The Fat Burning Zone Myth Uncovered

The concept of a 'fat burning zone' (as you will see on a technical looking graph on the cardio equipment in the gym) implies that you should work out less hard to burn more fat.   A tempting concept?  Why work out hard if you're not actually burning fat?  Might as well chill out and read a magazine while moving as little as possible?

Well, no.  The 'fat burning zone' concept is seriously flawed.
You do burn a higher percentage of fat the less hard you exercise - taking the concept to its logical conclusion, as you are burning the highest percentage of fat while at rest, this theory would imply you might

as well just rest and watch the fat melt off! Maximum fat burning is at complete rest by this line of thinking. But of course you are not burning many calories - and of course it is the overall calories that count.
Resistance training, especially when performed in super set or circuit form, with intense work periods and short rest periods, can be one of the best ways to burn fat, and is far superior to steady aerobic work.
You burn calories during the session, but also elevate your metabolism via EPOC, for up to 24 - 48 hrs after the training session. That means that when you are at rest, burning that higher percentage of fat for fuel, you are actually burning more fat! Steady cardio does not have this 'afterburn' effect: intervals and resistance training do.

Resistance training also ensures you maintain lean muscle. If you are a woman that does't want to get bulky, do not fear - it is extremely hard to pack on significant size, just ask any guy in the heavy weights room trying to get big (especially if he's going the 'all natural' route)! It takes concerted effort and lots of calories to 'bulk'. So women don't need to fear resistance training - you will become lean and 'toned', not bulky.  What this extra lean muscle does, though, is mean you burn even more calories when you body is at rest, burning a high percentage of fat for fuel.  The overall effect is a shrinking one - you get smaller as the fat disappears. But the magic is in the workout, not the rest.

Resistance training can give you all the heart health benefits of 'aerobic training' (do a superset resistance session with a heart rate monitor on to prove that you're cardiovascular system benefits!) but also the benefit of preserving muscle, accelerating fat loss and metabolism and balancing out the entire body. Steady state training, such as running, certainly has it's place, but if all you do is run they you are setting yourself up for repetitive strain injuries and imbalances. Resistance and body weight training work all the 600 muscles of the body in all the 3 dimensional planes of motion and works joints through their full range. So, heed my advice, and prioritise the resistance!

To supplement your resistance programme you can also do intense cardio intervals, rather than simply steady state plodding on the cross trainer.  This has similar benefits to resistance training performed in a super set or circuit style.  It also means you can get in and out of the gym, or get your workout done without having to go to a gym at all, in under 30 minutes, while also benefiting from the fat burning elevation that the workout has created for hours afterwards.

If you have more time, then by all means add 'lifestyle cardio' into the mix, but I would urge you to stop seeing the gym as the answer for this!  Go for a long walk with your family or friends, go for a bike ride at the weekend, and use the time you are spending on steady or easy activity to multi-task!  Focus on short, intense workouts 3 or 4 times per week, and then think of being as generally active as you can be in daily life, for best results!

Following my advice means you get maximum 'bang for your buck' and in an era where time is at a premium, making a clever investment and getting maximum return for that investment is what separates the 'have a fab physique' from the 'have nots'.  You don't need all the time in the world, you just need to use that time very wisely!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Caroline_Radway/228704

Advanced Cardio Workout Routines to Get Below 8% Body Fat

Most people perform inefficient cardio workout routines. It is no wonder that so many experts have said recently that cardio is NOT an effective way to lose body fat. It isn't that cardio is a bad way to lose body fat, it is simply that people are doing it in a strategic manner. If you want to get to low single digit body fat percentages, then this cardio workout routine will do the trick.

1) Don't Touch any Calories 4-5 Hours Leading Up to Your Cardio Workout
You can eat a little or a light meal before cardio if you have a lot of weight to lose. If you are trying to get below 8% body fat, then you don't have that luxury! You have to force your body to burn fat once you begin to creep to a lower body fat percentage. One way to force your body to burn off fat for fuel is to have every little bit of "food energy" out of your system. Don't worry about muscle loss. Your body will produce a large spike in HGH when training in a fasted state. This will spare muscle while burning even more body fat after the workout.

2) Do Intense Interval Training for 10-15 Minutes
When you begin your cardio workout make sure you first begin by performing intense intervals. What this does is trigger HGH release and more importantly it releases fatty acids into the bloodstream. Intense intervals are much better at releasing fat from your fat cells, then slower steady cardio. Slower cardio is better at using these fatty acids for energy, which is why you will want to do this next.

3) Next Perform Steady State Cardio for 20-30 Minutes
After doing intervals on a piece of cardio equipment, hop on a treadmill (or elliptical) and go at a fast walking pace for 20-30 minutes. This should be a little faster than a typical walk, but not too hard either. To be honest, you can do this for longer than 30 minutes if you have the time. Since you are in a fasted state and free fatty acids are efficiently getting burned, every minute is extremely productive.

4) No Food Until An Hour After Cardio Is Completed
The intense intervals will release fat burning HGH and it will continue working magic for 1-2 hours after the workout has been completed. If you eat right after training it will spike insulin and halt the HGH release. It is best to wait an hour to maximize the effects of this cardio workout. There are so many poorly designed cardio workout routines, but this one kicks butt!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/George_Diakos/660222

Calorie Control - Have a Weight Management Plan

What are 'calories' and why does a person who wants to lose weight need to know about this?
In everyday terms, a calorie is the unit of energy in food and drink - it's the amount of energy that 's taken in by the food consumer.
Our bodies need calories, or energy, in order for them to function normally. Energy is necessary to carry out the important daily tasks such as breathing, digesting food, pumping blood throughout the body and the numerous other bodily functions we take for granted. A person lay in bed all day would still need a large amount of energy to enable his body to function.
Your Daily Calorie Intake
The term used to describe this life-supporting level of energy is the Basal Metabolic Rate - BMR - and is calculated for each person by taking into account age, gender, height, weight, and level of physical activity. It's taken into account when determining a person's recommended daily calorie intake needed to maintain constant weight:
Calories consumed is equal to calories expended ( used in daily activities)
Or the same formula expressed differently:
Calories consumed is equal to BMR plus 'calories expended in carrying out daily chores'.
From this can be seen what happens when the number of 'calories consumed' is larger than 'BMR + Calories expended in carrying out daily chores'. The unused calories are stored in the body as fat, and it's this that causes an increase in weight.

On the other hand, a reduction in weight is caused by either:
1) A reduction in 'calories consumed' OR
2) An increase in 'Calories expended in carrying out daily chores' OR
3) Both
So the BMR figure is fixed. It's only 'Calories expended in carrying out daily chores' that can be changed. And this can be done by undertaking regular, or more, physical exercises.

Have a Weight Loss Plan
Weight reduction then happens by reducing the amount of calories in food/drink eaten, and increasing the number of calories used up in physical activity. In other words, having a weight reduction management plan.
So if a person decides to implement a weight loss plan, then they need to know two vital facts before they start:

1) The number of calories needed each day to maintain a constant weight level - in other words the number of calories used up each day.

2) The number of pounds (or kilos ) to be reduced each week in order to achieve a certain weight level. A pound per week would be adequate - so to reduce by 10 pounds would take 10 weeks. Anything more than a pound per week should only be done with medical supervision.

A pound per week loss will need a reduction in calorie intake of 500 calories a day.
The best way to reach the figure is firstly reduce the total amount of calories consumed by 250 calories. Then use up the other 250 calories by undergoing extra physical activity.

Or by cutting down on a cake, pastry or chocolate bar ,all of which contain 250 calories, AND going for a 45 minute brisk walk which will use up another 250 calories.

It's relatively easy to set up and start a weight control plan. All it needs is the will to achieve a desired outcome.

