as it could--that means about 7-8 hours of sleep every night for most people.

5. Schedule that doctor's appointment to see where your health stands! High blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. can be controlled, if needed.

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Quick Weight Loss vs. Optimal Health, Part 1

2009-11-16T19:22:00.030-06:00

The hazzards of the quick weight loss lifestyle and the benefits of the optimal health lifestyle were on full display this past weekend at Nutrilite Health Institute!

Nutrilite has been in existence for 75 years and is the only company that organically grows all its own plants which are used to produce their own nutritional products for optimal health! If you're looking for quick weight loss products, Nutrilite can't help you! Nutrilite researches, grows and produces its own scientifically healthy products!

My Fitness Hut and 8 other health bloggers (pictured above) were privileged to be invited to Nutrilite Health Institute in Buena Park, California! I was already familiar with some of Nutrilite's great products but not fully enlightened about what they are trying to accomplish.

Before I continue, let me state that I DO NOT SELL NUTRILITE PRODUCTS, so there is no profit motive for me to write about them!

But, you know that I have always stressed health before weight loss and beauty! I have constantly stressed that it does you no good to look great if your body is a total wreck and unhealthy!

So what is Nutrilite all about? They want you to achieve optimal health! Optimal health is defined by Dr. Duke Johnson, the author of the book, The Optimal Health Revolution.

Dr. Johnson (a great speaker) defines optimal health as:

"Optimal Health is the best health you are capable of, given your past and your genetic heritage."

Nutrilite's goal is to help you achieve optimal health. The following quote is on the wall at the Nutrilite Health Institute:

My Fitness Hut could not say it any better! Stay tuned this week and learn more about a great company!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

The Seated Cable Row Exercise

2009-11-13T18:01:00.010-06:00

The seated cable row exercise should be a staple of your back strengthening routine! For many, too little time is spent on strengthening the back muscles. When you don't adequately strengthen your back muscles, you are affecting your pulling potential. And, to have good upper body muscular balance, you need to work your backside as well as your frontside.

The back muscles targeted during the seated cable row exercise are the latissimus dorsi, teres major, middle trapezius and rhomboids.

Follow these steps to properly execute the seated cable row exercise:

1) Maintain the natural arch in your spine throughout the exercise. Sit up straight (with your chest and head up at all times), draw your navel in toward your spine and retract your shoulder blades together pulling them back and down. Pull the weight back with your shoulders first in order to activate your back muscles. You don't want the seated cable row to turn into an arm exercise.

2) Don't lock your knees when resting your feet on the platform. Keep your legs slightly bent.

3) Keeping your elbows close to your body, pull the weight towards your midsection to work the larger latissimus dorsi muscles more . A high pull will give more work to the smaller back muscles.

4) Keep all movements smooth when pulling the weight and reversing the motion. That is one repetition.

Don't neglect your back muscles!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Exercise With Quality Footwear!

2009-11-11T17:27:00.024-06:00

Exercise with quality footwear! Do I even need to say NOT TO EXERCISE WITH CHEAP SHOES! Based on what I see at health clubs, alot of people exercise with cheap shoes!

Do you have feet that are flat, low-arched or high-arched? Then, you need quality footwear to protect and support your feet! You might even need insoles to support your feet.

Also, you need footwear that supports your activities. Are you a runner, tennis player, basketball player, soccer player, raquetball player or lacrosse player? Buy the footwear that you need! I love the "old school Converse sneakers" but you might not want to run a marathon using those sneakers!

Due to the science and technology that goes into making quality exercise footwear, you will pay good money for them. But, the amount of money you pay is worth avoiding painful foot injuries! Make the investment in your feet! And, when your footwear begins to wear out, replace those old comfortable shoes!

If you have serious foot problems, get shoe recommendations from your podiatrist or footwear expert.

If you don't exercise with quality footwear, you can expect:

1. shin splints

2. Plantar Fasciitis

3. various toe, foot and heel injuries

4. ankle sprains

5. biomechanical problems

6. various muscle strains and sprains

If you need a footwear store that has quality footwear for just about any fitness activity, then visit my friends at Fitness Footwear!

Belly Fat Threatens Your Health!

2009-11-10T18:30:00.019-06:00

You have heard that belly fat (abdominal fat) threatens your health! Belly fat has been associated with contributing to such diseases as cancer. That is serious stuff!

