Improve Weight Loss The Next 6 Months

If you have been unsuccessful with your weight loss the first 6 months of this year, improve by making needed changes. If you do the same things over and over, you will get the same disappointing results.

You may need my weight loss e-course to improve your weight loss techniques or learn how to lose weight from scratch. Either way, losing weight and keeping it off is not always easy to achieve.

Weight loss management is a simple process---if you do it day in and day out! Its a process like any goal you are trying to reach. You don't reach your goals overnight! And, you didn't gain that weight overnight---it was a process too!

There are reasons why this country has an obesity epidemic. All of the reasons have to do with behavioral habits such as:

1. overeating

2. too little exercise

3. sedentary jobs

4. negative attitudes

5. limiting behaviors

6. following bad weight loss advice

Whatever the reasons are for you being overweight, YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR WEIGHT GAINING PATTERNS! You can start taking positive steps today to improve your health, burn fat and lose weight.

I have the weight loss e-course to help you be successful with weight loss and fat loss. It won't cost you any money. Just your time and effort. And, it will tell you exactly what to do each day.

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Caffeine to Improve Performance in Sports

Caffeine preserves muscle sugar. The limiting factor in racing in any sport is the time that it takes to get enough oxygen into your muscles to burn food for energy, so anything that requires less oxygen allows you to race faster. Sugar stored in muscles, called glycogen, requires less oxygen than fat or protein. Anything that helps you keep sugar in muscles longer gives you greater endurance.

Since caffeine is abundant in our food supply (coffee, tea, colas, chocolate and so forth), most people consider it to be very safe. However, Italian researchers report two bicyclists who took massive overdoses of caffeine and developed severe low blood levels of potassium that can cause irregular heart beats and sudden death (Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, March 2010).

Very small amounts of caffeine help to preserve muscle sugar and increase endurance. You can increase endurance with as little as a third of a cup of most caffeinated soft drinks. No data exists to show that taking large amounts increases benefit. Up to five cups of coffee a day should not damage healthy people. A cup of coffee contains about 100 mg of caffeine, equal to two cups of tea, three cups of Coca Cola or five ounces of dark chocolate.

Caffeine is a diuretic, but not during exercise. It raises blood pressure only temporarily so this should be of concern only to people with high blood pressure. It can cause irregular heart beats, but is not likely to do so in people with healthy hearts. Caffeine appears to lower risk for diabetes.

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Brown Rice Reduces Diabetes Risk

Researchers at Harvard Medical School report that replacing 50 grams of white rice daily with the same amount of brown rice lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 16 percent, and replacing the same amount of white rice with whole barley or wheat lowers diabetes risk by 36 percent (Archives of Internal Medicine, published online June 14, 2010). Those who ate five or more servings of white rice per week were 17 percent more likely to become diabetic than those who ate less than one serving per month. Those who ate two or more servings of brown rice per week were 11 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those eating less than one serving of brown rice per month.

White rice causes a much higher rise in blood sugar than brown rice does. The higher the rise in blood sugar, the more insulin is released by the pancreas. Excessive insulin production can eventually stop the pancreas from making insulin which increases risk for diabetes. A high rise in blood sugar also causes sugar to stick to the surface membranes of cells. Once stuck on a cell, sugar cannot get off and is eventually converted by a series of chemical reactions to sorbitol that destroys the cell to cause all the side effects of diabetes: heart attacks, strokes, blindness, deafness, kidney damage and so forth.

White rice is "refined" by removing the bran and germ portions of brown rice, which removes fiber, vitamins, magnesium and other minerals, lignans, phytoestrogens, and phytic acid. All of these nutrients may help to prevent diabetes.

All whole grains are seeds of grasses which have a thick outer capsule that requires extensive cooking to make them palatable. Removing the outer coating or grinding whole grains into flour makes the sugars readily available for rapid absorption and higher rises in blood sugar levels. More on whole grains

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Burn Fat With Power Workout

If you need to burn fat sooner, power up your workouts. It is a proven way to burn fat and shape your body.



