5 tips to lose weight and get toned for summer

We’re well into February my friends! You have about 16 weeks left before it’s tank-top and bikini weather. Is your body summer-ready? If you still needs to drop a few pounds before the warm weather hits, here are a few things you can do to get the ball rolling.

Follow these 5 steps to really get the ball rolling on those goals of yours. Burn fat, build muscle, tone and define your body.

Throw out your junk food

             – If there is junk food within your reach, chances are you’ll reach for it! Get rid of any foods that are barriers to your goal. Fill your fridge and pantry with healthy foods and snacks such as fruits, nuts and yogurt.

Focus on compound movements

             – Focus on exercises that work more than one muscle at once. Compound movements are exercises such as squats, dead lifts, chest presses, shoulder presses and lunges.  Not only do you develop more muscles at once, you burn more calories doing these types of exercises.

Cardio Cardio Cardio

             – Cardio exercise is a great way to burn off any excess calories you may be carrying around. Don’t make the mistake of doing only cardio. While it’s a great way to burn calories, it won’t give you nice shape and tone – that’s done through weight training. Try to go as hard as you can for as long as you can; don’t pay too much attention to the heart rate zone on cardio equipment, it’s an outdated way to measure how hard you can work. Try to work at a good pace where you’re breathing heavily but not quite out of breath.

Lots of water

             -This explanation is really an oversimplification because water has so many benefits with regard to fat loss but I’ll talk about two of them. 1) It keeps your body, especially muscles, hydrated. Dehydration is the number one cause of muscle cramps. 2) It helps to flush out unwanted toxins from your body and helps with your weight loss goals.

Eat Smarter

My next article is going to be a huge discussion about fat loss and why people refuse to wake up and follow what works as opposed as to what is said to work. Eating is a huge part of that article. Here’s the short version:

Eat Breakfast, have a snack between lunch and another between dinner. AGAIN, healthy snacks include: Fruits, unsalted nuts, yogurt, cottage cheese and veggies.

If you don’t eat enough during the day, you’re more likely to overeat at night. You’re also more likely to settle for something quick and unhealthy because you’re too hungry to take the time to prepare something healthy.  

Don’t know which snacks are healthy?

Here are a few healthy snacking options that will help you on your weight loss journey:

Healthy Snacks:

Raw Almonds

20 almonds
Calories: 139

Mandarin

Serving shown: 180g, 1 medium & 1 small.
Calories: 95

Apple

Serving shown: 185g / 6.5oz
Calories: 96

Banana

Serving shown: 1 medium banana – 118g
Calories: 105

Grapes

Serving shown: 215g / 7.6oz
Calories: 148

Tuna

Serving shown: 85g / 3oz
Calories: 99

Popcorn

Serving shown: 2 cups
Calories: 62 (air-popped)
Calories:110 (oil-popped)
No condiments added.

Baby Carrots

Serving shown: 170g / 6oz
Calories: 60

Celery & Hummus

Serving shown: 40g / 1.4oz hummus
Calories: 108

Note: Buy celery pre-cut and pre-washed. Goes well with many other dips.

Cherry Tomatoes

Serving shown: 150g / 1 Cup
Calories: 27

Whole-grain Crispbread with Cottage Cheese

Serving shown: 1 cracker + ~45g (1.5oz) cottage cheese (light)
Calories: 70

Note: Aim for crispbreads or crackers that are completely whole grain and have a minimal amount of oil.

Bean Salad

80g / 2.8oz
Calories: 90

It’s not an easy road, but it’s definitely possible. Stick to these 5 rules and you will lose belly fat, build muscle and tone your body well before summer hits!

So today I was training a client and we were talking about which fruits were good or bad for fat loss in terms of how much sugar they have. I said that bananas are OK because they’re low on the Glycemix Index (GI). The glycemic index is a rating given to foods based on how much they spike your blood sugar levels. The higher the food on the GI scale, the more it will spike your blood sugar.

With regard to fat loss, you don’t want to eat foods that are high on the GI scale because a spike in blood sugar means that you body has to release more insulin to process that sugar. That’s not good because higher insulin levels have been shown promote the storage of fat in your body. Therefore, you want to eat foods that have a low GI.

