In an effort to lose fat, some individuals have resorted to extremes and fad diets, but they are often disappointed with the results. If you would like to lose some weight, here are some fat loss tips that will start the process for you and help you to lose weight fast while still maintaining your health.

Not Low-Carb, Slow Carb – One of the most popular diets that is out there is the Atkins diet. Yes, this will help you to lose weight rapidly but it is also very unhealthy and the weight that you lose will soon come back because the diet is unmaintainable for the long term. Instead of getting rid of carbohydrates altogether, why not eat the right kind of carbohydrates in order to achieve weight loss. The glycemic index is an indicator of how quickly sugars that are available in carbohydrates are dumped into the bloodstream. If you eat high on the glycemic index, you will be putting sugar into your system which will cause your pancreas to dump too much insulin into your blood to compensate. If you stick to slow carbohydrates that are low on the glycemic index, however, your blood sugar will be stable and you will lose weight naturally.

Eat Your Beans at Every Meal – Although this is a quote from a famous joke poem, it is a very good idea for you to take advantage of beans and other type of legumes at every meal. Not only are they very filling, they also will help you to keep your blood sugar stable and to last over from meal to meal. So eat your beans or your lentils or any other legume with every meal and you will experience weight loss surprisingly quickly.

It’s the lifestyle that many of us keep which is busy and full of sugary snacks and fast food restaurants. Not only that, stress can add a lot to our waistline, not only in the form of snacking but also in some of the chemicals that it dumps into our system that promotes weight gain. But as long as you’re eating a balanced diet that is low on the glycemic index, you will lose weight and lose it fast. The best part about it is that it is a diet which is healthy and maintainable for a lean lifetime.

Looking to firm your stomach? If so, there are two things you need to be doing. The first is looking at your meal plan. If you are not eating right on a day-to-day basis, you cannot expect to get any leaner or firmer. You simply must lose body fat to do this and following a healthy meal plan is the best way to achieve this.

In addition to eating right though, you do need to strengthen your core muscles, which will help to bring out definition and allow them to be better seen. So how can you do that?

Let’s go over some at-home moves for you to consider…

1.The Stomach Vacuum. The first exercise is very basic but something that will train your muscles to increase their endurance and help you stay stabilized much more effectively.

To perform the stomach vacuum, you’ll simply need to lie flat down on the ground with your legs extended, arms by your side. From there, think of pressing the small of the back into the floor as hard as you can. You will feel your hip position shift slightly as you do this – indicating your spinal column is now adjusting as well. Once you’re here, hold this position for as long as possible. This is what will help you build up your core muscle endurance.

As an added benefit, the stomach vacuum will train your muscles to stay tighter throughout your day, which can also help with keeping your posture in alignment and preventing lower back pain.

2. The Lying Leg Raise. Next up on the list of exercises to do is the lying leg raise. This one is great for hitting your lower abdominal muscles, so can firm the lower abdominal area really well.

Get down, back down on the ground once again and, this time, lift your legs upward keeping your knees straight until they are at a 90 degree angle.

Pause in this position and then slowly lower your legs down so they are almost touching the floor. Pause again and then lift them back up. Continue on until all reps are completed.

3. The Plank. Finally, the plank is the last exercise to consider. Get down into position so you are balancing on your forearms with your feet extended beneath you. Your body should form a straight tabletop like position here as you maintain control over the position.

If you start feeling yourself moving out of good form, stop immediately and only start when you can resume proper form. Work your way up to holding this for 60 seconds without stopping.

So keep these three excellent stomach firming exercises in mind. Do them three to four times per week and you will be seeing results in no time.

There are several different ways to get your body fat level into shape, and to increase your physical appearance which has proven to be so important to people all over the world.

Getting into shape has turned into a key priority every where, all around, and many people need help doing so to feel better about themselves, gain strength, and over come their general obstacles.

No longer will it be troublesome to take a quick jog, or to rush up a flight of stairs, not with all the different kinds of muscle building exercises to be found in any gym, in body building books or magazines, or even online.