A common problem that exercisers run into all the time is---"I have hit a wall (plateau)!" All of the early success associated with starting an exercise program can send you into a tailspin when you reach a plateau. You become frustrated and wonder "what am I doing wrong?" You probably just need to change up your exercise routine and you'll be okay.

There are many ways to change up an exercise routine----do new exercises, adjust the intensity, adjust the amount of weight, adjust the repetitions/sets, etc. One of the best ways to get you "out of your exercise funk" is to add some power exercises to your workout routine! Shorter, more intense workouts (weight training or cardio) will give you more fat loss gains!

Here's an example: instead of doing cardio on the elliptical machine, do your cardio with a pair of power exercises. All it takes is 20 intense minutes! It can go something like this:

--Full speed medicine ball chops, 1 minute
--Slow jog for 2 minutes
--Full speed butt kickers (run-in-place), 1 minute
--Slow jog for 2 minutes

Don't take shortcuts with your health using quick weight loss methods. If you need help, check out My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Cardio Blasts Burns Fat, Saves Time

Doing cardio blasts burns body fat and saves you valuable time this summer. You want effective, fat-burning workouts and not 1-2 hour workouts with small results.



Combining your weight training and cardio workouts is a proven fat-burner and muscle builder. Its pretty simple, but a very tough way to do your workout! Remember that cardio exercise doesn't have to be aerobic.

Aerobic exercise is an activity that is done continuously for more than 2 straight minutes (like running on a treadmill). Research has proven that the heart health benefits of anaerobic exercise (short bursts like jumps or sprinting) is superior to aerobic exercise and you will burn more fat.

Between each weight training exercise set, do 30-45 seconds of jump rope, mountain climbers or squat jumps full speed (or your choice). It's just that simple and that tough! Try to do the whole 30 minute workout with little or no rest between exercises. Rest 2-3 minutes after completing the circuit and repeat the circuit 1 or 2 more times. This is an advanced workout technique and is guaranteed to give you maximum fat burn and heart health.

The weight training exercises you choose should be compound strength exercises. Burn more fat by working large muscle groups, not by working out longer!

Compound strength exercises (with weights or bodyweight) like squats, deadlift, lunges, standing bentover rows, squat-to curl-to press and bench press are great examples. Full-body core exercises like planks and side planks work well also. Spend less time posing on "mirror exercises" like bicep curls, calf raises and tricep extensions.

Cardio blast exercises activate and shape the bulkier, shapely fast-twitch muscle fibers and give you the body you want---lean and toned.

Don't take shortcuts with your health using quick weight loss methods. If you need help, check out My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Burn Fat, Build Muscles, Lose Weight

Burn fat, build muscles and lose weight---weight loss is last in the order. With fad diets like the HCG Diet out there, people are looking for any shortcut to lose weight. That is the wrong formula to change your body to lean and toned.

Eat healthy and train smart and hard to reach your goals. For example, you don't want to radically reduce your carbohydrate intake (low carb diet). Carbohydrates (stored as glycogen) are your body's preferred source of fuel during exercise. The key is to eat the right kind of carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables. Your body also needs adequate proteins and fats to function properly. At some later point, you can try methods like carb cycling to burn fat. But always start with the basic food foundation (carbs, protein, fats).

Another key to burning fat and building muscle is to do strength training. As your muscle mass increases, your body will burn fat. Also, your metabolism will speed up because your body has to work harder to maintain muscle mass. You should strength train 2-3 days per week. Circuit strength training has been proven to help exercisers burn fat and gain muscle mass. If you combine strength training with cardio exercise (3-4 days per week), you will help your heart health and fat-burning.

Timing your exercise is very important. You should try to exercise about 1-2 hours after eating a meal (and never skip meals). Steady blood sugar levels are best for your health and exercise. After you exercise, you should eat within 30-45 minutes to get full benefits from your workout. Your body needs refueling and rebuilding, especially after weight lifting workouts. If you don't want to eat that soon, a meal replacement shake or drink will work.

