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Winston Salem Gyms : Aerobics Music Download .

August 17th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Winston Salem Fitness. No Comments

Those of us who like to do group fitness would be bored if it weren’t for Group Exercise Music. Fortunately today there are many sites on the internet that allow us to do an

Group Exercise Music Download.

There are the free download sites and of course there are many Membership sites. You can download tapes you can burn Music on a CD or you can order Videos. Music is very well-liked and you soon learn very competitive. For a while with Napster it was very controversial.

What type of group exercise music download should you do?

Well that really depends on what you do with tempo and pace. But there on one thing most everyone agrees on it must be a 32 beat format. You have to be careful because sometimes you might be sold a different beat that will not work as well.

The other thing is what will be your use of the Aerobic

Music Download. Do not forget that Aerobic covers a wide range of aerobic exercise, from class aerobics in a gym, to swimming, water aerobics, pumping iron or jogging or walking to name a few. I like to walk and you probably see a bunch of us jogging or walking with headphones on. Music makes the workout enjoyable and also it does not seem so long.

What that tells you about aerobics music is that it is most of the time enjoyable and motivating. You want it to be that. Some say they like their aerobics music download must to be “hot”. If you go to a gym You will notice that the instructor usually start with a slow tempo and then builds it up so that by the end it is “hot”.

So what this means is when you do an group fitness music download first make it what ever you like, choose your tempo, and enjoy your workout. It can be any style of music, Jazz, Country, Latino, etc..

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Winston Salem Gyms : Quick Cardio .

August 16th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Winston Salem Fitness. No Comments

Most people are well aware of the importance of performing cardiovascular activity (cardio) with regards to overall health and burning body fat. It’s this latter benefit, specifically fat loss, that keep individuals engaged in cardio, also known as group exercise.

Unfortunately, cardio cannot only be quite boring, but also time eating. This creates a situation where it is challenging to maintain and follow a regimented aerobic exercise routine. Too many of us are underneath the illusion that long bouts of low intensity workouts on the exercise bike, treadmill, or elliptical trainer are what are required to get results. Recent research tells us otherwise.

The ultimate method for burning off that unwanted body fat is short bouts of high intensity training. Studies indicate that high intensity aerobic training may be up to 50% more efficient than low intensity exercise. High intensity training has the added advantage of speeding up the metabolism so that the fat burning effects may be maintained long after the workout has terminated.

An excellent program to incorporate the benefits of high intensity aerobic training would be to perform two to four 20 minute sessions per week. These 20 minute sessions are an opportunity to challenge yourself to give it an all-out effort. The training itself is similar to interval training where you gradually increase the intensity of the effort over specified timed intervals.

First of all select the particular form of cardio that you would like to do. Walking, using the stationary bike, jogging, using a treadmill and so on will all work well as long as you can vary the intensity. Then you have to work out a personal intensity index for that exercise. Make sure to use a scale from 1 to 10 where 5 is a light effort that takes no strain and 10 is an all-out effort.

Make certain to keep in mind that the intensity of an exercise is solely based on your perception. For  instance, sprinting may take an experienced trainer to level 10 but if you haven’t run in years it will only hurt you. A fast walk may be your level 10. Everyone is different and the key is to establish your own intensity levels, remembering to also challenge yourself within your limits.

The session starts with a 2 minute warm-up phase at level 5. Then kick it up a notch to level 6 for 1 minute and then increase the intensity to level 7 for 1 minute, followed by taking up to level 8 for 1 minute and finally ending the first intensity interval with a minute at level 9, which should be just below your best effort. By the way, you may want to invest in a stopwatch to assist you in timing your intervals.

After you finish the minute at level 9, take it down to level 6 and repeat the process again twice. Using 1 minute intervals go up to level 9 and then back down to level 6. Here’s the key: after you complete the third interval, between the 18th and 19th minutes of the session, take it up to level 10 for your absolute best effort for 1 minute. After this take it down to level 5 for a cool-down and that’s it – you’re finished!

This is a very quick and productive cardio session. Attempt to challenge yourself and hit that level 10 with increased intensity each time you do it. This is known as a “high point”. Tell yourself that you are going to hit that high point today and it will be great. Do this regularly and You will continue to make progress in your efforts.