Back to my story: So another trainer heard me saying that bananas are ok because they are low on the GI scale and she said that wasn’t true. She said that bananas are actually very high on the GI scale.

So I did a little research and this is what I found:

Bananas have a LOW glycemic index rating. They are ok to eat. However, the riper a banana gets, the more sugar it will have so my other fellow trainer was also correct to an extent. I’m not saying you have to eat green bananas, but if they are too ripe, then they will definitely have more sugar.

Bananas are also a slow digesting carbohydrate and a good source of fibre.
The verdict: You can eat bananas.

The Benefits of Berries:

We all know that fruits are good for us but we usually don’t know why. Well I’m going to be discussing the health benefits of many popular fruits so you’ll know exactly what you’re getting the next time you help yourself to a specific fruit. Today I want to fill you in on the benefits of adding berries to your daily diet.

The Goods on Berries:

One cup of strawberries are packed with over 100 mg of vitamin C, nearly as much as a cup of orange juice. Vitamin C is important for immune system function and it helps to strengthen connective tissue. With only 53 calories, Strawberries also add a bit of potassium, magnesium. calcium and folate.

A cup of blueberries also has a fair amount of vitamin C, minerals and phytochemicals with less than 85 calories. Cranberries, with less 45 calories, has the same amount of vitamin C as blueberries. One cup of raspberries offers vitamin C and potassium for 64 calories.

Berries are beautifully coloured, but aside from looking pretty, the pigments that give berries their blue and red hues are also good for your health. Berries contain phytochemicals and flavonoids that help to prevent some forms of cancer. Cranberries and blueberries contain a substance that can prevent bladder infections. Adding blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, cranberries and strawberries to your diet can help to reduce the risk of several cancers. In addition, blueberries and raspberries contain lutein, which is important for healthy vision.

Buying Berries:

 Choose colourful, ripe and firm berries with no dark or mushy spots. Berries can also be found in the frozen section of your grocery store. When they are thawed, they will not be as firm as freshly picked berries, but they will still be delicious and good for you. For the freshest berries, try farmers’ markets that offer berries harvested that same day. Some farms allow you to pick your own berries.

What’s great is that you get all these great antioxidants and vitamins in very few calories! So you don’t have to eat a whole lot of berries to enjoy the benefits of them.

Eat Berries!

Stay Strong,

Kam.

Five Reasons Why You Won’t Lose Your Stubborn Belly Fat 

1) Quick Fix obsession

We’re searching for that miracle pill; that next big new product that will guarantee instant results! Unfortunately, there is not, and never will be, any such product. There is no quick fix solution to getting rid of stubborn belly fat. One reason why so many get stuck with belly fat, is because they invest so much time looking for that quick fix.

Just remember, you didn’t gain that fat belly over night so don’t expect to lose it overnight. To get rid of those love handles, you need to develop a proper meal plan (not a ‘DIET’), you need to weight train regularly (3-4 days a week) and you need to get some extra cardio increase the amount of calories you burn.

There is no quick-fix, but if you follow your meal plan and exercise regularly, you will get rid of your stomach fat sooner than you think. You can expect to see visible changes in as little as two weeks, if you are very disciplined. People generally see results around the 3 – 4 week mark.

Remember, easy come, easy go. When you lose weight using fat burners and other diet products, your body doesn’t recognize the changes as permanent changes. This is especially true when your weight loss is very rapid; your body is just waiting for you to stop so it can return to its original weight. When your fat loss is steady and continuous over time your body has time to adapt and recognize that the changes you’re making are permanent.

The benefit of this is that if for some reason you happen to miss a few weeks from the gym, you won’t lose all of your progress. You can take a vacation with the security of knowing that you won’t gain 5 pounds just because you haven’t exercised in a few weeks.

2) Unrealistic expectations

I love “The Biggest Loser”. It’s a great show and a good source of inspiration for people who need to lose a lot of weight. However, shows like this make my job as a trainer more difficult because clients see the show and then come to me expecting to lose 10 pounds a week for the next 4 weeks. This would be a reasonable goal if you were 400 pounds. However if you’re like most people you probably only need to lose between 10 to 30 pounds. The contestants on the biggest loser lose so much weight in a week for a few reasons:

They haven’t had any real physical activity in years; they have very inactive lifestyles. Therefore, the moment they do anything more than usual, their body responds. For example, taking the stairs might feel like nothing for you, but if you weigh 300 pounds, it might feel like you’ve just run a marathon. Since walking up the stairs is something your body is used to, your body won’t burn as much calories as it would if you were heavy and you never used the stairs. In other words, it takes less work for an overweight person to burn more calories.

