Obama family chooses dog

From CNN's Lauren Kornreich

One of the most intense guessing games of President Obama’s new administration is finally over: the choice of first dog.
(CNN) – One of the most intense guessing games of President Obama’s new administration is finally over: the choice of first dog.
First Lady Michelle Obama told People magazine that her family has decided to adopt a Portuguese water dog, pointing to the breed’s medium-sized and good-natured reputation. The breed is also hypoallergenic — a must, given daughter Malia’s allergy to dogs.
The first lady said her daughters will have to wait until the end of April to get the dog, since her family is planning on going away for Spring Break.
The only thing left to pick is the name, and Mrs. Obama said she is not a fan of her daughters’ choices.
“There are names floating around and they're bad," Mrs. Obama said in the interview. "You listen and you go – like, I think, Frank was one of them. Frank! Moose was another one of them. Moose. I said, well, what if the dog isn't a moose? Moose. I'm like, no, come on, let's work with the names a little bit."
Since Obama announced on Election Night that his daughters had “earned” a dog, there has been a lot of speculation and input from dog-lovers around the country. The president has said for months that he was looking for a shelter dog that was hypoallergenic.
Mrs. Obama said she took some advice from Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, who owns two Portuguese water dogs and had lobbied the first family to choose the breed. But overall, she said found the level of excitement about the family’s dog “surprising.”
"It's all great and gracious attention,” Mrs. Obama said, in the edition of people that hits newsstands Friday. “People are just being as helpful as you can imagine. So I know that we will find the perfect breed. And we'll find people who are caring folks who will help us find the dog of our dreams.

When we lose weight, where does the lost weight go?

After weeks of trimming a few calories here, exercising a little more there, you put on a pair of jeans, and like magic, the waist has grown. You button them up to behold a welcome space between your belly and the fabric. How did that happen?

With 66 percent of the adult American population either overweight or obese [source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], a lot of people are trying to drop some pounds. Through dieting, exercise, surgery or a host of other alternatives, they hope to reach the goal of a smaller body. But to where does that weight disappear when the hard work pays off?

The short answer is that our bodies convert molecules in fat cells to usable forms of energy, thus shrinking the cells. But getting this to happen isn't just about sweat bands and short shorts. Understanding how our bodies perform this tummy-trimming trick requires a little more detail.

We know that weight loss hinges on burning calories. Calories measure the potential energy in food you eat in the form of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

If our bodies were cars, energy would be the gas to keep everything running. Lounging in front of the television is like cruising the strip, while sprinting around a track is more like drag racing at maximum speeds. In short, more work means more energy.

The body uses some of those calories to digest food. Once the food is broken down into its respective parts of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, it either uses the remaining energy or converts it to fat for storage in fat cells. Fat cells live in adipose tissue, which basically acts like an internal gas station, storing away fuel reserves.

To lose weight, you must burn more calories, or energy, than you consume to start using up that fuel reserve. Essentially, you're not ingesting enough calories to fuel your additional exercise, so your body must pull from fat stores.

How? Go to the next page to get the skinny on the fat-burning process.

What DO Women Want?

his Sunday’s New York Times Magazine featured a piece on recent research on female sexual desire conducted by what the Times describes as “post-feminist sexologists”. If you haven’t read the piece yet, I would suggest doing so before you read the rest of this post.

While I’m thrilled that the New York Times gave such a prominent place to the topic of female sexuality, there were several things that came to mind as I was reading the article that I would like to throw out there for general reflection and comment that I wished the article had addressed, or addressed more concretely.

First, much of this research is aimed at “fixing” female desire which is seen as being lower than it should be. Why? I think there are two main reasons. First, to what standard are we comparing female desire? Male desire. Men are the referent, the default as they have been for everything else throughout history. What if it’s actually the other way around and women have (in general) the right levels of desire while men are hyper-active? (Or what if neither is true and it’s all a big jumble?) We can’t even imagine this world where women’s desire is foremost because so many things would have to change for that world to exist. I therefore reject the idea of these researchers as “post-feminist”. Second, these women who are less desirous than they should be constitute fully one-third of the female population. The definition of a disorder is that it is irregular. Is something a disorder if one-third of people have it? Is blond hair a disorder? How about left-handedness?

Of course, one could say that if women feel their lack of desire is a problem, then it should be addressed. This may be the case, but how should it be addressed? I bet there isn’t one person out there who doesn’t have at least one thing about their sex life that they feel needs fixing. What does it do to those women with “low desire” if we take their particular problem and medicalize it, hooking them up to things and trying to develop drugs? Are these the fixes we’re hoping for or could we look outside of the medical establishment into people’s bedrooms and work from there? Perhaps the solutions we would find if we did this would be healthier, less stigmatizing and longer lasting.

At the very end of the article, this brief paragraph appears:

“So many cultures have quite strict codes governing female sexuality,” she said. “If that sexuality is relatively passive, then why so many rules to control it? Why is it so frightening?” There was the implication, in her words, that she might never illuminate her subject because she could not even see it, that the data she and her colleagues collect might be deceptive, might represent only the creations of culture, and that her interpretations might be leading away from underlying truth. There was the intimation that, at its core, women’s sexuality might not be passive at all. There was the chance that the long history of fear might have buried the nature of women’s lust too deeply to unearth, to view.

When I read this I thought to myself “start the article here!”. All research is embedded within culture. Gender and sexuality, being so fundamental to every culture are even more embedded. This means that assumptions we make about gender and sexuality can influence our thinking and research without us even being aware of them. They’re there in the questions we ask, the subjects we recruit, and how we interpret our data. We’re as mixed up in at as the people we want to research, so pulling back and looking at something with a completely objective eye can be impossible.

This cultural context also means that what research describes might not be how things actually are, but how the current culture is shaping them to be. Could past attitudes about sexuality and gender resulted in very different results? It’s entirely plausible. For me, this means that our sexuality is not set, it’s flexible and “fixing” something that is undesirable may be more about changing the culture than developing a drug or therapy. As someone always hoping for a bit of a revolution, this idea appeals to me.

First on my list of themes for the revolution would be something left entirely out of the discussion in this article: pleasure. In any discussion about sexuality in the United States, especially one that takes place in the mainstream media, pleasure is often the elephant in the room. The following scenarios seem entirely plausible: women in pleasure-less sexual relationships don’t want to have sex as often; women who are not having the kind of pleasure they were raised to think they should get feel inadequate and don’t want to have sex as often; women who were raised to think the kind of pleasure they do have is wrong or should not be expressed feel guilty and… you guessed it, have less desire. It could even be that what women were responding to in the porn films including the bonobos was pleasure.

In other words, maybe what women really want is true, uninhibited, guilt-free, glorious pleasure - be that by themselves or with a partner. It’s just a thought, but it’s certainly something worth researching. Or, we could start a pleasure revolution. I think I know the perfect spot for the headquarters.