Belly fat causes other health problems too! Scientist have learned much more about fat cells (adipose tissue) than ever before. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that abdominal fat cells secrete inflammatory proteins that cause damage to blood vessels and other cells.

Wait, there's more! These inflammatory chemicals secreted by belly fat cells are implicated in the development of coronary artery disease and Metabolic Syndrome! That is why personal trainers and health professionals always measure body fat with a special emphasis placed on your belly fat!

So, being fit and healthy is much more than just losing weight! Don't ever try a quick weight loss program again! Fit and healthy means just that! You can look slim and trim and still be unhealthy! Having high body fat, especially belly fat, is not healthy!

Weight loss management works along with fat loss management. Regular strength training, cardio exercise and a good meal plan will help you burn fat (lose inches), speed up your metabolism and lose the weight for good! No more yo-yo dieting and regaining that weight!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Eat Enough To Build Muscle And Burn Fat

2009-11-09T17:09:00.010-06:00

Eat enough to build muscle and burn fat. You do this by following your meal plan based on your basal metabolic rate and level of daily activity. You won't get consistent muscle growth without eating enough calories---consistently!!

Don't be so concerned about weight loss that you fail to eat enough! You need to build muscle which will speed up your metabolism, burn fat and keep the weight off! The weight will stay off because you will eventually have that lean and toned body. Fuel your body throughout the day with consistent meals every 3-4 hours. This will give you enough energy to live and workout!

If you want your muscles to grow, FEED YOUR MUSCLES CONSISTENTLY! Just lifting weights is not enough to grow your muscles and become lean and muscular! And, on the days you do lift weights, its best to eat before and after your workout. Read my post on Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition.

And, you know my take on supplements: try to get the nutrition you need from food. Save your money! Don't depend on supplements to significantly build your body up and burn fat!

And, to stop your muscles from breaking down (catabolizing) while you sleep 7-8 hours, a healthy night-time snack or protein drink before you go to sleep is needed. When your body is fasting, your muscles will take the hit. Just ALWAYS remember to follow your meal plan!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Tabata Training For Fat Loss

2009-11-07T13:20:00.022-06:00

Tabata training for fat loss might sound weird but it can be a
time-effective, fat loss training tool for you to use! If you're looking for ways to change up your exercise program, try Tabata training.

Tabata training was developed by Izumi Tabata, Ph.D. in Tokyo. Tabata is a very intense interval training technique. It is a great way to burn more calories and fat during and after your workout! You will need one exercise and 4 minutes! Yes, only 4 minutes!

Tabata training works this way:

1. After a 5 minute warmup, choose an exercise like squat-to curl-to press or medicine ball front chop.

2. Do as many repetitions as you can for 20 seconds.

3. Rest for 10 seconds.

4. Repeat this cycle for 4 minutes! Make sure to maintain correct form as you get fatigued! You will be exhausted at the end!

As you progress, you can add more time but keep the 2-to-1 work to rest ratio. For instance, you could do a 30 sec./15 sec. work to rest ratio. You could also speed up your repetitions to make Tabata training even more intense!

I have also used the Tabata training technique at the beginning or end of a 20-minute workout. Just use the first or last 4 minutes of your 20-minute workout and do Tabata training!

Do Tabata training no more than 2 times a week. Go ahead and try Tabata training!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Burn More Fat With MUST DO Strength Exercises!

2009-11-04T06:57:00.019-06:00

There are some strength exercises that you MUST DO if you want to burn more fat and sculpt your lean body! Don't make the mistake of always looking for "new strength exercises!" What you need are effective, muscle-building strength exercises that will primarily build large muscle groups.

Strength exercises for fat loss should focus on maximizing your time at the gym...build more muscle mass to speed up your metabolism and burn more fat.

To recruit more muscle fibers during workouts and improve your success, focus more on MULTI-JOINT OR COMPOUND EXERCISES.

COMPOUND EXERCISES will help you burn more fat because you are working large muscle groups in your body. For example, the largest muscle in the body is the gluteus maximus and squats/lunges would target this area (among other areas). You will also burn more calories after your workout.

Examples of SINGLE-JOINT EXERCISES are biceps curl, seated calf raise, leg extension, leg curl and triceps pushdowns. Spend less of your time on these exercises.

