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A woman asked me last week why she wasn’t making any progress on her fat loss and weight loss…..after asking her a few questions, I found two main problems with her fitness program…..

1) she wasn’t eating right and 2) she was working out TOO LONG (2 hours per workout) and TOO SLOW (workout included 1 hour of machine cardio)!

I don’t know who has time to workout for 2 hours….alot of you have this mindset: longer workouts are better…..this couldn’t be further from the truth….

The truth is that no weight training workout (including bodyweight training) needs to exceed 50 minutes….and interval cardio workouts should be about 20 minutes….shorter, more intense workouts will give you more calorie-burn, more fat-burn, more weight loss and fewer repetitive stress injuries! And, you will have more time to do the things you want to do in life.

One more tip: You don’t need to workout everyday……5-6 days of working out is enough! Some weeks, you might need 2 days off…..listen to your body!

Workout smarter and harder, not longer!

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Remember those “bookend workouts” you were going to do on Saturday and Monday? I know you did your Saturday workout, so here’s a good fat-burning workout for today…

1. Bodyweight Y Squats, 15 repetitions, moderate pace
2. Pullups, 8-10 repetitions, moderate pace
3. Pushups, 15 repetitions, moderate pace
4. Dumbbell Step Ups, 10 each leg, moderate pace
5. Medicine Ball Diagonal Chops, 10 each side, Fast
6. Plank, 15 second hold, 12 repetitions
7. Bodyweight Side Lunges, 10 each leg, moderate pace
8. Rest 2-3 minutes and repeat circuit

Do this circuit 3 times. Try not to rest between exercises. I did this workout on Saturday and I will do a variation of it today.

Happy fat-burning!

“Get the permanent fat loss and weight loss results you want with My Fitness Hut’s Fat Blaster Athletic Training System!”

Need more exercise and nutrition tips? Subscribe to my weekly Fat Blaster eNewsletter and get the FREE Special Report: “10 ‘Must Know’ Fat Loss Tips,” and FREE 4-week Fat Blaster Workout Book!

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health field! Afterall, health is number one for everybody—including athletes!

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook!

I have talked about the added benefit of doing as many exercises in a standing position as you can….

A “stand up” exercise will give you more strength benefits. Example: work your hip abductors standing up instead of sitting on that machine. Your core will also get more work when you do an exercise standing up…..and, you will burn more fat and calories.

Well, research proves that when you sit, your fat-burning enzymes basically shut down….when you stand during the day, those fat-burning enzymes go to work for you! If you have a sit-down job, try to stand as much as you can during the day and take walking breaks and lunches to activate those fat-burning enzymes! Any activity is good to go along with your regular workouts…..those burned calories add up!

So, walk or bike when you have that option instead of always hopping in the car to go places….before you know it, most of your day will be active!

Bonus Tip: Brace your torso during the day as you sit, stand and walk and your abs will get extra work also! Bracing would be like “getting ready to take a punch in the gut!”

Need more exercise and nutrition tips? Subscribe to my weekly Fat Blaster eNewsletter and get the FREE Special Report: “10 ‘Must Know’ Fat Loss Tips,” and FREE 4-week Fat Blaster Workout Book!

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Many of you are pretty much on vacation after today so here’s a few tips to navigate through the “food minefield” until January! I always say, “don’t skip your workouts!” If you skip too many workouts, your “downslide” starts to happen fast and the weight can pile on in a hurry! Don’t let a good year of workouts “go to pot” during this 2 week holiday stretch! You can easily put on 20 pounds if you’re not careful…..or, you could maintain the weight loss and fat loss you’ve worked so hard to attain. Good workouts can cover alot of eating mishaps!

You might need to be creative but there are many things you can do to keep yourself fit during the next 2 weeks:

1. First, keep your normal workout schedule as much as possible. There’s no substitute for doing your workouts.

2. Take advantage of every opportunity to walk instead of ride. This one tip should be used all the time. It makes a huge difference in your fitness. When I used to work on The University of Texas campus, it was not unusual for me to walk up to 2 hours in a day going to different departments….and, there are alot of hills here, so that made the exercise that much better. I didn’t think of it as exercise until I stopped working on campus. I soon realized that I had to take more time for “exercise”…..walk, walk, walk every chance you get.

3. Walk for 30 minutes after meals….another great tip to practice year-round.

4. Bike instead of driving your car. See numbers #2 and #3.

5. Exergaming works just fine. Wii fit games are fun and you can go on for hours without realizing how much time you can spend on these games. I’m sure you know someone with a Wii console!