You can also vary the type of group exercise you choose to further prevent boredom and injury. One day you may choose to jog and the next session you might cycle. It’s up to you. Attempt to choose exercises you enjoy. This will maintain your interest.

To further enhance the fat burning effects of these high intensity sessions, try performing them first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Studies have found that when you exercise in a fasted state fat is burned much faster so be sure to see if this works for you.

High intensity interval training is a quick and efficient method for realizing the benefits of cardiovascular activity. It will work specifically well if your goal is to lose body fat. Remember to follow a healthy diet and always check with your physician before embarking on a new exercise regimen.

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Winston Salem Gyms : Power of 10 – The Once-A-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution .

August 15th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Winston Salem Fitness. No Comments

If you feel that you are too busy to get in shape and the thought of endless hours sweating in the gym does not appeal to you, You will be motivated to learn about a fitness regime that can get you in the best shape of your life by working out only 20 minutes, once a week. This article reviews ‘Power of 10 – The Once-A-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution” by Adam Zickerman and Bill Schley and will help you to figure out of this fitness program is for you.

What is Power of 10?

Power of 10 is a fitness regime that is based on 3 pillars which together provide a total body health and fitness program. The 3 pillars are 1) exercise, 2) nutrition, and 3) rest and recovery.

Exercise – the 1st Pillar

The exercises of Power of 10 consists of training with weights. Weight training should be the main focus of your fitness routine. It will help you to build strength, flexibility and exercise-induced weight loss. This is the only way to build lean muscle mass which helps you to metabolize or burn fat. And because your muscles contains numerous blood vessels, proper weight training also has cardiovascular benefits. The key difference between regular weight training and Power of 10 weight training is how slowly the weights are moved. In normal weight training, the weights are moved very quickly and momentum and gravity are used to get through the repetitions of the exercise. In Power of 10, the exercise movements are slowed down so that the motions are done 10 seconds up and 10 seconds down with no let up either at the top or bottom of the motion so that the muscles are under constant load during the exercise. 5 to 8 reps are done and the weight chosen will leave you spent by your last repetition – you cannot move the weight anymore.

Nutrition – the 2nd Pillar

The diet portion of the program is designed so that it is not so weird that you cannot maintain it. It is a healthy diet that pays attention to the glycemic index of the foods, eliminates sugar, includes plenty of vegetables, includes protein, and includes lots of water.

Rest and Recovery – the 3rd Pillar

The rest and recovery portion of the Power of 10 program is the secret weapon that might be the most valuable part of the program which many other programs ignore. During exercise, our bodies get temporarily weaker, not stronger. It’s during the rest and recovery phase that we make all of our gains. And because it takes so little time to do the Power of 10 exercises, the long rest and recovery period is automatically built into the program.

Advantages of Power of 10 Exercise

As reported by the authors, the Power of 10 program builds lean muscle up to 50% faster than other fitness programs, improves significantly the bodies ability to metabolically burn fat, reduces the chance of painful injuries, provides cardio fitness without aerobic exercise, and can be done in 20 minutes per week.

Weight Training versus Aerobic Exercise

Weight training is the key to your health. Only weight training can build muscle mass. Aerobics builds little if any muscle mass. Lean muscle mass can change the shape of your body making you look trim and fit. Lean muscle mass requires the burning of energy/calories to sustain itself. The more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn, including when you are sitting, relaxing, or even sleeping. So weight training burns calories during the actual exercise and even afterwards at rest as the lean muscle burns additional calories. Aerobic exercise burns calories during the actual exercise but if you have lower lean muscle mass because you didn’t weight train, your at rest burning of calories will be much lower. And building lean muscle mass through weight training improves your cardiovascular system as new blood vessels grow to supply the new muscle which improves heart efficiency and strength. Also, Power of 10 weight training is easier on your body than aerobics which usually involves pounding on the joints from running or jumping, etc.

How Does It Work?