While the computer may be one of the leading causes today of why more and more people have become obese, or out of shape, it certainly can deal with many different aspects of getting into shape.

Now it has become easier to feel like you’re working out, while you may not be at all.

An important thing to think about is how you got in the situation you are in. If your downfall was the computer, it’s best to get out and look for muscle building exercise, rather than looking them online.

Or you can use things such as this to your advantage.

For example, if your downfall was the television, buy a work out video and practice at home.

There are several different types of routines and exercises to help you promote muscle building. Muscle building exercises will come in all shapes and forms, focusing on weightlifting or focusing on your legs, and so on.

Choosing the right one for you is very important and should be thought about with a great deal of hesitance.

If you feel as though you cannot complete a commitment to your goal, keep that in mind when you’re choosing your exercises.

Gyms are a great place to find exercises that will help you with not only your health, but with gaining that perfect body you’ve always dreamed of.

If weightlifting is a part of your routine, it would be wise to seek help from a gym or another trained professional, because weightlifting must be carried out in a specific fashion, and you may need help from other parties to complete it.

Compounds movements are extremely effective, and maybe even the highest rated for helping your body muscles work them out.

Compound movements such as this call for your body to use several muscles in sync with each other, such as bench pressing.

Bench pressing will mainly work out one place of your body, but is realistic working out your shoulders and your triceps as well.

Some work out routines requires that you do several compound movement exercises for optimal performance and muscle gain.

An exercise such as the bicep curl is commonly referred to as an isolation exercise. While these isolation exercises may be easier for someone to perform and more common to do, they aren’t helping your body out as much as a compound movement exercise.

Following strict routines and exercises will make sure that your body is getting the work out sessions it needs to thrive.

Muscle building exercises are extremely common, as it is easier to work out with a rhythm than it is to work out randomly.

On top of this, your muscle gain will shoot through the roof!

Want to get rid of sagging stomach? Dreaming about a flat stomach with less time investment? Is your aim to show off your flat stomach and walk without shirt? Do you have the confidence to do it now? Is your drooping stomach the reason for not doing so? If the answer is yes, then there is nothing to worry. You can very soon walk briskly with a flat stomach by working out some exercises for abs. There are many programs that can help to get a better look and can help you walk with a toned ab. It will definitely be dream come true for you.

Loosing Stomach fat with Ab exercises

Very important for you to stick on is to start right away. If you do nothing, then you can never loose your stomach fat. Avoid postponing any such exercise for abs. There should not be a second thought when it comes to losing fat. Make it a habit to exercise on regular basis if you really want a flat stomach. Be assured that you will have a flat stomach; however, this will not happen over a weeks time. This will take a longer period to burn out excess fat from the stomach. Exercises for abs are nothing but giving some kind of training to your stomach muscles. For a flat stomach, there must be regular activities given to the stomach without any break. Only this will help you to attain your goal.

Add Cardio Exercises Along With Your Ab Workout

The latest way of reducing abdominal fat is by adding cardio exercises along with regular exercises. It just not the usual crunches, sit ups and other stomach exercises that are enough or will yield results. Cardio exercises are the simplest exercises and can help you reduce your fat. The most interesting part of cardio exercise is that it reduces fat all over the body thus also reducing excess fat from the ab region. Exercises for Abs reduces fat; no doubt in that. However, cardio exercises burn more calories than the usual exercises. With the help of cardio exercises, you can loose excess fat from your body which was earlier accumulated.

Your stomach muscles are normally covered with a layer of fat. This contributes to your bulging stomach. So, start working to burn the extra fat that is covering your flat stomach. With continuous effort put on your stomach, you can easily burn the excess fat and stay healthy. By talking about exercises for abs, do not assume that this is only regarding good body shape. By burning excess fat, you can stay fit and healthy. The real intention of exercises for abs is mainly to help people stay healthy and eat healthy. You can check the websites for detailed information.

Here are 5 fitness and nutrition tips to help you with your weight loss program. Follow these and you’ll boost your metabolism and burn more fat.