6. Stick to your normal nutrition plan as much as possible during this 2 week Christmas-New Year’s stretch.

7. You have heard this before: alcohol has calories too—7 calories per gram to be exact. Don’t tank it too much!

8. Don’t spend all of your time eating! Walk around the mall for a couple of hours, walk the pets everyday, play flag football, rake all those leaves in your yard, etc.

9. Drink lots of water and unsweetened tea. No sugary drinks! Sample desserts instead of eating first and second helpings.

Do you need help with meal planning? Don’t wait until January to do something about your eating habits! Start taking steps now!

Take advantage of a FREE Nutrition Assessment and FREE 7-Day Meal Plan to help you reach your fitness goals!

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Okay, let’s look at some strength exercises…I’m not going to cover body types here…again, if you want that information, just subscribe to my Fat Blaster eNewsletter and you will get a free copy of “Her Fitness Hut’s Fat Blaster Guide For Women.” Your body type does matter when it comes to sculpting your body, especially your lower body. Two people following the same program can get different results.

As with any strength training, you need to train your lower body in all 3 planes of motion to insure balance and maximum toning. You definitely want your butt, hips, thighs and overall legs to look good in 3-D space!

As for strength training? You can’t leave out squats! Do your squats—bodyweight squats, dumbbell squats, barbell squats, split squats, lateral squats, one-legged squats, etc. Mix it up but do them. The benefits of the squat exercise extend beyond your legs. The same can be said for deadlifts (traditional, stiff-legged or other variations). Other top glute/hip/leg exercises are:

1) Step ups (front, side, transverse)
2) Lunges (front, side, transverse)
3) Standing cable or ankle weight hip abductors/leg adductors
4) Standing cable or ankle weight leg kickbacks
5) Various jump training exercises, such as box jumps and squat jumps
6) Good mornings
7) Glute/Hamstring Drops
Standing, prone or floor hip extensions
9) Floor lateral thigh raises
10) Glute bridges and marching glute bridges

If these exercises become easy for you, then increase resistance or intensity (such as full speed power versions of some of these exercises).

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Okay ladies, this week’s articles are related to helping you “sculpt” your butt and hips (thighs and legs also)! I’m not going to cover the body fat issues related to women…..if you want that information, just subscribe to my Fat Blaster eNewsletter and you will get a free copy of “Her Fitness Hut’s Fat Blaster Guide For Women.”

Every woman I know is concerned about:

–the size and shape of her butt,

–”saddle bags” forming on the hips and

–”jiggling jelly” thighs (including cellulite).

As for cellulite, it is actually collections of fat just underneath (subcutaneous fat) the skin which causes it to dimple, pucker up or lump up. There are many factors that determine whether you have cellulite—your genes, gender, skin thickness and amount of body fat all play a part. What you need to know is that there are no quick fixes for cellulite (despite what some commercials promote)! Some treatments such as liposuction and mesotherapy may give you some TEMPORARY relief from your cellulite. Liposuction is actually meant to remove deep fat tissue (visceral fat) and not cellulite. In my opinion, your best bet would be to reduce overall body fat through weight training and high intensity interval cardio.

Some exercises that you are wasting your valuable time (very little benefit) when it comes to toning your butt, hips and thighs:

1. Seated hip abductor machine (skip this machine),

2. Seated adductor machine (skip this also),

3. Slow, long cardio sessions (there is evidence to suggest that this type of cardio shifts a woman’s weight from the upper body to lower body),

4. Any fitness gadget that supposedly “tones” your butt and thighs,

5. Elliptical machine cardio sessions,

6. Seated hamstring machine (there are better alternatives),

7. Seated leg extension machine (there are better alternatives) and

8. Leg exercises done on BOSU balls, balance discs, etc. (overrated).

In the next articles in this series, I will tell you what you need to do to “blast the fat” from your butt, hips and thighs.

Be sure and visit my site, Your Fitness University, to see my exercise and nutrition program specials, including:

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Got saddlebags, jigglin’ jelly, extra large buns, etc.? There are some things you can do to shape up your butt!

Client Q: I’m tired of my butt being fat and ugly! Help me tone it up!

Mark’s A: You should take the approach that you will sculpt your total body, not just your rear-end. Total body fat reduction (especially abdominal fat) is the goal! Full body circuit weight training (including bodyweight exercises) and interval cardio is ideal for sculpting your body.

Some top cardio exercises for shaping your glutes (and legs) are: sprinting (including uphill), walking uphill, stair climbing and jogging. You don’t need any gimmicks or fancy gadgets!