Get some Help
Some people, however, will have difficulties. To help them there is a product on the market that can control the amount of fat absorbed into the body. This product is accepted as a proven fat reduction pill by the European Union, and meets the guide lines set by the US health authorities.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Gareth_Black/148942

Tips on How to Lose Belly Fat With Belly Fat Exercises

Belly fat can be one of the most difficult areas on the body to get rid of and flatten for both men and women. Everyone wants a fat belly even after having many children. Anyone with a "washboard" stomach is envied by many especially those with stubborn tummy fat that does not seem to respond to any belly fat exercises. Here are some tips on how to lose tummy fat with belly fat exercises.

Although weight loss and belly fat loss is never easy - nothing worthwhile in life is ever easy - it is still achievable if you remain committed and consistent with your weight loss program. It is possible for the excess pounds to be shed from every area of the body.

We all know that the stomach crunch is one of the best tummy fat exercises that if done correctly and often enough can blast away tummy fat. Unless you are working with a personal trainer, it has been found that most people do not perform this belly fat exercise correctly.

If you are performing belly fat exercises incorrectly or any other weight loss exercises for that matter, you will not see the results that you want no matter how often and how many repetitions you perform. If you are going the wrong way, it doesn't matter how fast you go. You still will not get to your destination.

Another one of the best belly fat exercises is to exercise the rest of your body using off-balance workouts. Off-balance workouts with core training balls for instance, will require your torso to act as the control that is needed by your body when you perform an exercise routine that requires stability. This means that you will be getting two workouts in one.

It is also important to remember that for whatever exercise that you perform, your belly has to be involved at all times. This means that you have to keep your belly contracted tightly whether you are working out other parts of your body or your tummy.

Working out other parts of your body also helps to make your belly fat exercises more effective. You cannot just work out one area of your body and leave other areas alone. One of the important areas of the body is your back muscles. These need to be developed through weight or resistance training to build lean muscle which will improve your posture in addition to helping your lose fat fast. Lean muscle always takes up less space than fat so this should make one of your goals to build lean muscle. For the concerned women, this does not mean bulking up and looking "manly".

Having a back slump will ensure that you abdominal muscles are weakened and will look sloppy. Stronger back muscles will ensure that you stand up straight with an erect back which will make you look thinner.
Maintaining a flat belly also requires that besides incorporating elements of belly fat exercises, you should ensure that you watch your diet. Many foods especially over processed foods lead to poor digestion and elimination which leaves you belly bloated and gaseous and feeling sluggish. There are many foods that can be incorporated into your body that can help your flatten your belly.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Wendy_Stanton/665379

Cardio or Intervals for Fat Loss

Fat loss is something that has been a subject of great interest to scientists and commercial companies alike. The reason for this is simply that the need for losing weight is very widespread in the world today. There are people all over the world employing a wide variety of techniques and methods for losing weight. Of the wide variety of methods currently in use in different parts of the world, the two areas that cause a lot of debate when compared to each other are intervals for fat loss and/ or cardio exercises.

Logically, as these two are in most programs one way or another, a lot of people want to know which one is better. In a nutshell, the answer is the former. There are many reasons why intervals for fat loss should be preferred over cardio exercises. The following is a list that should convert you into an 'intervals for fat loss' supporter, if you are not already one.

1. The direct impact: The direct impact of doing intervals for fat loss is that your heart rate will ramp up to a rate that will allow your fitness to improve and get your metabolism revved up. Alternatively, with cardio your heart rate stays at a steady and constant state throughout your workout. While you will burn calories this way, your body will stop immediately after your workout while w intervals your body will keep burning the calories.

2. The inherent process: The inherent process of intervals is based around variation while the basic process of cardio is constant and regular.
The stopping and starting of intervals along with the many types of activities you can do with them means the variety will keep it fun and entertaining.

3. Efficiency in terms of time: One of the biggest problems these days is that of time. Most people are unable to devote a lot of time to fat loss because their careers and personal lives do not allow them enough time.
With this setting, the fact that intervals for fat loss are particularly time efficient makes them extremely useful to professionals. In contrast, cardio tends to be long winded and time consuming which is counterproductive to a person with a busy life.

4. Longevity of the fat loss process: The most critical aspect where intervals for fat loss score over cardio is that with the former you would be burning calories even though you have stopped exercising. Research has shown that a person who does intervals regularly can burn calories up to 24 hours after he has stopped exercising.
This is a major advantage over cardio exercises where you only burn calories till you are exercising and not beyond.

5. Quality of the final results: In the end,intervals for fat loss would allow you to have a body that is in the right proportions while cardio would make your body thin and gaunt. As the purpose of training is, in fact, feeling good and looking good, it makes no sense for you to go for cardio exercises when intervals would make you look and feel so much better.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Darragh_Holland/837909

A Guide to Cardio Fitness For the Home

If cardio fitness is your primary goal then you have a massive range of different machines to choose from, all of which will integrate easily into the home environment. There are treadmills, exercise bikes, cross or elliptical trainers, rowing machines, stair climbers and more! It's certainly worth investing in a cardio fitness machine as it's easy to store at home and a great time saver over going to the gym.

Often you'll find that a home gym is not complete without some kind of cardio workout bike or trainer. Even for those whose main aim is to build muscle, some kind of cardio machine is necessary to burn away the fat and create better body definition. What's the use in building the muscle if it's covered by a layer of fat?
Another alternative to cardio machines are things like aerobics and for this you'll need to invest in good quality exercise mats especially if you're doing yoga or Pilates. Exercise balls are also highly useful for working on the body's inner core or simply to attack your workouts from a different angle. They are excellent aids in more traditional exercises too such as sit ups which, when performed on the ground, can cause stress to the back.

If you have an injury then these kinds of medicine balls are a godsend as they allow you to exercise while greatly reducing the stress on your body. A secondary advantage of them is with stretching and this area of their use is just starting to catch on among fitness enthusiasts.

When working on your cardio machines its vital to have some way to monitor your heart rate. Some cardio equipment will have this already built in but for the most accurate readings it's best to get an external heart rate monitor. This will ensure that you don't stray out of your fat burning zone and into a muscle burning zone which is a fundamental principal of working out on cardio exercise machines.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Payo_W_Perry/259474

Cardio on the Elliptical to Burn Belly Fat

After years of spending as long as 60 minutes of my time exercising on the elliptical, I got bored. Then I uncovered a way to do my cardio programs on the elliptical by as much as 15 times quicker. I also found that I could burn body fat for a much longer time even after my routine had finished.

Would you believe me if I revealed to you I could show you a 4 minute exercises that would be just as effective as your typical 60 minute program? If so, would it be worth spending 4 minutes to throw out your 60 minute session?

Well, the good news is that a 4 minute high intensity cardio training on the elliptical to burn fat works. In this article, I am going to show you how to adapt your typical cardio workout on the elliptical and manipulate it into a turbo-charged belly fat burning program. This training will continue burning fat for up to 24 hours after you have finished your session.

I am not going to explain HOW this faster interval training workout is more productive at burning body fat and increase your endurance immediately. That is going to be revealed another day. However, let me just point out that current research shows strong evidence to support it.

There are 2 simple methods to revise your elliptical session routine to elevate the difficulty level so that you can conclude it in such a short amount of time. The important thing to remember with this type of hiit exercises is that it must be an all out effort. If you lower your intensity to the same effort as your typical long duration program, then your results will not be as dramatic.

1. Crank Up the Incline: Increasing the incline on the elliptical trainer to a intensity that makes your give a 100% attempt will deplete your short term energy stores.

2. Increase the Resistance: Increase the resistance so that you continue to train at the same pace but still maintaining an all out exertion to do so.

