We have detailed a number of interesting fitness articles from one of our personal trainers, please click on any of them to read more.

• Powerbags

  When training for any sport, there will always be multiple areas of the body to focus on. You may train to be a boxer by focusing on your upper body through the use of kettle bells, power bags and boxing rings. There is more to a strength based workout than just physical strength and stamina.

  It is very important to be aware of your personal limitations of movement and to keep your focus on flexibility and an overall, even workout of the entire body. A simple way to incorporate the power bag into your workout is to focus on balance training.

  Besides martial artists and physical therapists, balance training is used and is helpful to many types of athletes no matter the sport. It focuses on the body, maintaining position and movement coordination. There are several different stretches that can be done before your workout which can be done free standing or using a variety of equipment, but the best and most important stretches are the deep floor stretches that are done at the end of the workout using a towel or exercise mat.

  The balance ball can be used in proprioception, which is the study of balance training. This tool will stretch out under-used muscles and help to increase movement, which will limit any muscle adhesion.

  While useful, balance training isnt something that you can just rush into. Many physical trainers will tell you outright what balance exercises will work for you and which ones to avoid, as well as which ones can be dangerous based on your current level of training.

  Training is not something that can be rushed and training should be eased into while doing moderately.

  Will balance training alone provide you with a total body workout? No, but the use of balance training combined with other, muscle-group orientated training will have a significant impact not only of your regimen but on your results.

  For further information about balance training, including the equipment you will require to maximize your complete body workout, check out www.escapefitness.com

• How to Improve Your Cardio Workouts - Simple Weight Loss

  Do you dread doing cardio workouts? Do you look at it as a necessary evil? Just eating right and lifting weights will only do so much, so in a way I guess it can be a necessary evil. But it doesn't have to be boring! Read the tips below and make it more exciting!

  Interval Training

  One way to improve your cardio routine is to engage in interval training. A lot of you are probably used to just doing long, steady state cardio. But did you know that you can get the same benefits in a shorter period of time by doing interval training? Basically all you do is pick how long you're going to hit it hard, and then have another interval of recovery. So you could go 30 seconds hard, then recover for 90 seconds. There are a lot of variations to these intervals, so use this as a way to mix it up as well.

  Mix it Up!

  Do you always just run on an elliptical? When was the last time you rode a stationary bike? Or even better, when was the last time that you went running outside in the fresh air? You see, if you always do the same type of exercise every time you will get bored over time. Another problem is that your body may have adapted to what you're doing and so it isn't as effective anymore. To make cardio effective you have to mix it up and keep it interesting.

  Engage in Regular Activities

  When was the last time you just went and played some basketball? Engaging in regular sports is another great way to get some cardio. You don't have to always get your cardio in the gym. So this weight loss tip revolves around making use of your body in a way that you can have some playing something like a team sport as well!

  So if you take one thing from this article, the weight loss tip I want you to take from it is that you have to keep your cardio workouts interesting. In order for cardio to be part of your weight loss solution it has to be something you want to do. So keep it interesting and you'll likely succeed!

• The Benefits of Pilates Fitness Exercises

  Exercises are good for the body however, some traditional ones are only a set of repetitive movements making the participant tired and bored of the program. If you are one of them, you are probably experiencing the same boredom with your set of exercises and these movements might have been contributing more stresses instead of making your body relaxed. In cases like these, it is a good thing that there are some alternative ways to resolve the issue about exercises and one of them is the Pilates fitness program.

  Pilates fitness program is modern way of doing the exercises. It has various plans and programs that would fit the needs of individuals who are naturally energetic. Thanks to the innovative idea of Joseph H. Pilates. He developed this fitness program without being aware that it can help more people. Actually, he was a skin diver, skier, and a skilled gymnast. He was motivated to accomplish these things because he was fully trained during childhood due to his sickly condition.

  He actually developed the Pilates fitness program for victims of the war who had various injuries. Then, his first students were dancers who saw the benefits of his method enough to adapt them. From there, Pilates exercise became so popular that the dancers extended to physically challenged individuals, elderly people, health enthusiasts to movie actors and actresses.

