Interval Training Works For Me - Is Turbulence Training The Best Interval Training System For You?

It is really easy to get down on yourself when you are carrying a lot of extra weight and you know you need to lose it. It is easy to feel overwhelmed with what you have let yourself become.

I know what that is like because I was 50 pounds over my healthy weight for many years. I wanted to be slim and healthy but because I had packed on so many pounds the huge change I needed to make made it feel almost impossible. My self esteem was in the pits. I felt awful about my body and I tried to cover it up with loose-fitting clothes and extra large coats even during warm weather which was so uncomfortable.

If you are like I used to be and you want to lose weight, you want FAST results so that you can actually see that your effort and sacrifice are paying off. Otherwise it is easy to give up and go back to the old unhealthy ways. When I was beginning my weight loss effort which eventually led to losing over 50 pounds, I wanted results relatively soon so that I would have the incentive to stay on my healthy track.

When you have a lot of weight to lose it can seem like you are going to have to diet forever to ever get to your goal - so seeing results on the scale and in the mirror can be very motivating to stick with your program.

Back when I lost my 50+ pounds I followed what was generally taught when it came to losing weight. Eat healthier foods and exercise. The healthy eating advice was good however the expert exercise advice I followed was to exercise for at least 60 minutes a day in a fat burning zone. I followed that advice for years and I would even change my schedule and get up as early as 4 AM to make sure I got my fat burning workout hour in for the day.

Well it turns out the exercise gurus that say to work out for a long time each day in a fat burning zone might not be giving you the best advice.

Clinical research is now showing that the INTENSITY of your exercise is more important than the DURATION if you want to lose weight quickly and keep it off .

I have now embarked on a strategy of interval training using Turbulence Training by Craig Ballantyne.

I am sharing my thoughts and progress at my site.

If you want to visit and read my results or if you are interested in learning more interval training or if want to see if it is really possible to lose weight and get in shape faster in MUCH LESS TIME than you may have thought, please visit my site.

If you want to visit and read my results or if you are interested in learning more about interval training or if you just want to see if it is really possible to lose weight and get in shape faster in MUCH LESS TIME than you may have thought, please visit my site.

http://iloveintervaltraining.com/

or

http://turbulencetrainingreviewsguide.com

If you are thinking about becoming a personal trainer and want some great tips go to:

http://personaltrainersuccessstories.com

Running on the Right Path

Career changes always require a painful transition period. A few years back I lost my job as a stage manager for live television shows, and I was feeling the heat. As I sat in my tiny little apartment staring at a huge pile of overdue bills, I could feel the pain coursing through my soul. I suddenly had the uncontrollable urge to just run.

I am an avid runner who loves running in the wilderness. The feeling of breaking a sweat with a good stride in the great outdoors is like no other for me. Your heart is pumping blood through your body like a turbo-charger, your lungs are sucking in precious oxygen as fast as you can breathe it in, your pores are excreting sweat and toxins like crazy, and all of your senses are at their peak of performance. You can feel the world around you and you know you are part of it. It is a wonderful feeling; a healthy addiction if you will. My drug of choice is endorphins.

I hurried down the stairs to the parking garage. The woman who lived below me was just getting out of her car when I entered the garage. She was a cigarette-totin Maggie with ashen-grey skin and a raspy voice that sounded like it was the product of damaged vocal cords due to years of yelling too loud at parties and breathing tobacco smoke relentlessly. She was tall, rotund and barrel-chested, with bleached white hair that she wore way too long for her age, which I guessed was somewhere around forty. She wore black clothing everyday that made her look like an albino witch. She was also a single mother of a teenage daughter that was seemingly out of control. I often saw this daughter coming home at four in the morning as I was just leaving for work. She was only thirteen, but she seemed to be in a big hurry to become an adult. Her mother didnt seem to care about her too much.

I drove to a nearby street and parked my car next to a couple of other cars at the entrance to a fire trail. I stretched for about five minutes, and then I was on my way up my favorite wilderness trail that led into the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains (California).

I grew up playing and exercising in those hills. It is my favorite place to go when I need to get away from it all. There are fire trails everywhere that accommodate anyone who is looking for exercise in a wilderness area that includes rolling hills, bush-covered chaparral, and majestic mountains.

About a mile into my run I began to work up a sweat. A group of dark clouds passed overhead and it started to rain. It was winter. I was only wearing a tee-shirt and shorts, and the rain was cold, but it felt good. The rain drops splashed over my face and body like a fire sprinkler from heaven that was released right on cue.

The sun burst through the clouds and I was soon bathed in warm sunlight again. I entered a rocky area filled with caves that were formed by millions of years of wind and water erosion. The Chumash Indians once lived in those caves before the Europeans came. I looked up to the right and saw a group of teenagers hanging out in a big cave that was about fifty feet up on the face of a cliff. One of them noticed me running down below and threw an empty beer bottle in my direction. The bottle hit a rock about twenty feet away from me and exploded into a million pieces. This explosion was immediately followed by an eruption of laughter from the group. I was thinking about stopping to say something, but I did not want to ruin my good mood.

I made a couple of left and right turns on trails that I originally explored when I was about eight years old. I ran deeper into the hills. Soon I was running up a series of steep switchbacks trails.

I eventually arrived at the top of the highest hill in that area. I stopped for a rest, and to take in the beautiful three hundred and sixty degree view all around me. I had mountains in front of me, hills all around me and the San Fernando Valley off in the distance behind me. I watched the sunset over the mountains and meditated for a moment at my favorite spot on earth. When I turned around I could see the lights of The Valley glistening like a million fire flies. I was about five miles away from the nearest civilization, but it felt like it was five hundred.

A half hour later I started my run back towards civilization. It was now dark, but I was not worried about getting lost, for I knew those trails like the back of my hand. Rattlesnakes were all hibernating, coyotes arent much to worry about, but mountain lions were a different story. Although attacks on humans were rare, there had been a couple of people killed in California in recent years. I did not want to be the next rare event, so I made sure to announce my presence by singing loudly (and slightly off-key).

Suddenly, I saw a shadowy figure of a person up ahead on the trail in front of me. I was not used to seeing other people that far back in the hills. I approached with caution. As I got closer and closer to this dark silhouette, I noticed that this person was just standing still at a fork in the dirt road. When I was about to pass this person I noticed that it was a young teenage guy. He was wearing brown nylon shorts and a yellow tee-shirt that said Calabasas Cross Country Team on the front. He looked very worried, and seemed to be lost.

The thin young man politely asked me if I knew which one of the trails he was standing in front of was the one out of there. He explained that he was training for an up coming cross-country competition and did not realize how far he had run, or how quickly it got dark now that daylight savings was over. I told him that I knew that area quite well, and that he could follow me out of there.

I made a right turn at the fork in the road, and the kid followed behind me. As we were running down the switchback trails it started to rain again. We ran out into a large valley with tall grass, and then the kid began to fall behind a bit. I slowed my pace down a little until I could see him again slowly running behind me on the trail.

As we were passing through the rocky area with all the caves we suddenly came upon the group of kids that were partying earlier. They were slowly walking on the trail and passing around a bottle of whiskey. A young girl noticed us approaching and broke off from the group with the whiskey bottle in her hand. As we were passing by the girl she held the whiskey bottle out towards us and with a sarcastic and drunken voice she said you guys must be thirsty! A full moon was now shining down on the area and it illuminated me to the fact that this girl was the thirteen year old daughter of the albino witch lady that lived in the apartment below me. She was too drunk to recognize me. We then jogged past the chuckling group of inebriated teenagers and continued on with our run through the wilderness.