Fug Madness 2009, Round 2 continued: Madonna bracket

(4) JOAQUIN PHOENIX vs. (5) VICTORIA "POSH" BECKHAM

So, here's my question: Do you think Reese Witherspoon looks at Joaquin Phoenix today and thinks, "Damn, that dude was completely method-smitten with me while we shot Walk The Line. I could have tapped that. I TOTALLY dodged a bullet there"?

Because really, whether he's faking it or not, who among us saw THAT coming? He's turned into the love child of a Bee Gee and Bruce Vilanch.

However, JQ here might have stumbled upon a solution to his appearance problems:

Continue reading Fug Madness 2009, Round 2 continued: Madonna bracket.

Katie "Fugdan" Fugce

I don't know much about horses except how to bet on them, but I do know this:




If I ever decide to go riding, the FIRST things I'm going to don are my knee-socks, pumps, and velour hot pants with matching hoodie. Because open, oozing saddle sores are the new black.

Zigga Zig Fug

Let's get one thing straight: Geri Halliwell is looking amazing: She deserves only props for how hot she is.



So why not leave SOMETHING to the imagination? Or, at the very least, go for something that doesn't so tragically mishandle her lovely lady lumps and/or makes her look a bit like the car hop at the world's fanciest drive-in burger joint? Not that she wouldn't make a cute car hop. I'm just wondering if the alternative wasn't considered...

Random Fug

I don't know who this Tiana Silliphant is -- Google suggests she was married to the dude who wrote The Poseidon Adventure -- but she clearly WANTS people to know her.



Why else would she show up to a Broadway opening night dressed like she just broken into Bai Ling's closet? She looks like the bareback rider for an adults-only circus. For an extra $15, she'll twirl your baton.

Gifts - Personalized Childrens Plates

Gifts are always special things for childrens. Its the only way to make childrens more happier than ever. That too, when personalized gifts are presented to childrens, you will have a place in the childrens heart. Thats why, personalized gifts have a higher priority than ordinary gifts. Personalized childrens plates is of one type through which you can attract childrens. A site called Posylane offers you a wide range of personalized childrens plates. These plates offered by Posylane are made of super strong plastic, durable, scratch resistant, kid tested and mom approved. The plates are BPA free which means it does not contain Bisphenol A which affects our human health. The plates offered by them are securely laminated and feature age appropriate games and other activities on the back. There are three types of games which has been designed considering the childrens age. You can select any one from three according to your requirements.

Personalized Children's Plates For Your Little Ones

As a graphic designer, some clients approach me to ask if I do personalized invites. Yes, I do. One client asked me to design a birthday invite for her daughter. This client is meticulous and really likes to please her daughter’s classmates and even their parents!

On the course of our transaction, she then asked me and some of her friends to think of personalized memento to be given away to kids after the party. We suggested some things but she wasn’t satisfied with them. She surfed the net for unique give-aways but she didn’t find the right one.
Had she seen the personalized children’s plates on Posylane, she’d say she found the perfect after-party gift. I really believe these were what she was looking for all along! The plates are made of melamine so they are sturdy and safe for use by kids. The plates have matching placemats which have age-appropriate activity games at the back. So be it in a party or just for solo dining or family dinner, kids will surely enjoy dining in style!

Japan's HRP-4C 'fashion model robot' unveiled, already harassed (update: video!)

While that perv in the back is busy shooting HRP-4C's firm buttocks shaped from a glossy Stormtrooper alloy, the rest of us can marvel at the fact that Japan has produced a walking, talking fashion robot. Standing at just over 5-feet tall and 95-pounds, HRP-4C, developed by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, will make its catwalk debut next week at the Tokyo fashion show. The she-bot features 30 motors spread throughout its body with an additional eight motors in its face for expressing general boredom and disgust with the help. Its main purpose is entertainment and to attract crowds much like its fleshy counterparts -- so don't expect home cooked meals and laundry service should you take the $200,000 robot home. Unfortunately, HRP-4C didn't function as planned today. Reports say that the robot, "kept looking surprised, opening its mouth and eyes in a stunned expression, when the demonstrator had asked it to smile or look angry." Hmm, sounds like a fully functional model-slash-actress to us.

Update: Video posted after the break that's equal parts creepy and uh, creepy.

China Int'l Fashion Week kicks off

March 24, the China International Fashion Week (09/10 autumn and winter series) opened in Beijing, this Fashion Week will be at Club D. PARK Beijing, Beijing hotel, such as home to host a week-long special releases, special competitions, thematic Forum and other major activity near 40, Fashion Week will have from home and abroad during the near 20 famous brands organized fashion trends released.

　　Models present fashions during the China International Fashion Week (2009/2010 autumn/winter series) opened in Beijing, capital of China, March 24, 2009.

　　A model presents a fashion during the China International Fashion Week (2009/2010 autumn/winter series) opened in Beijing, capital of China, March 24, 2009.

　　A model presents a fashion during the China International Fashion Week (2009/2010 autumn/winter series) opened in Beijing, capital of China, March 24, 2009.

　　A model presents a fashion during the China International Fashion Week (2009/2010 autumn/winter series) opened in Beijing, capital of China, March 24, 2009.

FASHION MAMI

Hong Kong Film Festival Female Stars shining star with a Fashion show

March 22, thirty-third session of the Hong Kong International Film Festival. The Film Festival makes grand debut have many stars, the spotlight flashing female stars will undoubtedly become the focus of attention, the Hong Kong Film Festival Events at the scene is no doubt Fashion stars big show with a good opportunity

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Vermilion skirt and white high-profile in the end

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7 Reasons Every Woman Should Meditate Every Day

Meditation is very important to me. I like to spend at least 15 minutes a day on my meditation cushion focusing on my mind and breath. In this article I want to show you seven reasons why every woman should meditate every day.

7 reasons every woman should meditate every day

Have a read through these reasons and see if any of them make sense to you. If they do then I highly encourage you to start meditating on a regular basis - ideally first thing in the morning.

1. It makes you happier
The most important reason to start meditate every day is because it makes you happier. Meditation helps you to get in touch with your thoughts and emotions and work through a lot of crap that you might otherwise just let float around. It also helps you become more focused and mindful which leads to happiness because your actions will start to match your intentions.

2. It is good for you
Science has shown that meditation is extremely good for your health. It relaxes your heartbeat and lowers your blood pressure - extremely important for all you corporate women out there who are busy focusing on deadlines and due dates. Meditation also strengthens your internal energies which will make you less susceptible to colds and flus.

3. It gives you quiet time
These days there is almost no room for quiet time. You are either looking after the kids or your husband or work is riding you to meet with some client - there is no time for silence. But silence is extremely important. It can relax your mind and body and allow you to “process” all the things that are going on. Ten minutes of silent meditation everyday will go a long way to making you more sane.

4. You will become stronger
Meditation masters are always strong people who can deal with any situation that gets thrown at them. The reason for this is because they have become so accustomed and familiar with their own mind that they are able to see through all the trash and just remain calm. After a few months of regular meditation you will find that you don’t get blown around by all the little ups and downs that life throws at you.