When you fatigue your muscles through exercise, the muscle cell suffer microscopic injuries. When the muscle repairs itself, it reinforces itself against the next injury by adding more, thicker fibers which makes the muscle fibers stronger than before. Exercise fatigue causes the release of growth factor hormones that “flips a switch” in the DNA of the muscles which causes the muscle to replicate. The new fibers attach to the injured cells making them thicker and stronger for the next challenge. In regular weight training only a small percentage of the muscle fibers experience the fatigue “flipping of the switch”. In Power of 10 weight training the goal is that exercise will fatigue or flip the switch on 90% to 100% of the muscles which will rebuild on rest. Once we have flipped all the switches, we are done and there is no point exercising any longer. Then we can take the 5-7 day rest to allow the muscles to rebuild properly. And because we can do all that in one workout, that is why there is only one Power of 10 workout session per week. I hope that gives you a good overview of the Power of 10 Fitness Program. There are a few other books out on the market that describe similar programs but what I found with the Power of 10 book is that it is written in a fun, funny, and encouraging manner. The exercise are laid out well and those requiring machines can be easily translated to free weights if you prefer. The author also goes into some depth on nutrition which I haven’t gone into. In my opinion, the book and program are worth checking out for your own fitness regime.

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Winston Salem Gyms : Discover 5 Of The Best Ways to Burn Body Fat .

August 14th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Winston Salem Fitness. No Comments

Many people in our modern society are losing the battle of the bulge. In our busy and stressful culture, they’re increasingly searching for the best ways to burn body fat.

In this article we will look at 5 of the best ways to burn that excess body fat . We will look at how aerobic exercise can help you lose that extra body fat. Resistance training can also play an important role in the process of trimming your body fat.

A proper diet plays a very important role in burning body fat. Flexibility training, such as yoga and stretching, can help you burn body fat.

In conclusion, it’s important to properly recover from all the stresses of modern life. We’ll review the roles proper rest and stress management play in successfully burning body fat. Let’s begin with group fitness.

Aerobic exercise is a form of exercise developed by Dr. Kenneth Cooper. Aerobics are a cardiovascular activity designed to help us use oxygen better by conditioning our heart and lungs. Because aerobic exercises burn calories at a high rate, they help us burn body fat. In order to burn body fat most effectively, you ought to do aerobics for at least 20 minutes per day three times per week. You ought to exercise from 60 percent to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate. Next, let’s check out how resistance training could be one of the best ways to burn body fat.

Not only will resistance training build your muscles and firm you up, but it is also a great way to burn off body fat. When you add more lean muscle tissue you increase the number of calories your body burns even while at rest. This increase in your metabolic rate will result in increased burning of body fat. Adding muscle can result in a dramatic lowering of your percentage of body fat.

If you fail to eat properly, then exercise will not be enough to cause you to burn body fat effectively. Eating a big nutritious breakfast and then smaller meals throughout the day could be an effective strategy to burn body fat. You need to eat in order to prevent your body from going into a survival mode. It is also important to eat a balanced diet that includes proteins, carbohydrates, and some fat calories. Proper diet is surely one of the best ways to burn body fat.

Flexibility training is an often overlooked way to burn body fat. But a discipline such as yoga can really help you shed that excess fat. Yoga strengthens you in the areas that you are most weak. It not only works on your primary and secondary muscles but also those hundreds of tertiary muscles that can help burn fat. Yoga and stretching can also help you manage stress and that can help burn body fat.

The benefits of managing stress in your everyday life include assisting you to effectively burn body fat. If you manage stress well, You will more likely follow your exercise and diet plans. You will be less likely to cheat on a diet plan or skip an exercise session. You will also be more likely to sleep well. Sleeping well will enable your body to repair and restore itself. That will help keep you on track for the long term.

As you can see, these 5 ways to burn body fat all work together. an effective strategy would include all five ways to burn body fat. You need to do both aerobic exercises as well as resistance training. A proper diet is essential to burning body fat. Flexibility training helps you burn body fat in many subtle ways. And managing stress will help you to maintain your fat burning regimen on a long term basis.

Hopefully, this article has assisted expose you to some of the best ways to burn body fat. You can burn your excess body fat if you consistently follow a strategy that follows the steps outlined in this article. Be certain to get began and keep going. You will soon burn that excess body fat and have the healthy and attractive body you have always wanted.

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Winston Salem Gyms : Best Cardio Workout For Quick Fat Loss – Mistakes You Should Avoid!

August 13th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Winston Salem Fitness. No Comments

There are few disadvantages by following this method. I will show you my best cardio workouts at the end of the article, but first I’d like to correct some comprehension of cardio exercises routines.