They have more weight to lose than you. The saying is true: “The last 10 pounds are the hardest to lose.” When those 300 pounders get close to their ideal weight, it’s going to be just as hard for them as well. However, when you’re very heavy, you have more ‘excess’ calories to burn; someone lighter has much less to burn.

The people on those shows are isolated from the real world. They don’t have any distractions! They only have one task – to LOSE WEIGHT. I’m pretty sure it would be easy for anyone to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time if they had absolutely no other responsibilities. You, unfortunately, don’t have the luxury of putting your life on hold. You still need to wake up early, go to work, prepare lunch, commute in rush hour traffic, take your kids to and from school, finish up paper work, etc. Furthermore, the contestants on shows like that also have a full time staff to cater to their every need – trainers, doctors, nutritionists, life coaches, etc.

Now I’m not saying to lower your expectations, but you need to put things in perspective. You’re not going to lose 10 pounds a week. You might be lucky to lose 5 pounds a week but that won’t last forever either. I don’t believe in looking at a scale, it is not an accurate indicator of progress because it can’t measure a lot of things. However, if you’re obsessed with numbers, a realistic weight loss goal would be to aim for 1.5 to 2lbs a week. Everyone is different, some might lose 2 per week, others might lose 3; it varies from individual to individual. You are not going to lose your belly fat if you have unrealistic goals.

3) Diet denial

A lot of people suffer from this syndrome, and as long as you hold on to it, the longer it will take to get a flat stomach. You need to admit to yourself that your diet is not where it needs to be. A lot of people get caught up in saying, “My diet isn’t bad!” But, is your diet “Great?”

If you want a seriously great body, then you need a seriously great diet! And I’m not talking about stupid Atkins’ diet or the Juice diet or whatever other nonsense is out there. I mean a healthy, structured meal plan that gives you all the nutrients you need. If you just eat ‘OK’, then that’s the body you should expect – an ‘ok’ body. OK bodies don’t turn heads, great bodies do. Admit that your diet isn’t cutting it and take the necessary steps to really improve. If you can get this in check, losing your belly fat all of sudden isn’t a matter of ‘if’, it’s a matter of ‘when’.

It’s not hard to have a great diet; you just need to adapt a healthy mindset when it comes to eating. Instead of thinking about what specific food to eat, try to live by some general guidelines.

Here are some suggestions:

No late night eating

Cut down or eliminate alcohol consumption (empty calories)

Cut down or eliminate sugary snacks

Cut down or eliminate sodas

Eat fried foods no more than once a week

4) Unfocused goals

On that rare occasion when a light bulb goes off in your head and you come to the realization that you are ready to change your body, don’t set unfocused goals! An unfocused goal is something that is too vague you can’t measure. It’s great to say, “I want to lose my belly fat and get nice flat stomach.” However, you can’t measure ‘lose my belly fat.’

A lot of my new clients tell me things like, “I want to be tight and toned,” and, “I want to be fit.” My job is a trainer is to turn that into something more specific. Therefore, I try to get them to say, “I want to lose 4 inches off my stomach by April 5th.” Now you have a measurable goal, and more importantly, a deadline! Not having a specific goal can be dangerous because you will eventually feel like you’re running while blind-folded, with no real direction.

Consequently, after some time with no way to measure if you’re on the right track, you will become discouraged, de-motivated and ultimately, DEFEATED. You will then kick your gym bag in the corner…again – adding this attempt to lose weight to the list of other failed attempts.

Save yourself the heartache and set specific goals for yourself, and set an unchangeable deadline.

5) Tortoise versus hare syndrome

For those of you who don’t know the story of the tortoise and the hare, here’s a quick recap: The hare challenges the tortoise to a race because he knows that he is much faster. The tortoise agrees and as the race starts, the hare sprints off to a huge lead. After building up a big lead and seeing no signs of the slow tortoise, the hare decided to take a little nap, confident that he could rest and wake up before the tortoise caught up. However, the hare fell into a deep sleep, tired from the hard sprint earlier. The tortoise, kept moving at the same pace until he eventually caught up to the hare and passed him. By the time the hare woke up, it was already too late; the tortoise was already crossing the finish line.

