myfitnesshut

There is a flood of products that supposedly help you burn fat and lose weight. At best, these products are temporary solutions to your fat and weight problem! A general rule for you to follow with regards to fat loss/weight loss is this: Don’t waste your money if the program offers a quick solution to your weight problem! Why? You need a permanent solution to your weight problem. A permanent solution takes hard, smart work and sacrifice on your part. Human nature always seeks the path of least resistance.

Some of these products are: Hoodia, green tea, numerous fat burn products, fat loss pills, patches, creams……you fill in the blank! If you are significantly depending on these products to fix your problem, you will be disappointed with a lighter wallet to boot! And, some of these products are potentially harmful (remember ephedra)! If you’re wondering about the safety of any supplement, check out the “Generally Regarded As Safe” (GRAS) list published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Doctors, dieticians, and fitness experts agree that the best way to lose fat and weight is to eat higher quality calories and increase your physical activity. Weight training (including body weight training) and interval cardio exercise will tone your body and provide the heart health you need. Just make the commitment and work hard! Your body will thank you!

Are you looking for ways to shape your lower body because your program isn’t quite working?! After all, summer is just around the corner! I have a solution for you! Add some excitement and intensity to your leg workouts!

If you have been doing your squats, lunges and step-ups that’s great. Keep doing them. But, you need to mix it up a little with some jump training. Jump training has many benefits which include: burning body fat, strengthening bones and increasing power.

Jump training is high intensity training, placing great stress on the bones, joints, and connective tissue. Jump training places you at greater risk of injury than less intense training exercises. It is important to perform the exercises correctly before implementation of full-speed exercises. Jumping and landing techniques should be mastered. Exercises should be performed on safe surfaces such as rubber mats, sprung floors, grass or sand. Concrete or other similar hard surfaces expose you to injury. And, you should have good core and lower body strength to reduce chances of injury.

So you ask, where do I start? A good place to start is with an exercise you learned in kindergarden: jumping rope! There are many variations of jumping rope: two legs, one leg, alternating legs, shuffles, slalom, etc. You can progress to eventually jumping rope at full speed. Jumping rope is one of the best exercises for burning calories, burning fat, increasing bone density and improving coordination/balance.

Another good jump exercise is jump squats. Learn proper jumping and landing techniques before progressing to full speed execution of this exercise.

Jump your way to the body you want!

I was talking to a potential client who stated that her doctor had said that her metabolic syndrome could not be helped by exercise. I was shocked (and disappointed in her doctor) to hear this! I immediately told her that this was not correct information and that regular exercise could help her condition! Research backs up my claim!

A Johns Hopkins study has shown that regular moderate exercise can help lessen the risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome includes medical conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, excess abdominal fat and high blood sugar. These medical conditions increase a person’s risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, or stroke. An improvement in body composition (less body fat, more lean muscle mass) was the key component in the patients’ improved health. This is no surprise to me!

The exercisers in the study did not lose much weight (less than 5 pounds). But, they lost about 20% of their abdominal fat and increased lean muscle mass. The exercisers’ program included cardio and weight training for 80 minutes (3 times a week).

Johns Hopkins researchers also found similar results with a study done on patients aged 55 to 75. A moderate exercise program decreased medical risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. Again, improved body composition was the key to improved health.

There it is! What more do you need to know?! Start your exercise program today! Don’t wait for metabolic syndrome or some other medical condition to motivate you to exercise!