5. You will be able to train harder
Along the same lines as the previous point, meditating regularly will allow you to train a lot harder. The reason is simple. When you begin looking at mind you start to see that your thoughts have no real power. They arise and dissolve but they never really have any inherent power to influence you. After a while you will be able to take this realization off the cushion and out into the world with you. For example, when you are running on the treadmill and your mind is telling you “stop” you will be able to see through that game and push on. This is a very valuable skill to have.

6. It removes stress from your body and mind
One of the most fundamental benefits of meditation is relaxation. Meditation allows you to process all the stress in your mind and sort it out. And once it is out of your mind it will soon be out of your body. Your muscles will relax and your joints will loosen. Daily meditation will make you a much more relaxed and easy going person.

7. Your sleep will be peaceful
Another major benefit that I have noticed is that my sleep has become a lot more peaceful. I fall asleep much faster and I am able to wake up fresh. This is extremely important if you have a training session to get to or you need to start work early.

Conclusion

The wonderful thing about meditation is that the more you do it, the more benefits you will get. If you can sneak in five minutes of meditation after work and ten minutes before you go to bed then you will be well on your way to better health and a lot happier living.

5 Common Foods That Are Making You Fat

Every time I sit down with friends I am shocked at how little they know about food. Last night I went out with a friend who said that she was on a weight loss diet but then proceeded to order a main size pasta because it was “low in fat”. Bad idea. In this post I am going to show you 5 common foods that are making you fat.

1. White bread
Of all the common foods out there it is white bread that is doing the most damage to your waistline. If you could cut out one food from your diet today and never eat it again this would be a good choice. White bread is full of refined sugar, preservatives and a lot of salt. All of these things slow down your metabolism and make you fat.

2. Pasta
As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, pasta is not great for your weight. It is extremely high in carbohydrates and as such it will fat you up. The other thing about pasta is that you usually add fatty foods to it as a topping. Cheese is one of them. Mixing fat and carbs is a surefire way to put on weight.

3. Coffee
Yep, that’s right. Coffee is making you fat. But not because of the coffee itself, because of all the sugar, cream and biscuits you add to it. Ask yourself how many sugars you have in your coffee and then times that amount by how many coffees you have in a day. Pour that amount on to the counter so you have a visual impression of what we are talking about. Do you realize that almost all of that will be stored as fat? Slow down on the coffee.

4. Beer
The older I get the more I realize how dependent many people are on alcohol. It seems as though no event is alcohol free. Even after sporting games people go and get drunk. But these nights out are making you fat. Beer has a lot of calories in it and it is also a massive metabolism depressant. The more you drink the less calories your body will burn.

5. Fat free meals
Fat free has to be one of the most misleading marketing schemes in the history of food. Fat free does not mean it will help you lose weight. In fact, fat free foods are some of the WORST foods you can eat if you are trying to burn fat. Why? Because they pack the food with preservatives, salt and especially sugar. None of these things are good for you. Next time you see a fat free item pick it up and look at the amount of sugar and salt in it. You’ll never buy it again.

Conclusion

If you can avoid these five foods your diet will be well on its way to becoming more healthy. How many of these foods do you eat?

11 Tactics to Get More from Your Gym Sessions

Life is busy. Work, family, cooking dinner. It doesn’t leave us with a lot of time to workout. So when we finally make it to the gym we need to make sure we are getting the most out of our workout sessions. In this post I am going to show you 11 ways to get more from your time at the gym.

11 tactics to get more from your gym session

These tips are designed to help make your gym workouts more efficient, effective and result producing. If you have anything else to add please head over to the forum and leave your tips. You never know, your knowledge might really help someone.

1. Have a coffee before hand
Studies have shown that coffee helps you workout. It keeps you more focused and alert and it can even help you perform better physically. This is particularly true if you are doing a weight loss workout as caffeine speeds up your heart rate and metabolism.

2. Warm up correctly
A lot of women fail to warm up correctly. If you are doing a weights session that involves a lot of upper body work you need to make sure you warm up that part of your body. Running on a treadmill is no good! If you are going to be doing upper body weights perhaps start with some rowing.

3. Keep hydrated
When you workout your body loses fluids. This can end your workout prematurely because it starts to make you feel sick and tired. Keeping hydrated is extremely important if you want to make sure you are getting the most from your time at the gym. Keep a water bottle with you or make sure you constantly visit the fountain.

4. Workout the big muscle groups
There are two types of weight lifting exercise - isolated and compound. Isolated exercises only work one muscle at a time and as such do not have a lot of full body benefits. Compound exercises, on the other hand, workout lots of muscles at once. This is a much better option for saving time, burning calories and getting a full body workout in a short space of time.

5. Use heavy weights
Whoever it was that first said that light weights tone your muscles was a fool. Light weights don’t do much at all to be honest. If you want to tone up and lose weight then you need to use heavy weights. Don’t worry, you won’t get bulky. All you will do is burn calories faster and make a lot more progress.

6. Workout with a partner
Sometimes we can be a little bit lazy when we workout by ourselves. We wander around looking at the televisions or taking big breaks in between sessions. However, if you workout with a partner a lot of that is cut out. Similarly, you will be more likely to work hard when your partner is pushing you to do better. Try it out.

7. Have a fixed routine
A few years ago I used to go to the gym and spend half of my time walking around wondering what to do next. This is a big waste of time. Plan your sessions before you go by creating a fixed routine. Stick to that routine and you will find that your sessions become a heck of a lot more productive.

8. Take some music
There is nothing like a good loud song to get you working out harder. I always seem to run a lot further when I have a good hip hop song in my ear. Try and put together a workout playlist and crank it on whenever you do your cardio sessions. The added emotion will really get you moving.

9. Have a set goal
One thing I noticed recently was that I worked a lot harder at the gym when I had a set goal. In previous years I would just go the gym out of some sense of needing to stay fit and slim but recently I decided that I wanted to lose 5 kilograms after spending too much time in the local cafe on an overseas trip. Once I had this set goal I did what I needed to do to achieve it and stayed on track. Find out what you want to achieve, write it down and go for it!

10. Cut your sessions to 45 minutes
Your gym sessions should not go for longer than 45 minutes. Any long than this and your body starts to produce a chemical that can actually hamper your progress. But that is not the only reason. If you cut your session times down you will be forced to fit more in and work harder. This is a fantastic way to work out - intensely.

11. Squat
The squat is the best wight lifting exercise there is. A good session of heavy weighted squats will burn more calories than any other exercise. But what is really cool about the squat is the fact that your body will continue to burn calories after you have finished the workout. If you really want to super charge your gym session you need to start squatting on a regular basis.

If you have any other suggestions please drop by our forum and let us know!

Leather vs Plastic: What is the Best Skipping Rope?