We finally reached the end of the trail and we both stopped running. While trying to catch his breath, the kid thanked me for giving him directions. He then disappeared into the neighborhood. I walked over to my car and stood next to it for a moment. I thought to myself; I may not have much money, but I have my health. I am thankful for having parents who cared, and that I chose to run on the right path in life.

Copyright 2006. Michael P. Connelly

Michael P. Connelly is an author and filmmaker who writes about a variety of adventures he has experienced in his life. To publish this article contact Michael at: (818) 887-9108 measeburl@aol.com Photos available. For his latest book visit: http://www.makealowbudgetmovie.com

Exercises for Stomach Muscle Strength

People who start an abdominal exercise routine has a simple goal in mind - to get a flatter stomach. And while a flat stomach looks and feels nice, it has to be complemented with strength and firmness of the muscles - stomach muscle strength. Gaining strength on the abdominal area will not only make your stomach look nicer but will also accomplish an important function in your core area.

Here are some simple exercises that will power up your core stomach area and will make you look and feel better, while giving you strength. Always talk with a professional before doing any exercise to see if you are fit for them.

Toning the Torso

Begin by coming an all fours. With your stomach pulled in, extend one arm in front of you. While keeping this arm stretched, extend the opposite leg behind you. Repeat for an entire set switching sides.

Butt Burner

Begin by lying on your back, using a towel to cushion your spine. Bend your knees with your feet flat on the floor and put your arms at the sides, like wings on the ground. Squeeze your butt and lift just the pelvis off the floor t about 45 degrees. Hold for 5 seconds and slowly with control lower your body back to the starting position. Repeat for an entire set.

Crunchless Crunch

Lie on your stomach and relax your body as much as possible. With the lower abdominals try to move your belly button towards your spine, and hold for ten seconds. You can add difficulty by adding more seconds. The goal is to hold it until you can't feel the contraction. When this occurs let the contraction out.

These are 3 of the simplest stomach strengthening exercises; they will be of great aid also if you want to engage in any sport activity. For this purpose -meaning working the core area - it would be a good idea to try Pilates exercises since all of them involve the stomach.

Learn how to get the stomach you want with Stomach Muscle Exercises. While you are there be sure to join our newsletter for tips and more product reviews.

How To Get Rid Of Belly Fat That Doesn't Want To Budge

You should be sporting a six-pack by now. Those hours a day at the gym on the running, rowing and cycling machine, combined with an endless amount of sit ups should have gotten you a six-pack by now. But it's not happening. You thought you knew how to get rid of belly fat. You thought you had it down to an art form, how wrong were you.

You're frustrated and saddened. That reflection in the mirror isn't what you hoped for. You're wondering where your efforts have gone and you're on the verge of giving up. It's that pooch at the bottom of your belly that's bothering you the most. It just doesn't seem to shift.

You wish you could just cut off that annoying flab sitting below your midriff. But before you do anything extreme! Realize that anyone can learn how to lose lower belly fat. This ever elusive answer to knowing how to get rid of belly fat effectively has eluded so many people because frankly there are just too many answers out there.

Most gym slaves are frustrated week after week, unable to shift that lower belly fat regardless of how many crunches they do. Heck, you might eventually get a four-pack, but there will always be that lower flab preventing you from getting to the next level.

Little do they know that the answer to how to get rid of belly fat in the lower regions is not what they believe it to be. Who wants to spend hours in the gym anyway?

Put it this way, if you have spent hours at the gym and you're starting to see gradual results, it's a start. Now you can continue the way you're going and maybe, just maybe in a few years you'll see the results you've always wanted. Now, there's no guarantee you'll ever reach your desired results, so it's insane to go this route.

Simply put, relying on a single method isn't your answer to how to lose lower belly fat. To effectively lose weight and gain a ripped body and a six-pack to be proud, of all you have to do is make small changes. Even if you've never stepped in a gym or rarely exercise, there are simple guidelines you can apply to your cardio workouts or diet that will make dramatic differences in results.

It's about increasing effectiveness and efficiency. After all you want to see great results in the littlest time possible. We can do this by turning your body into a super fat burning machine. To do this you will only need to adjust a few important aspects in your training or eating habits.

Most newbies to training, start their exercise regime so horribly wrong. They don't have the foggiest idea on how to perform exercises well, they don't combine cardio workouts with weight training and they simply eat poorly which will prevent them from seeing results.

If you really want to know how to get rid of belly fat, then it may be that you'll need change your game plan completely. If you're lucky, you may just have to apply one or two amendments. If you want to succeed, it's down to you to get the right expert advice.

Click here and get started on how to get rid of belly fat. Go to http://howtogetridofbellyfatquick.blogspot.com

Weight Loss Done Right, Diet 101

This is my article to you, yes I know that weight loss can be hard. I was there I have lived it and been through it all. But like anything else I overcame stresses and went through it and lost over 67 pounds in just a few short months.

Diet- this is the first thing I would like to touch bases on. What are you eating? This is important, you must try to stay as far away from sugar as possible. Yes sugar, this even means fruit. many times people will tell me I thought fruit was good for you, I say it is but to an extent and when you are dieting you want to stay away from it.

Raw Veggies are the best things for you!

They are rich in anti-oxidants and some of the best things you can put inside your body. Processed foods are a no-no.

Stay away from McDonalds, and any other fast food joint. Does this sound hard? Well I never said it was going to be easy. Because it is not, not by any means.

You must stay strong, weight loss done right only can happen one way. you must do it. You must diet, you must exercise, you must eat healthy.

These all sound like hard things to do but this is the way to weight loss done right.

Cardio- this is also good for you when you are dieting. This is because is raises your metabolism and allows your body to burn off access fat.

You can get your cardio from a number of different ways.
Running
Walking
Jogging
Riding a bike
Swimming
Weight lifting
stretching

These are all great ways to get your heart moving and cardio rate up and be on the right track to weight loss done right.

Hi, I would love to show you a step-by-step guide on how you too can loose weight in no time, I am here to help
Please visit http://www.targetweightloss.info

Dieting

Everyone is in competition nowadays to look good and live healthy. So to look good usually they go for dieting with the aim of losing weight as personality with overweight is not pleasing.