Obviously you are not going to be able to maintain this level of difficulty for a long period of time. If fact, the real secret behind this high intensity cardio procedure is that you don't have to.
Here is your 4 minute high intensity interval training cardio session on the elliptical to burn fat:
Begin with a 3-5 minute warm up that will elevate your body temperature sufficient so that you feel like you are starting to sweat.

You will carry out 8 sets of high intensity work periods lasting 20 seconds with a 10 second active rest in between. During your 20 second work session you will alter your incline or resistance. You should not need to change both together.

During your active rest, lower your incline or resistance back to a low intensity level. Continue this cycle 8 times for 4 minutes. This is also known as a Tabata protocol.

If you performed the workout accurately and with enough difficulty you should feel spent.
HIIT cardio on the elliptical to burn fat is the most valuable line of attack to develop your body's ability to burn body fat throughout the day. By altering your incline or the resistance on the elliptical trainer you are able to make your training effective enough that won't have to waste 60 minutes on your routine. Now you will have time to do other things that you enjoy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Aaron_Ivey/219482

Cardio: The Best Time to Do Cardio For Fat Loss

Here's a common question that I get about cardio, and where it fits into a fat loss plan...
Q: Is there a benefit from doing the strength training first and then cardio? Should I do it before strength training?
Answer:
First, you don't have to do the strength and cardio in the same workout, but you will find it more efficient to do it that way.

If you only have 30 minutes to workout, you can do strength training one day and cardio the next day (preferably using interval cardio, which is more effective for fat loss than slow, boring cardio).
By combining strength training (done first!) and interval cardio in your workout, you will only need to workout 3 days per week (only 45 minutes per session!) to get results. That allows you an easier schedule to follow, and more days off from the gym to go about your daily life demands. You should still try and stay active on your "off days", but you don't need to worry about getting to the gym.

As for the order, we find it to be more practical to do the strength training first, as the intervals often lead to full body fatigue. There is nothing magical about doing cardio before or after strength training. Neither method will make you lose more fat.

However, I just prefer that men and women do their strength training first, because I don't want them to be tired when doing their squats, pushups, or rows. That would defeat the purpose of strength training if they are already tired!

And as mentioned before, you will get better results in less time if you switch from slow, traditional cardio to interval cardio. Instead of doing 45 minutes of slow cardio, you'll only need to do 20 minutes of interval cardio. You'll get just as fit and lose more fat.
Overall, the order of strength training first followed by interval cardio are optimal for increasing metabolism, building strength and muscle, and losing fat.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Craig_Ballantyne/23799

What's Better Than Cardio Workouts For Fat Loss?

When it is time to lose fat, most people turn to cardio workouts for fat loss. Find out three reasons cardio workouts are not the best for building your best body.
When you look in the mirror and decide it's time to lose those love handles and belly fat, most men and women turn to cardio workouts for fat loss. And this I mean cardio ONLY workout like jogging, biking, rowing, etc.

Let's go over three reasons why this type of workout is not best for burning fat and building your best body.
The Belief Cardio Exercise Burns More Fat Is Misconceived
When I talk about cardio exercise, I'm talking about doing an aerobic activity in your "target heart rate zone" for an extended period of time. Usually 20 minutes and beyond.

Studies have shown that exercising in this moderate zone burns the most fat. But what they fail to explain is that your body adapts by becoming more efficient at burning fat. That means you burn LESS fat with the same workout.
Teaching your body to burn less fat when exercising is not what you want to do if you want to build your best body.

Cardio Only Workouts Stop Burning Fat When The Workout Is Completed
So you go jogging for 20 minutes and your body burns fat for those 20 minutes. Then when you stop, your body stops burning fat.

To burn more fat, you end up having to do longer and longer cardio workouts. Couple this with the fact your body is becoming better at burning fat... and you are in for some LONG workouts to approach your fat loss goals.

Cardio Workouts For Fat Loss Don't Build The Athletically Muscular Body Most People Want
Even if you manage to struggle through the longer and longer cardio exercise sessions... you still might be disappointed with the results. The fact is, if you don't ALREADY have the muscular, attractive body underneath the fat, you are not going to reveal it by losing fat. Combined with the fact that extended cardio workouts force your body to lose muscle and you'll end up looking at a thin, frail body.

This is not what most people dream of when they want to build their best body.
The fact is, to expose your best body you need to both burn ugly fat and build attractive muscle. You cannot do both with a cardio workout for fat loss. Just losing fat is not going to RESULT ion the body of your dreams. And even if it did, cardio only workouts are not the way to get the most results in the shortest period of time.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Eddie_Lomax/23541

Fat Loss Diets and Cardio Overload - Why This Prevents You From Losing Weight

If you've been looking for ways you can speed up your fat loss, you've likely considered adding more cardio to your fat loss workouts. But, is this really a smart move?
Here is why you might want to reconsider.

The Fat Loss-Cardio Mindset
Many people when starting out on their fat loss diets get in this cardio mindset where they believe that if some is good, more must be better.
After all, if they can burn 300 calories a day with a 30 minute jog, why not bump that up to 60 minutes a day - 600 calories!
That means you can either eat 300 more calories each day and maintain the same rate of fat loss, or you will lose fat twice as fast.
Bonus!
Not quite.

The Issue With Fat Loss Cardio
There are two important points to keep in mind here. When selecting the methods you will use to perform your fat loss cardio, you'll usually choose between either higher intensity sprints, or you will opt for a more moderate paced, steady-state form of cardio.
Each has benefits and drawbacks.

Steady State Cardio
If you opt to go the steady state cardio, either because you don't like the intensity of sprints, you don't want to risk overtraining, or simply because you aren't in the kind of shape necessary to do sprints, then you're at risk for a whole other set of problems.
Muscle mass loss.
Too much steady state cardio tends to be catabolic on the body, which means your body will start using muscle tissue for fuel, rather than strictly relying on body fat stores.

To see an example of this, look at the many long distance marathon runners out there. Don't have much muscle, do they?
That's why.
When you combine that much steady state cardio (1 hour+ five times a week for example), you're looking at risking muscle mass loss when you're eating fewer calories than the body takes to maintain weight.

Interval Training
Moving on, if you opt for the interval training route, you've got another set of problems.
With this one, the big issue is going to be overtraining, as now you've got both your sprint sessions and your weight lifting workouts stimulating that CNS.
While some stimulation the body can handle, too much and it's going to shut down. When it does, you will not be feeling well.

Unless you carefully balance your lifting and interval sessions, problems are ahead.
Since many of those on fat loss diets, as mentioned above, get into the 'some is good, more is better' mindset, many try and perform far too many interval sessions than their body can handle.
So, if doing more cardio is not going to be a good option for fat loss, what is?
Getting your diet in line.
Most people hate to hear this because let's face it, we like to eat. BUT, it's far easier to slash a couple hundred calories from your day (look for pesky places excess calories creep in), than to add hours of cardio per week.

The one exception to this may be those people who are already eating a very low calorie diet (defined as less than their body weight in pounds multiplied by a factor of 9 per day).
In that case, more cardio may be an option, but even still, it might be time to look at other issues that could be going on with that dieter in particular, as most people should be losing weight on such an intake.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Shannon_Clark/125749

Cardio for Fat Loss Secrets - 3 Tips to Maximize Your Cardio Fat Loss Results

If you are frustrated with your cardio fat loss results, then you need to take a good look at your training regiment and find out why you are not getting the desires results. There may be too many causes to support your case, but there is no secret that can solve all your problems overnight.
Therefore, here are some guidelines to help you get the most out of your cardio training for fat loss:

Cardio burning zone
The best training work out is the one done within the cardio burning zone. In this zone, the body burns the highest amount of calories both during the workout and after by elevating energy expenditure and boosting metabolism levels in the hours following the workout. You can calculate your cardio burning zone by monitoring your heart rate during the training.