Last week I talked about how skipping is one of the best exercises for weight loss. Today I want to have a little chat about the different types of skipping ropes that are on the market and help you decide which one to buy. Your rope will make all the difference to your skipping experience.

Is the classic leather boxing rope the best?

The most popular form of skipping rope is the heavy leather rope that was popularized by boxing. For over a hundred years boxers have been using a leather jump rope to improve their cardiovascular ability, muscle fitness and endurance. When people saw how fit boxers were they wanted to copy their training regime and as such the leather rope was adopted into gyms and weight loss centers around the world.

But is it really the best choice?

I have been skipping for close to ten years now and in that time I have had over fifteen skipping ropes. Some of them were good. Some of them were terrible. And after all these years I can honestly say that the leather skipping rope is NOT the best choice for your skipping needs.

Plastic speed ropes: the better skipping choice

So what should you choose instead of the traditional boxing leather rope? A plastic speed rope. These new inventions are a much better option if you want to make your skipping sessions intense, furious and extremely good for calorie burning.

The weighted versions of these ropes are particularly good. They allow you to turn the rope a lot faster than normal and as such you get a more intense cardio workout as well as really pushing your muscle strength to the next level. The main problem with the leather ropes is that you simply cannot turn it very fast. The plastic weighted ropes completely overcome this problem.

The other major advantage of the plastic speed ropes is the ball bearing handles that allow you to turn the rope at high speed without any tension. The rope is not “fixed” to the handles as in a traditional skipping rope but instead rotates 360 degrees inside the handle. This is a fantastic feature that every serious skipper must look for.

Conclusion

If you are in the market for a new skipping rope I would bypass the leather rope altogether. Go for a modern weighted plastic skipping rope and watch how much better your skipping sessions will be. I am certain that you will find them a lot more challenging, entertaining and productive.

Does Drinking Water Help You Lose Weight?

One question I get asked a lot is whether or not drinking water will help you lose weight. The answer is simple - you bet it does. In this post I am going to show you the main reason why drinking lots of water will help you shed some of that pesky fat.

Why does water help you lose weight?

Here are a two simple reasons as to why drinking water will help with your weight problems. Remember, all of this is just science until you put it into practice. Start drinking more water today and see the results for yourself.

1. Water stops you from snacking
The main reason that water helps you lose that belly is because it makes you feel full. As we all know, water has 0 calories so consuming it will just hydrate you and make you feel full. This means you will be less likely to snack on things during the day.

2. Water keeps you hydrated
Many people do not know this but one of the symptoms of dehydration is actually hunger pains. If you are not drinking enough water there is a chance that you will be feeling hungry and that leads you consume more calories. Drinking will keep you hydrated and, as mentioned above, stop you from snacking during the day.

Conclusion

Water is essential to good bodily health. If you don’t drink water you will be dehydrated and this will lead you to snack. Try drinking at least five tall glasses of water each day and see how you feel. I am betting you will lose a few pounds over time as well.

A Simple Women’s 20 Minute Butt Workout

We all love a nice round butt. We love the way it looks in a pair of jeans and how it makes us feel when we go out. But achieving that round, firm butt can be difficult. Here is a simple women’s butt workout that you can do in around 20 minutes.

Warm up
Firstly you will need to spend about five minutes warming up well. The exercises themselves are quite difficult and as such you need to make sure your legs and joints are well warmed.

A good warm up for the legs is to do a bit of jogging followed by a few sprints. Once you are a little warmed up do some stretches and then maybe a few light squats. This should prepare your legs nicely!

The 20 minute butt workout

Now we can get in to the main workout. It is simple, easy to do and requires only some basic weight training knowledge. Remember, if you aren’t sure how to do the exercises go back through our exercise archive.

1. The lunge - 4 sets of 15 reps
Start off with a simple weighted lunge. All you need to do is grab two medium heavy dumbbells and hold them by your side as you lunge forward, alternating legs each time. Make sure you tense your glutes as you perform this exercise and do it in a slow and controlled manner. Make the decline slow and steady.

2. Jumping Squats - 3 sets until failure
The jumping squat is my all time favorite legs and butt exercise. It punishes your lower body like nothing else and will leave you sore and in pain! But, this baby burns more calories than just about anything else in the gym and gives you a fantastic butt workout. Only have about 30 seconds rest inbetween each set and make sure each set is explosive and powerful. You want to make sure you are hitting this one hard. Check out this post on how to do a jumping squat if you want more information.

3. Step ups - 4 sets til failure
I always think of the step up as a bit of a reverse lunge. Instead of stepping down you are going up! Again, take two heavy dumbbells and find a very stable bench a little higher than you knees. Step up and down again and again until you cannot do anymore. As always, make sure the motions are slow, controlled and well timed. This exercise is as much about control as it is about muscle isolation.

That’s it!
That there is your simple 20 minute workout. As you progress you can add more weight or more reps or even repeat the whole workout again. The exercises here are simple to do and will have you building a new butt sooner than you think.

How to Lose Your Fat Butt - Part One

Every woman is afraid of having a fat butt. We all know the common saying “does my butt look big in this?” because we have all said it! In this series of three posts I am going to show you how to lose your fat butt using a few simple exercises and diet tips.

Understanding the butt muscles (glutes)

It is important to get a good understanding of the butt muscles before you go and start working them out. Why? Because when you know where the butt muscles are you will have a better idea of how they work and this will help with your progress.

The scientific name for the butt muscles is the gluteus maximus and it is the red area on the diagram above. As you can see, the butt muscles (or glutes) tie in to the upper hamstring and the base of the lower back. They are there to help you balance and are involved in many motions where the leg is pushing out, such as stepping up a hill.

How to lose your fat butt

There are three things you need to do if you want to lose your fat butt. They are:

• clean up your diet
• start working with weights
• start doing some cardio

Now I am not saying you need to do a lot of these things but you do need to do them smartly. This series will show you the best ways to diet and exercise so that your fat butt will be a thing of the past.

Cleaning up your diet

photo credit: Zesmerelda

The first post in this series will be on how to clean up your diet. There is a reason I put this first. It is the most important. It doesn’t matter how much you run or how many days a week you spend at the gym, if your diet is crap so to will be your results.

If you want to clean up your diet you need to take a few simple steps. Forget fad diets and weight loss pills. Forget calorie controlled. All you have to do is:

1. Eat natural foods
This is a big thing for us here at Free Women’s Fitness. We strongly believe in the power of natural foods. If you want to lose weight you need to cut out all the man made foods like soda, candy, pasta, baked goods, etc. and replace them with fruits, vegetables, lean organic meats, free range eggs, etc. This is the diet humans were meant to eat and when you start cutting out the old stuff and replacing it with this the weight will just fall off.

2. Eat six meals a day every three hours
Did you know that digestion takes up more energy than any other process in the body? Isn’t that amazing, the act of eating actually burns calories! This is a good thing for us and we need to take advantage of that.