People diet for many reasons. Some are at an unhealthy weight and need to pay closer attention to their eating and exercise habits. Some play sports and want to be in top physical condition. Others may think they would look and feel better if they lost a few pounds. Lots of people feel pressured to lose weight and try different types of diets. But if you really need to lose weight, improving your eating habits and exercising will help you more than any diet. Dieting could be a solution if done in a right manner. Unhealthy Dieting, especially extreme food-intake reduction and rapid weight loss, can have the following side effects:

• Fatigue
• Depression
• Prolonged hunger
• Sinus
• Muscle loss
• Blood shot eyes
• Gall bladder diseases
• Acidosis
• Rashes
• Irritability
• Fainting

The best way to diet is to eat a wide variety of enough food to meet your body needs. Aim to eat more fruits and veggies, cut back on meats high in fat (like burgers and hot dogs), greasy fried foods, and sweets, and drink more water instead of sugary drinks like sports drinks or sodas. Great Dieting Tips to loose weight safely:

• Eat less. More often.
• Do not eat right before going to bed.
• Kick the sugar habit.
• Shop with calories in mind.
• Reduce the amount of breads, chips, crackers, and salty snacks you eat.
• Exercise daily.
• Drink milk, including fat-free or low-fat milk.
• Drink plenty of water (at least four to six 8-ounce glasses a day).
• Eat lean, high-protein foods, like lean meat, chicken, fish, or beans.
• Eat whole grains (like whole-wheat bread or pasta), which provide fiber, B vitamins, and iron.
• Eat breakfast.
• Choose smaller portions at fast-food restaurants.
• Stay away from fad diets you might lose a few pounds temporarily, but if you do not focus on changing your habits, you will probably just gain it back when you go back to your usual way of eating.
• Do not take diet pills.
• Avoid seeing foods as "good" or "bad" or eliminating entire groups of foods, like dairy. If you eliminate entire food groups, you may miss out on important nutrients, like calcium
• If you choose to become a vegetarian, talk to your doctor or dietitian about how to make nutritious vegetarian choices.

Author is running a health information site http://www.peoples-health.com where information on several diseases like allergies, blood disorders, cancer, childrens health, digestive disorder, liver diseases etc. and tips on dieting, nutrition and improving lifestyle has been provided. Find some useful articles on dieting here- http://www.peoples-health.com/diets.htm

Weight Loss Tips - Do Not Count Calories For Quick Weight Loss

What comes to mind is "calories," when talking about weight gain or weight loss. How many people really understand what calories are?

A calorie is a unit of energy which is provided by oxidation of food - a process consisting of the chemical reaction of carbon and hydrogen with oxygen to yield water and carbon dioxide. This oxidation supplies the body energy for warmth, movement and for other chemical reactions.

Usually most diet books tell us that calories consumed must equal the calories burned, otherwise a person tends to put on weight. A pound of body fat is about 3500 calories stored and supposedly, eating about 100 extra calories per day will cause weight gain of about one pound in a month. They also say that reversing this process will take off the added weight.

How easy and wonderful it would be, if only calorie reduction makes us fit and healthy. There would not be any fat people in this world.

The reason this is a false notion and the reason why there are so many people fighting weight loss in spite of admirable efforts, is because it all depends on individual metabolism. It is not just what is eaten, but the specific physiological attributes of the person eating the food that matters.

Reducing caloric intake may work wonderfully for a person who has gained weight due to laziness, inactivity or even excess food consumption. This may be the case with women during pregnancy and who need a little help losing weight afterwards.

What happens to those people that are genetically disposed to weight gain or even for those that have kept the weight for so long that they have experienced metabolic changes? For such people, counting calories is a futile effort.

Energy requirements for each individual, even if they are of the same sex, age and body composition may vary by almost 100%.

You must understand that the body constantly modifies its own energy expenditures in various ways depending on the changing supply of calories. This shows that counting calories may yield no results.

To learn more about the powerful workouts you can do to build muscle and burn

fat at the same time, visit http://www.positiveattitude4life.com

Frank is a former body guard, professional martial artist and trainer. He will show you the proper way to do turbulence training.

Diabetes - Death by Sugar All Around the World

Due in part to many reasons, the whole world, on average, is getting bigger & fatter every year. At present:

* More than 300 million adults worldwide are obese.

* Almost half of these individuals live in developed countries and as many as 23% of American adults are obese.

* Obesity results in $100 billion in healthcare costs each year in the United States.

* Obesity results in 300,000 preventable deaths each year in the United States.

* Obesity nearly doubles your chances of developing high blood pressure.

* Nearly 70 % of cardiovascular disease cases are related to obesity!

* The U.S. Surgeon General has developed a national action plan to reduce obesity.

STATISTICS PROVIDED BY:

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

The National Institute of Health

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention

The Na tional Women's Health Resource Center

A recent study from the journal Public Health reported obesity as being a greater health risk than smoking, drinking or poverty. Obesity was more closely associated with major illnesses and a poorer quality-of-life in comparison to people that smoked, drank, or lived in poverty. Researchers found that half of the people who are obese have an additional chronic condition such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes. This study was based on a telephone survey of 10,000 Americans and used only body mass index to assess obesity and overweight. Regardless, the results are cause for great concern.

You must also keep in mind that some individuals may fit into more than one category, and sometimes even all of the categories. However, the researchers stated that more people are overweight or obese than are, collectively, daily smokers, problem drinkers or living below the poverty line. Of course, being in more than one category puts your health status at an even greater disadvantage.

Obesity is a huge burden on the health care system now and will be even more so in the near future. It is a largely a preventable disease however it is a medical condition in many cases. This is very unfortunate but it is not something that should be dismissed as static. You can make a change or you can help someone make a change toward healthier living. One of the authors said the survey "demonstrates that public health officials should intensify their fight against obesity to levels that at least match the public health campaign against smoking".

Sturm, R., and K. Wells. Does obesity contribute as much to morbidity as poverty or smoking? Public Health. 115(3): 229-235, 2001.

Unfortunately, this is not a joke, and it's definitely no laughing matter. There are a large number of Internet resources for more information on either subject, such as www.diabetes.org and www.diabetesonestop.com. The newsletters from the American Diabetes Association have provided a wealth of knowledge (and many statistics and research facts in this article).

Type 2 Diabetes (T2-D) is associated with a marked impairment in the ability of the hormone insulin to stimulate glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. Most diabetic patients are obese and have high blood levels of lipids (fats) and glucose (sugar). Both of these blood levels can contribute to insulin resistance. Correct insulin is necessary for the cells of the body to pull sugar (glucose) from the blood to use as energy. Thus, it is a negative cycle (high blood glucose leads to insulin resistance and insulin resistance leads to high blood glucose!). Over the long-term, high blood glucose levels can lead to damage of the eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart.

Fortunately, while diabetes is serious, it is largely preventable and is also possible to control with lifestyle modifications, although it can't be "cured". Patients can learn to take care of their diabetes by decreasing their blood glucose levels through nutritional and exercise interventions and subsequent reductions in body fat. In fact, with weight loss, exercise, and better nutrition, many diabetics can greatly reduce (or eliminate) the need for medications. Any treatments should be discussed with a medical professional before changes are initiated.

However, enough optimism, it's time to look at the hard facts and the sad state of diabetes in North American (and the rest of the world).

* T2-D affects 140 million people worldwide.

* 16 million Americans have diabetes.

* Diabetes is the 6th leading cause of death by disease in America.

* In America, the total annual cost of diabetes to the nation is more than $100 billion.

* ~25% of all Medicare costs are spent on people with diabetes.

* Obesity is the most important determinant of insulin resistance.

* No one is able to escape the effects of diabetes (i.e. death of family and friends; financial; health care costs; etc.).

The chance of death due to diabetes is increasing primarily due to cardiovascular disease. More depressing is the fact that the risk of death increases with lower socio-economic status, likely because these people are less educated, and due to the fact that you can buy loads of saturated fat and sugar for a couple of bucks just about anywhere. Cardiovascular disease sucks. Having been a spectator of an open-heart surgery at the foot of the operating table, it is clear that no one who has the choice would want to go through that ordeal. Imagine your chest ripped open, your heart fixed up, and your chest sewn up with wire. Bring on the morphine.