Getting your heart rate to 75% its maximum rate is sufficient to enter this cardio burning zone. Maximum heart rate can be calculated by following this simple formula:
(220 - Your age) = Maximum Heart Rate
An example of 30 years old person (220 - 30) = 190 beats per minutes is his maximum heart rate.
Now let's calculate his cardio burning zone heart rate: 190 x 75% = 142b.p.m
Now go and calculate your own heart rate and try to do as much cardio training within it.

Consistency
Doing cardio training sporadically will not get you the desired results. The only way to a permanent weight loss regiment can be achieved through consistent training. Otherwise, you will be fooling and driving yourself crazy. Don't expect too much from just a couple of sessions or you will get disappointed early on.
Consistent training is achieved through cultivating good habits. Cardio training can also become a habit if you intend it so. The way you can do this is by blocking a specific time in your calendar for the next 4 weeks to just do your cardio training no matter the circumstance.

Make your training enjoyable
One of the main reasons why people don't sustain their cardio training for a long period is boredom. Doing the same thing can drive you crazy, in fact the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.
Fortunately this phenomenon can be tackled by making your training more enjoyable. One way you could make your training more fun is by adding variety to it. Don't repeat the same workout every day, instead try to incorporate other workouts into your training program and alternate between them whenever you feel boredom starting to creep on you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/David_Dack/650900

Weight Loss Critical With Aging - Weight Loss at Any Age Increases Life Span and Decreases Morbidity

Weight Loss Never Ends: Weight Gain in the Elderly
Losing weight may be more important as we age than we thought. Older people have the same obesity problems as the young. Increasing medical problems of many make the treatment even harder. Often the problems are simply ignored.

Normal Body Weight Increases and then Decrease:
There is a general increase in body weight and body mass index (BMI) with age, until approx 60 years of age, when body weight and BMI begin to decline. The usual increase is about 1 lb. per year. This is associated with a loss of muscle mass and bone mass of at least ½ lb. per year as well. Its well documented that its the fat deposited inside of the abdomen around the vital organs that is associated with all of the complications of obesity. Unfortunately as we all age the proportion of intra-abdominal fat, which is related to increased morbidity and mortality, progressively increases.

Decline in Food Intake and Exercise with Age:
Unlike younger people, there is a progressive decline in both food intake and energy expenditure with age. However in many older people the reduction in exercise is not met by the same amount of decrease in food intake resulting in weight gain. All of energy intake and daily total energy expenditure (165 kcal/decade in men and 103 kcal/decade) in women is primarily due to a decrease in both physical activity, and in basal metabolic rate.

Medical Problems Associated with Aging Limits Activity:
Complicating these matters is that physical activity can be even more impaired by the many problems of aging-arthritis especially in the back, ankles, feet and knees, heart disease brought on by high cholesterol, diabetes or arteriosclerosis and pulmonary problems like asthma and emphysema all limit the ability to perform physical activity.

Benefit of Weight Loss:
Weight loss in the elderly can reduce disability from arthritis, diabetes and other conditions, reduce cardiovascular risk factors, and improve well-being. Reduction in BMI is a good predictor as well as waist circumference. A 10 lb. weight loss is associated with a decrease in waist circumference of 2 inches and a decrease in overall mortality of 17%, Furthermore, increased physical activity in the elderly, which is an important component of weight management, can produce beneficial effects on muscle strength, endurance, and well-being.

Arthritis Benefits: Take for example arthritis of the knees, a 10 lb. weight gain is associated with an increase in 40 lbs. on the knees. In the lower spine, the factor of overall weight gain to increase spinal pressure may be as great as a factor of 1 lb. weight gain = 10 lb. increase spinal pressure.


Diabetes Benefits: Weight gain around the abdomen is directly related to elevated blood sugar. Whether the engorged fat cells secret anti-insulin factors or inactive circulating insulin, the result is increasing insulin resistance as one increases waist line. Losing as little as 15 lb. can reduce elevated blood sugar by 50%!
Hypertension Benefits: Like diabetes there is a direct correlation between increase waist circumference as it reflects intra-abdominal fat deposition and diastolic blood pressure. Lose weight and decrease blood pressure by 10- 15 mm Hg.

Heart Disease: Again fat cells are involved directly with damage to the heart and to cardiac and peripheral arteries. Even modest weight loss can reverse many of these problems.

Small Weight Loss = Big Benefits:
Weight loss, even as little as 10 -15 lb is associated with an improvement in metabolic parameters such as blood sugar, triglycerides, blood pressure and cholesterol and a marked marked improvement in arthritic pain especially the critical areas: feet, knees and back. These are the areas where arthritis can limit activity and thus contribute to even more weight gain and disability.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Richard_Lipman_M.D./491660

3 Lessons About Cardio for Fat Loss

If you have so much as glanced at a health magazine in the past 10 years, you have heard rants and raves about the importance of cardio for fat loss. While the benefits of cardiovascular fitness extend well beyond the prospect of accelerated and lasting fat loss, recent studies continue to teach us more and more about how to lose pounds in the most effective of ways. In this article, we will discuss some of the valuable lessons that have been discovered in the realm of fat loss and cardio training.

1. The Importance of Food
To understand the value of cardio, one must first understand the value of the energy they burn off while doing it. Food, as we all know, is energy and it is absolutely crucial that it take on a new (and often bigger) role in the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle, especially when cardio is incorporated.

Not only does food give us the stamina to endure strenuous and elongated cardio routines, but when it is ingested in proper increments at appropriate intervals, it actually boosts and accelerates our metabolisms! Consider this; a heavy metabolic load (a high mass, low frequency diet) slows our metabolic rate because our metabolism can only break down and burn so many calories in a given timeframe. Contrast this with a lighter metabolic load (a low mass, high frequency diet) where the metabolic rate is able to burn off and/or use virtually all of the energy it ingests! The point of this lesson is that food must be used properly: eat 5 meals/day 3-4 hours apart at 350-450 calories each so that your body can actually utilize the food you eat.

2. The Benefits of Long Cardio Routines
The prevailing complaint over cardiovascular training is that the workouts take too long and can be boring. While elongated cardio routines aren't for the easily distracted, they present some notable benefits for people, especially those who are new to fitness and weight loss.

Long cardio workouts are always low intensity, making them easier to do. They also keep you in your fat burning zone for a longer period of time. So, if you feel that you are in a position where you need to lose a base layer of fat before achieving the kind of fitness you envision, long low-intensity cardio routines may be best for you (walking, light jogging, dancing, etc).

3.The Benefits of Short Cardio Routines
Once your body fat percentage is in a comfortable range (mid 20s), it may be time for you to progress into shorter cardio routines, or High Intensity Interval Training. Intervals are all the rage in today's fitness world and with good reason. Short bursts of energy expenditure shock your body and kick it into an accelerated weight and fat loss mode. The great advantage of these workouts is that they are quick, fun and much more exciting that passive low intensity workouts, making them a great way to hone your body's athleticism and fast track your fat loss.

The knowledge about cardio for fat loss is continuously progressing and this article only touches on three critical components. As one of the fastest growing trends in fitness, the wealth of knowledge on this subject will stay on the rise for years to come.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mark_Everly/824645

How Often Should You Conduct Cardio Exercises to Burn Fat?

Here's a question that every person that are trying so desperately to burn that ugly fat. How often should I conduct cardio exercises to burn fat? Here is my answer to that question. You should conduct cardio training every other day or you can do a mixture of both. Cardio training has multitudes of benefits such as burning calories and providing a person with motivation to go on throughout the day.

However I highly advise you to not go overboard while conducting cardio exercises. What I am trying to say is that you should not try to conduct strenuous exercises if you have a history of knee injuries or breathing problems. If you do then you may need to reconsider your goals to conduct cardio training. That's why I say you should conduct cardio exercises every other day.