The way to do that is to eat six small meals every three hours instead of the traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner. The reason we do this is because if we eat small meals more often we keep our metabolism burning and this will help us to burn calories. Also, if the meals are small it is likely that we will burn most of the calories during the day before it gets a chance to be converted to fat.

3. Replace high carb foods with high protein foods
For a little while you are going to need to cut out breads, pastas, baked goods and rice. These foods really hamper your butt toning progress! Instead you need to start eating high protein foods like nuts, milk and free range eggs. These will help you build the muscles that will tone your butt and legs and burn off all the fat cells.

4. Drink more water
Water is an excellent weight loss tool as it helps to keep your appetite at bay. It also cleans out your system and leaves you feeling light and happy. Try to have a big glass of water before each meal as this will keep your from gorging yourself when you sit down to eat. Don’t drink all your daily water intake in one sitting, however, as this puts a lot of pressure on your internal organs.

5. Harness the power of the post workout shake
The most important meal of the day is no longer breakfast - it is the post workout shake. If you want to tone up your butt and lose weight you need to start harnessing the power of this very important meal.

When you workout the body uses up a lot of energy and it starts to run out of protein, sugar and minerals. Therefore, it is important to replace them straight after you work out. Not only that, but you need to start giving your muscles protein so they can rebuild and become stronger. This is one of the most important factors to toning and weight loss success.

Try to have a drink that is high in protein within five minutes of finishing your workout. The best protein shakes are natural ones made of milk, eggs and a little bit of whey protein powder. If you start doing this on a regular basis you will see results soon.

How to Tone Flabby Arms in Six Weeks

Flabby arms are not a woman’s favorite thing. Along with tight abs, firm legs and a good butt it seems that women want toned and defined arms. In this post I want to show you how you can tone your arms and get rid of the flab in just six weeks.

How to tone flabby arms in six weeks

The first thing you need to realize is that this workout/diet is not going to be easy. It is going to take a fair amount of strength on your part. But, if you can hold on and do the work I can guarantee you some pretty special results.

Week One: Make some diet changes

In the first week you are going to be changing your diet. What we are going to do is gradually cut out all man-made foods and replace them with natural and fresh foods. We are going to cut out pasta, bread, soda and junk food and replace them with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, free range eggs and so on. What you need to do in this week is spend time shopping for healthy foods and find recipes for dinner and lunch that will taste good but also be made solely of natural foods.

Hint: Asian dishes are great!

Week Two: Begin your weight training program

Weight training is going to be a crucial part of this six week program. The reason for this is because weight training is the primary way to burn calories and turn your body into and fat burning machine. Fat hates muscle. The two don’t work well together. And muscle always wins. But don’t worry, you will not end up looking like a huge bodybuilder. All that will happen is the fat on your body will start to be replaced with firm and healthy muscle. In short, your body will firm up.

Your weight training program is going to consist of these compound exercises and these sets and reps:

• Squats 4 x 10
• Bench Press 4 x 10
• Pull Ups 2 x 10
• Dips 2 x 10
• Barbell Bicep Curls 4 x 10
• Overhead Presses 4 x 10

These exercises use lots of muscles at once and as such are a great way to get yourself in shape quickly. What you are going to do is spend week two learning and practicing these exercises. Make a time with a gym instructor and tell them you want to learn these exercises for your new workout.

Technique is Queen! Do not perform weights with a bad technique or you will end up with bad results and possible injuries. Learn them well and always consult a professional.

You are to do this workout three times a week. It should take no longer than an hour. The first number denotes the number of sets you are going to do. The second number indicates the number of repetitions. So if it says 4 x 10 that means you will do the exercise for 10 repetions and do it four times. And 10 does not just mean 10 reps with any old weight. No! It means you pick a weight that allows you to ONLY perform 10 reps. Got it?

You will continue with this workout for the whole six weeks. You can do it any day you like as long as you leave at least one day in between each workout.

Week Three: Add some cardio to the mix

Your task this week is to start adding in some cardio to your weight training workout. You can do any type of cardio you like but it must be done on the day that you DON’T do a weights workout. For example, if you do weights on Monday you should do cardio on Tuesday.

Pick a highly intense form of cardio like kick boxing or hill climbing. Make it fun and interesting. You can do it for as long as you want but make an effort to start doing it this week. If you really want to see results try and add at least three sessions in.

Week Four: Start adding a protein shake to your day

This week I want you to continue with all the other stuff but also start adding a protein shake to your day. You can drink it at one of three times: morning tea, afternoon tea or post workout. Any of these will do at this stage.

The protein shake should be made of natural ingredients like raw milk, free range eggs, banana and whey protein powder. Have this drink as a replacement to your regular meal. This is a wonderful way to boost your training progress as well as burning some pesky fat.

Week Five: Pick Up the Pace

Week five is going to be all about intensity. By this stage of the program you should be past the feelings of tiredness and past the sugar cravings. You should be feeling fit, healthy and inspired at your new progress.

Using this inspiration you should start to pick up the intensity. You have had over a month’s practice of weight training and by now you should be pretty good at the exercises. Endeavor to add more weight and a little bit more speed this week. Run faster, lift heavier, become more intense. That is the motto of this week.

You should also start to shift your cardio workouts to before your first meal of the day. This is a special technique that allows you to burn fat instead of available calories because your body hasn’t had anything to eat yet. If you cannot manage to get up and workout before breakfast then you should do it after dinner.

Week Six: Make a vow

Week six is not about training. Of course, you should keep doing what you are doing but the emphasis of this week is on something new. Mental toughness.

This week I want you to make a vow to yourself that you will continue training well and eating healthy for the rest of your life. You see, losing weight and firming up is easy. Maintaining it is hard.

Go somewhere quiet and peaceful that you like to go. Go there alone. Take a pen and some paper and write down your goals and your vow. Then keep it on you at all times. This is one of the best ways to stay fit and healthy for your entire life.

Take a vow and mean it.

Post Program Follow Ups

After the six weeks is up you should start to become more adventurous and experiment with new weights workouts and new exercises. Try some pump classes or some yoga. Start experimenting with exercise and really learn to enjoy it.

There are a whole host of weights exercises out there that are called isolation exercises. These exercises deal with one muscle group at a time. For example, the concentration curl just works the biceps and the lateral side raise just works the shoulders. You should try to find out more about these exercises and add them to your routine when you feel like it.

This program is fail safe. I have used it myself and I know many people who have done similar things with great success. The hardest part is believing in yourself and not giving up too early. 90% of people give up when it gets tough. Make sure you are one of the 10%.

8 Hacks to Burn More Fat and Lose More Weight

photo credit: unruly chaffinch

Everybody I know wants to lose a little bit of weight. Almost 80% of women feel as though they are too fat. That is a pretty terrible statistic. And the hard thing about weight loss is that it takes a lot of time and effort. Today I am going to share with you 8 hacks that will help you burn more fat and lose more weight. I hope they help.