As for strength training? You can’t leave out squats! Do your squats—bodyweight squats, dumbbell squats, barbell squats, split squats, lateral squats, one-legged squats, etc. Mix it up but do them. The benefits of the squat exercise extend beyond your legs. The same can be said for deadlifts (traditional, stiff-legged or other variations). Other top glute exercises are:

1) Step ups (front, lateral, transverse)
2) Lunges (front, reverse, walking, lateral, transverse)
3) Standing cable hip abductors
4) Standing, prone or floor hip extensions
5) Floor lateral thigh raises
6) Glute bridges and marching glute bridges
7) Pelvic raises and posterior pelvic tilts

Be sure and visit my new site, Your Fitness University! Test your fitness IQ and see the Fit Tip Of The Day!

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The other day, I met a man in the health club who had lost about 80 pounds through calorie restriction dieting. The 80 lost pounds is great but he had a problem—he had lots of loose skin hanging on his body. Why? He did no resistance training! That left him with high body fat and embarrassing loose skin (skinny-fat)!

Commercialized weight loss programs lead people to focus too much on weight loss and not enough on fat loss! Health should be priority numero uno for you! A healthy body is one that is “lean and toned.” You can achieve the “lean and toned” body with regular weight training (including bodyweight training) and interval cardio. It may take a little longer but you will love the results! And, the results will be permanent if you continue to exercise regularly.

This man has now begun to lift weights and hopefully he can shed the loose skin (body fat). If you’re trying to get in shape, take a three-pronged approach—good nutrition, weight training (3 days a week) and interval cardio (3-4 times a week). This approach will give you the hard body you want. And, you will be healthy!

Be sure and visit my new site, Your Fitness University! Test your fitness IQ, get exercise tips, nutrition tips, articles and much more!

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“Skinny-fat?” What is it? It is a danger zone for those who don’t weigh much but have high body fat! I have heard this many times: “I’m skinny so I don’t have much body fat. Maybe, maybe not. If you don’t combine good nutrition with consistent weight training and interval cardio exercise, you probably have high body fat (even if you are skinny).

One of the critical measurements is your waist-to-hip ratio (waist measurement divided by hip measurement). This measurement is important because there is a correlation between chronic diseases and abdominal fat. A ratio above .80 for females and above .95 for males could put you at risk for a number of diseases, including cancer. For example, if your waist is 31 inches and your hips are 41 inches, your waist-to-hip ratio would be .76. A “skinny-fat” person could have an unfavorable waist-to-hip ratio.

Someone who is overweight and loses say, 80 pounds, can be at risk of having high body fat. How? If you lose that much weight mainly through calorie restriction (i.e., without much exercise), you will have alot of loose, hanging skin on your body. What you need is a lean, toned body through good nutrition and consistent exercise.

Many people are confused about what Body Mass Index (BMI) means as it relates to body fat. Keep in mind that it is just one tool to use when you are looking at your health. Scientists use BMI as a research tool to make objective comparisons as to how fat a person is. A person with a BMI of 25 or above is considered overweight and a BMI over 30 is considered obese.

BMI uses a person’s height and body weight to measure a person’s fatness. This method has some limitations because it doesn’t consider a person’s body type (slim, muscular, etc.) For example, a fit person with high muscle mass will tend to have a high BMI which suggests that the person is overfat. This person would actually be fit and healthy with low risk for fat-related diseases. So, even though you might use BMI as a starting point, a person’s level of fatness is best measured using a direct method which tells you WHERE YOU ARE FAT. Two methods used are under-water weighing and skinfold measurements. Under-water weighing is not readily available to most people. Having a skinfold body fat test with calipers done by a fitness professional is convenient and reasonably accurate.

Get your body fat measured! It might surprise you.

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Are you having trouble finishing your workouts because you run out of energy? There could be several reasons:

1) The timing of your exercise selection is important. High intensity exercise such as speed work, interval training (high intensity to low intensity rotation), one-legged exercises, etc. should be performed at the beginning of your workouts when you are fresh. Your body’s neuromuscular system is highly fatigue-prone at high intensities. Performing these exercises in a fatigued state will compromise what you are trying to accomplish. 2) Perform compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, bench press and bentover rows early in your workout. Compound exercises work multiple joints and major muscle areas. You need to be fresh to do them properly. Single joint, less demanding exercises such as bicep curls and calf raises should be done later in your workout.

3) Eat properly during the day and at least 1-2 hours before your workout so you’re not running on fumes.

4) Get enough sleep. If you are sleep-deprived, you won’t be able to adequately complete a demanding workout.

5) Keep your workout time at 1 hour or less. You don’t need marathon training sessions to have effective workouts.

6) If you are diabetic, you may need to bring a snack to eat during and after your workout.

7) Don’t take on an advanced exercise before you are ready for it. For instance, you may have to “work up” to being able to do high intensity interval cardio sessions.