The United States Army has the perfect training schedule for conducting cardio training. Mondays are always a run day Tuesday is known for muscle failure or muscular strength endurance training. On Hump Day Wednesday platoons conduct some type of cardio training such as Last Man Up or 61 20s. You pretty much see where I am going with this in regards to the Army's physical training schedule.

I honestly believe that Army has one of the best training regimens in the world to follow if you are willing to stay committed to it. Another reason why you should conduct cardio exercises every other day is to give body parts such as the legs to get some rest. So many athletes have injured themselves and never recovered to full strength is because they constantly beat down their extremities duo to conducting cardio exercises.
Recently there have been numerous programs that combine a mixture of both cardio and muscular strength endurance training such as P90X and Insanity. With those types of programs I believe you should go at your own risk. Like I previously said if you have a history of knee injuries or breathing problems in the past then you may want to try a different type of workout program that is suitable for your needs.

However these programs have intense stretch phases that are conducting between exercises. I am not saying that you should not purchase these programs to start your journey to end your ugly fat gain issue; I know they work because I tried insanity and saw significant results within weeks. Just remember to have a schedule that is suitable with the goals that you're trying to achieve in regards to losing weight. I am only here to give my advice on how you should conduct cardio training everyone's body is unique and always think with your own mind.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Derrick_R_Branch/1653613

Best Times For Cardio - Burn Fat and Build Muscle Cardio Plans

People do cardio for different reasons. Many simply want to lose weight or just maintain good health. Sure, everyone wants to burn fat which is one of the many benefits of cardio. But we must understand that losing weight and losing fat aren't necessarily the same, and the same approach isn't effective for both. If you want to lose weight then definitely do your cardio but you're also going to have to restrict your calorie intake.

However, if you're more concerned with burning fat and preserving or even building muscle, then you need a lot of protein and a sufficient amount of calories for growth. The problem with too much cardio is that it can eat into muscle gains and counteract your ultimate goal. So it's important to know how much as well as the best times to perform cardio exercise. For this topic we're going to talk about cardio timing.

There are two times throughout the day that are the best times to perform cardio in order to burn the most calories from fat and still be able to maintain or build lean muscle. First thing in the morning on an empty stomach (or perhaps just taking 20 grams of protein powder upon waking) and the other time is immediately after your weight training session. These times have been proven to be the most effective for burning fat.

A.M. Cardio Sessions
I personally lift weights first thing in the morning around 5 A.M. So I do my A.M. cardio sessions on my non weight training days which are usually the weekends and sometimes I will take a day off of weights in the middle of the week when I'm training 4 days a week and do an A.M. cardio session on that day as well. For this session, I usually walk on an incline at a low intensity level for 40 minutes. Most recommend doing cardio on an empty stomach when you perform it first thing in the morning. I prefer to take a scoop of whey protein powder with water upon waking though. After a 6-8 hour fast, I believe you need to feed your muscles protein immediately when you wake up. Your body will still utilize and burn whatever carbs and fats in your body. It's important to take in more protein after this cardio session and you can also take BCAA's (branched chain amino acids) and glutamine during or after the session.

Cardio after the Weights
This is something I do after every weight training workout and I'll only do 20 minutes of cardio. For this session I normally do a moderate pace on the elliptical and sometimes implement what is known as the H.I.I.T. method (high intensity interval training). This is where you'll alternate your level of intensity throughout the session. For example, you can do a minute of low intensity then do 30 seconds of high intensity and repeat. As with the A.M. cardio plan, it's important to take in protein, BCAAs and glutamine afterwards, not to mention a solid post workout meal soon after (this is vital when training with weights and cardio).

Try implementing these two types of cardio in your current regimen. If you train with weights in the afternoons or evenings then you have the mornings free to do your cardio in which you could alternate the two types above; maybe switch it up every day from one to the other. At any rate, doing this will help you burn fat allowing that hard earned muscle underneath to be seen.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jason_Stallworth/566436

Weight Loss Cardio Workout - Why Your Current Cardio Workout Can Make You Fatter

Do you know the absolute best way to use a weight loss cardio workout to permanently lose weight?
Have you ever lost weight in the beginning from doing a lot of cardio only to hit a frustrating plateau?
If you are like most people the answer is yes and no and usually in the order!
This article is going to go over a few reasons why the average weight loss cardio workout might actually be preventing you from losing weight. Please pay special attention to this article because it can save you lots of time, help you enjoy exercise more, and give you a new outlook on losing with with cardio.

By using "cardio", I am talking about using cardiovascular exercise on a basic cardio machine such as treadmills, rowing machines, upright or recumbent bikes, ellipticals, or any other common cardio machine you see at the gym or at a department store. This also refers to things such as walking outside or going for a bike ride.
It is very common see someone try to lose weight in the gym by getting on a cardio machine and trying to go for 30-60 minutes at a slow pace. They may try to do this 3, 4, or 5 days per week!

For the first 2-3 weeks, there is usually an immediate result. The weight on the scale goes down and you are feeling great. Soon after however, the weight loss slows down and your progress comes to a crashing halt.
Let's go over 3 quick reasons why your hit a frustrating plateau with the normal cardio workout, and more importantly, how to avoid it completely.

Reason #1: It Is Boring!
Unless you are a long distance runner who loves running with all their heart, you probably would rather spend your time doing something other than going at a slow pace on a cardio machine for 30, 45, or 60 minutes. A 60 minute cardio workout 3-5 days a week is a sure way to lose all enthusiasm for exercise and be really bored throughout the whole process.

So many people who do this type of workout try to read a magazine, watch TV, talk on the phone, cover the timer with a towel, or do just about anything else to distract them from their workout.
Reason #2: You Burn Fewer Calories Each Time You Workout
Your body will adapt very quickly to doing a very slow and long weight loss cardio workout. Think about it like this. If you went outside and ran a mile right now it would feel pretty difficult if you were not already a conditioned runner. But what if you ran the same mile 5 days per week for the next two months? It would get easier. Your body would adapt to it because that is what it does best.

The same goes for the average weight loss cardio workout that lasts for 30, 45, or even 60 minutes. At first you might burn a lot of calories, but after doing the same type of cardio workout for too long, the body will become more efficient and will adapt.

This means that the workout that burned 300 calories in January might only be burning 150 calories in March! The only thing you can do it so longer or work harder. Neither one sounds like a very appealing option.

Reason #3: The Average Weight Loss Cardio Workout Does Not Stimulate Your Metabolism
Instead of focusing on the number of calories you burned during a single workout, I want you to instead focus on burning calories during the workout and for hours afterwards!

Research has shown that slow same speed cardio does next to nothing to stimulate your resting metabolism. This means that you workout for 45 minutes, burn 300 calories, and then negate the whole workout with a Gatorade afterwards.

How to Fix This Problem
Did you know that you can use a different type of cardio called interval training that can burn a lot of calories during the actual cardio workout and for hours afterwards as well?

When performed correctly, interval training is faster, more fun, and most importantly, has been shown in research to have a dramatic effect on your resting metabolism. This means that you might burn 300 calories during the actual workout, then another 300 the throughout the rest of the day!

Interval training is an excellent weight loss cardio workout option for this very reason. Interval training simply consists of using both high and low speeds and intensities at set points in your workout. It can be done on any cardio machine and can even be done walking outside!