Here are some strength exercises that you MUST DO:

1. Squats - Bodyweight, dumbbell or barbell....do your squats!

2. Deadlift - Deadlift is a must for your exercise program. It is also one of the best ways to build muscle thickness in your lower back. Lower back fat and injuries plague many people.

3. One-arm dumbbell rows and Pullups - These two are a must for any routine so I'm counting them as one exercise.

4. Clock Lunges - Clock lunges work your body in all planes of motion. Lunge with your right leg at 12 o’clock, 2 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 5 o’clock and 6 o’clock. That’s 1 repetition for your right leg. Lunge with your left leg at 12 o’clock, 10 o’clock, 9 o’clock, 7 o’clock and 6 o’clock. That’s 1 repetition for left leg. Maintain upright posture throughout to improve core strength.

5. Dumbbell Chest Press on Ball - Doing the chest press on the ball forces you to balance while lifting. Each arm also has to do equal work.

6. I also include exercises like standing shoulder presses, step ups, pushups on medicine ball and tricep bar dips in my workouts.

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Burn More Fat With Plyometrics

2009-11-03T07:04:00.011-06:00

If you're having trouble burning fat, then try plyometric exercises. Because of the intensity of plyometrics (jump training), you will burn more fat and better sculpt your body.

Plyometric exercises not only burn more fat, they also improve your power, or speed strength (how fast your muscles can produce force).

Here are some good plyometric exercises to help you burn more fat and sculpt your body.

1. In Place Vertical Jumps, full speed, Double Leg, 3 sets/10, 2 minutes rest between sets

2. Depth Jumps, 2 sets/10, 2 minutes rest between sets

3. Bounding and Lateral Bounding, full speed, 2 sets of each/10, 2 minutes rest between sets

4. Lateral Cone Jumps, full speed, 2 sets/10 each side, 1 minute rest between sets

5. Standing Long Jumps (pictured above), full speed, 2 sets/10, 2 minutes rest between sets

6. Dumbbell Calf Raises, full speed, 3 sets/25, 2 minutes rest between sets

Do a plyometric workout no more than 2 days a week because of the full speed intensity of this type of workout.

Avoid knee injuries by perfecting jumping and landing techniques before progressing to full speed plyometric workouts.

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Intense, Fat-Burning, Speed-Based Workouts

2009-11-02T15:48:00.025-06:00

Intense, fat-burning, speed-based workouts give you maximum benefits in minimum time! One 20-minute, speed-based workout will burn tons of calories and fat---during and after your workout!

Speed-based workouts don't have to be "running only" workouts. But, running sprints are usually included in a speed-based workout. Working out at a fast pace has been proven to shape and sculpt your body better because these type of workouts activate your bulkier, shapely fast twitch muscle fibers.

If you are going to use a fat-burning, speed-based workout, you need to learn correct running mechanics! Many people I see running have terrible running mechanics! Bad running mechanics make your workouts inefficient and many times lead to injuries.

You should master the basic running mechanics to become faster and more efficient. Posture, arm action and leg action are keys to improving your speed and efficiency.

Other fat-burning, speed-based exercises you can do during your workout are jumps, medicine ball exercises and agility drills. Master bodyweight speed exercises before progressing to assisted or weight-bearing speed exercises.

Your body also needs adequate strength (including core strength) and speed strength (power) for you to reach your running speed potential.

Running and jumping will not give you the leg strength you will need to sculpt your legs and improve your running speed. You should strengthen your legs with exercises like squats, step ups and lunges because these exercises use the same pathways that it takes to run with speed.

And, don't forget about your calf muscles. Your calf muscles provide at least 30% of the strength and power it takes to run fast. Use speed calf raises (seated or standing) to strengthen the calves.

You have to train fast to get faster, burn more fat and better sculpt your body! Too much distance running will defeat your goal of improving your speed. When training for speed, distance running should be kept to a minimum because it reduces explosiveness.

