When it comes to finding the right weight loss exercise program many people make one huge mistake. They think solely in terms of doing cardiovascular exercises and either don’t do enough weight training, or worse, don’t do any weight training at all.

Some people mistakenly think that they want to burn the fat and the only way to do that is to do tons of cardio. And of course, you do need a full cardio workout in your overall exercise plan, but if you neglect the weight training aspect of your workouts you will really be shortchanging yourself and your overall fitness goals.

A lot of women also make the mistake of thinking that they can only lift very light weights and / or only do a few repetitions of each exercise or they will get bulky. They are so afraid of getting big that they neglect this extremely important aspect of working out.

Let’s set the record straight, while it’s true that women have both estrogen and testosterone in their bodies naturally, the levels of testosterone are only about one seventh of what men have. For a woman to “accidentally” get bulky just by lifting weights would be impossible. The women body builders you see don’t get that way on accident, they work hard at it and treat is like what it is… a full time job.

So, make sure you lift weights as part of your routine. The more lean muscle mass you have the more calories your body will burn all day every day, no matter what you are doing. That is a great side effect. Having nice muscle tone will also make you look trimmer and slimmer, no matter what your weight is.

So you will look thinner at 125 lbs if you have a lot of toned muscle than you would if you didn’t have good muscle tone. When first starting out (after you get your doctors ok) find someone to teach you how to use the proper form, then start with a weight that makes it challenging to finish a full set, one set is between 8 – 12 individual repetitions of the exercise.

The general rule of thumb is that you should be able to finish the set, but just barely. That is how you know that you are using the proper amount of weight. Once you can easily do all reps of one exercise at a certain weight, move up to a higher weight. At first you may not be able to do a whole set at the higher weight, that’s ok. Just do what you can and build on that.

Make each repetition slow and controlled and don’t forget to use proper breathing techniques. If you have never done this before you really should have someone show you the proper techniques in order to avoid injuries.

To get the most out of all your weight loss exercise plans, make sure that you eat right, get plenty of water and rest and incorporate a full weight training routine. You won’t get bulky but you will burn more calories and that may just make you hot.

Tags: Calories, Cardio Workout, Cardiovascular Exercises, Estrogen, Exercise Plan, Fitness Goals, Full Time Job, Lean Muscle Mass, Lifting Weights, Light Weights, Losing Weight, Mistake, Muscle Tone, Repetitions, Rule Of Thumb, Testosterone, Weight Loss Exercise, Weight Loss Exercise Program, Weight Training, Women Body Builders, Workouts —

Many of us have very busy lives, even though we know we need to lose weight, and we are willing to do the work, we still only have limited time. For that reason you need to focus on the best exercise to lose weight so you can get the maximum results in the shortest amount of time.

Workout routines are usually broken up into two main components: cardiovascular (Cardio) and weight training. Both forms of exercise offer great benefits to your body and your overall health.

Cardio is a great way to get your heart rate up which can lead to a healthier heart and lung capacity. Weight training will help you build muscle tone and can lead to increased metabolism rates and a stronger body. Effectively combining the best elements of both forms of exercises is usually a good way to go.

But the downside to that approach is that it takes more time. If you go to a gym, any gym, you will see people who spend 20 -30 minutes on a treadmill, elliptical or exercise bike. Then they will go over to the weight machines or free weights and spend another 30 or so minutes lifting weights.

There is nothing wrong with that type of routine if: you have time to do it consistently, and you don’t find it boring. If either one of these issues is an issue for you than what you need to do is concentrate only on the weight training.

Why? Because you can get a cardio benefit out of the weight training too. This actually can happen in two ways, for one thing, if you do each repetition in a slow and controlled manner (which is what you should be doing anyway) than you will find that you are sweating and breathing heavy. In other words, you are getting a cardio workout.

But, unlike many forms of cardio exercises, you are also benefiting from the weight training too. You are building a lot of lean muscle tone. That will help you appear thinner since the muscles will “hold you in” kind of like a girdle, but more importantly, the more lean muscle mass you have the higher your metabolism will burn.

That increased metabolic rate isn’t going to just happen when you are at the gym working out, it will be happening all day everyday! Think of what that will do to you to your weight loss efforts if you are actually burning more calories every single day no matter what you are doing (yes, even while you sleep or sit on your rear on the couch).

So, if you want to know what the best exercise to lose weight is, it is a combination of cardio and weight training. If you need to shorten the time you exercise each week but don’t want to miss out on any of the benefits than your best bet is to do weight training. As I explained above, if you do it right you will get a cardio benefit too and that will last long after you leave the gym for the day.

Tags: Best Exercise To Lose Weight, Calories, Cardio Exercises, Cardio Training, Cardio Workout, Downside, Exercise Bike, Exercise To Lose Weight, Free Weights, Girdle, Healthier Heart, Heart Rate, Lean Muscle Mass, Lifting Weights, Losing Weight, Lung Capacity, Maximum Results, Metabolism Rates, Muscle Tone, Treadmill Exercise, Weight Training, Workout Routines —

Weight Loss Advice – Get Your Butt Off The Couch

It’s that time of year again, the time of year when many people make resolutions to lose weight. This year you can really succeed. Don’t worry if you haven’t met your goals in the past, every day is a new beginning. There is a lot of weight loss advice floating around and some of the tips are good, some not so much.