  Now, you may wonder what Pilates fitness is really all about. Pilates is consists of gradual and purposeful movements that is focused on the core muscles of the body. The core muscles include the ones on the abdomen and the back. The philosophy behind the Pilates fitness regime is that if one develops the muscles in the midsection of the body, then the rest will have the energy and stamina to take on more.

  The program has a properly planned Pilates exercise which serves as the guiding rules of the participants that allow them to do the slow movements starting from the small-scale ones increasing to large-scales. This kind of program results to improved body condition and better control of joints all coordinated to generate the best physicality possible.

  This is especially needed for those who are at the prime of their lives. Most of time, control, and balance decreases with age. But with Pilates fitness training, the elderly are able to gain an improved posture, coordination, flexibility, and strength. It is even highly recommended for those who have undergone surgical operations such as a hip replacement.

  However, this kind of exercise is not all physical. The most essential part of the exercise is the much-needed concentration that allows the mind to get harmonized with the body. In this way, it is much like yoga or meditation. Similarly, Pilates incorporates proper breathing with exercises that are done on the mat or with some Pilates exercise equipment.

  Pilates fitness program provides their own set of equipments for the training. Some of those are the reformer, the pedipull, the cadillac, the barrel and the chair. These equipments are specifically designed to allow the participant to concentrate more on the training to be able to generate the best results possible. Through this training and equipments, the muscles and body inward core work out in such a way that it also stretches the outward core.

  There is no reason for you to use up all your energy doing the traditional exercises when there is a modern set of effective trainings that you can employ to develop your body muscles. The Pilates fitness training has planned it all for you, all you have to do is to use it and you will soon notice how your body become toned down and strengthened after the training
  

• Top Gym Workouts for Abs

  Looking for some good gym workouts for your abs? There are so many different approaches to take, and gimmicks out there, it can be hard to determine the best gym workouts for your abdominal muscles.
  
  Focus on all the abdominal muscles evenly. If not you run the risk of over toning one set and looking uneven. Remember, you have upper abs, lower abs, and side abdominal muscles, also known as obliques. Sit Ups, Crunches, and Side Crunches will help you make sure you are paying attention to all of these abdominal muscles.
  
  Captain's Chair should be done at the gym with a machine. It is one of the most effective gym workouts for the abs. Start with legs dangling and slowly lift your knees in toward your chest. The motion should be controlled and deliberate as you bring your knees up and return them back to the starting position.
  
  The Plank is a good exercise for the oblique muscles, or the side abdominals. The plank should be done with a straight torso, straight forearms, and toes on the floor lift up while keeping the body straight. The head should be looking at the floor, and you should work toward holding this position for 10 or more seconds at a time. You can add more to this with arm and leg lifts as you feel comfortable.
  
  Bicycle Crunches are some of the most effective for working toward a six pack. To do a bicycle crunch you will need to: Lie face up on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head. Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the ground and do not pull on the neck. Straighten the left leg out while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee. Continue alternating sides in a 'pedaling' motion for 12-16 reps.
  
  Bicycle Crunches are one of the most effective ways to work the abs. Start by Laying face up on the floor with your fingers behind your head. Step 2 Bring your knees in-towards the chest and lift the shoulder-blades off the ground and avoid pulling on your neck. Straighten the left leg out while synchronously turning your upper body to the right, and bringing the left elbow towards your right knee. Switch sides, and perform the task for the right side. while bringing the right elbow towards the left knee. Continue alternating sides in a ' for 10 15 reps.
  
  Ab Crunches with an Exercise Ball will give regular ab crunches more uumph. These should be done the same way as regular crunches, while sitting on an exercise ball.
  
  With these tips and tricks, anyone who enjoys going to the gym or is determined to flatten that tummy will surely see flatter abs from gym workouts soon. Remember though, as important as it is to focus on gym workouts and fitness, it is just as important to focus on healthy eating. If you're not burning fat while building those muscles, you will not be able to see them.
• Why Kettlebells?