8 hacks to burn more fat and lose more weight

If you have any other tips that you think our readers might find useful then please head on over to our women’s weight loss forum and let us know.

1. Step up the intensity
If you want to burn more fat you need to start working out with more intensity. Higher intensity cardio burns a lot more calories and it keeps your metabolism elevated for most of the day which means you will be burning fat long after the workout has finished. Higher intensity workouts also allow you to fit more in and as such you will gradually increase your levels of fitness. This progression is how you get super toned and healthy.

Check out this post for some ideas on how to make your cardio more intense and exciting.

2. Train with weights
Weight training is one of the best ways to burn fat and tone up. All women should be weight training. I recently talked about whether weight training will make you bulky as it is something that a lot of women worry about. You really shouldn’t, however, as weight training is so important for your progress.

Lifting weights increases your metabolism and it creates a better fat burning environment in your body. Fat and muscle do not coexist and where you have a good amount of toned muscle you will have less fat. For example, the calf and hamstring muscles are quite dense and as such you have less fat there than other places where there is less muscle.

3. Eat six small meals a day
This tip is an old one but one that most women ignore. If you want to lose weight faster you need to start eating six small meals a day instead of three big ones. If you can do this you will find that you lose weight quite naturally.

When you eat three big meals you slow down your metabolism. And quite often your body will not have a use for all the calories and as such it will get stored as fat. When you eat six small meals, however, the energy gets used up quite quickly and your metabolism stays elevated all day long. Digestion takes up a lot of energy - by eating six small meals every two hours you are effectively using eating as a weight loss exercise!

4. Train your legs more
The legs contain the biggest muscles in the body. When you work them out you use a lot of energy and this helps you to lose weight fast. The legs, in fact, are the secret to getting toned, trim and fit. Try doing more exercises like kickboxing, squats, jumping squats, sprinting and so on. These exercises utilize your leg muscles in a very intense way and this will help you to burn a lot of extra calories.

photo credit: Ed Yourdon

5. Eat lots of vegetables
When you think about weight loss you often don’t think about vegetables. Your mind automatically thinks of protein rich foods like meat and eggs. However, vegetables should become the main part of your diet if you want to lose weight fast. Why? Because they take a lot of energy to burn - and this requires calories.

The other reason for eating vegetables is because this is what human kind was meant to eat. When you put yourself on a natural diet your body will feel comfortable and secure and will stop storing all that emergency fat. Try it. It works.

6. Don’t mix carbs and bad fats
Carbohydrates and fats are two of the hardest food types to process. The problem? A lot of the time we eat these two together. Spaghetti and Parmesan cheese for example. And the bad thing about mixing these two is that a lot of it ends up being converted and stored as fat. Not good. If you are still eating carbs you should try to eat them without too much fat in the meal. Give your body a chance to burn some of the energy up.

Remember, not all fats are bad. Some fatty acids are essential for your body to function in a normal and healthy way. The fats you need to start avoiding are saturated fats and trans fats. LDLs are not good for you.

7. Skip rope
Skipping is one of the absolute best exercises for losing weight. I am including this as its own point because I truly believe that regular skipping will get you in the best shape of your life. Recently we did an article on skipping for weight loss that showed why it is so good for you as well as giving you some tips to make it more effective. Considering the rope only costs $5 and you can do it anywhere in the world I wonder why more women aren’t jumping rope!

8. Think of dinner as a snack
In the western world we have meals all upside down. We eat a tiny breakfast (if any!), a medium lunch and a huge two course dinner. Bad idea if you are trying to lose weight. All of that dinner gets stored as fat because you eat and then sleep and your body has nothing else to do with the calories. It is time to re-think the way we do dinner. Dinner should be no more than a snack. Eat a big breakfast and gradually eat less as the day goes on. This is one of the best tips you can take on board if you want to speed up your weight loss.

Conclusion

All of these little hacks added up equal some powerful weight loss. Try to implement as many of them as you can over a period of a few weeks. If you find that anything works particularly well for you then please let us know!

A Beginner Abs Workout for Women

Do you want flat abs? Are you looking to tighten up your midsection and create a firmer tummy? You will be happy to know that it isn’t that hard. In this article I am going to give you a beginner abs workout that will help you do just that.

Technique is paramount

When you are doing any resistance training you need to make sure your technique is perfect. The exercises are designed in specific ways that help you avoid injuries and maximize the amount of utility you get from the motion. If you cheat on the exercise you are only harming your progress.

Make sure you read up on all these exercises in our abs archive and learn how to do them perfectly. If you need to hire a training for a day to go through them all with you then do that. It will be well worth it in the long run.

A beginner abs workout for women

This workout is for any woman that is looking to tone, tighten or strengthen her midsection. It is suitable for women with little to no exercise experience.

1. Warm up
Start with a brief five minute warm up like a quick jog or some running on the spot. The idea is to get the muscles warm and the blood pumping.

2. Reverse Crunch 3 sets of 15 reps
The reverse crunch is a excellent exercise for targeting your lower abs.

How to do it:
To perform this exercise lay on your back with your hands cradling your lower back. Keep your head and upper shoulders on the ground. Extend your legs out so you are horizontal to the floor and then using your abdominal muscles bring your legs in and up to your chest. Crunch the abs. When you have brought them as far as you can rock back slightly on to your upper back and crunch the abs further. This is on repetition.

Do three sets of 15 reps making your technique is perfect and your repetitions are done in a slow and careful manner.

3. Abdominal Crunch 3 sets of 15 reps
The abdominal crunch is the basic crunch that allow you to target your upper and lower abs while protecting your lower back from strain.

How to do it:
Lay on your back and place your finger tips on your temples. Do not put your hands behind your head as this can lead to pulling. Place your feet flat on the floor and using your abdominal muscles roll your body up towards your thigh muscles while exhaling. To do this start with the head and neck and then the upper shoulders and finally crunch the abs. The motion should be like rolling a newspaper instead of going up and down like a see-saw. Once you have reached the top of the motion slowly lower yourself back down and repeat without resting your head on the floor.

Do three sets of 15 reps in a slow and controlled manner. Make sure your tense your abs at all times throughout the exercise.

4. Warm down
For your warm down it is a good idea to do some stretches. This helps with muscle recovery and keeps your midsection healthy and strong. The best stretch to do is the Upward Dog Yoga Pose.

How to do it:
To do the Upward Dog sit on your knees with your upper forehead touching the ground and your arms outstretched as far as they can go in front of you. Breathe out and as you breathe in slowly run your chin along the floor towards your hands and then curl yourself up so you have a nice bend in your back. Stretch your chin up, roll your shoulders back and tense your buttocks. You should feel a nice stretch in your back and abs. Continue to breathe. To come out of this stretch simply breathe in and as you breathe out go back in to the starting position. Rest for a few breaths.