One way to make sure that you don’t get overwhelmed is to set small, easily achievable goals. When you approach your weight loss as an ongoing process, a lifestyle change, than you will greatly increase your chances of success.

Many women make the mistake of thinking that if they lift weight they will ‘bulk up’. Nothing could be further from the truth and if you really want fast results you would be very foolish to ignore the benefits of weight training.

Women simply do not have the biological make up to bulk up unless they work out on a full time basis, are extremely clean in their eating habits (and I mean clean, no cheating at all) and they take supplements. You just don’t have to worry about bulking up if you lift weights a few times a week.

What you should know though is that weight training will allow you to build muscle. Why is that important, simple the more muscle you have the slimmer you look. Think of a good muscle tone like a girdle that holds you in all over your body.

Let’s say two women each weigh 135 lbs. but one of them has good muscle tone and the other has more fat and less muscles, the woman who has muscle tone will look considerably slimmer even though they weigh the same amount.

Another benefit of building some muscle tone is that muscles burn more calories than fat does. That means that your metabolism will be burning hotter all day everyday, even while you sleep or sit on your butt on the couch.

The hotter your metabolism burns the more weight you will lose. Basically by adding a little muscle tone to your body you will not only look a lot slimmer you will also burn more calories 24/7, cool, huh?

There is so much bad information floating around that if you follow it you may actually gain weight. Don’t fall for out dated and incorrect diet advice.

Starving yourself is another big mistake that many people make. It’s now well known that your body must get all the nutrients it needs or it will think it is dying and will slow down the metabolism. The less you eat, the less your body will burn. That is the last thing you want when you are trying to lose weight.

Instead eat a balanced diet heavy on lean protein with little to no carbohydrates. Stay away from the white foods like rice, bread, and potatoes. Instead think brown rice, whole wheat bread (if you eat bread at all) and substitute mashed cauliflower for mashed potatoes, it really tastes better anyway.

So there you have it, all the weight loss advice you really need. Do yourself a favor and don’t look for a quick fix, instead take a sensible approach, eat right, drink plenty of water and get plenty of exercise. If you do, you will be in that new bathing suit by May.

Tags: Achievable Goals, Atkins, Butt, Calories, Couch, Eating Habits, Full Time, Girdle, Healthy Diet, Lifestyle Change, Little Muscle, Losing Weight, Metabolism, Muscle Tone, Muscles, Resolutions, Time Basis, Time Of Year, Training Women, Two Women, Weight Loss Advice, Weight Training, Weights —

Running for weight loss is recognized as being one of the very best methods to lose weight fast and get in great shape. The cardiovascular benefits alone of starting a running regime are huge.

The one downside of running for weight loss is that some people take it to the extreme, they run too much and too often and instead of losing weight they also reduce their overall muscle mass which can give them a gaunt, unhealthy appearance.

In order to keep your muscle tone while you burn fat some simple changes to your technique can help.

Stay away from long runs. Any run that is over 45 minutes long can be detrimental to maintaining muscle mass. The biggest reason is because on those long runs your body needs all the energy it can get and one of the easiest to access is burning muscle.

Think of marathon runners, many of whom supplement their workouts with some form of weight training, no matter what else they do for a workout they all tend to look mal-nourished and underfed. That is because their muscle mass is being diminished faster than it is being replenished.

One great way to combat this is to incorporate interval training into your running regime. This is simply a way of working out where your workout intensity goes up and down like a roller coaster.

You do very heavy cardio bursts for a short time, taking your body to it’s maximum limits, then you alternate that with a lower intensity session.

How many times you alternate between the high and low sessions as well as how long each session will be, needs to be determined by your current fitness level and overall fitness goals.

When you first start out with interval training it is a very good idea to enlist the help of a trainer who can help you develop a good program specifically for you based on your current fitness level and your overall fitness goals.

For most people the best combination will be to do running on one day and weight training on the next. Keep alternating that way to maximize your results.

If you can avoid it, do not combine both exercises in the same day. If you absolutely can not avoid it, at least do one exercise (say weight training) in the morning and allow yourself at least 8 hours before you do the running portion of your workout routine.

Doing it that way will allow your body the maximum amount of time to rejuvenate and replenish itself. You will get the benefits without having too much stress on your body.

Also it’s crucial that you provide your body with all the nutrients it needs to support your high energy workouts. Make sure you provide your body with a lot of lean high protein foods. This is essential to help maintain and build muscle mass.

And, of course, make sure to keep hydrated. If you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated. Keep drinking throughout the day and your workouts to avoid feeling thirst in the first place.

All these tips will help you get the maximum benefit out of
running for weight loss.

Tags: Atkins, Calories, Cardiovascular Benefits, Downside, Fitness Goals, Great Shape, Interval Training, Losing Weight, Marathon Runners, Maximum Limits, Muscle Mass, Muscle Tone, Regime, Roller Coaster, Short Time, Simple Changes, Underfed, Weight Calories, Weight Loss, Weight Training, Workout Intensity, Workouts —