  Whether you are three hundred pounds of nothing but muscle or a small framed one hundred and twenty pound woman, there are many reasons why you should get involved with using kettlebells. Even though the free weights you are using can be very beneficial, there is a little something that you may very well be missing and it is important for your overall workout to add that missing element into your routine.

  One advantage of kettlebells is that they are pleasurable to use in themselves. There is considerable satisfaction to be gained from achieving the correct form.

  Typically dumb bells allow people to just go through the motions and sort of zone out.

  This does not give the person the full benefits that he or she should be receiving and is why kettlebells are so different. This type of mindless exercise is never going to give all of the benefits that could be received from using kettlebells.

  If you are looking at shaping up your physique and your cardiovascular system then the kettlebells are a much better choice over the dumbbells or weight lifting machines at the local gym. These exercise tools force the person using them to give their full attention and will offer up the best strength and endurance training possible.

  The level of concentration required for kettlebell training comes from the need to maintain balance whilst the center of gravity can move many inches away from where the kettlebell is held.

  Another advantage of kettlebells is their size. They are far easier to store and move than large equipment. Making them particularly suitable for those wishing to train at home.

  Since they are so easy to transport you can take them with you to the office to practice with on your breaks. You can even take them when you travel which is great because there is no reason to miss out on such exercise for a week or two.

  There are a great many kettlebell training instruction DVDs out there that will get you off on the right track.

  After time, you will have no problem understanding why kettlebells are so important to a person's general physical health and why kettlebells should be used by anyone looking to get in shape and tone up. Work out by yourself with the bells or get a few friends or family involved.

  As yuo get more people involved, you'll find you build up your own community of kettlebell users sharing tips and techniques with each other
  

• 6 Tips to build muscle quickly

  When people suiting a muscle mass body, majority of people are impatient and can't wait to achieve their goal faster. A lot of people are dying for the secrets of how to build muscle faster, here is some thing for you and you will get results within weeks.

  The first thing you should know in muscle building is not overtraining yourself. Logically, it seems as if working harder, doing more reps, lifting more weights will make you see results far faster, but this is incorrect.

  Muscle building is a science; there are specific ways to build muscles faster. But overexerting is definitely not a right way to do it. Damaging muscle is not a good thing. It just like hurt your body and it may take weeks to months to recovery for next workout. You can- build muscle when you-e lying on your back!

  Setting your maximum weight lifting of muscle strength at 70 to 80 percent is a good idea. Because breaking down more muscle means that your muscle has to repair itself and more muscle will be added with each of those repairs. Don't build you muscle too fast (say do all workout in one hour). It will cause lactic acid accumulated in you muscle that have negative effects in your muscle building process.

  Don't Do Aerobics Exercise

  Aerobics are good for cardio. But they have nothing good for muscle building. In fact, aerobics not only have nothing good for muscle building but also interfere it.

  Intake Fish and Meat

  Be sure to eat lean red meats and fish. Salmon is good. Salmon have loads of Oemga-3. The more meat is better. Meat contains a lot of protein, which will enhance muscle growth.

  The Benefit of Rest

  Have a full day rest after a day of weight lifting. Which mean no continuous workout for 2 days. You also can train certain part of muscle in day 1 and train totally different part of muscle in day 2. The main purpose is letting muscle rest and repair itself. Sleeping is also important for your health as well as muscle repair itself. As we mention before, our body will add more muscles after the muscle repairs itself.

  Hydration is also important in muscle building process. Water carries nutrients to the cells, helps the body eliminate waste, regulates body temperature and cushions the joints. Above thing are important for having a healthy body and working out.

  Plenty of Protein

  Adding lean red meat, chicken, salmon, tuna and eggs to your meal plan are helpful for building muscles faster. In muscle building process, eat lean meats are important. Some protein sources like red meat and salmon have fats. They can boost your testosterone levels and help your muscle growth and increase muscle strength.