Finally, make the commitment to lifetime health, weight loss and fat loss. This commitment will keep you from going to extremes or seeking quick solutions to lose weight.

Don't take shortcuts with your health using quick weight loss methods. If you need help, check out My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Skin Cancers Linked to Human Papilloma Wart Virus (HPV)

Recent research shows that both squamous cell skin cancers and actinic keratoses (pre-cancers) are caused by a combination of ultra-violet light exposure and infection with HPV, the Human Papilloma wart virus (Expert Review of Dermatology, April 2010). Some types of HPV are already known to cause cervical, head and neck cancers.

Most, if not all, actinic keratosis cells are infected with HPV (New England Journal of Medicine, May 15, 2003). Dr. Eggert Stockfleth, of the Charité Hospital in Berlin, found specific types of HPV (21, 5, 8, 16 and 18) that convert normal skin to the pre-cancerous actinic keratoses, which may then progress to become squamous cell carcinomas (Disease Markers, April 2007). To block this process before it begins, Dr. Stockfleth and his team are now developing an HPV-specific vaccine designed for the prevention of these skin cancers.

Chronic exposure to ultraviolet light damages DNA in skin cells. Your immunity tries to repair this damage, but the Human Papilloma wart viruses can prevent your immunity from repairing the DNA. Most of the time when your DNA is damaged, the cells die because they have a programmable cell death called apoptosis. However, the HPV virus prevents DNA from healing and also prevents the programmable cell death that would have removed the damaged cells (Cancer Detection and Prevention, June 2001). Then you develop scaly areas and bumps on your skin called actinic keratoses. With further exposure to sunlight, HPV causes these damaged cells that do not die to develop into squamous cell skin cancers that can spread through your body.

I think that the most effective treatment for actinic keratoses is to use a generic version of imiquimod cream (brand name Aldara) that can cost less than $200 for 36 doses. It enhances your immunity so it can better kill the Human Papilloma wart Virus (HPV). It is applied twice a week for 16 weeks, left on the skin for about eight hours and then washed off. Current treatment by most dermatologists is to destroy the lesions with liquid nitrogen or electrocautery. Surgery is rarely needed for actinic keratoses. However, once an actinic keratosis becomes a squamous cell carcinoma, surgeons usually remove the entire cancer. A pathologist usually checks the removed tissue to see that there is a 360-degree margin of non-cancerous skin around the removed cancer.

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HCG Diet, Don't Do It!

Don't use the HCG Diet (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) to reach your fat loss and weight loss goals! Yes, you might lose major weight in a short time with the HCG Diet. But, as soon as you begin to eat regularly, you will regain that weight (and even more). You will be a yo-yo dieter. Your health will suffer.

You cannot lose 40 pounds in 15 days without losing muscle mass. Don't do the HCG Diet or any similar fad diet. In fact, most of your weight loss will be muscle mass. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO DO!

Don't look for short-term weight loss solutions! Fat loss is more important than weight loss. And, you will be healthier and leaner by burning fat, building muscle, eating healthy and losing weight (and keeping it off).

I have a friend who told me that he has friends who are losing major weight with the HCG Diet. He also said that they look sick! When quick weight loss is your goal, you will not look healthy because you are starving your body and your body begins to feed on itself. Your valuable muscle mass takes the hit!

HCG is a hormone produced during pregnancy by the cells that form the placenta. It is associated with pregnancy, but it is present in both males and females. HCG signals the hypothalamus (area of the brain that affects metabolism) to mobilize fat stores.

The HCG Diet says you will lose 1-3 pounds per day using daily HCG injections and low caloric intake, like 500 calories a day. This is severe calorie restriction folks! Your brain can't function normally with this type of calorie restriction. Your body will adapt causing you to store fat and slow down your metabolism. You won't have enough energy to function properly. Is that what you want? I don't think so....

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved HCG for weight loss. Since 1975, the FDA has required all advertising of HCG to state the following:

“HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of obesity. There is no substantial evidence that it increases weight loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction, that it causes a more attractive or ‘normal’ distribution of fat, or that it decreases the hunger and discomfort associated with calorie-restricted diets.”