If you are truly serious about achieving weight loss with a cardio workout, then learning more about interval training is an absolute must. Your will feel like you got twice the workout in half the time and have a lot more results to show for it!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Nate_Worthington/55760

Best Cardio to Burn Fat - Simple Tricks That Work So You Lose Weight and Look Great

5 tips for the best cardio to burn fat
Tip 1. Choose a cardio that burns the most calories
You need to burn calories. Eating too many calories and not burning them off is what leads to weight gain. The best cardio to burn fat, may be the one that burns the most calories.
Cycling burns 250-500 calories in 30 minutes.
Step aerobics burns 400 calories in 20 minutes.
Running burns 300 calories in 30 minutes.
Walking burns 180 calories in 30 minutes.(lower intensity)
You burn more calories running than walking for the same amount of time. You will have to walk for longer to burn the same amount of calories as running. Shorten up your workout, and do a cardio that burns more calories faster.

Tip 2. Do a work out that you enjoy
You will find that the best cardio to burn fat is the one you enjoy doing every week. You will not burn fat if you only do a 10-minute cardio here and there. You should do some type of cardio at least an hour 3 times a week. If you are not working out this much in a week, you are not burning enough calories to lose weight. Find a cardio that works for you and stick with it.

Tip 3. Do aerobic exercise
Aerobic cardio includes running, jogging, swimming and any others exercise that uses oxygen. Aerobics is the best cardio to burn fat because the body burns up carbohydrates and fat calories for usable energy during your work out.

Tip 4. Work out at a higher intensity
The best cardio to burn fat is the cardio that makes you work out at a higher intensity.
High intensity cardio is 30 minutes or more of hard breathing and sweating. Your lungs should hurt and your arms and legs should feel floppy; if you do not feel like collapsing on the floor, you are not doing high intensity cardio.
Higher intensity cardio, like running or interval training, burns twice to three times the amount of calories than lower intensity cardio.
Lower intensity cardio burns fat, uses 55% of your max heart rate and is best for beginners or people with injuries.
Higher intensity cardio uses 75-100% of your max heart rate, improves oxygen systems, and burns total calories and speeds up metabolism.

Tip 5. Do interval training
Interval training is one of the best cardio to burn fat, it is a great way to burn calories, burn fat and strengthen the whole body. During interval training you move from one exercise to another in set time intervals, keeping your body from getting used to the intensity. The body will continue to push as each interval gets harder and harder. This is good for burning calories. A body will not burn as many calories if it is not being pushed to work hard.
High intensity cardio keeps your metabolism up for 24 hours, which is good for burning food calories all day long.

You can split your interval training into different exercise. For example, 15 minutes running, 15 minutes sprinting and 15 minutes jump roping. Keep your heart rate up by changing from one interval to the next taking only 30-second breaks. I hope these tips taught you the best cardio to burn fat, keep it off, and look and feel amazing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Randy_Matthews/903059

Combat Belly Fat NOW!

We live in an era which we call the information age. We now have the ability to get information beamed to us in real time, in so many formats that it is hard to keep up. We could almost say we are suffering from information over load. However the benefits of this blitz in information is the we can find out any thing we want especially when it comes to our bodies. One popular topic is belly fat which affects more than 40% of the US population.

Your belly fat is brought about by various factors. In winter months we can get careless about what we eat often going for the comfort foods wrapped up in front of the TV. Our bodies are not on show with the layers of winter clothes, so it is easy to pile on a few pounds as we do not watch what we eat. Plus we are so often hard pressed for time opting for the junk food, fast food options.

But when your cholesterol intake surpasses your body's ability to burn what you have consumed and convert it into energy, the excess cholesterol then gets converted to fat and stored in your belly.
The other reason we have belly fat can be genetic some people with a thyroid gland malfunction have a slow metabolism so fat will accumulate in the body specially the belly.

Exercise is by far the the best way to get rid of stubborn belly fat. If you look at the reason why belly fat accumulates, slow metabolism and a failure to burn fat, then to rev up your metabolism will burn the fat away. And the best way to do is is through exercise and food choices.

Cardio exercises, resistance and strength exercise are crucial for reducing and losing belly fat, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman. It is easy to claim that we do not have the time to exercise but even starting with 20 sit-ups or crunches every morning before your start your daily routine will and can go a long way in getting fat belly down to where it should be.
Unless you realizes the problems that lie with excess build-up of belly fat, then it is easy not set time aside for exercise.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Karlene_McLean/569928

Losing Weight Through Cardio - Track Calories, Not Time

Cardio is thought of by most people as the necessary evil to achieving health and fitness. The reasons are as varied as the types of cardio performed - "It's so boring." "It hurts." "It takes so long." I will admit that if you do a lot of cardio it can get a bit repetitious. But, it is necessary and so we might as well make the best of it. Go ahead and listen to your iPods or think about other things but be certain that in the end you track the number of calories you burned - and, not the amount of time you spend doing cardio. Why?

Well, first off let's understand why we do cardio. Besides the other health benefits of improved cardiovascular health, and increased lung capacity we do cardio to increase our daily caloric expenditure. Remember, for the most part we have become a fairly sedentary society - we don't need to hunt for our food anymore. So, we do cardio now to take the place of the hunting we used to do. And, it's the combination of increasing the number of calories we burn and the reduction of caloric intake that produces a loss of body fat and achievement of our health and fitness goals. Thus, it is important to know how many calories you have expended so that you know whether you are on track to meeting your goals.

Remember, the number of calories burned through cardio is a function of time and intensity. So, if you know, for example, that you need to burn 300 calories at each of your cardio sessions you can adjust how long you plan to spend doing cardio and the intensity level on the cardio machine. If you don't have a lot of time then you will need to increase the intensity to compensate; or, if you feel that you can't handle a certain intensity level yet then plan to spend a little longer doing the cardio in order to burn the necessary calories.

As a side note, I want to re-emphasize the importance of tracking calories by using only those machines that calculate calories burned. Of course, I do realize the monotony in doing the same cardio all of the time and the corresponding need to change things up. If you absolutely must do cardio that does not involve the use of a machine (that tracks calories) I advise getting a calorie/heart rate monitor. There are many different kinds - some you wear around the wrist, like a watch, and others involve strapping a band around your chest - most will give you a fairly accurate readout. If you buy one and want to test it out - wear it while you use a machine you are familiar with and see if the resulting calories expended is about the same. Either way, wear the monitor while you engage in your favorite outdoor cardio and remember to track your calories.

Just remember, cardio is an integral part of the game plan in your efforts to achieving your health and fitness goals. And, it's really not that bad. So, make the most of it and be thankful that you don't have to hunt for your food anymore.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Gary_Yodokawa/172361

Blazing Cardio For Fat Loss - Pick Up Your Intensity For Super Gains

Well I've seen it pretty often. The pages are flipping, voices are chatting, cell phones are being dialed and ipods are being fumbled. Where am I? On a plane? Strolling downtown? Sitting in a park? NO...I'm at my local gym trying to do cardio!

Yes it's true, the amount of lackadaisical, low-effort, no intensity working out I see on cardio machines at gyms everywhere really baffles me. Between the old ladies chatting next to me on elliptical machines, to the guy on the treadmill paying a little too much attention to the TV, to the young kid annoyingly talking on his cell phone on the bike, it seems like almost everyone doing cardio is not really doing cardio, if you know what I mean.

Look, people have a right to workout however they want to. But seriously, if you have enough focus to read an entire issue of National Geographic while you are working out, I would bet my entire life savings that you are not working out hard enough to do anything "substantial" in terms of fat loss (or even fitness for that matter).
I think this "lack of effort" comes down to a combination of two things.

1) People like doing cardio just so they can "feel better" about themselves regardless of the effort they put in.
Face it, "read a magazine" cardio and "talk to neighbor" cardio is very easy. There's little to no work involved and as a added bonus you get to go home and pat yourself on the back for not being lazy . But in reality people who work out like this are lazy because they use the least amount of effort required to just keep the machine lights on. It's harsh, but it's the truth.