  Visit Your Doctor

  You should consult doctor for suitable rest of muscles. Your doctor can provide you some suggestions to live healthier.

  More Sleep the Better

  Sleeping is important for building muscle faster. You should sleep as least 8 hours a day. The reason is that plenty of sleeping will successfully relax and build your muscle mass. If you have any chance for sleeping, sleep as much as you can for more muscle mass growth.
  

• Weight Loss Explained

  How many people do you know that are struggling with their weight? As a personal trainer, I have countless people ask me for the latest quick tips on weight loss...enough to drive you insane! But the problem is that this approach is completely wrong. Lets delve into weight loss and find out how to get on top of it for good.
  
  One word that I cringe at are diets. Why? Well, they do not offer a sustainable, long-term solution. Do you know this from first-hand experience? For example, have you dieted, then stopped, only to gain weight? I will let you in on a little secret - all diets will yield this same result! So rule number one is to avoid a diet.
  
  Fad dieting is one thing, fad exercise machines are the next. I would be highly sceptical of any machine that is advertised on television to build a six pack, or sculpt your thighs. As a professional, I am yet to see a machine that actually delivers on these empty promises. Save your money.
  
  Oh and a quick mention on supplements. Supplements can be of great value, but if you havent got a sound exercise and nutritional foundation, they are a waste of time and money for long-term success.
  
  Believe it or not, lifestyle is the key factor to weight loss in most individuals. So, if we make some changes here, big weight loss will be induced in the long-term!
  
  For starters, exercise is a key ingredient to maximum weight loss. Yes, this is common sense, but many people avoid exercise like the plague.
  
  Exercise does not mean going to the gym seven days per week, but it means getting active! You can walk, run, ride your bike, do a boxing class, swim - or whatever. Anything that gets you moving!
  
  The next area is correct nutrition. It is as simple as decreasing the number of calories you consume each day. Start by reducing alcohol consumption, or eating one less take-away meal each week. Eat fresh fruits, meats and veggies.
  
  And now for the final thought. Integrating a healthy food intake and physical movement into your daily routine will prime your body for weight loss by encouraging a calorie deficit. It is not rocket science. You need to find something that you can adhere to in order to make big sustainable results.
• 5 reasons you should use TRX

  1: You can combine fat burning cardio with strength training in the same workout. This will enable you to save time, burn more fat, get a better workout and look and feel great faster. You're workouts can be shorter but much more effective than traditional training with machines. 
  
  2: It emphasizes functional strength. Everything you do with the TRX requires you to engage that under-used core. Meaning you get a great abs workout every time.
  
  3: The TRX Suspension trainer can be used by  Anyone  - The  TRX may be used by anyone regardless of their age or fitness level, from rehab patients to elite athletes. 
  
  4: Unlike machines which fix you in place the TRX Training System enable you to do fat blasting exercises that use many different muscle at the same time. Some will have to stabilise you while others work. The exercises are more functional than traditional machines which tend to isolate muscles and work them separately. Now the more muscles you use doing an exercise the more calories you burn and therefore the more fat you'll lose. 
  
  5: It's fun to use and if your workouts are fun you're far more likely to do them. 

• Boxercise

  At F4A Terry takes our Boxercise class, which are becoming mega popular! Boxercise is based on the training concepts that boxers use to keep fit.
  Classes can take a variety of formats but typically will involve circuits, pad work, press-ups, and ab work. It’s guaranteed to be fun, energetic and motivational. Boxercise is the best stress buster around. It is considered one of the most effective forms of cross-training available today.
   Matt’s Boxercise classes combines a cardio workout with a conditioning workout to help you increase your fitness and stamina, lose weight and tone up all at the same time, making it one of the most effective ways to exercise.
  Boxercise is an exciting and fun way to:

  • Release aggression in a controlled way
  • Tone & shape your body
  • Increase strength
  • Improve fitness
  • Relieve stress
  • Boost energy
  • Lose weight
  • Work out with other people