THE CHILDREN

The most disturbing issue surrounding diabetes is the impact that it is having in adolescents and in specific ethnic groups. Nowhere is it more sad or obvious as to what harm a sedentary lifestyle and a fast food nutritional intake can have on a person's health than in children. Overweight children are becoming more common, health problems are greater, and T2-D is being seen more and more at younger ages. Risk factors for overweight kids include overweight parents, high-fat diets, watching too much television, and being from poor families.

Unfortunately, overweight children often simply become overweight adults. Because it is difficult for people to lose body fat as one grows older, public health experts hope that preventing excess weight gain in children will avert health problems later in life. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that American adolescents are developing T2-D. However it is difficult to detect T2-D in children because rarely do they show symptoms (these take years to manifest). Thus, it is extremely important to initiate educational, nutritional, and physical activity programs as soon as possible at all socio-economic levels.

ETHNIC GROUPS

Overall, the number of American diabetics increased at least 33% over the 1990's and as obesity continues to increase, so will diabetes. Unfortunately, this impacts certain ethnic groups to a greater extent than others. For example, Native American Indians have a very, very high number of T2-diabetics in their communities (3 three times the national average). African Americans may have an even higher rate of diabetes (10.8% of all African Americans - 2.3 million). It is hoped that educating these peoples on nutrition and physical activity will help combat the disease.

NUTRITION

American's fat consumption has decreased over several decades from 40 % to 34 %, however the rate of obesity has risen from 12 % in 1991 to at least 23% today. This may be due in part to the vague "official" nutritional recommendations and the massive fast food industry. The general public believes in a low fat and high carbohydrate diet, however they don't know that there are both good and bad fats and good and bad carbohydrates.

In fact, some research shows that neither the total amount of fat or carbohydrate a person consumes can predict diabetes. Researchers suggest it may not be the quantity of fat or carbohydrate that you eat, but rather the quality. Improving the quality of your food intake and monitoring the quantity will help prevent against overweight and obesity.

Hu et al. (2001a) have written a tremendous paper on the role of nutrition in diabetes. They found that for carbohydrates, one should consume more low-glycemic carbohydrates and a high fiber content. In contrast, everyone should consume minimal refined flour products to prevent large increases in blood sugar and insulin after meals.

Recommended carbohydrate foods are oatmeal, whole unrefined grains, fibrous vegetables, apples, and other fibrous fruits, while breads and sugar based foods (soda, candy, etc.) should be eliminated. In diabetic individuals, a diet of low-glycemic carbohydrates can improve blood sugar control and if you are obese, you should absolutely eliminate all high-glycemic carbohydrates from your diet. In fact, a meal of high-glycemic foods does not cause people to feel full, and may lead to more eating! In summary, this relationship has been established: High-glycemic carbohydrates develop obesity, and obesity develops diabetes.

In their thorough review, Hu et al. (2001a) also found that a high intake of saturated fat and trans-fatty acids likely promote diabetes. In contrast, an increase in a person's intake of poly-unsaturated fat and Omega-3 fatty acids could help prevent diabetes. It is wise to decrease consumption of saturated fats (animal fats), margarine, butter and hydrogenated vegetable oils (i.e. the oil that french fries are cooked in). Salmeron et al. (2001) recommend decreasing your intake of trans-fatty acids (hydrogenated vegetable oils) by replacing them with non-hydrogenated polyunsaturated fatty acids will help decrease your risk of T2-D. One place to start is reducing your intake of fast food.

In replacement, everyone should try to consume more fish oils and non-hydrogenated vegetable oils (i.e. olive oil). Most of the research presented is based on association. For example, in the Netherlands, diets containing a lot of fish are associated with lower risks of diabetes. Researchers suggest that one must follow the correct diet for a long time (i.e. make it part of your lifestyle) in order to see benefits. For example, fish oils (Omega-3 fatty acids) have benefits for "cell membranes" and help insulin function properly, however this will not happen overnight just because you had a salmon steak!

Basically, a typical "Westernized" diet should be avoided. All the negatives (i.e. saturated animal fats and sugars) seem to be associated with one another (i.e. they are all found in your typical fast food meal). In reality, everyone should try to:

* Decrease animal fat (saturated fats) and hydrogenated cooking oils.

* Increase fish and flax oils (poly-unsaturated Omega-3 fatty acids) and vegetable oils.

* Decrease high-glycemic carbohydrate intake. Don't drink regular soda!

* Increase fiber from whole grains

* Increase fruit and vegetable consumption

At the 2001 ENDOCRINE SOCIETY meeting, alternative treatments of T2-D were recommended by Arsenis and Goettelman. In this study, diabetic patients reduced animal protein intake from 2-3 times a day to once every other day (vegetable protein was substituted) and stopped all consumption of plain sugars. Patients liked the new diet and the fact that they did not have to fast, take low calorie diets or receive appetite suppressants. The metabolic profile of many patients improved and it even helped some to stop using certain medications. The authors concluded that the reduction of animal protein and sugars help to improve the quality of life and metabolic profile of diabetic patients.

LIFESTYLE

In addition to diet, another contributing factor to obesity is that 60 % of Americans don't get enough activity and 25 % get NO activity. A recent study examined almost 40000 males over the age of 40 and how the amount of TV they watch relates to their T2-D risk (Hu et al., 2001a). Researchers showed that more TV was significantly associated with higher risk for diabetes and that increased physical activity is associated with less risk for diabetes.

The key point is that if people get up and moving that they may be able to decrease their risk of diabetes. This information should be applied towards youths as well. In addition, for obese people, simply losing 5-10 pounds can have a dramatic positive effect on their health!

Even inadequate sleep can have an effect on diabetes according to research from the lab of Dr. Eve Van Cauter. In a study, subjects that got restricted sleep (< 7h) for 5 nights had impaired insulin sensitivity (Mander et al., 2001). It may be due to disruption of bodily functions due to shortened sleep. Thus, one of the functions of sleep may be to assure normal blood sugar levels. That's another "Western world" lifestyle factor that may contribute to diabetes.

On a related note, "Excessive Daytime Sleepiness" (EDS) is becoming more prevalent. This condition is associated with diabetes and is considered as an important public health problem because it is a strong risk for public safety. Its prevalence is estimated to occur in 5% to 15% of the general population.

INTERVENTIONS

According to the National Institute Health, 35-40 % of adult American women and 20-24 % of adult American men are trying to lose weight at any given time. An interesting story came out of Philadelphia last month. Philly was rated the fattest city in the USA for January of 2000 and the mayor urged the city to lose weight. The city has taken the challenge and this year sits at 3rd, while Houston is now the fattest in the USA. On a whole, obesity and diabetes are more prevalent in the Southern United States!

In a study presented at the American Diabetes Association conference, diabetic patients have the greatest improvements in symptoms after following a program that combined a proper exercise and diet approach (Alpizar et al., 2001). Obesity remains the major obstacle to the achievement of satisfactory glycemic control in T2-D and often limits management of cardiovascular risk factors. After nutritional education and guidance, as well as an increase in daily physical activity, modest weight losses and improved diabetic factors were noted (Reynolds et al., 2001). Again, these stress the need for education and guidance.