2) The common misconception that low-intensity cardio is better for fat loss.
This one really boils my skin. Plastered on virtually every cardio machine is the infamous fat loss "zone", which recommends keeping your heart rate around 60% of its max for "ideal" fat loss training. The idea being that at lower intensity training your body uses a higher percentage of fat for fuel whereas high intensity training uses more carbs. While this whole ratio thing may be true, when it comes to fat loss all that matters is TOTAL CALORIES burned. The more intense you workout the more calories you will burn. PERIOD. Yeah sure, you may be burning a higher "ratio" of carbs but you are still burning more TOTAL fat than you would barely moving on the treadmill.

So, if you're one of these people who for either of the aforementioned reasons doesn't really give it their all during cardio exercise, here are a few tips to create a workout that will have you crying for momma:

• HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) - HIIT Cardio Training involves alternating very rigorous maximum intensity "work" intervals (usually short intervals 30 sec to 1 min) with lower intensity "rest" intervals (usually 1 to 2 min). HIIT has been scientifically proven to be more effective then steady state cardio at lower intensities for fat burning purposes. You can do hit for any cardio exercise and you may find that you can make your total workout shorter (15 - 30 min) since you're working so hard.
• Heart rate goals: Aside from HIIT you can also use "heart rate goals" to really pick up the intensity for regular cardio. Use a heart rate monitor (some cardio machines have them built in or you can use the kind that straps onto your wrist). Now set a heart rate goal that is challenging. The level that works for you may be different than someone else, but for me personally, I shoot for at least 150 bpm for intense cardio sessions. Whatever you do, don't let your heart rate BPM fall below your preset threshold. 
• Find a competitor: If you workout with a friend or counterpart, one of the best things you can do to is compete. Pick the same machine, start at the same time and find out who's picking up the tab for the post-workout meal. Compete on miles completed (in a set amount of time) or even calories burned (as measured on machine). Either way, you'll find that the competition will really push you to go harder and faster.

So there you have it. No more excuses and no more low-intensity, no challenge cardio. Constantly push your self to the extreme during training and you'll find that you'll be mentally stronger, physically more able and that your fat loss results will skyrocket to a whole new level.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/CK_Clark/137130

A List Of High Fat Foods That Are Bad For You

There are some foods that you must avoid to eat because they make you fat.
In this article I give you a list of high fat foods. Perhaps you don't know it but fat and fat is not the same.
Goods fats vs. bad fats.
You need to eat fats they are required for your health.

The problem is that most people are not aware of this and they choose for 100% fat free foods.
A word of caution here the food can be 100% free but at the same time it can contain a lot of sugar.
Bad fats are:
- Trans fats.
- Saturated fats
Good fats are:
- Monounsaturated fats.
- Polyunsaturated fats.
In this article we concentrate us on a list of foods that contain bad fats.

High fat foods that are bad for you.
Saturated fats.
Studies have shown that diets high in saturated fats increase the risk of hart disease.
They also increase the level of LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood.
Products that are high in saturated fats are.
- Butter
- Ice cream (contains milkfat)
- Cheese
- Chicken fat
- Meat fat
- Palm oil
- Coconut oil - Beef
- Lamb
- Pork
- Veal
A lot of animal products contain saturated fats and in some cases foods from plants.

Trans fats.
Just like saturated fats there is a relationship between trans fats and bad cholesterol level.
Products that contain trans fats are.

- Some margarines
- Cookies
- Crackers
- Snack foods
- Shortening
- Doughnuts
- Cake
- Frozen foods
- Potato chips
- Candy
I hope you understand now that according to this high fat food list that some products are bad for you.
You should read the food labels; manufacturers must include the fat percentage on it.

Warning! Want to lose fat. Drugs, diets, supplements don't work.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Frederik_Smith/67847

Fat Burning Foods - Top 15 Foods to Eat to Burn Belly Fat Fast

Consuming natural fat burning foods is one of the best and fastest ways to get rid of stubborn belly fat. There is absolutely no reason to spend your money on expensive fat burning pills and weight loss supplements because they don't work for long-term results. Natural fat burning foods work in this way that you burn more calories then you consume. With these foods your metabolism works harder as well. Here is my list of my top 15 belly fat burning foods and on top of that you get additional fat loss tips on the end of the article as well.

- Green beans
- Brussels Sprouts
- Eggs (the white part)
- Oranges
- Chicken
- Whole grain bread
- Bell peppers
- Salmon
- Radish
- Apricots
- Raspberry
- Strawberry
- Watermelon
- Tangerine
- Lima beans
Of course these are only one small fraction of fat burning foods. There are some other things you must do to get rid of stubborn stomach fat as well. Therefore I add five nutrition tips to this article to melt away belly fat naturally as fast as possible.

1) Drink more water and avoid soft drink. No nutrition plan without drinking at least eight cups of water per day. Water doesn't contain any calories at all and it activates your metabolism

2) Eat foods rich in protein it is the natural fat burner and muscle builder activator

3) Do full body exercises such as mountain climber, front squats and back squats.

4) Avoid eating foods that contain bad fats such as ice cream, doughnuts, cracker, and cookies in general. In fact you should avoid eating foods that comes from an animal source

5) Processed carbohydrates are bad for you so don't eat white bread, pastas and white
rice. Whole grain foods haven't been processed and contain the fiber and minerals
your body needs.
These fat burning foods and nutrition tips are vital to lose belly fat fast and most of them are good to reduce bad cholesterol as well.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Frederik_Smith/67847

The Best Cardio Exercises For Women to Lose Belly Fat Fast - 4 Fast Flat Stomach Exercises

In this article I will explain you how to get a flat stomach fast with high intensity cardio exercises. Almost every time I go to the gym I see women (and men as well) running for hours and hours on a treadmill. And what really surprise me is at the same time they are talking to their friends as well or calling. If you do this yourself you can be absolutely sure that you're not training hard enough. Do this further and you will not get the desired results. But do high intensity cardiovascular workouts combined with full body exercises and a good nutrition programme and you can be sure to get a flat belly in three months or less.

Rowing: Rowing on a machine or even better on a real rowing boat is an excellent exercise to burn a good amount of calories fast. If you row for around ten minutes your body comes into the fat burning zone. This happens so fast because while training on a rowing machine you have the ability to create a rhythmic style. This is an excellent exercise if you want to start with high intensity cardio workouts.

Running: Running burns around six hundred calories an hour and is an ideal exercise to burn belly fat fast. Make sure to buy a good pair of running shoes otherwise you may end up with pain in your feeds.

Sprinting: This exercise is more effective then running because it has a high intensity. If you have finished sprinting you will burn fat at a much higher rate. We call this process EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) and it gives a much greater increase in metabolism compared to walking or running. However to get a flat stomach fast it is recommended to sprint for more then ten seconds. Short duration sprint exercises are anaerobic.

Cycling: Cycling burns as much calories as running but has a lower impact. This makes it an excellent exercise for people who are new to high intensity workouts.
Now next time you are working out make sure to do some of these exercises. Odds are high that you may end up in sweat but they are the best cardio workouts to get a flat belly fast.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Frederik_Smith/67847

The Best Cardio Exercises To Lose Fat Fast

You can't ignore doing cardio exercises for proper fat loss. It is possible to lose fat in two ways,
you can decrease your calorie intake by foods that burn fat or increase the amount you burn trough exercising.

Most people get it wrong here,they bring their body into a starvation mode and don't do any exercises at all. This is the reason why 95% of all fat loss diets fail a decrease in calorie intakes slows down your metabolism. On the other hand if you eat healthier and you do exercises your metabolic rate will increase.
The best cardio exercises to lose fat fast are those from an aerobic origin. Aerobic means literally with oxygen it refers to the fact that your body uses oxygen during the exercises. The best fat loss aerobic exercises are those with a high intensity. Perhaps you were recommended by other people to exercise long but with a low level of intensity. They can't be further from the truth, a lower level of intensity means that you will burn less calories. Here is another reason why high intensity cardio training is better then a low intensity workout. A cardio exercise with a high intensity will also burn much more calories after the workout.