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Top 5 Butt Blaster Cardio Exercises

2009-10-30T15:52:00.008-05:00

Every one needs butt blaster exercises to either tone your butt or keep your butt toned! You can use cardio to blast the butt fat and overall body fat----just do the right type and intensity...top cardio exercises to blast butt, hips and thighs fat are:

1. Sprint Intervals: Sprinting activates and shapes the bulkier, shapely fast-twitch muscle fibers. Just check out the sprinters at the next track meet you attend and see how toned their butt, hips and thighs are. You may not go to that extreme, but you get the idea! Do your sprints:

--on grass (incline)
--on grass (flat surface)
--on sand
--on astroplay
--DO NOT RUN ON CONCRETE, ASPHALT OR OTHER HARD SURFACES

If you play soccer, it is a great change-of-pace exercise activity.....basically, all you do is sprint and jog the whole game.

2. Leg Circuits (also a strength and/or power exercise).

3. Intervals on Stepmill or Stadium Steps

4. Intervals on Treadmill

5. Intervals on Bike (preferably outside)

6. Forget about doing cardio on elliptical machines. There's just not enough benefit when it comes to burning fat---especially butt, hips and thighs fat.

When you have a choice, choose non-machine cardio. That way, you won't have a machine generating momentum for you. Don't go beyond 30 minutes on a cardio session---20 minutes is better because you can push yourself harder.

Leg circuit cardio is great because you can incorporate exercises like squats, lunges, step ups and jumps. And, to get even more fat burn, do some of these exercises as full speed power exercises. Make sure you have mastered proper jumping and landing techniques before incorporating power exercises into your cardio routine. Again, all it takes is 20 minutes per session.

Its pretty simple. Just do 3-4 days per week of intense cardio and you will tone and sculpt your butt, hips and thighs!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Top 5 Weight Loss Plateau Busters

2009-10-29T06:34:00.017-05:00

A weight loss plateau will happen to you at some point in your "exercise career!" If you're frustrated with having "no progress" in your weight loss and fat loss, then you're not alone!

Usually, its easier to lose weight at the beginning of your exercise program. This is especially true if you are, let's say, 120 pounds overweight. At this point, your metabolism is "running high" because of the excess weight. And, if you have not been active, your body will respond quickly to any new exercise program.

As time moves on, you have to make frequent changes (like weekly or bi-weekly) to your exercise routine/eating habits or your body will adapt. That's when you reach a weight loss plateau and your progress begins to stall.

So, here are my Top 5 Weight Loss Plateau Busters (Note: make sure you are following your meal plan or make needed changes):

1. Get off of the weight machines and bust through your weight loss plateau! Machines do too much of the work for you and many of the exercises are done sitting down. Many times, you're not engaging enough muscle groups when you work out on machines.....so it means less calories burned, less muscles developed and less weight loss/fat loss. Don't be afraid to try new exercises (bodyweight, dumbbell and barbell exercises)!

2. Do as many compound strength exercises (with weights or bodyweight) standing up as possible. These types of exercises work major muscle groups and many times are full-body strength exercises. This helps you workout with more intensity and burn more calories. You will also build more muscle and speed up your metabolism.

Squats, deadlift, lunges, standing bentover rows, squat-to curl-to press and bench press are great examples. Full-body core exercises like planks and side planks work well also. Spend less time posing on "mirror exercises" like bicep curls, calf raises and tricep extensions.

3. You have to work with enough weight to overload your muscles and build muscle! In other words, working out with 5 pound dumbbells won't get the job done (unless you are a beginner). You don't have to "max out" during your workouts but you need to challenge your body and ramp up the intensity.

4. Full-body medicine ball exercises like chops and throws are great for busting through your weight loss plateau. These exercises are also very intense, especially if done at full speed.

5. Train your muscles in all 3 planes of motion. Your body is 3-D so you need to train it that way. It will also help your dynamic balance to train in all 3 planes. Challenging your body in all planes of motion increases difficulty and helps you burn more calories.

Make needed changes and bust through your weight loss plateau!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Fat Loss Frequently Asked Questions

2009-10-28T05:41:00.023-05:00

There's 2 things about fat loss frequently asked questions, 1) you need to ask the right fat loss questions and 2) you need to recognize the right fat loss answers when you see them! Why? Because there is alot of bad information out there about fat loss and weight loss! Some of that bad information will give you short-term solutions (such as rapid weight loss) but long-term failure!

If you want the right answers, you've come to the right place! First, you need to know my belief statement about fitness:

“Make a lifetime commitment to health and fitness. This commitment trumps all other fitness commitments. Without it, you will always fall prey to the inevitable obstacles and pitfalls along the way.”