When it comes to getting rid of belly fat, there are two mistakes the people make that are similar to the hare:

i) Get out to a great start and then stop 

When you first start out on a fitness routine to get in shape, the chances are that you’ll do really well in the first 6 weeks. In fact, there’s a joke among trainers that all trainers are awesome for the first 6 weeks because the client will see their best results in the beginning.

The problem that people face comes after that first taste of success. Some people refer to this as “hitting the wall.” However it’s not really a wall that you’ve hit. What happens is that your body has adapted to your new lifestyle – exercises that were once difficult are now easy, you’re not exhausted after your cardio, it seems like you’re not working hard enough like in the beginning. Well that’s exactly true!

Your body is stronger and more fit, therefore you need to increase the intensity of your workout. You have to keep changing up your routine so that your body won’t become accustomed to the work. As long as you can keep your body in a constant state of ‘hard work,’ you will keep seeing results. Just keep in mind that your results may be a bit slower than in the first 6 weeks, but remember, it’s a marathon, so keep going.

There are a few things you can do to keep your progress going after the initial 6 weeks:

• Increase the resistance of your exercises
• Decrease the time that you rest between exercises
• Increase your cardio intensity
• Change the order of your exercises (But do it wisely, consult a trainer or an experienced friend)
• Change your routine altogether

ii) Treat fat loss like a sprint when it’s really a marathon

This is similar to the first point I made about looking for a ‘quick-fix.’ The other thing about the quick fix is that people don’t realize just how much time they waste searching for the miracle pill that will cure all of their fat loss woes – time that could have been spent making losing weight the right way.

Whenever you feel yourself becoming impatient, remember that you didn’t gain the weight overnight. I know I’m repeating this point, but I really need you to understand it. You didn’t get those love handles in four weeks, or even four months. You gained that fat slowly, over time, and that’s who you will lose the weight as well. The good news is that you will lose the weight much faster than you gained it, but it’s not something with will happen in only a few weeks. Be patient, be consistent and be positive.

Avoid making these mistakes and you’ll be well on your way to getting rid of that stubborn belly fat.

So those are some of my reasons, but what other reasons do you think stop people from really getting over the hurdle? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Also, you can send me an email anytime at info@kamaral.com, or you can follow me on my new twitter account, or on good ole’ facebook!

stay strong,

Kam

I just wanted to congratulate Isabel on her success!

I started training Isabel in September. She just had a baby and was having trouble getting back to her pre-pregnancy body. We hit the training hard, Isabel stuck to her routine, did her cardio and followed her meal plan religiously!

• She weight trained 3 days a week for 45 minutes
• Did cardio on the elliptical trainer for 30 minutes
• And stuck to her meal plan

Today, at her weigh-in and re-test, she has a lost 10lbs, 16 inches overall and her body fat has dropped by 5%.

With the 10lbs lost and the 5% drop in body fat, Isabel has lost a total of 17lbs of fat in 7 weeks while losing over 7 inches on her waist and hips.

I’m really proud and very excited for her to return to Venezuela for her Christmas vacation. Her family will be very impressed!

She did it, SO CAN YOU.

When it comes to getting a flat stomach, every little bit counts!

It’s the holiday season. There are a million things to do – shopping, decorating, cooking …eating! You’ve got staff parties, get togethers, family visits and everything else. The first thing to suffer during this festive but busy time of year is your workout! I know it’s hard to get a great workout in during the holidays, but it doesn’t mean you can’t get a decent workout and still get a flat stomach.

Remember, 15 minutes of something is way better than 24 hours of NOTHING. If you can’t make it to the gym, check out my post on working out with no equipment. It’s a quick 15 minute, full-body workout that you can do at home or in your office.

During the holiday season, no one is worried about their diet! It’s all about the good food and the Christmas cookies. I’m all for that, but it’s really important that you still manage to get a little workout in when you can. There is no such thing as “no time”. If you make the time to get a few exercises in, or get some cardio in, you will feel a lot less guilty about the food you eat.