  Boxercise has developed age-old training principles and adapted them to form a fun, motivational, safe, stress-busting workout which is suitable for all ages and levels of ability. It is certainly not just for men. It is actually popular with both men and women. All equipment is provided.
  Boxercise is on Wednesdays at 6.45pm

• 3 Easy Steps to Slim Thighs

  If you want to have thinner thighs but nothing seems to be working for you I have good news.
  I’m going to give you 6 tips that you can use immediately to start losing inches from your thighs.
  Here are five things you need to do right now:
  1) Interval training
  Research from Australia found that when women did short burst interval training, they lost most of the fat from their thighs and butt.
  One of the best interval durations to use is 30 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of recovery.
  2) Bodyweight exercises
  Squats, Lunges, Deadlifts. These moves work your glute muscles as well as your thighs. And that will help shape your lower body while giving you thinner thighs.
  3) Cut out all added sugar from your diet.
  Let’s be honest…diet is the key to fat loss and thinner thighs. So you must make sure you’re not sneaking in sweets, chocolate or fizzy drinks.
  Every time I review the diet of a client who is struggling, they’re ALWAYS – and I mean ALWAYS – is sneaking too many sugary snacks.
  So cut out the sugar so that your diet is on track 90% of the time (and you can reward yourself 10% of the time).

• Thin or toned?

  Lose fat, get buff, jump higher, lower blood pressure… It doesn’t matter what your health and fitness goal is – you want some more lean muscle!
  Not too long ago I wrote about the Four Components of Metabolism.  It turns out that up to 75% of the calories you burn every day are a result of your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR).
  And the best way to raise your RMR – and therefore burn more calories – is to add some lean, toned muscle to your bod.
  The standard number bandied about by exercise scientists is that every pound of muscle you have burns about 50 Calories a day.
  So if you switch out ten pounds of fat for ten pounds of muscle, you would weigh exactly the same but burn an extra 500 Calories in a day!
  For most people, that means the number one reason you want more lean muscle is to speed up fat loss.
  Basically, you can eat more and lose fat at the same rate OR you can eat the same amount and lose fat faster!
  Another reason you want some lean, toned muscle is that it makes maintaining your ideal body much MUCH easier.
  If you go on a starvation diet or become an aerobics junkie, you’ll lose weight.
  The problem with both those methods is that you’ll lose a lot of muscle along with a bit of fat.
  That means you will have a much slower metabolism after you’ve lost the weight, which means the pounds will come right back on if you ever slack off the aerobics or eat above the starvation level.
  Here’s where the “yo-yo weight loss” starts.  You can lose 30 pounds and slow down your metabolism.
  It stays slow and you gain the weight back.  Now you have a slow metabolism and you attack the weight with an even stricter diet and more aerobics.  You lose the weight and more muscle and slow the metabolism down more.
  You end up Yo-yoing up, yo-yoing down more times than Manchester City.
  When you lose fat and put on some toned muscle, you can actually RAISE your metabolism at your new lighter weight, which makes keeping your dream body so easy it’s almost automatic.
  So, add in some weights, kettlebells, Pump class – see one of the team here to get you started on getting some more lean muscle.