With this statement as background, here are answers to my top fat loss frequently asked questions.

1. Do you need fat loss supplements? You don't need fat loss supplements to burn fat and lose weight! A combination of strength training, cardio training and good nutrition will give you the lean and toned body you want. Save your money!

2. What about fat loss surgery? Some surgeries such as liposuction and mesotherapy may give you some TEMPORARY relief from your subcutaneous (just underneath the skin) body fat. Liposuction is actually meant to remove deep fat tissue (visceral fat). Again, a combination of strength training, cardio training and good nutrition will give you the lean and toned body you want.

3. Is there specific fat loss exercise? High intensity circuit weight training and high intensity interval cardio (HIIT) have been proven to be effective for long-term fat loss and weight loss provided you have a good fat loss meal plan.

4. What about fat loss vs. muscle loss? You will burn fat while building muscle if you combine strength training, cardio training and good nutrition. That's all there is to it! No shortcuts!

5. Are there any fat loss secrets? No secrets! Just hard, smart workouts, a good nutrition plan and perseverance. See #4 above.

Read the rest of my fat loss frequently asked questions!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Burn More Fat With Challenging Exercises

2009-10-27T17:30:00.005-05:00

If you want to burn more fat, do more challenging exercises! Challenge yourself with exercises that test your balance, coordination, strength and flexibility! This might require that you put that old favorite workout on the shelf and try something new! If you do, I guarantee you will burn more fat and lose more weight!

Try some of these challenging exercises:

1. Incorporate many one-legged exercises such as power step ups, single leg squats, single leg good mornings, single leg medicine ball exercises, etc. These types of exercises are more intense than two-legged exercises.

2. Include exercises with your eyes closed to improve limb position sense (proprioception). This will also help you burn more fat and calories!

3. Exercise your body in all 3 planes of motion to improve multi-planar balance. An example would be a grouping of walking lunges, side lunges and transverse lunges.

4. Exercise on different surfaces such as grass, sand, astro-play and soft surfaces to add more challenge.

5. Do combinations of one-arm and one-leg exercises such as single leg squat-to-single arm shoulder press.

6. Jump rope every day using different variations---two feet, one foot, shuffle, etc. Jumping rope is one of the best body coordination exercises out there. And, speed jump rope is even better to burn more fat.

7. Quickness and agility drills will burn fat like crazy and improve your dynamic balance.

Balance training also improves your core strength.

Challenge yourself more and watch the fat melt away!

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"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Tone Ab Obliques With Side Plank

2009-10-26T17:41:00.018-05:00

Tone your ab oblique muscles and strengthen your deep core muscles with the side plank. You will also burn your belly fat!

External Oblique - these muscles are on the side and front of the abdomen and wrap around your waist.

Internal Oblique - these muscles lie under the external oblique and run in the opposite direction.

--Lie sideways on your left side.

--Raise your body, resting on your forearm and side of foot. Keep your right leg on top of the left leg. Keep your body stiff and brace your torso (as if taking a punch). Keep your head in line with your torso (don't let your head drop or jut out).

--Hold for the required count. Relax and repeat again. Do all repetitions on one side and then switch to the other side.

You can do exercises like planks, side planks, bridges and cobras up to 4 times a week. They will sculpt your abs and protect your low back from injury!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Burn Abdominal Fat With Medicine Ball Front Chop

2009-10-23T18:15:00.009-05:00

Burn more of the dreaded abdominal fat with the medicine ball front chop! This exercise is also a great full body exercise that you can do as a regular strength exercise or power (full-speed) exercise. Because of speed and intensity, power exercises help you burn more fat during and after your workout.

Besides burning abdominal fat and helping sculpt your six pack abs, medicine ball front chops are great for improving your flexibility. Medicine ball exercises help you to exercise with natural movements. Your training needs to give you a body that you can use in every day life. Tight, rigid muscles will lead you to many injuries!

Grab a medicine ball about 10% of your body weight. You might need a lighter ball if you are a beginner or have been inactive. Shoot for 3-4 sets of 20 repetitions (if doing this as a power exercise, then do 8-10 repetitions).

--Stand with your feet slightly greater than shoulder width apart.

--Keep your arms straight but don't lock your elbows.