If you are active, if you eat a variety of healthy foods (natural produce, lean meats, un-refined grains), and if you are of a healthy weight, than the fear of diabetes and obesity should be minimal. When asked how to avoid diabetes, Dr. Ronald Kahn said, "Stay thin! If you are not, get thin!" After all, obesity is the most important determinant of insulin resistance.

For active people of a healthy weight, it is not unrealistic to include the odd "Western" meal in your weekly schedule without causing panic. However, the consistent intake of a high-sugar, low-fiber, high-saturated fat diet, along with a daily sedentary living pattern precludes people to the awful diseases that are diabetes and obesity.

REFERENCES

Alpizar, M., et al. Effectiveness of an Exercise Program and Diet Plan in the Control of DM2 Patients. American Diabetes Association, 61st Annual Conference, 2001.

Hu, F., et al. Diet & risk of Type II diabetes: the role of fat & carbohydrate. Diabetologia 44: 805-817, 2001a.

Hu, F., et al. Physical Activity and Television Watching in Relation to Risk for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Men. Arch Intern Med. 161: 1542-1548, 2001b.

Mander, B., et al., Short Sleep: A Risk Factor for Insulin Resistance and Obesity. American Diabetes Association, 61st Annual Conference, 2001.

Reynolds, L., et al. Lifestyle intervention reduces multiple risk factors in obese patients with poorly controlled insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes mellitus. American Diabetes Association, 61st Annual Conference, 2001.

Salmeron, J., et al. Dietary fat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in women. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 73(6): 1019-1026, 2001.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Mens Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines and all over the Internet, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Lose 10 Pounds - 3 Stealth Tricks To Lose 10 Pounds Before The End Of July!

Is losing weight difficult?

It will depends on your determination. Do you really want it? Are you ready to do whatever it takes to lose those extra pounds?

It's funny, but losing weight is like going to school. You will learn how to burn the body fat, and then, you need to apply what you discovered.

There are no secrets. Most of the people who don't manage to lose weight don't follow the method they try until completion.

1. Motivation

You need to have a good reason to lose weight. Ask yourself: "Why I want to lose weight?".

Write this on a piece of paper and put it everywhere in your house. Put in near your computer at the office.

Add this as a sticky on your fridge, put it on the doors and everywhere you can. You need to see this goal several time a day.

In fact, you need to think about it.

2. Announce it to the world

I know it seems crazy, but telling your friends and family members that your goal is to lose 10 pounds by the month of July will help you to reach your goal faster.

Plus if you lose motivation, they will remind you. If you go watch a movie and start eating chips, they will tell you to stop.

This work very well, so make sure that you let your friends and family know what you are doing. This will be like a little mastermind. And who knows, maybe you will find someone who is dieting as well.

3. Fasting

Fasting three days every single month of the year will help you to lose weight. Plus all your body will benefit from fasting.

Finally! Discover a powerful weight loss system used by thousands of bodybuilders and people around the world to obtain low-low body fat level. Learn how you too can get rid of your stomach fat for good when you visit: http://www.positiveattitude4life.com

Franck Silvestre is a professional Martial Artist. Visit his website today at Turbulence Training

A Secret To Lose My Belly Fat

You used to go to the gym after work, but since many years now you get bothered or you don't have the money to join the gym. Whatever your reason exercising at home is a very viable way to improve your health. There are many things you can do. You can walk around the house. You can even do exercises to tone your muscles. Look around your house. You'll see many things you can use to exercise.

But you have to know that losing weight is an art, and if you want real results you have to follow a program that has made such evidence in the field. You also need to learn the right exercises. I recommend that you start with bodyweight exercises if you are a beginner. 30 minutes of exercise does help you lose weight and keep in shape. Start today and in only several weeks, you will see results.

But don't forget getting started involves more than just excercising the first day. There are many who do this and never return. The key in getting started is to make it a part of your lifestyle and a habit. Also

one of the biggest mistakes people make when they start an exercise program is they reduce the amount of activity they do for the rest of the day. They think "I've already done my exercise for the day" and they sit on the lounge. To really lose that weight you need to make sure that you remain active for the rest of the day. Don't spend the rest of the day in bed or on the couch!

The turbulence training fat loss program will show you the proper way to use your body to burn fat.

There are countless "weight free" exercises that will help you to burn fat, gain muscle and get a great workout at the same time.

to learn more about exercise and how to be in better shape, just visit http://turbulencetrainingnew.blogspot.com

Budgeting For Healthy Weight Loss

Imagine for a moment that you've been given a $1,000 gift certificate to spend as you wish.

Now that I have you excited, think about how you would spend that money. Would you buy a single expensive item or a number of less expensive items?

Would your purchases reflect your "needs," such as items for your home and family, or would you treat yourself to some "wants" that you've had your eye on?

More than likely, you would end up with a mixture of all of the above. This would be a result of some careful planning, price checking and prioritizing so that you are ultimately satisfied with your purchases.

Our financial friends might call this budgeting. Certainly this kind of conduct wouldn't fit under the term "impulse buys."

The budgeting concept can be applied to our daily caloric intake. Each of us has a daily budget of calories required to maintain a healthy body weight and in order to stay within our budget we must carefully balance our "wants" and "needs" through planning, label reading and prioritizing.

Why is it so hard to budget our daily calorie intake?

The greatest challenge is that our caloric bank account has, for lack of a better term, substantial overdraft protection.

Thus, exceeding our daily budget usually goes overlooked until our clothing feels a bit snug or the scale has increased another few pounds. Add to this the availability of calorie expensive foods, huge portion sizes and lack of regular deposits in the form of physical activity -- no wonder many of us are well over our calorie budget.

So if it comes down to budgeting calories, why is it so difficult to lose weight or prevent weight gain? The answer is two-fold.

One, the invention of labour-saving devices has reduced our caloric budget to extremely low levels. Think of the amount of physical labour you perform in a day both at work and at home with that of your grandparents when they were your age. Our generation doesn't have to do physically intensive jobs in order to survive, so our budget of calories is much lower. Secondly, we are surrounded by foods that are calorie expensive.

Being stingy with our calories is nearly impossible when eating at restaurants, eating on the run or choosing prepackaged foods. Thus even our best intentions can be thwarted by the temptation of taking the elevator and having a sweet snack with our coffee.

Much like spending money can be increased with opportunity, so can eating of calorie-dense foods. Think of the last time you made an "impulse" buy. Was it during a period of high or low emotional circumstances? Was it in response to something negative that happened in your life, such as a stressful event or argument with a friend or family member?

This concept also applies to eating. For example, during an office meeting you may rarely be tempted by the doughnuts brought in by coworkers, however, if you feel pressure or anxiety because it's your turn to present at the meeting that day, your ability to say no to the temptation may be diminished or distracted.

Determining triggers and chains of events that lead to overeating are an important part of a healthy weight loss program.

So what can you do to bypass these temptations?

First, you have to become aware of what you're eating. Ask yourself before succumbing to that temptation, Am I hungry? Is this going to fulfill my needs?

Does this food fit into my daily nutritional plan? Is this what I want to spend my calories on or is there something better?

It's perfectly fine to determine that a temptation or treat is warranted. If you decide a food or treat fits your budget then savour it and enjoy every bite. Take your time, chew every bite, do whatever it takes to slow down.

Developing a plan to deal with temptations and managing your food and physical activity budget is not something you have to do on your own. Programs that provide support, encouragement and education can make this process much more enjoyable and ultimately more successful.

