If you are like many people you are totally confused by all the exercise information and misinformation, fat loss hype, and supplement ads and fads you come across everyday both on the internet and in magazines. Or you could be following exercise or weight loss programs that give you little, if any results, and take up too much time from your busy schedule.

Well, you are not alone as there are millions of people around the world that are ready to give up on finding the right exercise and nutrition program for their goals and schedules (if they haven't given up already). After being mislead by so called fitness experts that all they need to do is find "something they enjoy" and that will get them strong, fit and be able to lose weight. Yea right!

Let us take a look at the biggest time-robbing, money-wasting, ineffective exercise method that is supposed to help you lose fat although the awful truth is, it does not do this. Did you know that using long, slow, mind numbing; boring, steady-state cardio (walking, jogging, cycling etc) for fat burning might be the biggest weight loss scam of all time?

When asked to picture a typical "fat loss" workout, can you see yourself on the treadmill or "doing 20 minutes on the bike" and hating every second of it. That is why so many people give up so quickly, or don't even bother to start in the first place. And did you know launching into a program of cardio type activity is the last place a beginner should start?

Because many beginners to fitness are often overweight, unconditioned and unprepared, excessive cardio only predisposes them to muscle and joint injuries, especially when doing repetitive activity on a daily basis. The problem is this type of activity only burns fuel (calories) during the exercise session and what is needed for fat loss is an increase in the fuel burnt every minute of the day 24/7. What happens after the exercise session is over is much more important than what happens during the session.

So, you may be asking, "What does work for fast and efficient fat loss"?

To lose fat, the first thing you need to do is speed up your metabolism (your body's engine). If you have been living a no exercise lifestyle for some time it is likely you have lost some lean muscle mass. From the mid 20's on this will happen if you are not strength training to keep your muscles in good working order.

To crank up your metabolic rate you will need to rebuild and tone up your muscles. Muscle is where the fat is burnt so this is the number one sure fire way to lose that body fat. Seek the help of a fitness professional to set up your program and teach you correct exercise technique.

You need to use the right exercises, perform them at the right intensity (degree of difficulty) and the right frequency. To get the best results you also need to have your program updated often and your progress monitored.

Instead of the long, slow, cardio type activity, perform 1-2 sessions of interval training each week. These are short bursts of activity alternated with longer rest periods. An example of this would be 10 seconds of all out sprinting followed by 30 seconds to one minute of walking. Repeat these intervals 8-12 times depending on current fitness level.

This type of metabolism boosting training means you can cut down on your workout time and get way better results.

So, if you have been spending precious time each week doing endless boring cardio type activity and are not getting the result you feel you should be getting for your time and effort try saying goodbye (and good riddance) to this type of activity altogether. Say hello to exercise that works which is strength/interval training and you can look forward to getting the results you wish for.