--Hold the medicine ball above your head.

--Bend forward at the waist (into a squat position) and mimic throwing the ball between your legs (don't throw ball). Keep your back straight and your head in line with your torso (don't let head drop down or rise up)

--Reverse the movement and stand with the ball above your head. That's 1 repetition.

Try this exercise at home!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Eat Healthy Fats, Burn Body Fat

2009-10-22T15:15:00.012-05:00

Don't confuse eating healthy fats with your body fat! You need to eat healthy dietary fats every day! How much (or how little) body fat you have depends on how many calories you eat and burn every day.

At one time, health experts encouraged people to eat very little dietary fat to avoid "getting fat!" Of course, the issue is that maintaining your daily caloric surplus causes you to gain weight and fat.

First, you need fats (one of the macronutrients) in your diet for your body to function properly. Get about 20% of total daily calories from fats. Eat very little or no trans fats or saturated fats. Eating too many (and too often) trans fats and saturated fats will land you in the doctor's office with heart and cholesterol problems!

Focus mainly on eating heart-healthy unsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) can lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower total cholesterol. Good sources of MUFAs are nuts (especially raw), nut butters, olives, olive oil, avocados, safflower oil, peanut oil and canola oil.

Polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) are also good for you---especially the omega-3 fats found in cold-water fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, trout and white tuna. Flaxseed and walnuts are also good sources of omega-3 fats. Eat more omega-3 fats and less omega 6 fats. Too much omega 6 fat intake can lead to inflammation that causes arthritis, cancer and heart disease. Sources of omega-6 fats are soybean oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, corn oil, sesame oil and cottonseed oil. Conjugated linoleic acid(CLA) fats found in red meat and dairy are also good for you provided they come from grass-fed cattle. Another option would be to supplement your diet with fish oil.

Limit eating saturated fats. Some sources of saturated fats are beef, poultry, pork, dairy, lard, cocoa butter, coconut oil and palm oil. Moderation is the key to eating saturated fats. Dark chocolate has become popular for its disease-fighting antioxidant qualities. So, I guess it would be a good "cheat food" (but not too much!).

Severely limit trans fats! Manufacturers of food love trans fats because they extend the shelf-life of food products and make them taste great! You've heard me say this--"if its fried, let it slide." Let these bad boys go too---fast foods, chips, cookies, packaged pastries, hydrogenated margarine and shortening. Some fast food chains have started to cut out trans fats. Check out their websites to see the nutritional breakdown of different restaurants.

Count the calories with fatty foods just like any other food. For example, nuts are good for you but they are loaded with calories. A handful of raw almonds will do the trick for you!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Burn More Fat With Power Exercise Workouts!

2009-10-21T18:36:00.009-05:00

Burn more fat with power exercise workouts and shorten your workouts! Many of you just need to ramp up your workouts to get past your fat loss plateau! Try a power exercise workout 1 time a week to start out and you will burn more fat during and after your workout! Make your whole workout one power exercise after the other! The ultimate advanced level workout! Its definitely not for beginners! And, all it takes is 45 minutes to 1 hour! You might need 2 days to recover!

Remember that power is the ability to exert maximum muscle force in the shortest amount of time (rate-of-force production). Because power exercises are so intense and done full speed, they are great for burning body fat. Among other benefits, power exercises recruit more muscle fibers (mainly fast-twitch bulky fibers) more frequently which helps the fat-burning process. Recruiting your fast-twitch muscle fibers during your workouts will give you a more lean, toned looking body.

Here is a power workout that I have done frequently (do all exercises at full speed with little or no rest between exercises):

Warmup - Jump rope, 3 minutes; Butt Kickers, 2 minutes

Sprints - 8/60 yards each (sprint, walk back and immediately sprint again)

Medicine Ball Chops - 10 repetitions each side

Power Step Ups - 10 repetitions each leg

Push Ups - 20 repetitions

Squat Jumps or Mountain Climbers - 10 repetitions

Bentover Rows - 10 repetitions

Rest 3 minutes and repeat circuit.

There are plenty of other power exercises you could choose. Try it sometime!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Top 5 Fat Burning, Body Sculpting Tips

2009-10-20T17:28:00.032-05:00

My Top 5 Fat Burning and Body Sculpting Tips will show you how to shape and tone your body all day---not just during your workout! Take advantage of all the time you have available to you during the day to burn more fat and sculpt your body! I will assume you know that you MUST follow your fat burning meal plan to be successful with any fitness program!