In a long term, low to medium intensity workouts with low nutrition may not be only ineffective, but also dangerous! For  instance imagine a people who’s just a beginner, overweight and never stepped in the gym before, substantial amount of aerobic exercise could easily lead to a joint and muscle injuries.

• High intensity workout! The best cardiovascular workout to burn more fat

High intensity cardio workout has confirmed to be the best method for quick fat loss. In the low-intensity workout, the body will quickly adapt to the workout, where your tempo will be stable and your body start to save energy.

In other words, You will burn less calories and your metabolism will decrease. Another disadvantage, when you decrease the calorie intake substantially and start to follow a low-intensity workout routine, it could cause overtraining and your body turns to catabolic.

Some research has shown the 30-65% lower calorie consumption among with these people who follow a daily low-intensity workout! You will mainly burn the energy through the fat storage when following the low-intensity routine which burns fat, while the High intensity workouts burn energy primarily from carbohydrate stores. The total calories you burn will be much greater with high intensity exercise. You can eat more and still You will burn more fat than you consume.

• How much cardiovascular exercise do I need to get ripped

Let’s say, 20 min a day assists you to keep your blood pressure low and avoid other medical problems like high cholesterol and vascular illness, but if you want to lose fat effectively, I recommend to do at least 30 min of aerobic exercise 3-5 times a week.

If you train more, there is a risk for overtraining and injuries. If you do a weight training in addition to cardio, three times per week should be enough. Or if you like, you can split your workouts. For  instance weight training in the morning and short 30min cardio in the evening. That’s an ideal exercise routine, because it assists you to recover the trained muscles faster from the weight training in the morning and assists you to burn fat faster.

But if you are heavily overweight and you have a slower metabolism, then you should first make sure, how much calories you eat and how much exercises You will need to burn off more calories, so You will create a caloric deficit.

You should start out a little workout at a time until your body start to receive the stress and adapt to the workout, You will then slowly increase the workload and increase the duration of workouts! Your metabolism will speed up and your body start to burn off more calories, now you ought to look back at your diet and add more calories if necessary.

• Benefits of cardio and resistance training

By ignoring the weight training from your weekly workout routine, it’s like leaving money on the table! Seriously, combining aerobic workouts with weight training permits you to maximize the fat loss. If you are searching the best routine for quick fat loss, then you should definitely include the weight training workouts into the routine!

With aerobic exercise, You will burn fat during the workout, which will decrease immediately after you finish your workouts, while in resistance training You will continue to burn calories after the workout.

This has been proven with EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). EPOC represent the amount of energy, that body needs to normalize after the workout. That energy will be taken from fat storage, while the glucose in the blood will be used to fulfill the glycogen storages.

If we review the EPOC value from aerobic workout, the research will show, that You will burn 9-30 calories after the 0,3-3 hours of workout. But if we look at the resistance training, there could be even 4-7 percent boost in your metabolism for the next 24 hours after resistance training.

For example, if you normally burn 2500 kcal, You will burn additional 100-170 calories per day!

Now You will understand the benefits of cardio and resistance training. Every exercise, whether it’s resistance training or cardiovascular, are effective for fat loss if the value is more or as much as 6 MET-units (Metabolic equivalents). 6 MET-units means that the body’s metabolism will gets six times higher during the activity.

• Advantages of interval cardio

This is fragrantly the best workout method that boost your metabolism to the roof! Interval workouts differ a little bit from a regular aerobic. Each session will be shorter than in a regular routine and the results are often better.

A regular resistance training combined with interval cardio workout following a high intensity can result a extremely high EPOC values in a short time. This process can boost your metabolism even for two days after the workouts. This means, that you can achieve the multiple times of higher metabolic rate and burn more fat than by following the same amount of aerobic exercise.

If you are looking for best ways to perform interval cardio exercises, I’d recommend to run outside preferably into the uphill. Another good methods to perform these exercises would be a rowing machine or swimming. an effective exercise for quick fat lose are those, where the most muscles are activated at the same time during the cardio workout. The same rule will affects to a weight training.

• Example of the best cardio workout routine

• Warm up properly before the workout. If you are performing the workout outside, spend at least 5 minutes by jumping in a place with slow tempo and do a little stretching exercises for the legs and mid-section of the body.You will make sure, the blood will stream into the target muscles.