“HCG is a hormone extracted from urine of pregnant women. It is approved by FDA for treatment of certain problems of the male reproductive system and in stimulating ovulation in women who have had difficulty becoming pregnant. No evidence has been presented, however, to substantiate claims for HCG as a weight-loss aid.”

There are a host of side effects due to HCG use for weight loss which includes dizziness, headaches, nausea, swelling, depression, etc. Who wants that?

Try this time-tested and proven fat loss and weight loss method: eat healthy, do consistent resistance training and consistent interval cardio training. What you will get is fat loss, weight loss and a lean, healthy body for life. And, you will feel great! Case closed!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Protein After, Not During, Exercise

High-protein meals eaten immediately after hard exercise have been shown to help athletes recover faster, but the data that taking protein during exercise improves an athlete's performance is extremely weak.

Researchers from the University of Birmingham, UK, showed that adding protein (19g/hour) to a sugared drink does not improve one-hour cycling time trial, maximum power; or post exercise isometric strength, muscle damage (CPK) or muscle soreness (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, June 2010). Protein also does not help athletes cycle faster in a 50-mile time trial (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, August 2006). Most studies showing that adding protein to a carbohydrate drink improves performance were in people working at a fixed rate of effort over a long time, rather than using spurts of energy as athletes do in competition.

Just about everyone agrees that taking in a carbohydrate drink helps improve performances in athletic events lasting more than an hour. In events lasting more than three hours, you also need salt. Calories come from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. During highly-intense exercise, your muscles use carbohydrates far more efficiently than proteins or fats. So carbohydrates are the calorie source of choice during intense exercise.

All sugared drinks except those with added artificial sweeteners contain eight percent sugar because that is the concentration at which the drinks taste best. You can increase endurance equally with fruit juice, special energy drinks or sugared carbonated soft drinks. Adding caffeine to the drink increases endurance even more because it helps to preserve your stored muscle sugar.

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Reduce Cellulite With Exercise And Diet

Cellulite reduction advertisements are deceiving. Don't buy in to quick cellulite reduction stories! As usual, your best bet in reducing cellulite is with regular exercise and a healthy diet.

Here is a cellulite advertisement I read just the other day:

"The only clinically proven dietary supplement to help reduce cellulite in 47 days!" (this statement has not been examined by the Food And Drug Administration)

"This scientifically advanced version.....can really help give millions of women the sexy bottom lines they dream about, and that's a formula for success that women everywhere find as easy to swallow as these little brown pills."

Save your money! I will tell you the best way to deal with your cellulite problem.

Cellulite is collections of fat just underneath (subcutaneous fat) the skin which causes it to dimple, pucker up or lump up.

There are many factors that determine whether you have cellulite---your genes, gender, skin thickness and amount of body fat all play a part. What you need to know is that there are no quick fixes for cellulite.

So, what should you do if you have cellulite? Since health should be your main concern, reduce your overall body fat! This will, in turn, help to reduce your subcutaneous and visceral fat. The best way to burn body fat is with a healthy diet, interval cardio exercise and weight training (including bodyweight exercises). It's the same true story---exercise for health and fitness and you will also look your best!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Burn Fat With Front Chop

Burn more fat with the front chop....burn more fat with full body exercises like the front chop. Make the most of your workout time with full body strength exercises. You will burn more calories, fat and better tone your body.





You will also burn more abdominal fat with the front chop! You can do this exercise as a regular strength exercise or power (full-speed) exercise. Because of speed and intensity, power exercises help you burn more fat during and after your workout.

Besides burning abdominal fat and helping sculpt your six pack abs, front chops are great for improving your flexibility. Medicine ball exercises help you to exercise with natural movements. Your training needs to give you a body that you can use in every day life. Tight, rigid muscles will lead you to many injuries!