So, with that in mind, here is the Top 5 Fat Burning and Body Sculpting Tips!

1. Posture – Sitting, Standing, Walking and Running - Brace your torso all the time (like you’re preparing to take a punch in the gut). This is great core work all day, every day!

2. Running and Jump Training – Running and jump exercises activate the bulkier, shapely fast-twitch muscle fibers. Sprints are great and so are plyometric exercises (squat jumps are an example) when you are physically ready for them.

3. Jump Rope Exercises – Jump rope is a very underrated exercise that is good for fat burning, total body sculpting, hand-eye coordination and balance. You can jump rope every day (two feet, one foot, shuffle, slalom, alternating feet, etc.). Speed jump roping is even better!

4. Medicine Ball Exercises – Play with your medicine balls as much as possible! Medicine ball exercises are athletic in nature and shape your body in all 3 planes of motion. Do as many of these exercises in a standing position to burn more fat and better sculpt your body. These exercises are good for warm-up and workouts.

5. Bodyweight Exercises – Squats, Lunges, Pull-ups, Chin-ups, Triceps Dips on Bars, Pushups, Planks, Bridges, Cobras, Mountain Climbers, etc. really burn fat and naturally sculpt your body. Bodyweight exercises force you to balance and stabilize your body with no help from machines! And you can do them at home while watching television!

So you see, you can do much more than your 40-50 minute workout to burn fat and sculpt your body! Get started today!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Top 10 Weight Loss Tips

2009-10-19T17:30:00.013-05:00

The Top 10 Weight Loss Tips will help you keep the weight off! If you're looking for quick weight loss tactics, this article is not for you! To get real weight loss (not just quick water weight loss), you MUST include fat loss. This takes time folks! Go ahead and make the commitment to consistent exercise and changed eating habits!

So, here we go....The Top 10 Weight Loss Tips:

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #1 Make a commitment to a lifetime of fitness, weight loss and fat loss. This commitment trumps all other fitness commitments. Without it, you will always fall prey to the inevitable obstacles and pitfalls along the way. Get your motivation right!

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #2 Be willing to change your eating habits! Sixty to 70% of your weight loss/fat loss success or failure will depend on good nutrition. Get to know your body and what types of food you are better off not eating. For example, grains/starchy carbohydrates cause some people to not make progress with fat loss.

You must burn more calories than you consume (caloric deficit is needed over time) in order to lose weight and burn body fat. This is the law of thermodynamics. Even if you are a "workout warrior," the law of thermodynamics still apply. You cannot eat as much as you want (or maintain a caloric surplus) and still lose weight! On the opposite end, you can't starve yourself and expect to succeed long-term with weight loss and fat loss. Starvation will cause your body to go into survival mode and store fat!

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #3 A weight loss pill, patch or cream will not make you lose fat and weight! You’ve seen the ads for diet patches or creams that claim to melt away the pounds. Don’t believe them. There’s nothing you can wear or apply to your skin that will cause you to lose weight. Try your best to get the nutrition you need from the food you eat! Save your money! Supplements have no long-term effect on fat loss and weight loss!

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #4 You must change your body composition! You must increase muscle mass to become a “fat-burning machine.” A pound of muscle burns up to 50 extra daily calories! So, your metabolism will speed up when you build muscle. Concentrate on compound (multi-joint) strength exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges, bench press, planks and rows because they work and build more muscle groups. Do less single-joint exercises like biceps curls and tricep extensions.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #5 You must do more than cardio exercise to burn body fat, lose weight and change your body composition to “lean and toned!” Your muscles will waste away on those cardio machines if that’s all you do! Your body will not be toned! Some of the best fat-burning, body-toning cardio exercises are sprinting on grass, bodyweight cardio exercises (like mountain climbers), stepmill and jump rope.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #6 Keep a food journal. This will help you keep track of your eating habits and help you make needed changes. Here is another fact: research has proven that you will have a better chance of succeeding with your meal plan if you keep a food journal! By logging your actual food choices, you are holding yourself accountable throughout the day. You will also be forced to plan your meals better. A food journal will also help you control emotional eating and binge eating!

