The Best Fat-Burner I Know

Recently, a few of you friends have asked me about a great way to burn off extra fat. First, I would advise you all to examine your diet (remember, I'm not talking of dieting in the sense that you are depriving yourself, but diet in terms of the healthy way in which you eat). Many people think they're doing pretty good when they really aren't doing so well. If you aren't sure if what and how you're eating is the best or not, email me and I will be happy to help you out. Also, if it helps you to write down what you're eating for every meal then do that! I realize it can be time-consuming but it WILL help you to NOT go for those M&Ms when you know you have to write it down. You don't have to continue this forever, but it is a good tool to get you started with your new, healthy habits.

Once you've looked at the way that you eat and the way that you need to eat, you need to look at how you work out. You should be working out most days of the week for at least 30 minutes, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. You should be lifting weights as well as getting cardiovascular exercise, both of which help to burn calories and increase your metabolism. Today I will focus only on the cardio portion and what I believe, through experience as well as the testimonies of others, is probably the best cardio fat-burner out there.

It's easy to grab a magazine, set your treadmill for 40 minutes at a speed of 3.0 and go. Some days you will do that, but some days your body is going to need a HUGE challenge if it is to burn fat quickly.

INTERVALS
Perhaps you have heard this term and perhaps not. Either way, I will explain what you are to do and then I expect to hear back from you with great results!

Choose your torture device (treadmill, elliptical, road or path, etc.). Warm up with an easy jog or a brisk walk (or pace) for five to ten minutes. Where you begin will be determined by what level you are currently at. If you are just beginning, start at a walk. If you have been working out for a while, start at a jog or faster pace.

Where you go from here will also be determined by how accustomed to exercise your body is. If you are warming up at a walk or easier pace, go to a jog for about 2 minutes. If you are warming up at a jog you are now going to RUN for 2 minutes. This should feel hard for you no matter what level you are at. If it doesn't feel difficult, increase your pace! After this two minutes, take it back down to the level you warmed up at for 2 or 3 minutes. Your heart rate should go down, but not quite all the way down. So feel out where you need to be. You will continue this cycle until your machine hits 20 minutes. Understand? Basically you will have a fast pace for a few minutes, then recover at a slower (but still brisk) pace, and so on. By the end you should be sweating, you should be breathing hard, and you should feel like you've done more work than you've done in a long, long time. That's why you only need to go for 20 minutes! Don't forget to cool down afterwards for 5 to 10 minutes. Take it at a slow pace and allow your heart rate to come all the way back down.

Aim to do this 3 times per week. Don't try to do it on back-to-back days. You shouldn't need to if you are working hard enough when you do it. On those off days you can lift weights and/or take a nice, easy walk or jog.

This will get easier every time you do it, so aim to increase your pace and lower your recovery times. (Not both at once, though.) Aim to warm up at a jog and recover at a jog, eventually leaving out the walking altogether. If you get to this point, your body will be burning some major calories and you will see the difference. If you get to this point you can then SPRINT for a minute or so, then recover for about 2 minutes. You can also increase your time to 30 minutes some or all days if it's still getting too easy. Keep challenging your body. That's the key.

Many girls who enter fitness contests now swear by this cardio workout, as it helps you to drop excess fat pretty quickly. The great thing about intervals is that AFTER you have finished your workout, your body continues to burn calories for a longer period of time than it would if you had been jogging at a steady state. Your body had to keep guessing and changing and working during that time, so it takes longer to come back down to that completely relaxed state.

After I had my son (2 1/2 years ago) this is what I did. For me, it worked wonders. Coupled with a super healthy diet, I was able to lose any excess fat that I had faster than I had ever done before.

Make sure you're sweating (heavily!) by the end of each workout. If you have questions feel free to send them my way! Good luck! I know you can do it!