Conclusion

This abs workout will be perfect for anyone who wants to strengthen their midsection and develop a flatter tummy. It will only take ten minutes but the results will be well worth your time. Remember, technique is paramount so make sure you do every exercise perfectly.

How to Get Sexy and Toned Legs

Would you like to have sexier legs? Do you want to turn your soft and chunky legs in to smooth, firm and toned ones? Well it is possible. In this post I am going to show you how to use some simple exercises and diet tips to make your legs sexy.

Exercises for Sexy Legs

The first thing you need to do if you want to get some sexy legs is start a regular exercise program. This exercise program needs to be made up of:

• Basic weight training
• High intensity cardio; and
• Simple stretching

Now I am not talking about a lot of exercise. Four times a week should be enough. But, the more time you can devote to your training the better your results will be. Be careful not to over train, however, as this will lead to exhaustion and poor muscle recovery.

Basic weight training
First we will look at the weight training aspect of getting sexy legs. There are certain exercises you can do that shape and build the muscles in your glutes, hamstrings, thighs and calf muscles. It is vital to do weights. Weight training not only makes your legs stronger and firmer, it burns a hell of a lot of fat.

Do not buy in to the myth that weight training will make your bulky. It won’t. Women simply do not have enough testosterone in their body to cause excessive muscle growth. Weight training is used to burn fat, increase the metabolism and strengthen the muscles.

Here are the exercises you need to do:

• The weighted squat:
  This exercise is the best exercise you can do for your lower body. It uses every muscle below your waist and is a fantastic way to burn fat and develop your firmer muscles.
• The weighted step up:
  This exercise is done by taking some medium heavy dumb bells and stepping up on to a stable bench or table. It is especially good for the glutes and thighs and is an essential exercise for sexy legs.
• The jumping squat:
  This exercise is done by squatting down to the ground with one foot forward and then springing in to the air as high as you can. Whilst in the air, change your feet so the back one is now in the front and repeat. This exercise is tough but brings super fast results.

Beginners should start with a light weight and perform as many sets as they feel comfortable doing. As you master the technique and become stronger you should add more weight and/or more repetitions so that your muscle development does not stagnate.

High intensity cardio
I always choose high intensity cardio over low intensity cardio. Why? Because it is so much better!

High intensity cardio like sprinting, stair runs, martial arts, boxing, etc. burn more calories. They also cause your heart rate to stay elevated long after the exercise session has finished meaning you will be burning fat long after you leave the gym.

The main advantage of HIC is that you can do everything you need in under 30 minutes. No more jogging on the treadmill for an hour and a half - just bang out 25 minutes of boxing class and you will have achieved so much more!

If you want to get sexy legs it is a good idea to choose HIC that targets your legs. For example, stair sprinting, running up hills and kickboxing are all excellent choices. If you want more traditional gym exercises you could do fast paced exercise bike riding, stair master or sprinting on the treadmill.

Try and do three sessions like this per week in order to get the maximum benefit.

Simple stretching

The last piece in the exercise part of our ’sexy legs puzzle’ is some simple stretching. Stretching is extremely important to the health of your legs and will keep them limber and firm. Take a look at the legs of any gymnast, martial artist or yoga instructor!

Yoga is my favorite way of stretching my legs because it is also extremely good for your health and mind. It is relaxing at the same time as being challenging. Some of the best workouts I have ever had have been in a yoga class as we did deep stance poses and stretches. You legs always feel rejuvenated and healthy after a good yoga class.

For a real challenge I recommend Hatha or Bikram Yoga. If you don’t feel like a new person after a yoga class I will personally write you an apology.

Diet tips for sexy legs

The best thing you can do if you want to have sexy legs is forget about whatever diet you are on. Forget about fad diets and milkshakes. Forget it all and start eating healthier.

Most diets either promote no fat or no carbs. Both of these are extreme. We need some fat to be healthy. We need some carbs to be healthy. The diet you need to be on is an all natural one.

If you want to get sexy legs (or just lose weight!) you should replace man made foods like chips, pasta, baked good, snack bars, candy, soda, etc. with natural foods like nuts, fruit, vegetables, water, milk, eggs, etc. When you do this you will find you get the perfect balance of proteins, carbs and fats and you will burn fat without even trying.

And you will become healthy. How many women do you know who have become sick, gaunt or moody when on a low carb diet? It happens for a reason - their body isn’t happy. Forget diets and go natural. This is the best thing you can do for your body.

You can get sexy and toned legs!

With a little bit of commitment, dedication and the right information you can have some extremely sexy and toned legs. Perform regular weights, cardio and stretching sessions and eat a natural diet. These are the secrets that you have always wanted.

Not as tough as you might have thought!

Why ALL Women SHOULD Workout With Heavy Weights

I hear a lot of woman saying they don’t want to use heavy weights. They say they don’t want to get too bulky or too masculine. While these are legitimate fears they are not based in logic. In this post I want to tell you why all women should use heavy weights.

Why women don’t use heavy weights

Take a picture of any gym in the world: women on the cardio machines and men in the weights section. There is a bit of crossover but in truth this is the way it is. Women seem to only want to do cardio and some lighter weights machines at the gym but they never want to do full heavy weights workouts.

Why is this?

Like I said in the introduction I think it has a lot to do with fears of losing the female figure. Women want to have small arms, tight buttocks and a flat tummy. They do not want bulging muscles and broad shoulders! Fair enough. Why would you.

But the fact of the matter is, women will NOT get to this stage. A heavy weights routine twice a week will not leave you looking like a female version of Arnold Schwarzenegger. It just isn’t going to happen.

Why?

Simple. Women do not have the necessary testosterone levels to make that kind of muscle gain. And it takes a lot of testosterone to build muscle. When you see female bodybuilders, all tanned and huge, you can rest assured that they took a lot of supplements and steroids to get to that stage. They might deny this is true, but it is.

Why all women should use heavy weights

So now we know why you aren’t using weights let’s get on to some reasons as to why you should be.

1. Weight loss
The main advantage of weight training is that it burns calories. Lots of them. Many fitness experts will tell you that a session of weight training is more beneficial than a session of cardio for losing weight. This is because weight training increases the ratio of muscle to fat and turns you into a fat burning machine. You will burn fat while you are working out and you will burn fat when you finish.

2. Happiness
Weight training causes your body to release chemicals in to your blood called endorphins. These chemicals have been scientifically proven to make you happier and cure depression. An hour at the gym is more likely to make you feel happy than chocolate, anti-depressants and a new car all put together. It is extremely good for your mindset. Furthermore, weight training will make you look fantastic - another reason to be happy!

3. Strong bones
Women are susceptible to osteoporosis. This is a weakening of the bones which can be painful and lead to breakages and other nasty things. The good news is weight training goes a long way to help prevent this. Women who train with weights are much less likely to experience bad osteoporosis than women who don’t. It is good for your bones.

4. Good health
Weight training is good for your immune system. Often get the local cold? Try weight training regularly for a few months and see if you get it when everyone else has it. I am betting you don’t. Since I started weight training I have experienced much better mental and physical health. I have more energy and have been sick at least half as often as I used to be.