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #7 Find out your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Your BMR is the amount of daily calories your body needs to maintain itself. You will use this amount and your daily activity level to set your daily menu. If you use severe calorie restriction (i.e., don’t eat enough), your body will store fat because it will think you are starving. And, you don’t want to lose muscle, you want to lose fat!

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #8 Find an accountability partner such as friend, spouse or personal trainer. This is also a critical step to help you succeed. Don’t try to do your exercise program alone!

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #9 Get a fitness assessment performed by a certified personal trainer to identify your postural deficiencies, muscle imbalances, etc. You need to get started on your program the right way! The trainer can also tailor the program to your individual needs. Two people following the same program can get different results. A personal trainer will take your “body type” into account when designing a fitness program.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #10 Fat loss is more important than weight loss!
If you lose major poundage without strength training, most of your weight loss will be muscle mass. And, this will “slow down” your metabolism. That is why you see some people who are "skinny-fat" (skinny with high body fat). The goal should be to have a “lean and toned” body!

There you go......start burning fat and losing weight the right way! Your body will thank you and you'll look great!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Eat For Fat Loss

2009-10-15T06:40:00.002-05:00

If you want fat loss then you MUST eat for fat loss! Everyone needs a meal plan! You need to have some sort of idea of what you are going to eat for the day. If you don't have a meal plan, you might eat anything at any time! If you have a plan, you are more likely to follow it or at least eat similar foods.

Haphazard eating or grazing is probably the biggest killer of meal plans! And, if you don't have a meal plan, grazing with high-calorie and high-fat foods will skyrocket your calories day after day.....you know where that leads.....

Its the same story folks, a caloric imbalance is the cause of weight gain (consuming more calories than you burn in a day). If you want to speed up your metabolism and burn more calories then exercise regularly (strength training and cardio exercise). Also, eat right and often. Eating small meals every 3-4 hours will keep your metabolism humming and will keep your body from shifting to "starvation mode" (storing fat).

As the week goes by, compare what you eat to your grocery list and planned menus. Another key to your success is to record what you eat in a food journal. This will hold you accountable on a daily basis. Step by step, day by day, week by week...stay with your grocery list and meal plan most of the time and you will succeed!

You can get a FREE Meal Plan with my e-course!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Medicine Ball Lateral Lunges Shapes Hips and Thighs

2009-10-13T21:20:00.018-05:00

The medicine ball lateral lunge will shape your hips and thighs better than popular seated exercises. This exercise works the often neglected frontal plane (lateral movement) of motion.

If you want to shape your hips and thighs faster, do more medicine ball lateral lunges! Get rid of the “saddle bag hips” and “jiggling-jelly thighs!

The seated hip adductor and hip abductor machine exercises don't match up to a standing exercise like the medicine ball lateral lunge. You will get more fat-burning and calorie-burning benefits from doing the medicine ball lateral lunge.

Matter of fact, do as many compound strength exercises (with weights or bodyweight) standing up as possible. These types of exercises work major muscle groups and many times are full-body strength exercises. Squats, deadlift and lunges are great examples.

If you have stubborn lower body fat, medicine ball lateral lunges done as part of a leg circuit workout is a tried and true method to burn more leg fat, increase strength/endurance and improve heart health. You will also have toned glutes, hips, thighs and calves if you stay with it!

The medicine ball lateral lunge also trains you to move correctly in the lateral direction. Many knee ACL injuries occur when you place too much stress on your knees and not enough stress on your hips during deceleration. In other words, your hips are often under-used during exercise movements.

What exercises have you used to tone your hips and thighs?

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Top 10 Fat Loss Tips

2009-10-12T17:43:00.011-05:00

You need my Top 10 Fat Loss Tips to simplify the fat loss and weight loss process! Even though fat loss is not rocket science, you still need a simple plan to follow day-in and day-out!

How many times have you followed your meal plan and exercise program all week and then blown it on the weekend by going on an eating binge!? Or, how many fad diets have you tried and failed! Or, how many times have you lost 25 pounds really fast and then regained 50 pounds really fast! Staying on your fat loss and weight loss track through all the events of life can sometimes throw you off kilter....

So, fat loss and weight loss is not rocket science but it is based on basic science, experience and good old common sense!

Read the Top 10 Fat Loss article!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!