What would I do if I were you?

If I were you and I wanted to lose the fat I gained over the holiday break…whether it’s 3 pounds, 10 pounds, or 20 pounds or more…so, here’s what I would do if I were you…

1 – I’d return to the program that has worked best for me in the past. So let’s say that my best fat loss ever was 8 pounds in 4 weeks last summer…when I was eating right and doing 3 total body workouts per week followed by intervals.

Then I’d simply get right back on that program, pronto. Don’t worry about trying to set up some fancy program based on this research or that, just get back to what worked before.

2 – I’d drink six cups of Green Tea per day and 3.5grams of Omega-3 fatty acids per day (I’d get this from eating fish or from fish oil supplements). I’d eat at least 6 servings of vegetables per day and 6 servings of fruit. I’d snack on almonds. I’d eat only lean protein sources. Etc. Etc. And this is what I do, everyday. Maybe some pizza on the weekend, but other than that, stick to the plan.

3 – I’d do only the exercises that I hated…as long as I hate them because they are hard. For me, that’s squats, dumbbell rows, split squats, and other big muscle-group exercises. Just thinking about those exercises jacks up my metabolism.

For many people, chin-ups are a major challenge…and let’s face it, they are a total body exercise if done right.

In fact, all of the major exercises in the strength and interval workouts are “total-body exercises”. If you don’t think that chin-ups and DB rows are total body exercises, then you aren’t doing them to their full capacity. Maybe you don’t have the total body muscle control to work your whole body with these exercises.

If you’re confused by what I wrote, go ask a truly experienced lifter, in person, and they should be able to show you how you can make all lifts “total body exercises”.

4 – I’d add more bodyweight exercises to my training schedule. Bodyweight workouts won’t cause too much soreness, but they will allow you to give your body more metabolic turbulence, meaning more fat loss and more calories burned.

And you don’t have to drive to the gym to do these. In fact, you could probably get a total-body, bodyweight workout done in the time it takes you to get to the gym and back.

5 – I’d keep trying to get stronger. Training to get strong causes the greatest metabolic response in your body. That means, in less geeky language, that your body will burn more calories, and ultimately more fat, when you train to get stronger.

No more la-dee-daing and farting around with the high reps, low weight stuff. Leave that to the bad workout videos from the ’80s.

Losing weight isn’t rocket science; eat less, weigh less, sounds easy. Unfortunately, there are many variables that determine how quickly or slowly you will lose weight. While there are thousands of weight loss tips available to you, not all of them work. Here are some everyday tips that are known to make a difference to your weight loss efforts:

1) Raise Your Metabolism By Eating More

It is true. Cutting your calories back too drastically will actually slow your metabolism and slow your weight loss efforts. Diets providing less than 1000 calories per day may actually provide too few calories to keep your weight loss rate up. You are likely to lose more weight if you graze, eating five or six small meals daily. Eating small meals frequently throughout the day also keeps your insulin levels steady so that you do not get blood sugar crashes that sabotage your best intentions.

2) Drink Water, Eliminate Soda.

One of the easiest things you can do is to take soda, even diet soda, off your menu, and replace it with water. Replacing soda with water is a double advantage; you forgo the calories in the soda and drink enough water to keep your metabolism running high. Water helps you to feel full, as well as flushes out toxins and keeps your kidneys running well. When your kidneys are working well, your liver can stick to its job of metabolizing fat. Without enough water, your liver has to pick up the kidneys slack, filtering blood rather than metabolizing fat. If you hate the taste of plain water, consider bubbly water (seltzer) with lemon or lime. Some of the new flavored water works well also, but you will be drinking quite a lot of it, so make sure that you are comfortable with the flavoring additives used.

3) Plan Your Snacks.

Snacks are everywhere; in the office, at the gym, at school. If you do not have a plan before you head out, it is likely that you will succumb to the temptations, especially if you get tired or bored. Plan ahead so that you have tasty snacks comparable to the temptations found in the vending machine. Finally, make sure that you eat something small at least every four hours to keep your hunger under control.