If you can’t get a full hour of cardio in, doing it in intervals is just as effective. Remember, cardio is cumulative. So three 10 minutes sessions of cardio in a day is the same as 30 minutes in one shot. It all adds up.

The last thing you want is to feel like you’ve taken a step back on your path to a flatter stomach and a better body. Guilt is the last thing you need to start the new year. Combat those holiday feasts with a few bouts of cardio and a quick workout.

Here are some things to be aware of:

• When you’re Christmas shopping and it’s time to eat lunch at the mall, take the healthy option.
• Decorating or party planning makes you forget to prepare dinner, your only option is to order in.
• Completely forgetting to eat lunch because you’re so busy.
• The extra piece of cake or that extra glass of wine – it all adds up
• Sleeping in late, skipping breakfast and having last night’s dinner as your first meal of the day

If you want to get rid of that belly fat and finally get a flat stomach, try:

• Getting a quick workout at home or in the office
• When you’re eating out, skip the fries, get the salad
• Doing short spurts of cardio is just as good as doing one long session
• Take a light lunch or snack with you on your shopping expedition
• Plan your day in advance and make time for lunch

You don’t have to make great gains in your fitness during the holidays, but you should at least maintain your progress. Making a few small adjustments will help you on your goal to getting rid of that excess fat. Your great body and flat stomach awaits!

Happy Holidays,

Stay Strong,

Kam.

Five Common Myths about Getting a Flat Stomach…

and How to Correct It

Myth #1 about getting a flat stomach: The best way to get a flat stomach is to do cardio

Cardio is only one-third of the equation. If you think that you’re going to get a flat stomach by doing only cardio, then you’ll be sorely disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, cardio is an important factor, but it’s not the only factor. Most people are only capable of burning between 300 and 600 calories an hour doing cardio; that is not enough to experience any significant fat loss. Also, cardio does nothing to tighten your skin or give you nice tone. If you lose 10 pounds doing only cardio, you’ll look like a smaller version of your same self; your body would not have changed in shape whatsoever.

So with regard to getting a flat stomach, your belly will be slightly smaller, but still loose and flabby. Cardio is a great way to burn off some extra calories, but like I said, it’s only one-third of the equation. The other two factors are exercise and diet. It will take you an extremely long time to see any changes in your stomach if you only do cardio. If you include a weight training routine, you will add muscle which can:

· boost your resting metabolic rate

· improve muscular tone and strength

· increase bone density

· firm and tighten your problem areas

· improve your overall physique

Changes in your diet can:

· double or even triple the amount of calories your burn in a day

· help you lose fat faster

· help maintain healthy digestion

· improve the appearance of your skin

It is important include a weight training routine and a healthy meal plan to supplement your cardio efforts.

Myth #2 about getting a flat stomach: Get rid of belly fat by taking a fat burner

It’s amazing how many take fat burners while having no clue what they are putting into their bodies. While it’s perfectly fine to want to do whatever it takes to get a nice flat stomach, you have to be more aware and responsible about what you put into your body. So I will cut straight to the point, FAT BURNERS DO NOT WORK. THEY ARE ABSOLULTELY, 100%, WITHOUT A DOUBT – A FRAUD!

The other sad truth: ALL FAT BURNERS ARE THE SAME. It doesn’t matter if it’s ‘All Natural,’ ‘Herbal,’ ‘Organic’… whatever… it’s all the same! I’m telling you this as an expert but also as someone who has tried it. I used hydroxycut a few years ago and the side effects were terrible. I was very dizzy and light-headed. Forget about hydroxycut, hoodia, xenadrine, or any other over the counter fat burner.

There are many dangerous effects of fat burners, some include:

· Dizziness

· Nausea

· Diarrhea

· Stomach cramps

· Cardiac arrest (if heart complications run in your family)

- Blackouts

Fat burners are also known as artificial metabolic boosters. They are loaded with caffeine, which basically tricks your heart into thinking that you are doing an intense activity. It also is putting a lot of strain on your nervous system. Any weight you lose by using fat burners will come back as soon as you are off them. Furthermore, you can only take those fat burners for a certain period of time then you have to stop. Prolonged use can have dire consequences. Fat burners can be very dangerous and I do not recommend them.