Grab a medicine ball about 10% of your body weight. You might need a lighter ball if you are a beginner or have been inactive. Shoot for 3-4 sets of 15-20 repetitions (if doing this as a power exercise, then do 8-10 repetitions).

--Stand with your feet slightly greater than shoulder width apart.

--Keep your arms straight but don't lock your elbows.

--Hold the medicine ball above your head.

--Bend forward at the waist (into a squat position) and mimic throwing the ball between your legs (don't throw ball). Keep your back straight and your head in line with your torso (don't let head drop down or rise up)

--Reverse the movement and stand with the ball above your head. That's 1 repetition.

Try this exercise at home!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Cardio That Burns Fat And Saves Muscle

Do your cardio to burn fat and save your muscle mass! If you are regularly doing 60-minute cardio sessions, you are losing some muscle mass.

Cardio and oxygen help you with fat burning. Cardio is basically any exercise that works the heart and lungs with more intensity. Yes, you need consistent weight training but you also need consistent cardio training to burn fat, keep the weight off and stay healthy.

Remember this: cardio exercise doesn't have to be aerobic! Aerobic exercise is an activity that is done continuously for more than 2 straight minutes (like treadmill and biking). If you want to tone up your body and look more sculpted, you should perform the majority of your cardio exercise using intervals (such as sprints). Cardio intervals would be something like 1 minute fast and 2 minutes jogging. Do this rotation for 20 minutes and your cardio interval workout is done (and effective)!

Doing cardio sprint intervals will activate your bulky fast-twitch muscle fibers to give you a more lean and toned body. Just take a look at an athlete who competes in a speed sport. Their bodies are "ripped" for a reason (most of their training is fast). Research has proven that the heart-health benefits of anaerobic exercise is superior to aerobic exercise.

More calories need to be burned than are consumed in order for weight loss and fat loss to happen. An intense interval cardio session will help your body burn calories during and after your workout. This happens because the body needs to increase the amount of oxygen consumed in order to replenish energy and return your body to a resting state after your workout. So, the higher the intensity of your cardio workout, the more calories you will burn after your workout.

Other health benefits of cardio exercise are: improved circulation, increased red blood cell count, strengthened heart, improved lung capacity, lowered blood pressure, better endurance and overall risk reduction of heart health problems.

Do more fat-burning, muscle-saving cardio exercise!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Lose Weight With The Right Process

You need to know how to lose weight or you will probably not be successful with long-term weight loss. Sure, anyone can starve themselves and lose 15-20 pounds in a week. But, the weight will return with a vengeance as soon as you begin to eat normally again. You will gain more weight than you previously lost!

Frustrated? You may need my weight loss e-course to improve your weight loss techniques or learn how to lose weight from scratch. Either way, losing weight and keeping it off is not always easy to achieve.

Weight loss management is a simple process---if you do it day in and day out! Its a process like any goal you are trying to reach. You don't reach your goals overnight! And, you didn't gain that weight overnight---it was a process too!

There are reasons why you become overweight or obese. All of the reasons have to do with behavioral habits such as:

1. overeating

2. too little exercise

3. sedentary jobs

4. negative attitudes

5. limiting behaviors

6. following bad weight loss advice

Whatever the reasons are for you being overweight or obese, YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR WEIGHT GAINING PATTERNS! You can start taking positive steps today to improve your health, burn fat and lose weight.

I have the weight loss e-course to help you be successful with weight loss and fat loss. It won't cost you any money. Just your time and effort. And, it will tell you exactly what to do each day.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Osteopenia And Osteoporosis Prevention

You can help prevent osteopenia (less than normal bone density) and osteoporosis with regular weight training. You should get a bone density test if you've never had one performed. It takes about one minute for the test.

Everyone needs some type of full body weight training (this includes bodyweight exercises). If you only run or bike for exercise, it won't protect you from developing osteopenia or osteoporosis. Cycling is a great exercise to improve cardiovascular health and it targets many major muscle groups. But, recent research shows that male cyclists are susceptible to osteopenia. Osteopenia can often lead to full blown osteoporosis.