Decide if you are a solo or social "changer" and develop your plan using any resources you see fit.

Drew Harvey is the founder and director of Healthy Weights.
He is a kinesiology professor and has helped thousands at his research and weight loss clinic.
http://www.healthyweights.ca

Extreme Cardio For Weight Loss

You don't have to do cardio for weight loss at all. None. Shocking, isn't it? We've been told so many times you have to cardio, aerobics, and cardio in the fat burn zone in order to burn fat. But the truth? You have to control your diet. How you burn calories for weight loss is less important.

The latest research from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, has shown that an 8-week cardio program (3 sessions per week of 40 minutes per session) did not result in any fat loss! On the other hand, the interval training group in the same study lost several pounds.

Traditional cardio is a waste of time. Inefficient, and possibly ineffective. You are much better focusing on your proper fat loss nutrition and strength and interval workouts.

And you certainly don't have to do extreme amounts of cardio. But some people end up taking their fat loss activities to extremes. Making unhealthy, ineffective, and excessive choices.

For example, one reader emailed me about the 7 hours of cardio she did per week. She wondered why she wasn't losing ANY fat. That is an extreme amount of slow and steady cardio. Something I would never advise for a fat loss program. And she still wanted to do more!

I told her absolutely not. If 7 hours per week does't work for you, why would more? With that mentality, you'll end up spending every single non-working waking minute doing cardio. What kind of life is that?

Another reader wrote in about the pitfalls of her excessively low calorie diet...

"I'm on the weight loss track again. I found I wasn't eating enough calories (1000 kcal/day). Filling up on veggies is good (and I love them), but they don't have the calories. Eating walnuts/almonds helped get me there. Eating 1500+ is where I need to stay to lose weight and keep my energy up. I've dropped about 3 pounds this week."

Inside most people, there is going to be the urge to do more, eat less, or obsess even further about food and exercise when you are trying to reach a fitness or fat loss goal.

But taking eating and working out to the extremes is more often counterproductive, and in the long-run, downright unhealthy.

And the unfortunate thing is that the reader that emailed me about her 7 hours of ineffective aerobic training, was skeptical of the strength and interval workouts, because she didn't think it contained enough cardio.

But really, how much could be enough for this woman? 7 hours wasn't getting her any results. What did she want? 10 hours?

We need to understand that cardio is not the be-all and end-all of fat loss programs. There are many ways to burn fat and calories, not just by spending 60 minutes on an elliptical machine.

All you need are 3 workouts per week of 45 minutes per session. Do 20 minutes of total body strength training followed by 20 minutes of interval training. Then spend the rest of your week staying active through fun activities and focusing on whole, natural foods for your fat loss nutrition. No more extreme cardio!

You have permission to publish this article in your web sites, ezines or electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety including the resource box, all hyperlinks (HTML clickable) and references and copyright info.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training for Fat Loss have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Turbulence Training for Fat Loss workouts help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig's bodyweight workouts for fat loss help you lose fat without any equipment at all.

1 Cardio Trick To Lose Belly Fat - Maximize Your Belly Fat Burn Rate

One of the best ways to lose belly fat is through cardio workouts. Cardio can burn a lot of fat in a relatively short period of time, as long as it's done in the right way to maximize your fat burn rate. The sad thing is, that most people do cardio in a way which doesn't help them to burn the maximum amount of fat and also consumes way too much of their time.

So what is the wrong way to do cardio? Or better yet, what is the 1 cardio trick to lose belly fat fast?

The wrong way to do cardio, which is the more common form you see in gyms, is the long duration, low-medium intensity cardio workouts. You probably know what I mean: people who get up on the treadmill and simply use to it to stroll for an hour, barely picking up their feet. Others may run at a slow pace which may be great for a warm up, but it's not the best way to lose belly fat, not by a long shot.

Not that I blame those people, they've simply been filled with misinformation. They've been led to believe that they need to do long workouts in order to burn any fat at all. Of course you need to do things for a long time if you're doing it at a slow pace like a turtle. Your body barely feels any exertion.

The 1 trick to lose belly fat with cardio involves doing short duration, high intensity, interval cardio workouts. By doing such workouts you get the body to really feel the burden, work your heart through a whole range of beat rates, burn a ton of fat, and do it in less time. The downside is that you need to work hard. If you don't push yourself, you will not be able to burn enough belly fat to make it worthwhile, but if you are prepared to make the effort, you can have a massive cardio workout in 20--25 minutes flat.

So the trick to doing cardio to lose belly fat is to do it a high intensity level which means that you will only be able to keep it up for a short while, and then to lower your intensity level for a while to catch your breath, and push yourself into higher intensity again. If you do this cycle for the entire 20 minutes of workout, believe me, you'll be huffing and puffing, and sweating profusely. What's even better, is that your body will be burning calories a higher rate for a long time afterwards because you've really pushed it to the wall.

Try doing this kind of cardio. If you do just this 1 trick to lose belly fat, you will see and feel the results.

To read more about how to get flat abs, click here: Tricks To Lose Belly Fat.

John Davenport lost over 30 pounds in his twenties after being overweight most of his life. To read about a massive cardio oriented fitness program, click here: Turbulence Training Review - Learn The Secrets Of Cardio.

Best Way To Lose Belly Fat - Eat More, Move More

The population of most of the developed world is getting heavier each year.

And as a result too many people today are overweight or obese.

More likely, overweight people are prone to chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease,sleep disorders, reproductive problems and depression.

Aside from the genetic factors, the main reasons why more and more people are getting heavier are due to various reasons like

-watching too much television,
-spending way too much time on the computer,
-relying on less manual work,
-eating far too much junk food and take aways.

If you see yourself in this situation, it's time to improve your life and self-esteem.

And it's time to get going, lose weight for a healthier lifestyle.

When planning to lose body fat, avoid fad diets promising fast weight loss.

Why?

Two reasons...

1) It is not healthy for you
2) Once you return to your normal eating habits, the weight will quickly return

The best way to lose body fat is to

1. Sacrifice and plan to make small, life long changes to your eating habits;
2. Reduce the calories, and eat 6 healthy meals during the day. This will reduce any cravings for junk food or sweets;
3. Drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day;
4. Eat less high fats such as biscuits, chocolate, fried onions, and chips
5. Cut out both diet and non diet sodas
6. Add less fat from butter, margarine and oil to foods
7. Eat plenty of steam food, vegetables and fruits
8. Reduce alcohol consumption if you drink more than 2 standard drinks per day
9. With a calorie restricted diet, you might lose weight - but if you don't exercise, you will miss the chance of burning more body fat, and reduce the likelihood of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. So Move your butt and start exercising.

And one of the best exercises to lose belly fat is the Turbulence Training Routine.

This is a great workout for beginners looking to lose body fat.

With that, aim to lose 5-10% of your weight over 3-6 months.

This is more of a realistic target, and much easier to achieve.

As a guide use your waist measurement as an indicator of the amount of body fat you have lost.

And so, if you are overweight and looking to reduce weight - the best way to lose body fat is think long term, eat more and move more for a better you, today.

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Bodybuilding Cutting Exercises Are a Fitness Myth

Bodybuilders use high repetition sets to get ripped, but could get more results in less time by doing less work.