• How to burn calories in your sleep

  I was in the gym yesterday with a client, and I couldn’t help but overhear a couple of members loosely chatting away on the bikes. They were talking about how their weight was continually creeping up and the amount of stress it causes them. As I walked by one of the ladies blurted out, "But doesn't muscle weigh more than fat?" I could tell by their faces they were genuinely concerned. This brought to mind the many misconceptions about the relationship between health and weight.
  A bowl of fat weighs less than a bowl of muscle. To say muscle weighs more than fat is a conundrum, a pound of each weighs, well a pound. But, muscle is more compact and smooth. It's denser unlike adipose tissue (fat) which is lumpier, and takes up 20% more space than muscle.
  Muscle and fat look very different on our bodies because of their composition and where we tend to carry them. Fat collects in areas of our bodies that take away definition and shape. You notice it especially in the face and around the mid section. Our number one concern about fat should not be how it looks on our body but rather how it affects our body otherwise.
  This is the main reason why BMI (Body Mass Index) flawed when it comes to measuring obesity. I weigh 17 stone and according to the BMI scale I’m clinically obese.
  Having more muscle means you burn more calories throughout the day as muscle burns 19 times more calories than fat. Over the years, this translates into many pounds that will not accumulate on your body.
  Let’s do some really simple maths:
  A client’s body fat is 30% and they weigh 14stone 4 pounds. About 4 stone of their weight is body fat and ten stone lean weight.
  A pound of muscle burns about 50 calories a day on average.
  The client then gains ten pounds of muscle.
  They’re now burning an extra 500 calories per day. Over a year this means they’ll burn 52 pounds of fat without doing anything, even in their sleep. They’re now a fat burning furnace!
  Add in that the client will lose 20 pounds and this means just a 1 pound overall weight loss but they will have lost tons of inches and look dramatically better.                 
  I have had clients that simply must know the number on the scale and must check it often. It's a strange game we play, on the scale in the morning and then again at night just to see what changed.
  Weight does not determine your size, shape, or your health. Though it may be a contributing factor, how you feel and look is a more accurate gauge of health.
                                                                                                      Once you get past the age of forty, heavier might be better. Here are a few things that can add pounds and may enhance your health at the same time. Consider these when glancing down at the scale hoping for that old familiar number:
  The more muscle you carry, the more calories you burn, not just during exercise but 24/7. The more calories you burn, the leaner you stay over time.
  With all the pressure we have in our lives today to we feel we have to measure up to, let me remove this one from your list of things to worry about. There's no need to be uneasy about the number of pounds you weigh. What's important is feeling healthy and strong with clothes that hang on your body in a way that makes you feel lean and confident. If keeping track of a number makes you feel more in control, use a tape measure rather than a scale.

• Say goodbye to chunky thighs

  Many women wonder what to do to trim down “solid” legs. If you have “thick” legs and have had no luck in making them leaner see if you can choose the best way to make them lean looking:

  1. Do tons of cardio nearly every day. Make cardio your main leg exercise and go light on weight so you don’t bulk them up.
  2. Focus on lots of weights to shape and tone your legs.
  3. Slam you legs with heavy weight routines and on other days, do high 30 minute interval sessions.

  The answer is No. 3, though this seems very counterintuitive to most women. No. 3 will produce the greatest fat burning effect. Lifting heavy weights creates hormonal changes that will ultimately result in a faster metabolic rate.
  Heavy does not mean you’ll be doing 3 power lifting reps though! Rep range should be 15-20 reps. If your programme calls for 20 reps then the weight should be chosen so that 20 reps can be achieved, but not 21. That doesn’t mean rep 21 is really difficult. It means that it’s absolutely impossible – your muscles are failed by rep 20.
  Why not lower reps? Reps of 8-12 may create bulk and at the same time will fail to spark the release of lactic acid – our natural fat-fighting hormone.
  Try walking lunges next time your in the gym – work your glutes and thighs and get a great cardio workout too!

• Training techniques to maximize fat loss

  The primary goals of an exercise routine for fat loss are burn calories, maintain or promote muscle mass and try to increase resting metabolism somehow.
  Resistance training – specifically what I call “metabolic” resistance training, always – always – outperforms other forms of exercise in terms of real world fat loss – even when calories burned during training are similar.
  Over time I’ve found the best ways to train for fat loss to be:

  • Metabolic Resistance Training – big movements
  • Heavy resistance -go as heavy as possible within the set
  • Have your sets last for up to 45 seconds
  • Use short rest periods
  • Move the weight fast
  • Use alternating sets / mini-circuits – you get the most work done without burning out your muscles.
• Things I think.............