Pam Hinton (co-author of the study), associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia stated, “You would think that cyclists are very healthy because they spend all those hours training. In other aspects they are — cardiovascular health and body composition. But in this one aspect, they’re not doing so well.”

"Some of those with osteopenia were in their 20s and 30s, and that was pretty alarming to me,” Hinton says. “I thought I’d just see it in guys who were older and had been riding for years." "When you’re young, you should be maximizing your bone density,” she says, “and as you get older, exercise slows the rate of loss. So it’s really important no matter where you are in your life to be doing some kind of bone-loading exercise.”

The study tested the bone mineral density of 27 cyclists and 16 runners ages 20 to 59 who had engaged in their sport a minimum of six hours a week for at least two years. Whole body scans and blood tests showed that 63% of cyclists had osteopenia of the spine or hip, compared with 19% of the runners. Men are less at risk than women for low bone density, but they should still be concerned.

Along with weight training and running, jumping (plyometrics) also helps to keep your bones healthy. Get your bone density checked today!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Shape Your Butt Faster By Working Out Less

Shape your butt faster by working out harder and smarter in less time! Its that simple.



Fire up your butt muscles first! Your glutes are probably not firing properly because of inadequate neural drive from the central nervous system. In other words, it is probably not an issue of strength. First, you need to lengthen tight muscles. The stretches are listed as follows (use self myofascial release with foam roller before doing these stretches):

1. Hip Flexor Stretch
2. Quadriceps Stretch
3. Bodyweight Lateral Lunges (pictured above)

Then, you need to activate (fire up) your glutes with these exercises:

1. Glute Bridge
2. Opposite Leg Opposite Arm Raise
3. Glute Kickbacks

Lastly, exercise your fired up glutes with these exercises:

1. Bodyweight squats
2. Lateral tube walks
3. Walking Lunges and lateral lunges

Now you're ready for your workout! Keep in mind, this is just part of your total workout which includes upper body work. To be effective, glutes (and leg work for that matter) should be trained with cardio and strength training.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) research found that the top cardio exercises for shaping your butt (and legs) are: lunges, walking uphill, stair climbing, jogging and running. No big surprises here and no gimmicks! Just hard work! And research has proven that high intensity interval cardio is superior to longer duration, slow cardio (interpretation: go hard for 20 minutes instead of slow for 60 minutes)! Do 3-4 days of cardio exercise.

As for strength training? You can't leave out squats! Do your squats---bodyweight squats, dumbbell squats, barbell squats, split squats, lateral squats, one-legged squats, etc. Mix it up but do them. The benefits of the squat exercise extend beyond your legs. The same can be said for deadlifts (traditional, stiff-legged or other variations). Other top glute exercises are:

1) Step ups (front and lateral)
2) Standing cable or machine hip abductors
3) Standing, prone or floor hip extensions
4) Floor lateral thigh raises
5) Glute bridges and marching glute bridges
6) Pelvic raises and posterior pelvic tilts

If these exercises become easy for you, then increase resistance or weights.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Summer 20-Minute Fat-Burning Workouts

Try 20-minute Summer Fat-Burning Workouts to get in shape. That's right, all it takes is 20 intense minutes to burn fat and get your body lean and toned.



Summer is a busy time for everyone. A shorter workout will fit your busy schedule. You might have to change your thought process about how you workout. You don't have to spend 2 hours in the gym to see fat loss results. You will actually get better results with shorter, more intense workouts. And, that gives you more time to do more important things in your life.

Burn more fat by working large muscle groups, not by working out longer! Maximize your time in the gym and get the results you want! The quality of your workouts are better than the quantity of your workouts!

Many days, you need to fit in 15-20 minutes of exercise. Take advantage of "DEAD TIME" during your day and exercise. Twenty minutes of exercise here and 20 minutes of exercise there works just fine. Actually, two-a-day workouts will burn more calories and burn more fat than one workout!