• Each interval will takes 3 minutes to perform.

• Increase the tempo as much as you can within the first 60 seconds. Your heart rate should be 90-95%/max after a minute. You should now feel a little pain in your muscles.

• Do not go too hard in the first time. You ought to test your ability first and then adjust it to the appropriate stress.

• Now, within the next 2 minutes, decrease the intensity close to the normal level, so that your heart rate will decrease to the 60%/max.

• This was the example of one of my favourite interval.

• Repeat it 3-6 times

• At the end of the workout, do some light exercises with slow tempo like in the warm up for 5 minutes.

If this feel too much for you, you can split the 60 seconds in a half and do the same with 2 minutes, so each interval will be 1.5 minutes.

• Interval cardio workout routine

Week 1-4

3 intervals, 3 times a week (19min)

Week 5-8

4 intervals, 4 times a week (22min)

Week 9-12

5 intervals, 4 times a week (25min)

Week 13-16

6 intervals, 5 times a week (28min)

• Each intervals include warm-up/end-workout

Summary

Now you know, what is the best cardio workout routine for quick fat loss and the huge benefits of intensive cardio and strength training, you are now ready to take it into action.

I know, because it works for me and for many people regardless of the approach. The only thing what matters, is to make it suitable for you. If you are starter, start with a little and then gradually increase the amount of stress, tempo, training days, training time. Do whatever you can to make it suitable for you only! It could takes no more than 2 weeks.

There are many thinks that affect to the results, how much fat you could lose. Sometimes even the best weight training routine and cardio exercise routines will not guarantee the results you could dream of in a long-term. Although this is one of the best method to burn fat through exercises and gain lean muscle effectively in a short time, but if you fail with your diet, the entire system will crash down in a matter of days.

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Winston Salem Gyms : Exercise Tips to Be sure to help You Be sure to get in Shape Faster .

August 12th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Winston Salem Fitness. No Comments

There is no doubt that exercise plays a vital role when it comes to getting in better shape, losing weight and improving your overall health. There are two primary types of exercises you need to perform and they are weight training and aerobic exercise. Here are some important things to keep in mindregarding these two types of exercises:

Resistance Training:

Challenging your muscles to lift heavy weights is very important to stimulate new muscle growth and maintain existing muscle mass. Having strong muscles are obviously important to maintain good strength and energy levels but is also important in assisting you lose weight and stay fit. Muscles burn calories even when they aren’t being used so adding a few pounds of muscle to your body can increase your metabolism a fair amount and can allow you to lose weight even if you increase your dietary intake.

There are many ways you can get a great weight training workout. You can become a member of  gym and take a few personal training sessions to learn how to do the weight training exercises so that you do not injure yourself as proper form is important. You can also purchase a home gym that you are able to use right from the comfort and convenience of your home. The key is to simply start and get some momentum going.

You do not need to spend hours and hours training with weights but rather even one hour a week may be sufficient for most people. In fact it is important to give yourself proper rest after every weight training session and the more weight you lift the more rest You will need.

Cardiovascular Exercise:

Aerobics or cardio exercises are important for many reasons including helping you lose weight and maintain overall good health. It’s ideal to perform aerobic exercise 3 to 5 times a week for one hour at a time. There are many different ways you can get a great aerobic exercise workout. The standard approach is to join a gym and use the aerobic exercise equipment they have there like the treadmill or stairmaster.

Other approaches include taking up a sport like tennis or golf. You can even go for a brisk walk or jog outside if the weather permits. It’s usually a good idea to also buy some type of aerobic exercise equipment for home use as this will allow you to save a lot of time not having to travel to the gym and is much more convenient and offers more privacy.

Do not push yourself too hard during any exercise session. Let your heart rate stay around the 120 -130 beats per minute range and maintain this for 30 to 45 minutes. This ought to allow you to work up a good sweat by the time you are done. It’s also ideal to do aerobic exercise on an empty stomach and be sure to drink lots of water as You will get thirsty at some point either during or after the workout. Try some of these exercise and fitness tips to help you lose weight and get in better shape.

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Winston Salem Gyms : Cardio Tips for Losing Belly Fat .