Myth #3 about getting a flat stomach: You can get a flat stomach without exercise

It’s hard to believe that some people still fall for this. I think it’s more that people still hold on to some hope that you can have a great body without putting in the work. It just doesn’t work that way. While it’s true that you can change the shape of your body by eating healthier, you won’t have a great looking stomach without exercise. Like cardio, exercise is an important factor. The good thing is that you don’t need to slave in the gym for 2 hours, or even 1 hour.

It takes as little as 30 minutes, 3 times a week to start seeing significant improvement in your body. You don’t even have to enroll in a gym. Playing your favourite sport, going hiking, taking up an active hobby (like cycling or swimming) are all great ways of getting exercise. Remember, if you want to get a flat stomach, you must eat well, you must do some sort of cardio activity, and you must do some sort of resistance training. Without exercise, there is no way you can have a tight, flat stomach. It might not be “pudgy”, but it won’t be completely flat either.

Myth #4 about getting a flat stomach: To burn belly fat, cardio must be done in the “fat burning zone”

Now for a short history lesson: About 30 years ago, scientists discovered that, depending on the intensity of your aerobic activity, the body turns to either your recently digested carbohydrates or your fat stores, to produce energy. During light to moderate intensity activity, your fat stores are used to produce energy. During high intensity activity, your body will look to your carbohydrates because it is broken down faster to produce energy. The intensity of the activity is determined by the body’s heart rate. In light of that discovery, fitness equipment manufacturers went nuts and started putting these little charts on treadmills and elliptical machines that show different “fat burning” zones. The chart tells you should be working at 65% of your maximum heart rate to enter your “fat burning zone”.

Now this information is true, however, it is misleading. If your goal is to burn as many calories as possible during your cardio session, then working in your “fat burning” zone will not produce the results you want. The reason is because if you are only working at 65% of your maximum heart rate, your body does not have to burn a lot of calories. There is no real demand on your body, so even though your primary source of energy is your fat stores, you’re actually burning very little fat and even fewer calories. If your goal is to lose your love handles in as short a time as possible, then working at 65% of your heart rate will not get you there. Now, if you work at a higher intensity, you burn more total calories. Another benefit of working at a higher intensity is the “cool down” effect. Think of a car that has been driving at a high speed. When you shut the engine off after you park, it’s still very hot. It takes time for the engine to cool down, as long as a few hours. The same happens when you work at a higher intensity during cardio. You actually continue to burn calories for hours after you’ve stopped. You won’t get that effect working at a low intensity because your body will cool down much faster.

To recap:

· Even though your burn actual “fat” during low intensity activity, it’s very little

· You don’t burn a lot of calories during low intensity activity

· High intensity activity burns more total calories

· You enjoy the benefits of the “cool down” effect after high intensity cardio

· In the long run, high intensity calories burns more fat and more calories overall.

Myth #5 about getting a flat stomach: Drink Cold water to increase metabolism and get rid of love handles

This is one of the newer myths and it revolves around the notion that your body has to expend more energy and thus, more calories, to warm the cold water that you’ve just drank. In addition to being one of the newer myths, it’s also a very dumb one. Your body has a core temperature of 37 degree Celsius. As soon as any cold water enters your body, it becomes warm almost instantly. There is absolutely no way that you metabolism will increase by drinking cold water.

You can increase your metabolism by increasing the frequency of your meals. So instead of eating 3 square meals a day, trying eating 5 to 6 smaller meals every 2-3 hours. When you let too much time pass between meals, your body becomes slow and sluggish because it is lacking energy. You also tend to over-eat at night because you’ve starved yourself for as long as 8 hours between lunch and dinner. This is where more people falter and give in to temptation – eating a large, fatty dinner. On the flip side, spreading your meals out has quite a few benefits.

· Your body has a constant supply of energy throughout the day

· Your metabolism stays higher all day because your body is constantly breaking down food

· You are less likely to overeat at night because you are less hungry

· You are less likely to crave high sugar or high salt foods

So in terms of losing belly fat, you can see how these changes in eating can have a positive effect.

Avoid these 5 mistakes and take my suggestions seriously. Remember, it’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint. Getting rid of belly fat and having a nice flat stomach takes time. Looking good is not a trait, it’s a lifestyle – and you need to learn how to live that lifestyle. Following these suggestions and avoiding these mistakes will put you on the road to that lifestyle.

