Fat loss is difficult and can be a challenge. Doctors and other health professionals have different viewpoints about why we are fat. You may have been given excuses or told stories by those trying to help. If you have been trying to lose weight or lose fat or even both, and now you want to quit making mistakes, read on.
Some people have a sluggish metabolism while some have problems with their thyroid or other parts of their hormone system. You may have been told that your problem is genetic. Perhaps you were told that only prescription drugs would help. This is simply not true.
Most people start with the same mistake that is common to becoming overweight - we just eat too much of the wrong foods. Okay, so we have identified the problem and want to correct it. Here's the hard part. You start eating what you are supposed to so you can lose weight - but you don't. You are told it's a "plateau" so you keep going. Food cravings get the best of you and you falter. Now you have to start all over.
If this sounds familiar, like you've been there and done that, just know that you are not alone. And - you are not the problem. The problem lies in the fact that your body is stuck. What exactly does this mean?
It means that your body and metabolism are clogged with impurities that stop it from doing what it is supposed to do. Normal body functions are supposed to happen to keep the body in balance. This balance includes your thyroid function, your weight, your ability to lose fat and balance in your moods.
Your body must be in balance so that all your systems work the way they are supposed to. It is supposed to be a natural ability to lose excess fat and excess weight. This does not happen because of many factors, and most lead back to the same problem - toxins or impurities.
If your thyroid is sluggish, chances are that chemicals toxins such as bleach and perchlorate are causing this. (Just so you know, perchlorate is used in the manufacture of rocket fuel and has been leaking into our drinking water for at least 15 years if not more. Check the EPA's website to learn more.)
It all comes down to toxins. Some toxins mimic hormones, causing imbalances. Other toxins cause you to store fat. You could even call high-fructose corn syrup a toxin now that it is becoming clear it may be a major cause of obesity and food cravings.
If you have fat around your stomach area, your body is obviously not eliminating everything it doesn't need - because you certainly don't need that.
This is why it is imperative to help your body cleanse these toxins. You must help your body eliminate waste and flush fat.
Cleansing your body means you must stop eating foods that have harmful byproducts in them and to start eating food that is easier to digest. It may also mean taking some extra fiber to soften and remove the stuff that causes your body to not work the way it should.
Remember that it took years to create an unhealthy body and you are trying to undo the damage in a shorter period of time. You can easily help your body remove 40 pounds and more in just a couple or few months that took years to pack on.
Any type of diet or program that helps your body lose excess waste and junk it doesn't need is a type of cleanse. So take it a step further and add a colon cleanse or body cleanse to your program. It will expedite the process and make your fat loss more permanent.
There is a ton of information and resources out there to help you. Do your research and don't overlook one of the most important aspects of fat loss and weight loss. Do yourself and your body a favor by helping it to cleanse.
In the past, the cornerstone of most resistance training workouts has been performing exercises in a straight set format. Essentially, this means you perform a certain number of reps for a given exercise or you perform as many reps as possible for a given exercise and then you rest anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes based on your training goals before repeating this set a certain number of times based on your goals. For more of a fat loss and lean muscle gain emphasis shorter rest periods are ideal. For more of a strength or power emphasis, longer rest periods are prescribed.
So, what's the problem with this format?
To be completely blunt, straight sets are an extremely inefficient way to order your exercises. In most commercial gyms you'll typically see someone perform three sets of 10 reps for let's say the bench press, or better yet a chest press machine (boy do I hate exercise machines - more on that later). They pump out 10 reps, go to the water fountain, talk with some buddies, watch a couple of highlights on ESPN, and then gingerly walk back to the bench area (or machine area) to hit up their second set. In general, most people, guys in particular, tend to take about 3-5 minutes between sets. In the case of three sets of 10 on the bench that means it would take up to 15 minutes to complete only one movement pattern (a horizontal push). That means you'd need at a minimum of an hour to perform no more than four measly exercises! No wonder body builders spend hours in the gym.
A much more effective and time-efficient approach to ordering your exercises is utilizing the alternating set format. Here you'll perform one exercise, rest for a short period of time, then perform another non-competing exercise, rest for a short period of time, and so forth. Alternating sets allow you to work different areas of your body when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s). The result is improved training economy and density: more work accomplished in less time, the cornerstone of any sound fat loss program. In addition we can now factor in some important corrective exercises like stretching tight muscles, working on mobility, or even doing some cardio based exercises too.
Here's a quick example of what I'm talking about
Exercise#1- Squats
Exercise#2- Push up
Exercise#3- Step up
Exercise#4- Inverted row
Exercise#5- Lo - Ab heel taps
Perform this circuit up to five times or as many sets as you can handle in a 30 minute total body fat burning workout.
Basically, instead of getting just three sets on the bench in 15 minutes, you could have gotten in three, four (maybe more) sets of five different exercises. Plus, the intensity on each exercise will be just as high as in the straight set format because in this five exercise circuit you will have full recovery before you return to any given exercise (just as you did with the straight set format described earlier).
To recap, the key to creating the optimal hormonal environment for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity while separated by brief rest periods in order to accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time possible. Circuit training provides for the best of both worlds and is thus simply unmatched for simultaneously maximizing fat loss and lean muscle gain. Use the following template I use with my many boot camp clients for some killer, yet simple fat loss circuits:
Exercise#1- Double-Leg
Exercise#2- Push
Exercise#3- Single-Leg
Exercise#4- Pull
Exercise#5- Core
There you have. A more time efficient and more fat loss generating workout. Try it out you will love it.
Both Cindy Papp & Jason Zaretzky are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Cindy Papp has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Fitness and Metabolism. Start your research and learn more about the different ways to - and learn how to. Cindy Papp's top article generates over 6120000 views. to your Favourites.
Jason Zaretzky has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Body Building and Lose Weight. Jason Zaretzky is a nationally renowned fitness boot camp instructor and real world fat loss expert. For a FREE 1-week trial to his Rockland County boot camp to experience the best personal training in the Rockland County area please visit. Jason Zaretzky's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.