August 11th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Winston Salem Fitness. No Comments

Losing a fat belly is one of the most challenging areas of the body where losing fat can almost take forever. The reason why most people struggle with this area is due to the fact that they do not know the right set of exercises and at the same time they don’t know how to target the right area in the right way. This is the reason why you must know these secrets. Read on to discover what these secrets are and how you are able to lose belly fat extremely fast……

Do an early morning workout with an empty stomach- This is the most important aspect of losing belly fat using cardio. You must do cardio every morning with an empty belly as that has been known to get the best results real fast. The mistake most people make is that they tend to stuff themselves up with a lot of food and then they attempt to workout. Make sure to always make sure that you do your workouts with an empty belly early morning.

Do aerobic dance- If there is one aerobic exercise which gets you total body results extremely fast then it’s nothing other but the aerobic dance. The good thing about aerobic dance is that You will never lose motivation and the drive to workout since it involves a lot of fun dancing. At the same time it may be done in a group which will give you extra enthusiasm since when we are in a group we have a natural tendency to try harder.

Make sure to always be consistent- This is the major factor most people ignore and it’s often due to this that they aren’t able to attain the right type of results. A lot of people aren’t regular with their exercises and often go on and off it on a regular basis. You must stick to your exercise plan no matter what. You will never lose any weight unless you are willing to be regular and make a strong commitment towards burning fat.

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Winston Salem Gyms : 3 Tips to Exercise Boredom And Trick Your Body Into Shape .

August 10th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Winston Salem Fitness. No Comments

Not seeing anymore weight loss results? Could it be that the exercises are getting boring and your body is not having any reaction to it. How about separating these exercises in different categories. It will be a good idea to pick from a different group for each workout session. This way, it will be less boring and your different muscle groups and cardiovascular system may be used.

Aerobic Activities cause oxygen to be delivered to the tissues of your body. When done over an extended period of time, it assists to remove waste. This is why people who do group fitness have skin that glows. Aerobic exercise include brisk walking, aerobics classes, jogging, running, dancing.

Cardio exercises help you to burn fat from your body. Remember fat burning only occurs after the 20-minute mark in a workout. Cardio exercises include using equipments like rowing machines, step machines, stationary bikes, treadmills, elliptical trainers, etc.

There are other forms of exercises. Yoga is a relaxing and good way of strengthening your muscles. It calms the mind, removes toxics from your body, and increases flexibility. Endurance exercises like weights will help you gain muscles. Be certain to take in sufficient protein in order to build up muscles.

Make Exercise Part of Your Life

Consider investing in equipment. Getting one does not mean you have to burn a hole in your pocket. Be certain to check out internet based auction sites, classifieds, sales, and second-hand fitness stores. Some equipment does not cost much, like resistance bands, skipping ropes, small weights, or an exercise ball. You can start off small first. Stick to tried-and-tested types of equipment, like stationary bikes and treadmills. It may be tempted to purchase a new type of equipment shown on commercials, but it might not be a good bet.

Become a member of Fitness Center

Gyms are popping up everywhere. Nowadays, health club? offer a trial period and let its members bring in guests to attempt out the facilities. They offer many classes, like combat exercises, aerobics, yoga, body conditioning, and even belly dancing! Some offer steam baths, on top of a large gym with various equipments for weight-lifting and toning your body. If you can, find a friend who is already a member and join her for one of the classes first.

Exercises for a rainy day

You can choose to work out at home. Don’t let the weather be an excuse to skip a session. Rent videos for yoga, aerobics, or for a bit of fun, attempt exotic dancing. Push-ups and sit-ups are good too.

Hope you enjoyed these 3 tips to and may your love handles be replaced with a six pack abs soon.

Be certain to set a resolution to make Year 2008 to lose those belly fats, find how to get rid of love handles and challenge yourself to lose weight in our 60 days challenge. Let’s all set our sights on throwing those oversize clothing away.

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Winston Salem Gyms : How I Lost 6 Inches in 6 Months .

August 9th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Winston Salem Fitness. No Comments

Not everyone can successfully lose fat using the well-known commercial diet plans like Atkins and South Beach diets. Some of us have lifestyles or personal situations which cannot make effective use of these weight loss programs. For those of us with such limitations, we’re forced to develop and follow our own DIY diet plans. Below, I describe my own DIY diet and exercise plan, which I used to lose 6 inches from my waist-line in 6 months.