Conclusion
Women need not be afraid of training with heavy weights. It will work towards building a lean, tight and fat-free body and it will boost your health and immunity. Weight training is one of the best things you will ever do for yourself. Give it a go.

How to Lose Weight Fast

Losing weight is one of the best things you can do for your confidence, health and appearance. However, many women struggle to know how to lose weight in an effective and efficient manner. In this article I am going to show you exactly what you need to do to lose weight fast.

The four-fold approach to losing weight fast

If you want to lose weight fast you need to bare in mind that there are four things that need taking care of. If any one of these aspects is missing then your progress will suffer. They are:

1. consistent weight training
2. clean and natural diet
3. progressive cardiovascular exercise
4. a strong mind and heart

Once you master this four-fold approach to weight loss you will find that fat just melts off without any calorie counting or any diet plans. That is why this approach is the best - because it works with you, not against you. All you have to do is make sure you are addressing all four elements and you will lose weight fast.

1. Consistent weight training

The first and possibly the most important part of losing weight fast is consistent weight training. If you are really serious about losing weight you need to start lifting something heavy and step off the treadmill for a few hours a week.

But won’t I get bulky?
It seems one of the major reasons that women don’t weight train is because they are worried about getting bulky. Well, you won’t. Check out this post called will weight training make me bulky for more answers.

How to weight train for fast weight loss
Now let’s get into the juice of this section. How do you actually use weight training to lose weight? Well, the simple truth that all the diet plans and fake exercise gadgets don’t want you to know is that it doesn’t matter what weights you do, as long as you are doing them.

That’s right. It doesn’t matter whether you focus on body weight exercises like pushups or chin ups or whether you focus on heavy weights like bench press and barbell curls - the results are the same.

The most important thing, however, is that you vary it. If you do body weight exercises on Monday then make sure your session on Wednesday is a little bit different. This prevents the body from growing accustomed to the exercise and keeps it progressing. This is important.

How often should I weight train for fat loss?
If you want to lose weight fast you need to start training with weights at least two or three times a week. Make sure you have one day break in between sessions to allow your body to recover. A good basic plan would be to weight train on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for 30 minutes.

2. A clean and natural diet

The second part of the four-fold plan of attack is a clean and natural diet. It doesn’t matter how much you are working out, how many miles you run or how many weights you lift - if your diet is poor so to will be your results.

The chocolate milk example
Let me put that in perspective for you. One cup of chocolate milk has around 200 calories in it. To burn off 200 calories at the gym you will need to be working out (running, rowing, riding) for at least 45 minutes to an hour. Got it? So, you can either drink that cup of chocolate milk and spend an hour burning it off or you can NOT drink it and burn off fat that is already on your belly. That is the secret of dieting for weight loss.

How to eat for fast weight loss
As I said at the start of the post, I am not interested in calorie counting. And you shouldn’t be either. What you should be concerned with is one thing and one thing only. Eating healthy. You see, when you eat the foods that your were meant to eat from a biological point of view your body is happy and well. This leads to weight loss and returning to a more natural “you”. If, however, you eat unnatural foods that don’t agree with your system your body will go into an unnatural flow and retain weight as a security measure.

If you want to lose weight fast you need to cut out all horrible man-made foods that are full of salt, sugar and preservatives. Your body doesn’t need that junk. Instead of choosing pizza, chips and beer you need to replace them with natural foods like:

• fruit
• vegetables
• free range eggs
• raw milk
• water
• fresh juice
• nuts and legumes
• etc

These are what human kind was meant to eat and your body knows how to deal with them. If you have a steady supply of healthy foods coming in your mouth your body will drop weight. It will have no reason to store that fat.

How often should I eat?
The next thing you need to understand about diet is that timing is everything. If you eat three big meals a day then you will probably be overweight. The great thing about eating food is that the very act of digesting the food is a weight loss exercise. In fact, digestion takes up more energy than any other process in the body. So, if you give your body a consistent supply of food (in small doses) you will actually lose weight by the very virtue of eating!

The ideal plan is to eat six small meals a day every three hours. This is not hard to do if you plan. All you need to do is eat breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. That’s it. Make sure each meal is made up of the fresh and natural foods we spoke of above and you will see weight dropping of sooner than you thought.

3. Progressive cardiovascular exercise

The third part of our four-fold weight loss approach is the cardio part. It is the part everyone hates. But, unfortunately, it is an essential part of losing weight.

What is the best cardio?
Cardio exercise is any exercise that gets your heart rate up and keeps it up. However, some forms of cardio are far better for weight loss than others. Generally speaking the exercises that get your heart rate up in an intense way are better than those that are slow and moderated. Also, the more parts of your body you can bring in to the equation the better.

With that in mind the best forms of weight loss cardio are:

• running up stairs and hills
• martial arts and kickboxing
• skipping rope
• circuit work
• sprinting sessions
• rowing

All of these exercises use multiple parts of your body and take a lot of “work” to complete. For example, when you join a kickboxing class you have to do heavy bag work which means punching, kicking, kneeing and elbowing. This uses all of your body’s muscles in a very intense way and as such requires a lot more energy (calories) then sitting on a bike and pedaling for an hour. If you want to lose weight fast you need to choose cardio that is intense.

When should I do it?
As with diet, timing is important. You will get fast results if you either do your cardio before breakfast or close to dinner time. And the reason for this is simple. Before breakfast your body has no available food for energy and as such it has to tap in to your fat stores.

Exercising near dinner time means that your body will use the dinner food for energy and prevent a lot of those calories from being stored on your body when you go to sleep at night.

However, you do not want to do intense exercise before breakfast as it can leave you feeling light headed or sick. If you want to exercise before your first meal then go for a light jog or a walk. Think of this as an added bonus to your weight loss workouts.

How often should I do cardio?
You should do cardio on the days that you aren’t weight training and have one day off per week. If you follow the routine I explained above then your cardio days are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Try to do 30 minutes on those days of super intense cardio work.

4. A strong mind and heart

The final part of our four-fold approach is the one that ties it all together. In order to lose weight fast you need to have a strong mind and heart. Without this you will fail every single time.

What is a strong mind and heart?
Having a strong mind means you are in control. You do not need to listen to your thoughts when they tell you that one trip to KFC won’t hurt. You are in control. When your mind is telling you not to get out of bed early you don’t need to listen, because you are in control.

A strong heart is being in charge of your emotions. When you feel like giving up you don’t because you are strong. When things get too hard you push on because you are strong. Having a strong heart will get you over the finish line. If you are without it, you will fail.

Conclusion

If you follow these simple steps and the four-fold approach you will lose weight fast. It is not a matter of chance, it is a fact. Make sure you stay strong and do not give up at the first sign of difficulty. If you can persevere you will succeed. The only difference between you and your skinnier self is hard work. Make it happen.