High repetition sets do not get you cut.

This is a myth, and there's a much better way to sculpt your body, get ripped, and finally achieve the elusive 6-pack.

But again, let me repeat, you won't succeed with high-repetition sets using light weights. And don't even worry about the "pump", but that's another article for another day. To get ripped, its all about nutrition and intensity. We want to be able to see our well-earned muscles and our 6-pack abs.

And that's why we get lured into the belief of the cutting exercises. Because it causes a burn in our muscles, we generally think, hey, this must be burning fat. But it's not! It's just a fatiguing sensation. If you are using a high-rep, cutting program, I doubt you are getting the results you want. You don't need to be in the gym too long.

There is a better way to burn fat. A faster way. And a smarter way. It doesn't involve "toning" workouts or "Cutting exercises". What you need to do for fat loss, and getting cut, is to focus on the same exercises that helped you build muscle in the first place.

So forget the pec-dec, and stick with dumbbell presses. Say goodbye to leg extensions, and keep using squats and lunges. Next up is the shocker! Use intervals to cut fat fast! Instead, we'll use interval training to burn fat and boost our metabolism in less than half the time as a normal cardio workout. Only 20 minutes of interval training done 3 times per week resulted in weight loss in one Australian study.

On the other hand, three 40-minute cardio sessions did not cause any weight loss in the same study. Shocking results, but it just goes to show you the power of intensity. No more slow boring aerobics. That means saying goodbye to light weights and high reps and long slow cardio. Goodbye, nice to know you! If you want to get ripped muscles, diet hard?

First, you need the proper dietary changes to promote muscle gains and body fat reductions. Nutrition is the most important factor for fat burning and getting cut. If your nutrition sucks, and you eat fast food or skip meals, you are in big trouble. There is no workout good enough to overcome bad nutrition. Next, focus on multi-muscle strength exercises and finish with interval training to burn more calories out of the gym.

No more machines. No more high reps. Use more intensity and put turbulence on your muscles. If you did a squat, a press, and a row in each workout, and then did intervals, you'd get ripped if your nutrition was good. Keep it incredibly simple, but intense.

Forget about slow boring cardio. You need to do short burst exercise instead. Consistency is key for getting cut.

Forget bodybuilding, use Turbulence Training to get ripped. Burn fat with bodyweight exercises.

Fooled by Cardio? Here's the Better Way

Aerobics are a waste of time. You can burn fat and improve your health without cardio. Long, slow to moderate intensity cardio training, which is what you see most people still doing in the gym, is not really the best way to shed fat.

Interval training, which is periods of short hard exercise followed by short periods of recovery, works better for fat loss, according to both Canadian and Australian researchers (plus hundreds of advanced trainers throughout the world).

An interval might last 30 seconds to 60 seconds, and it would be hard work, harder than normal cardio. Each work interval is followed by 30 to 90 seconds of very easy pace. So if you're running on a treadmill you might run at 7 mph for your work interval and then go all the way down to 3 mph for a walk for your rest. That's what we use instead of slow cardio. All it takes is 20 minutes of interval training to get better results than 40 or 60 minutes of slow cardio.

Now the research and experience is showing that the intervals not only as effective, but it's even more effective in most cases. And also you're doing fewer repetitions. So, you know, every time you run we'll count that as repetitions, so if you run for 60 minutes you're looking at maybe 3,000, 4,000 repetitions in a slow cardio workout where you're doing probably one-third of that or even one-fifth of that in interval workout.

And that leads to less overuse injuries and that's one of the big problems with long slow cardio is that a lot of people end up in the physiotherapy office getting some type of therapy for their overuse injuries. Runners are in there all the time getting their injuries looked after.

So, we're trying to cut back on the volume of work, cutting back on the quantity and focusing on the quality. And like I said, we started off just by doing it to save time and now we're also finding out that we're actually getting more results.

Pick from a big variety of interval methods. It doesn't just have to be running on a treadmill. Clients have started to incorporate a lot of jump rope intervals, which jump rope can be very intense, so I think that's a great, you know, just think of ways that you can make things fun and things that you may enjoy doing.

You might not enjoy running, so find something that you do enjoy doing like jump roping or maybe getting on a stationary bike, but do it, make it real intense for a shorter period of time, then back up that intensity and do a interval type workout and I think you're going to have fun doing it.

To me it's more fun than walking for an hour on a treadmill and you're going to get more benefit out of it and it's going to take a less amount of time. Less amount of workout time, better results, and more fun. You're looking at probably at least a dozen different ways you can do interval training. Sports are intervals. And again that's more fun. You can also do biking or rowing. There's all types of traditional cardio machine that can be used.

We also use sometimes kettlebells and we also use body weight circuits, which are not really interval training but they're not strength training and they're definitely not cardio, but we find that body weight circuits are beneficial in a whole bunch of different ways.

They like interval training to help burn calories and lose body fat, but also because most people are doing exactly what we're doing right now, which is sitting in a chair all day, they're either driving or they're at work and they're in that one posture. Then they get in an elliptical machine and it's not much different.

Don't get stuck in a rut. Move your body.

So there's a whole lot to be said for the body weight circuit training. You can definitely find some of my circuit training videos on YouTube, will give you lots of ideas, but basically what we do there is we generally will take an upper body exercise and a lower body exercise or a whole bunch of them and we'll alternate between upper and lower. Maybe we'll do six or eight exercises in a circuit, take a minute rest, and then go through that again.

Twenty minutes of that, it goes by a lot faster. Interval training goes by a lot faster than regular cardio. Cardio is slow and boring. Bodyweight training is not. Interval training is over fast.

So what we're really trying to do is show people that there's so many other options to getting a better body than what they've read in the muscle magazines or Shape Magazine for the last 20 years since the 1980s that you have to do an hour of circuit training with machines and then an hour on the cardio machine.

That's not a great way to live life and it's not the best way to get results, especially when you look at the body in terms of everything from not only how it looks but also how it moves with the mobility.

And these days were just so immobile in our daily lives that we need to get more movement patterns into our training sessions. And again it's more variety and a lot more fun. So drop the slow cardio and do some type of fat burning interval training to lose belly fat.

Use fast fat burning workouts with bodyweight exercises and interval training

Want To Lose Weight Fast? 7 Myths You Must Know About Losing Weight

Millions of people are looking to lose weight and reshape their bodys. Just do a quick search on the internet for "weight loss" and you will come up with millions of results.

There are so many people offering advice and weight loss tips that it's no surprise that many of the information out there isn't correct. That's why this article was put together - to expose a few of the myths about losing weight.

1) You shouldn't eat carbs if you are trying to lose weight

The Atkins diet was a huge diet craze that has made many people scared of carbs. However, cutting carbs isn't the "secret" to losing weight. What you need to do is cut down calories - plain and simple. If you burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight.

It's a good idea to cut back on refined carbohydrates, but eating bread, rice or pasta can be part of a healthy diet - just watch your calories!

2) Your weight is determined by genetics

Some people just assume that if their parents are fat, they will be too. Although your family history may have an impact on your biological makeup and how your metabolism functions, you are not "destined" to be overweight simply because your parents were.

Anyone can lose weight and get the "perfect" figure by eating a healthy diet and exercising. Don't use your family tree as an excuse. In fact, try to use it as motivation as what you don't want to become.