Get your free 20-minute fat-burning workouts!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Summer Travel Exercise Tips

My Summer Travel Exercise Tips will help you stay lean and toned during your busy summer. You can easily put on 20 pounds of fat during a 2 week summer vacation! Have fun on your vacation----and do fun exercises and workouts. Check my article on a summer fat-burning beach workout.

So, here's some summer travel exercise tips:

1. Never skip both your Friday and Monday workouts! If you do this, you will probably go 4 full days (Fri, Sat, Sun, Monday) without working out. Four missed workout days could turn into weeks, months, summers and years!

2. Get a stability ball, medicine ball and dumbbells to do exercises anywhere, anytime.

3. Walk 30 minutes every day during your vacation.

4. Exercise at your hotel while on vacation.

5. Don't forget to "reasonably" (at least 90% compliance) stay on your meal plan during summer travel!

6. Plan your menus and pack your food while on vacation. You can also plan healthy meals at the restaurants you will be visiting. This will help you avoid the fast food trap and binge eating.

7. Have fun! Change up your exercise routine and include fun exercises like jump rope games, dancing, relay games, obstacle courses and speed hop-scotch.

Take care this summer, have fun and keep exercising! Take advantage of the extra daylight during the summer and stay active!

Get Your Summer Body On! Get My Fitness Hut's 30-Minute Summer Sculpting Workouts!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Summer Fat-Burning Beach Workout

If you're hanging out at the beach this summer, here's a good summer fat-burning workout for you. All it takes is an intense, 20-minute workout and you can go back to having fun at the beach. This is also a perfect workout to do on any vacation this summer.



Do one exercise after the other with little or no rest between exercises. Do this workout in the sand!

1. Squat jumps, 10 repetitions, fast
2. Walk 1 minute
3. Sprint 15 seconds
4. Walk 30 seconds
5. Bentover dumbbell rows, 10 repetitions
6. Plank, 10 repetitions, 15 second hold
7. Walking lunges (pictured above), 10 steps each leg
8. Seated knee ups, 15 repetitions
9. Pushups, 20 repetitions
10. Side lunges, 10 repetitions each leg

Rest 2 minutes and repeat this circuit one more time.

If you're at the beach this summer, try this fat-burning beach workout!

Get Your Summer Body On! Get My Fitness Hut's 30-Minute Summer Sculpting Workouts!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Summer Weight Loss e-Course

My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss e-Course will give you the boost you need to start good exercise and eating habits. Sometimes, all you need is a boost to get you started in the right direction.



Weight loss motivation usually begins when you have become motivated to improve in other areas of your life. I'm not a psychologist, but I am a human. I know that when I am "messed up" in other areas of my life, it can sometimes be hard to exercise regularly and lose weight or maintain weight. Its also easier to eat those fatty "comfort foods" that pack on the pounds quickly.

I'm guessing you're not too much different from me. Are there other things in your life hindering your motivation to lose weight and burn fat. Some things that limit us are:

1. Fear of setting goals because of fear of failure. According to experts, setting low goals or no goals means you don't have to live up to high expectations.

2. When you have tried everything and nothing has worked, its easier to just give up. Don't give up. Keep trying. All it takes is the right exercise and nutrition program to help you succeed.

3. You will never reach your weight loss and body toning goals if they are unrealistic. Some of us just don't have the genetic makeup to look like cover models. That's okay! You can set a goal to look and feel the best that YOU can. That's a realistic goal.

4. Remember, weight loss is about improving your health. In an About.com poll, 65% of site visitors said they were losing weight for appearance. And, only 35% said they were losing weight for health. That's why quick weight loss programs (with no long-term benefits) continue to sell out.

5. You can't be perfect. Consistent (and smart) exercise and healthy eating will give you a healthy, toned body. Period. Don't stop no matter how long it takes!

Here's some other motivational tips.

You can reach your weight loss and fat loss goals this summer! Just get started and stay with it---YOU ARE WORTH IT!

Get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Training on Depleted Glycogen Stores?