4) Add Some Weights

Cardio is the easy part. Well, not exactly easy, but certainly familiar. Most of us have no problem jogging or doing aerobics for our exercise routines, but lifting weights will actually ramp your metabolism up for longer than your cardio routine. Add two-20 minute weight sessions a week, working with a qualified fitness professional at first if you have never used weights before. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so do not get upset if you initially see the scales nudge upwards a bit. As you add the muscle your resting metabolism will raise, and in no time you will see the results not only on the scale, but in your clothes also.

5) Buy a pedometer.

Studies have shown that people that take 10,000 steps a day lose weight without having to make extensive changes to their eating habit. Just think how quickly you will tone up if you do both.

Besides chest and arm training, abdominal training certainly gets a lot of focus in the muscle magazines and workout programs. For most bodybuilders, muscular and defined abs are the mark of success.

However, achieving a muscular, defined “six-pack” abdominal area is not easy for most bodybuilders. Why is this? Well, because attaining good abs is not just a function of weight training. In addition to an intense weight training program, good abs are only developed by a very comprehensive program involving abdominal exercises, strict diet and cardio training. So, let’s discuss these three keys to “ripped, six-pack” abs.

Abdominal Exercises

For that “ripped, six-pack” look, the abdominal muscles must be trained like any other muscle group. The key is to choose the proper exercises and use the proper techniques that will elicit the best development. Forget about those ab crunch machines or “ab rockers” you see on TV. They’re a waste of time and money!

If you want to thoroughly stimulate your abdominal muscles to grow and achieve the “six-pack” look, then you must rely on the science. The study at San Diego State University revealed that the Bicycle Maneuver, Captain’s Chair Knee Raises, Crunches on Exercise Ball and Reverse Crunch are the best and only exercises that you need to do. These four exercises are the most effective and offer variety in your abdominal training.

Perform all your abdominal work for 8 to 20 repetitions. As you become more conditioned, perform 2-4 sets of 8-20 repetitions. All repetitions should be performed slow and deliberate motion. No ballistic or quick motions. Let the abs do all the work. The rest between sets should be 30-60 seconds and no longer.

Strict Diet

Depending upon how much bodyfat you have around your waist, you should consider your diet. If you’re an ectomorph, then you may not have much bodyfat, if any, around your waist. Mesomorphs may need to “tune-up” their diet if they have put on some additional bodyfat during their mass building phase. Endomorphs probably have some body fat on their abs, and therefore, some serious diet modifications must be made by limiting carbohydrates and increasing protein. Avoid refined carbohydrates, sugar and fat laden foods. Loose the booze…alcohol metabolizes into fat. Men should avoid beer as it “feminizes” the body.

Cardio Training

If you have bodyfat around your waist, then you must engage in a serious cardio training program to rid yourself of this excess fat. I recommend that you perform Interval Training for your cardio. Taking long walks or jogs for 45-60 minutes will not do the trick. Numerous research studies have shown that Interval Training is far superior to walking or jogging for fat loss.

To do Interval Training, run or sprint for 30 seconds, then walk for one minute to recover, then repeat this sprint/walk cycle about 8-10 times. Be sure to warm-up before and cool down after Interval Training. The key to Interval Training is to push yourself as hard as you can during the running or sprint for the allotted 30 seconds. This form of Cardio Training will burn more body fat while also improving your cardiovascular conditioning.

All three keys are essential to obtaining the much-desired “ripped, six-pack” abs. As with any fitness endeavor, consistency and persistence are needed to achieve success.

For a FREE REPORT on ab training and more information on a comprehensive abdominal training program, visit this site.

If we want to have healthy bodies, we need to treat them right. This means getting enough sleep at night, getting plenty of exercise, and following a healthy and well-balanced diet that is loaded with the nutrients our bodies need. Good nutrition is not just something you worry about if you are trying to lose weight. Good nutrition is part of a healthy lifestyle and something that must be practiced continuously throughout our lives.

If we want to have enough energy to get through the days, we need to know about good nutrition and make sure that we are practicing it, too. Good nutrition is essential for energy and if we don’t have certain nutrients in our diets, such as protein, we will not have enough energy to perform even the simplest of tasks. When we know about good nutrition, we know which vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients we need to have in our diets and which healthy foods we can find them in. One way to learn more about nutrition is to speak with a dietitian. There is also loads of information available on the Internet, and you can find plenty of books about nutrition in book stores and at your local library.

Good Nutrition Can Help Beat Stress

When we eat right, we feel good-not only physically, but mentally. But when we are stressed, we tend to reach for the comfort foods we love so much, such as chocolate bars and potato chips and end up making things even worse. For one thing, when we eat junk food, we usually feel guilty afterwards, especially if we are trying to lose weight. This will just add to the stress level. Good nutrition is one of the keys to dealing with stress, and there are a lot of things that you can add to a healthy diet that will help.

It is extremely important that we all eat a healthy breakfast every day, which doesn’t always happen for a lot of us. When you don’t eat breakfast, or don’t eat the right foods for breakfast, your blood sugar levels will be unstable, making it difficult for you to function properly, because your body and brain have not received the proper nutrition. This can also lead to moodiness and you may find that when you do not have a healthy breakfast, you are grouchy for a good part of the day.

A lot of people swear by certain herbs, such as chamomile, and drinking herbal teas can be a great way to relieve stress. Green tea is also healthy and should be a part of your diet if you are trying to deal with the stress in your life. Cutting back on caffeine is also a great way to help deal with stress and you should not have anything with caffeine in it after two o’clock in the afternoon. So, forget about having a cup of coffee in the evenings, unless of course it is decaf.

If you are stressed out and feel like you must have something to munch on, stay away from the junk food and find some healthy treats instead. Nuts and seeds are always a good choice, because they are extremely healthy and are loaded with the protein that our bodies need to function properly. You may also want to snack on crunchy vegetables or sweet fruits, and as long as you don’t load it with butter and salt, popcorn makes a healthy snack.

While on the topic of junk food, it is a good idea to bring your own lunches to work, rather than grabbing something on your break. Chances are that whatever you grab is not going to be the healthiest choice available and when you bring your own lunches with you, you can be assured that what you are eating is healthy and tasty. To be extra sure that you are getting a healthy lunch, eliminate junk food from your cupboards, and stock up on fresh, healthy ingredients that taste great and will provide you with the nutrition you need to stay healthy and deal with the stress in your life. And once you are in the habit of eating healthy foods, you will be less inclined to reach for junk food when you are feeling stressed.

Good Nutrition Includes Protein

There are three macronutrients that we all must have in our diets if we want to have healthy, strong bodies. These macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Although we hear so many horrible things about carbohydrates and fats, there are good ones and those are the ones that we need to get from the foods in our diets. And we need to make sure that we eat foods that are rich in protein, because it is responsible for the health of each and every cell in our bodies.

Protein is essential for the health of our muscles and helps them to grow. When our muscles are injured or strained, it is protein that helps them to recover (along with rest, elevation, and anything else your physician may recommend). Protein plays a role in our eyesight and it is what our hair, nails, and skin are made from. These are just a few of the reasons why we need to have protein in our diets. Protein can be found in a number of foods, with animal based proteins being the only complete proteins, meaning that they contain all 22 of the essential and non-essential amino acids. Plant based proteins are incomplete, except for soy, which is a popular choice for many vegetarians who want to make sure they are getting enough protein.

As hard as we try, it can still be difficult sometimes to eat enough of the right foods and we don’t always get the proper nutrition. For this reason, a number of people are turning to protein supplements, which provide the protein they should be getting in their diets, as well as many other nutrients. Protica has a number of protein supplements available that will fit in with any healthy diet, even if it is a restricted diet for weight loss. As mentioned above, sweet treats are often reached for when someone is feeling stressed.

Intervals: Efficient & Effective

Intervals are the single most results producing exercise that I’ve ever found for boosting your metabolism, helping you burn inches off your body, and giving you a tight, lean, strong shape.

Here’s an excerpt from my latest article in Men’s Fitness showing you how to use intervals for fat loss (Men’s Fitness, Page 114, April 2005).

Interval training is the fitness world’s equivalent of a visit to the in-laws. The shorter and more intense the visit, the better.

An interval is a short period of exercise performed at a given intensity for a specific length of time. Each interval is separated from the next interval by a short rest or lighter activity. There are no strict rules on how long or how intense the interval must be, however, changing the interval length or intensity changes the way your body works and responds to exercise.

Never sacrifice the quality of rest between intervals because this will only reduce the benefits. To succeed with intervals, you must first shake the mindset of traditional continuous cardio training.

No matter where you start with intervals, heed this warning. The high-intensity nature of the exercise can cause muscle soreness you’d associate only with weights, and can cause your legs to feel like j-e-l-l-o.

What most people don’t know is that intervals are the best cardio method for fat loss. Most guys in the gym are hung up on doing excessive amounts of work, but shorter, more intense intervals get the job done better.

Intervals continue to burn calories and fat after the training session, and that’s something you won’t get from slower, longer sessions of cardio. When Canadian researchers compared interval training and long, slow cardio training, it was interval training that was shown to be more effective for fat loss.

Use this workout 3-5 times per week to blast fat.

Start with this beginner protocol:

Warm-up for 5-minutes.

Work for 30 seconds at an 8/10 level of intensity.

Follow that with “active rest” for 90 seconds at a 3/10 level of intensity.

Repeat for 3-8 intervals.

Finish with 15 minutes of traditional cardio for “transition” and cool-down.

As you become accustomed to intervals, progress to the experienced protocol:

Warm-up for 5-10 minutes.

Work at a 9/10 level of intensity for 30 seconds.

Follow that with “active rest” for 60 seconds at a 3/10 level of intensity.

Repeat for 4-10 intervals.

Finish with 5 minutes of low intensity exercise for a cool-down.

Cardio, also known as aerobic, exercise helps to work large groups of muscles, such as in the legs, and make the heart and lungs stronger. By providing your body with endurance, stamina, and increased oxygen production, your will feel more energized. Other benefits are burning calories and lowering blood pressure. This type of fitness can be achieved by doing ordinary chores around your home, such as scrubbing floors or mowing the lawn, through traditional workouts such as walking, jogging or jumping rope, or even through structured classes such as step aerobics or Tai Chi.

When beginning a cardio program, it is important to first consult your doctor in case your have any medical conditions that need to be addressed. Exercise can improve the quality of life for any individual, regardless of their medical condition, but consulting your physician will ensure that the workout regimen you choose are not harmful to your condition or will not aggravate your heart due to any medication you may be taking that can adjust your heart rate.

Once you have consulted your physician, you can begin selecting cardio exercises that are right for your body and for your goals. It is important to choose a workout regimen that you will enjoy versus choosing that regimen based on what you think you should be doing. If you enjoy the fitness route you take, you will be more likely to continue that routine to better your health for life. Long term cardio exercise is always preferred, to keep your body moving and to keep you healthy.

Beginners should start with walking as it is the least expensive (completely free), and will help get your body used to getting started with an activity. Walking can be done almost anywhere, and you can use walking to work yourself up to other activities, such as jogging, jumping rope, swimming, stair climbing, running and cycling. Incorporating a cardio exercise daily will provide maximum benefits, but many people prefer to choose a few days out of the week where they can focus on their fitness and well being.

Be sure to stretch your muscles and warm them up before performing vigorous cardio exercise routines. Stretching your muscles will help you to avoid cramps in your legs and pain in your joints, and warm up exercises will keep you from overexerting your body and tiring quickly. Warm ups will also help you prevent injuries. As your body becomes used to working out, it will become necessary to increase the intensity of your routine to continue to allow your body to work.