Stay Strong,

Kam.

CALORIES IN POPULAR FOODS

You can use this chart as guide to how many calories you are consuming in a day. I know some of the number might surprise you but it’s the truth.

The Best Cardio to lose weight

I came across a great article on about.com. It talks about the best cardio activities that burns the most calories. I have changed the rankings of some of the activities and only included activities that you can do on a regular basis. I doubt most of us can get cross country skiing done on a regular basis. I rank the ellptical training higher because it mimics the movements of a cross country skiier and it scientifically proven to burn more calories than any other “CARDIO” equipment besides running on the treadmill.

Remember to always warm up and cool down. 3-5 minutes warm-up and a 5 minute cool down.

1. Running

Running is one of best activities you can do. It doesn’t require special equipment (except some quality shoes) and you can do it anywhere. Best of all, you burn serious calories, especially if you add hills and sprints. A 145-lb person can burn 300 (at 5.2 mph) in 30 minutes. The downside is, it takes lots of practice and you should watch your knees and ankles for any discomfort or pain.

2. Elliptical Trainer

The elliptical trainer is a great way to build endurance while protecting your aching joints from high impact activities. Plus, if you use one with arms, it’s just like using a cross-country ski machine. The elliptical trainer is also a good choice for runners looking for a break from pounding the pavement. A 145-lb person burns about 300 calories in 30 minutes.

3. Bicycling

Outdoors or indoors, cycling gives some great cardio. Using all the power in your legs, you’ll increase endurance while burning lots of calories, anywhere from 250-500in 30 minutes, depending on how fast you go and how high your resistance is.

4. Swimming

Swimming, like cross-country skiing, is a full body exercise. The more body parts you involve in your workout, the more calories you’ll burn. Spend 30 minutes doing the breastroke and you’ll burn almost 400 calories. Best of all, your joints are fully supported so you don’t have to worry about high-impact injuries. It’s also great cross-training for other cardio activities.

5. Step Aerobics

Step aerobics has yet to lose its luster for many gym-goers and it’s a good thing. Step is one tough workout that targets your legs, butt and hips while burning almost 400 calories in 30 minutes (during high intensity sessions). Though it might look complicated, step is easy to learn if you start with a beginner class or video.

6. Walking

If you put a little oomph into it, walking is a great exercise, burning about 180 calories in 30 minutes. Adding hills, sprints or even a few minutes of jogging can increase the amount of calories you burn. Make sure you walk briskly–pretend you’re trying to catch a bus–and keep you head up, back straight and swing your arms.

Is the Atkins’ Diet Safe?

The problem with the Atkins diet is that you are falsely led to believe that carbohydrates are bad for you and thus, are not allowed to have any! You are told that carbohydrates are like any other type of sugar and that the breakdown process is the same i.e. your body releases insulin in response to the sugar entering your blood which will spike your blood-sugar levels; with insulin being released, your body is more primed to store fat.

Persons on this diet tend to enjoy quick results in a short period of time during the beginning stages but as soon as they stop the diet, the weight comes back just as quickly. In many cases, people reported to gaining even more weight than when they previously started. One explanation for this is that your body is trying to compensate for the carbohydrate loss that it was forced to endure. Your survival mechanisms trigger your body to store even more fat than before so as to be prepared for the next time it has to survive without adequate carbohydrates.

The biggest flaw with this diet is its core principle which preaches that ‘carbs’ are the enemy. The truth is that your body needs carbohydrates for many important bodily functions including, but not limited to, supplying your brain and nervous system with energy. On the Atkins diet, you are consuming a high protein and high-fat diet. Protein is not an efficient source of energy, especially for your brain. Many persons on the Atkins diet often report symptoms such as dizziness and light-headedness. This happens because your body is struggling to provide energy for your brain and it’s only option is to pull protein from your muscle.

The high-fat part of the diet comes in the form of the excess amount of beef and pork that the Atkins diet actually encourages! That fat makes its way through your body and to the arteries in your hear;it accumulates to the point where you are at a much higher risk for a heart attack!

On a side note: Robert Atkins’ death (creator of the diet) was 258 pounds when he died. At 6′0 feet tall and at that weight, he was clinically obese.