  Here’s just some stuff I think is true when it comes to training and working out:
  Look at your goals. Look at your behaviours. Does your behaviour match your goals? It's the million dollar question for those of us in the fitness world: Does your behaviour match your goals? You see its one thing to have a goal. It's quite another to line your behaviours up with your goals. Think about it.
  Everything works for about two weeks; nothing works after about six weeks. Things need changing. You don't have to throw everything out, but you must change things up so that you do the "same, but different." Be subtle. Don't use a sledgehammer; use a touch of variation. Change your grip, change the angle, add a little to the rest period or cut a little off, change the order of exercises. Change it up, a little.
  Attack Fat. Fat loss is an all-out war. Give it 28 days, only 28 days. Attack it with all you have. It is not a lifestyle choice... it's a battle. Lose fat, and then get back into moderation.
  I’ve trained someone recently who made excellent progress, they got in great shape. Lots of people came up and asked me what her "secret" was. There is no secret! They seemed to think I'd given her the "real" information and had withheld it from them! She's been given the same advice as I give to everyone else — she just chose to follow it a little more closely. Fat loss isn't under the control of the magic fat loss fairies. It's based on simple changes in behaviour.
  A good program performed poorly is worthless. A bad program done with a ton of effort is worth a lot. But when you get a good program and a ton of effort, the results can be amazing.
  Your body can't differentiate between stressors. Stress is like water from hundreds of taps flowing into a bathtub. Financial stress, relationships, health, and training stress are all different taps. When all the other taps are flowing full blast, turn down the training tap a little bit so your tub doesn't overflow.
  Use the foam roller.
  Skinny guys always think it's their training. Fat guys always think it's their diet. Usually skinny guys need a better diet and fat guys need a better training program.

• I’m going out later.......

  F ollowing the ‘cardio mentality’ and depending on the ‘cardio confessional’ is the one of the biggest mistakes we all make when it comes to fat loss. Let me explain…
  On Saturday morning I was walking home from the gym when I passed by a young women on the Middlewood Way who was talking on her iPhone.
  And I heard her say, “I’m going for a walk now to get some exercise because I’m going out for a bad dinner tonight.”
  And I just wanted to yell, “No – no – no! That doesn’t work. It never has, it never will!”
  You can’t out-cardio a bad diet.
  So many people have made this mistake and had that “cardio confessional mindset” at one time or another.
  Unfortunately, at best, this poor girl will probably burn an extra 300-500 calories during her walk – if it’s a really, really long
  walk. But at dinner, she’s likely to eat 400-700 calories during the starter or consume that in liquid calories alone!
  (NOTE: By “bad dinner”, I’m guessing she meant a high-calorie meal,
  and not a pity date with a deadbeat ex-boyfriend.)
  The bottom line is that a single cardio session will not beat a bad diet.
  Now you might be thinking, “At least it’s better than nothing.”
  But is it?
  One study found that some people OVEREAT in response to cardio exercise.
  So when dinner comes around, this girl might think, “Oh, I did that long walk today, so I can treat myself to a bigger dinner or
  dessert.”
  The only thing that would get you near to beating a bad diet is interval training and resistance training.
  Back in 2007, an Australian research study on interval training was getting a LOT of press for the surprising results. In the study,
  women who did interval training were able to lose belly fat without changing their diet.
  In fact, one subject, named Louise, said this:
  “My diet was pretty bad back then, with lots of sweets, lots of junk food…doughnuts and sugar — it was awful.”
  And yet by the end of this study, interval training helped Louise burn over a stone of fat in just 15 weeks – WITHOUT changing her diet.
  Perhaps it IS POSSIBLE for you to out-train a bad diet – but only if you use interval training.
  So here’s what you need to do:
  1) Give up the “Cardio Confessional Mentality” and understand that you can’t “out-cardio a bad diet”.
  2) Stick to your simple lifestyle nutrition plan 90% of the time and then enjoy your 10% reward meals GUILT-FREE.
  3) Use interval training to burn the fat and resistance training to sculpt your body.
  It’s that simple – a 3-step system for fat loss success that is guaranteed to work every time.