If you would do calorie exercises for several health benefits then it would be enough to train twenty minutes or less. Just think about decreasing your blood cholesterol or decreasing your blood level. But this is not our main goal here the best cardio exercise for maximum fat loss must have a duration between thirty and sixty minutes. Some people are blessed with a super fast metabolism and they have enough with 20 minutes or less and sometimes they don't even need any exercise at all to stay lean.

However this is only a small group of the population if you want to lose fat cardio is recommended. If you want to know how much cardio exercise you need for maximum fat loss exposure then you have to know your body type. Other people will tell you that it is enough to do three times cardio per week. This might be true if your goals was building muscles or to get a better condition. However when it comes to burning body fat you will have to train more. Don't think that you do to much cardio training because you train five or even seven days per week.

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is also recommended as a group of cardio exercises for maximum fat loss. HIIT training does help you to lose calories after the workout as well. In contradiction to normal cardio exercises it is enough to do only twenty minutes or less of HIIT training. It is recommended that the duration of the interval should be between thirty and hunderdtwenty seconds.

I hope you understand now that knowing how to chose the best cardio exercise is very important for fast fat loss.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Frederik_Smith/67847

What Are the Best Exercises to Lose Belly Fat Fast?

This morning a friend of mine asked me "What are the best exercises to lose belly fat fast?". He had a gym membership for a couple of months now but still have to live with stubborn belly fat. He told me that he was doing literally hundreds of crunches and sit-ups and tried at least four different abs machines. To be honest he can do this stuff for years and still not achieve a flat belly because these exercises are the least effective to lose stubborn belly fat. The secret to lose belly fat fast is by creating a calorie deficit. Creating a calorie deficit happens in two ways trough proper nutrition and trough exercising. And be fair with yourself you don't have to choose between doing exercising or nutrition. You must have a working nutrition plan and access to the best fat loss exercises. It doesn't make sense to read this article if you eat junk food every day.

So what are the best exercises to lose belly fat fast? There is not one magical exercise you can do that will get you rid of stubborn stomach fat. In fact it is a combination of several exercises done at a high level of intensity that will make you successful. I repeat a high level of intensity is important here. Think about cardio exercises for a moment. Most people believe that you must do cardio for hours and hours to lose stubborn fat. Of course it is better then doing nothing but the result will be very poor. Because running on a treadmill or jogging happens on a very low level of intensity. An Excellent exercise to lose belly fat and fat in general is sprinting. If you don't believe that this is an excellent exercise look at professional sprinters all of them have a flat belly and even six pack abs. Do you really think they are doing typical abs exercises?
 
Conventional abs exercises do not burn belly fat. Stop wasting your time and energy on them they are not effective. Instead focus on full body workouts done at a high level of intensity. That's right get your entire body in shape and you will lose stomach fat fast. It is important that you have access to free weights, dumbbells or kettlebells. In fact your local gym has them so it is recommended to get a gym membership.
I hope you know now what the best exercises to lose belly fat fast are. Remember the secret to get a flat belly or six pack abs is get a low body fat percentage and do high intensity exercises

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Frederik_Smith/67847

Weight Loss Cardio Workout - The Best Cardio Workout

By now you may have heard that cardio is the best exercise for fat loss so you are looking for weight loss cardio workouts that will work best, right? Wrong! Cardio workouts should always complement a sound weights regime, so never just do cardio alone and expect a toned body. Always incorporate a good weight routine. For the purposes of this article however, the best cardio workouts contain variety. Here is why...

You keep your body thinking. You see, once your body gets used to certain steady workouts such as low impact cardio for long periods, it decreases the effectiveness of the workout and hence less calories burned. The second reason you need variety is because you don't want to get bored right, so change it up!

The example best cardio workout below can be performed with any exercise that will raise your heart rate enough to be slightly out of breath and work up a sweat, i.e. Treadmill, cycling, rowing, swimming, jogging, running, etc. Best part about it is that it only lasts for 22 minutes, so no more long boring 45 minute or more sessions!

EHIIT - Exciting High Intensity Interval Training Weight Loss Cardio Workout (stretch before hand)

• First 2 minutes - warm up at a comfortable pace, so just enough that you can talk as well as exercise.
• 3rd minute - Increase to HIGH intensity so that you are unable to talk anymore and your focus is just on that exercise, you want to be puffing by the end of the minute and these are the intervals that will work up a sweat for you.
• 4th minute - Decrease your intensity to being between warm up level and High intensity, so it will be your MID Intensity range, you could once again talk to someone here.
• 5th to 20th minute - Alternate between the HIGH intensity and MID intensity levels each minute up until you've done 20 minutes in total.
• Last 2 minutes - Cool down and stretch afterwards.

Total workout time: 22 minutes
This weight loss cardio workout has become one of the most popular over recent times put simply, it works! It is also very adjustable meaning that when you when you have lost weight and can push to the next level (say on the treadmill), you can still apply the same HIGH - MID intervals for the 20-30 minutes. The best cardio workouts don't have to be long winded and boring, so replace your old routines with this EHIIT technique, 2-3 times per week and watch the fat fall off.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Roger_Ruzzier/155081

Cardio Exercise - Does Cardio Exercise Burn Fat?

Everyone pretty much agrees that cardio exercise does burn fat but the question keeps arising as to which type of cardio exercise is the best fat burner. Fat is burned during both high intensity and low intensity exercises. But which is the best form of cardio exercise to help you in burning off excess body fat?

Glycogen is made primarily by the liver and muscles and forms an energy reserve to be used for short bursts energy. When it was first discovered your body burns glycogen during high intensity exercise it was assumed by many that no, or little, fat was burned. The further assumption was that your body burn a lot of fat during low intensity cardio exercise.

Like so many theories, this does not hold up. If your body actually burned a lot of fat just doing low intensity routines, such as walking, there would not be so many over weight people walking around.

But the researchers were not in error when they said that you burn more body fat during low intensity cardio exercises like walking or swimming. Your body actually does burn more calories during high intensity cardio routines but fat and calories are not the same.

The calories burned during high intensity exercise, for the large part, come from glycogen but many fat calories are also burned.

This is not bad and still leads to fat loss. As the store of glycogen is depleted, your body converts the carbohydrates from your food into glycogen rather than storing them as fat.

Another benefit is that high intensity cardio routines exercise keep your metabolism at an elevated rate even after you finish your workout. This causes your body to continue to burn body fat even while your body is at rest. Low intensity cardio routines do not have this effect as they do not produce a spike in your metabolic rate.

Over all, your body will burn up more and more calories during and after you have finished a high intensity cardio exercise than it will with low intensity.
Interval training is a good way to take advantage of this phenomenon. You do this by:
- walking, for say 5 minutes or so
- then breaking into jogging for another 5 minutes
- then adding a period of brisk walking
- and finally doing a short sprint
Then just alternate your walking and sunning until you finish your workout. This gives you the benefits of both low intensity and high intensity cardio exercise routines.

A benefit of cardio that you should not overlook is the increased energy you get. The more cardio you do, the more energy you build. Cardio does help you burn the fat calories, but its big pay back is helping you maintain high levels of energy.

You really should include cardio in your workout routines. If you like to exercise, adding cardio will help keep your energy up and permit you to exercise longer and at a higher rate of intensity. But you need to start slow. Don't push yourself beyond your capabilities and you'll find that cardio exercise really does help you burn that fat as well as providing more energy so you can enjoy life to the fullest!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Gerry_Marsh/58537