3) All weight loss pills and supplements are a scam

The weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. There are literally thousands of different products out there that all promise to burn fat and make the pounds melt off your body. Unfortunately a great deal of these products aren't worth a dime.

However, there are weight loss supplements that will give you a huge boost towards your goals. The best ones will use natural ingredients to jump-start your body and give you results faster than possible before.

Go to http://www.myweightlossreviews.com for reviews on the best ranked products for 2008.

4) You have to cut out all fat

There is actually such a thing as "healthy" fats. Saturated fats and trans fat aren't good for you, but there are fats that help your body absorb nutrients and make you feel fuller. This can be a huge help when trying to lose weight.

Fats found in things such as fish, olive oil and nuts are great for you and should be part of your diet. There's the real "skinny" on fat ;)

5) Skipping meals is a good idea

Skipping meals can actually go against you if you are trying to lose weight. By skipping a meal, your metabolism slows down. You are also more likely to binge eat later on in the day as your body feels hungrier due to starvation.

Don't skip meals - rather, try to cut out some calories in each meal that you eat.

6) Changing your diet is the only way to change your metabolism

Actually, exercise is the best way to speed up your metabolism. Not only will you burn calories while you are working out, but your body continues to burn calories faster afterwards.

And remember to make sure you are getting enough food for your body to get the most out of exercise. You don't want to starve yourself - your body needs the energy. This isn't an excuse to scarf down huge meals before exercising, but make sure you give your body the fuel it needs.

7) Picking low-fat or fat-free foods is a surefire way to lose weight

Remember that the amount of fat you eat isn't the key in losing weight. It's calories that play the biggest role.

Many fat-free foods have the same amount of calories as their regular counterparts. It's a great idea to consider the "fat-free" versions, just make sure to compare the nutritional labels and pay the most attention to the calories section.

If you have made the decision to lose weight - congratulations! Not only will you look better, but you will feel like a million bucks. It's a great feeling improving your appearance and your overall health at the same time.

All the best!

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Learn how to lose weight fast and read the reviews for 2008 on the best ranked weight loss pills.

The Truth About Running And Weight Loss

Let me premise this statement by saying that your body is an incredibly self-serving vehicle, whose goal is to sustain life. Therefore, it has no interest in burning additional calories since that would mean it must expend additional energy and then refuel to keep living.

Now let's look at the goal of running or any other type of cardiovascular endurance based method for weight loss. Whether you are pumping away on the elliptical or running outdoors, you are temporarily burning calories to create an energy deficit which in turn leads to weight loss.

The problem with this equation is that your body becomes accustomed to this type of exercise fairly quickly (within 4-6 weeks) which means you will burn fewer calories with subsequent workouts. You may notice this when you are breathing less heavy or sweating less than before.

So now in order to burn the same amount of calories (or more) you must either:

1. Gain weight (which is exactly the opposite of what you are trying to achieve)

2. Run longer (eventually you can only run so far and only have so much time to commit)

3. Increase the incline (eventually self-limiting)

Although two of those scenarios are viable options, they will inevitably become the limiting factor in your weight loss goals. Trust me, if you don't first succumb to the hours of cardio or repetitive motion injuries, you will eventually become frustrated with your plateauing weight loss attempts and just give up all together.

I don't want this to be the cycle that most people are destined to repeat. Don't let yourself fall victim to this type of weight loss futility. Begin with a few small changes to your program at a time. You can start by either adding in some interval sprint work, including at least 2 days per week of weight training, or opting for a strength and conditioning workout that both burns calories and boosts your metabolism.

The choice is yours. I just hope you make the most of your already busy schedule.

Good luck!

Author of Fatlossity - the Complete, In-Home, Step-by-Step, Weight Loss System http://www.stephencabral.com/fatlossity

Stephen Cabral is a national health & fitness correspondent with over 10 years of credentials and media appearances. He holds national and international certifications in strength & conditioning, personal training, yoga and nutrition. For more information on his Free Trim, Tone & Tighten Newsletter seen by over 100,000 readers each week go to http://www.StephenCabral.com

7 Fat Burning Exercises You Can Do At Home For Weight Loss

With only seven exercises you can do a complete, at home, fat burning workout. And no, you don't need a big, lunky piece of cardio equipment to do slow, boring aerobic training.

Many people don't have time to consistently go to the gym and want to workout at home. But how many exercises can you do in your workouts at home with dumbbells? I have put together some training options you can do at home. The options include dumbbell workouts and exercises that need no external resistance. I have provided many options so that even a home workout can have variety.

In fact, this entire workout can be done with only your bodyweight, but for a more advanced challenge, you can use dumbells in certain exercises.

The workout doesn't use any machines either, because this allows you to use more muscles per ecxercise when you do standing exercises or push-ups instead of the pec-dec at your local gym.

Here's the workout.

1) bodyweight squat

2) pushup or kneeling pushup

Do exercises 1 and 2 back to back with no rest. Aim for 8-12 repetitions per set. If you are advanced, you can use dumbells for the squat and even harder pushup, such as decline pushups to increase the difficulty of the workout. For beginners, stick to bodyweight squats and kneeling pushups.

Do the squat and pushup back to back without rest, but rest 1 minute before repeating the exercises again. Then rest a minute, and repeat one more time. Then you will have done this superset (that's what it is called when you do two exercises back to back) 3 times.

However, beginners should do all exercises in the entire workout only once. Only advanced fitness levels can use the 3 superset system.

3) split squat

4) mountain climber

A split squat is also called a stationary lunge. That requires you to split your feet apart by taking a step forward. Use the wall for balance if you are a beginner. If you are advanced, you can hold dumbells in your hands during the split squat. Do all repetitions for one side and then repeat for the other side. Drop your hips straight down and use your glutes and hamstrings and quadriceps to push your body back up. Do 8 repetitions per side.

For the mountain climber, get into a pushup position. Brace your abs as if someone was going to punch you in the stomach. Maintain that during the entire exercise. Lift one foot off the ground and bring that knee up to your chest. Touch the foot down. Slowly return to the start position. Alternate sides for 10 repetitions per side.

Do exercises 3 and 4 as another superset, and do it 3 times - the same way as above - only if you are advanced.

5) Reverse lunge

6) Close-grip pushup

A reverse lunge is a moving split squat. Stand with your feet together. Take a step back with one leg. Drop your hips down and bend both knees. Then squeeze your butt and thigh of the front leg (the leg that didn't go anywhere) and pull yourself back up to the start position. Do 8 reps on one side and 8 on the other. Beginners use the wall for balance. Advanced can hold dumbells in hands.

The close grip pushup is the same as the normal pushup, except your hands are shoulder width apart, not wider. Keep your elbows tucked into your sides. This works your triceps (the back of your arms) more. Do 8-15 repetitions.

Advanced fitness levels can do 3 supersets. beginners just one set of each.

7) Jumping jacks

Finish the workout with the classic Jumping Jack exercise. beginners do 20 and then stretch. Advanced fitness levels can do 50 jumping jacks, take a 30 second break, and repeat up to 3 times. Then finish with stretching for your tight muscle groups.

This workout should take no more than 24 minutes, but it will boost your metabolism for 24 hours.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked home workouts for Fat Loss have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week.

The Turbulence Training Fat Loss discussion forum workouts help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig's home bodyweight workouts for fat loss help you lose fat without any equipment at all.

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