The basic and most important rule is to consume less calories than we burn, or to burn more calories than we consume. Another important rule is to keep it simple and safe. The final simple rule is to keep on burning fat even when I’m at rest. In summary, I started doing a little bit of exercise, and cut down my food intake by about 25 percent. I still ate my normal meals, but since a large part of my calories came from carbohydrates, I cut away one-quarter of my rice or bread or pasta before I started consuming. I still ate the same amount of meat and vegetables as before. Very simple, really.

Traditionally, most slimming exercises are aerobic in nature, aiming to burn calories as quickly as possible. The disadvantage of most such exercises is that after you stop the exercise, the rate you burn calories returns to normal. I do not like group exercise activities:

• I do not have half-an-hour or more to exercise;

• I find them boring; and

• I am lazy – I want to keep on burning fat even after I stop exercising.

Additionally, does such an exercise exist? Fortunately for me, the answer is “Yes”. I discovered that strength-training exercises perfectly fit my requirements. All I needed to do was 10 repetitions of each: push-ups, curls, squats, and lunges. It only takes me 5 to 10 minutes every day, including a short rest after the exercise. You’re probably wondering “How can just 5 minutes of exercise help me to lose weight?”

The secret is that muscles burn calories. So more muscles burn more calories. Strength training exercise build more muscles, while most common aerobics exercises only build endurance. In other words, if you do jumping jacks or some other group fitness exercise for half-an-hour, you might burn 1000 extra calories during this period. After this, you burn calories at the normal 1500 calories/day. Overall, you burn 2500 calories every day. On the other hand, during my 5 minutes of strength training exercises, I burn 100 extra calories. I burn another extra 100 calories in the next 6 hours on top of the daily 1500 calories. But every day, I build more muscles. Every day, I grow stronger and I burn more daily calories, even at rest. At the end of 6 months, I easily burn 2000 to 2500 calories every day.

Was it possible for me to lose fat faster? Yes. I could’ve cut 1/3 or 1/2 of my carbohydrates instead of just 1/4. I could’ve done 2 sets of 10 reps instead of just 1 set. I also could’ve used some machines to add extra resistance to the exercises. In the end, how fast you lose weight depends on how intensely you follow the plan.

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Winston Salem Gyms : Learn to Exercise Your Abs at Home .

August 8th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Winston Salem Fitness. No Comments

If you want a flatter, leaner stomach it is easy to exercise your abs at home. Without use of special equipment or going to the gym, you can sculpt a tighter stomach with just a few simple exercises a day.

To start with, do some research on different types of ab exercises. There are many modifications on crunches, and techniques for targeting different areas of your abdominal region. Start collecting a file of ab exercises from reputable sources that you are able to work with.

Once you’ve gathered your file, use a different technique each week. This is an effective way to exercise your abs at home. You will speed up your results, and You will be challenging your ab muscles to do new movements each week.

It’s really important to pay attention to your breathing technique when you are working on your abs. Remember: exert = exhale. Anytime you exert pressure on a muscle group (the “crunch” part of your crunches) You will exhale. Exhaling makes your ab muscles become fully involved in the exercise.

Mix up your exercise routine with some aerobic exercise, like walking, jogging or an aerobics dvd. Burning fat from all over your body will help reveal your sculpted ab muscles. Attempt adding a cardio routine to your schedule at least three times a week and note your results.

Eating habits are also vital to the success of your ab workout. You have got to reduce goods that have sodium, sugar and preservatives with fresh, natural foods. You know, all the types of foods that your doctor encourages you to eat! Drink lots of water and keep your diet balanced.

A special note on drinks….alcohol may be a powerful enemy when you exercise your abs at home. They don’t call them beer guts for nothing!

Studies have shown the beer and other alcoholic drinks can lead to a rise in cortisol in your body. And cortisol is a hormone that steers fat toward your mid-section. Eliminate or reduce your alcohol intake for a leaner stomach.

If you are losing extra body fat by following these guidelines, you may need to increase your repetitions. When you exercise your abs at home, and add cardio and proper diet, your ab muscles will grow in strength.

Pretty soon the 20 to 30 reps that had you “feeling the burn” will feel like nothing at all. Be sure to keep adding 10 to 20 more each week to continue challenging your muscles.

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