An article from Australia shows that novice exercisers who train after skipping breakfast have higher muscle levels of glycogen (stored sugar) than those who train after eating breakfast (Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, May 2010). When you run out of stored muscle sugar, you have to slow down, so having more sugar stored in a muscle should help you exercise longer. The faster you exercise, the greater the percentage of sugar that you use for energy. However, starting workouts with depleted stores of glycogen will not benefit competitive athletes who train for many hours each day, because restricting carbohydrates will cause them to tire earlier and thus do less work.

In another study, researchers asked competitive athletes to train either on a high or low-carbohydrate diet (Journal of Applied Physiology, November 2008). Those training on the low carbohydrate diet had much greater gains in stored muscle sugar and ability to use fat for energy during cycling, although they couldn't train as intensely as the high-carbohydrate group in the first few weeks. However, during the last week there were no differences in training. Both groups improved their one-hour time-trial performances by about 12 percent.

More recent data show that taking sugar during training sessions increases the amount of training an athlete can do without interfering with racing times (Journal of Applied Physiology, February 2009). At this time we do not have enough data to recommend restricting carbohydrates during training, or that it will increase endurance during competition.

CAVEAT! Eating foods or drinks that cause a high rise in blood sugar within an hour before a race will cause you to tire earlier. A high rise in blood sugar causes your pancreas to release huge amounts of insulin which causes you to use up your stored muscle sugar at a much faster rate. When you run out of stored muscle sugar, you have to slow down because it forces you to burn more fat which requires more oxygen. Getting oxygen into muscles is the limiting factor in how fast you can race. Researchers at the University of Hull in the United Kingdom showed that bicycle racers rode much faster 40 kilometer time trials 45 minutes after eating a low glycemic index (GI) pre-race meal than a high glycemic one (Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport/Sports Medicine Australia, January 2010). The low GI meal led to an increase in the availability of carbohydrates and a greater carbohydrate oxidation throughout the time trial. More references

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Best Summer Weight Loss Tip--Stay Active!

The best summer weight loss tip I can give you is to stay active and do your regular workouts. If you eat reasonably healthy, you will lose weight and burn fat.



Here is a question that relates to summer exercise or any time of year:

Client Q: Mark, I have a question? What do you struggle with? I think of you as this fitness god, but let's know you better.... ya know.

Mark's A: Great question! I'm definitely not a fitness god! But I made a commitment to fitness years ago and that's the key! But, I had alot of help! Let me explain:

1) I grew up in sunny New Mexico so I played outside almost everyday. That leads to an active lifestyle of games, walking, running, etc. Fun exercise is the best exercise. Even today, I do exercises that I like (there are tons to choose from)!

2) I participated in organized sports from age 5 to age 21. Along with genetics, that's how I shaped a lean, athletic body. From there, all I basically had to do was maintain what was built.

3) I didn't own a car until I was 23 years old so I walked and biked alot. Again, this helps lead to an active lifestyle (OK, I bummed alot of car rides too)!

4) I grew up in a time when kids came home from school, did their homework (well some of the time anyway) and then went outside and played games til dark (now kids are on MySpace and FaceBook til dark).

So, I kinda indirectly fell into the "fitness lifestyle." Stated another way, I had alot of "social support" to help me stay fit. Social support is a leading indicator that you will stay on the fitness track!

The commitment to a fit lifestyle will lead to the body changes you want and give you lifetime health. I always tell people to commit to this lifestyle first and the health and "hot body" will follow!

Anyway, one of my weaknesses is sweets. I love sweets! I try to find replacements for them. So, instead of soda, I will drink water or unsweetened tea. And candy! Instead of eating a whole bag of M&Ms, I try to eat a few! And, some days I just flat out cheat. If you make the commitment to fitness and hold to good nutrition about 90% of the time, you will be just fine.

I stress health and commitment first because that's really where the problem issues are! The commitment to a fit lifestyle trumps all other fitness commitments and will help you to overcome the obstacles and failures along the way.

A fitness god I am not---I am committed to fitness!

Get Your Summer Body On! Get My Fitness Hut's 30-Minute Summer Sculpting Workouts!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »