Why Cardio is Not the Key to Fat Loss

There's a common myth out in the world of health and fitness that cardio training is the way forward when it comes to rapidly stripping body fat. People tend to spend hours and hours on the C.V. equipment watching the calorie counter, thinking that they are going to see amazing fat loss results. Sorry folks, but in my experience, it's a load of twoddle...

There are many people out there (including some health and fitness 'professionals') who will have you believe that if you are trying to strip those last few pounds, you need to crank up the treadmill. Resistance and weight training, is for those who are only looking to build muscle tone and definition. Again, twoddle... Why should the two be mutually exclusive?

Too many gym users and fitness enthusiasts are under the impression they can eat as much as they like and do whatever they want, then go for a run once a week in the gym and burn it off. We all know that the key to fat loss lies in good diet and regular exercise, but unfortunately most people don't understand what exercise is best for them.




To be honest, I have found that cardio is definitely not the way to seeing fast results. Let's have a look at what cardio actually does...

1. Yes, it does improve both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, which theoretically helps with fat burning, but realistically with cardio machines, you don't work the muscles hard enough to really burn very much.

2. Yes it can help lower your resting heart rate and decrease your recovery time, and to an extent it will help you develop a greater tolerance to lactic acid

3. Yes it does increase capillerisation and increase blood flow.

However, there are plenty of cons to counter the pro's...

1. First of all, it's boring and time consuming, it takes you forever to burn anything, and the fitter you get, the less you burn.

2. Cardio tends to train your muscles purely for endurance. You don't get the strength or the hypertrophy gains from C.V., which you would get from resistance training- It's a fact that stronger muscles will burn more fat.

3. Long term, the repetitive nature of most forms of cardio machines will develop muscle imbalances, joint problems and repetitive strains.

The truth is, all of the benefits of cardio training and more can be achieved through a decent, structured resistance programme. I'm not saying there is no place for cardio, but it's definitely not the way to fast fat loss!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kyle_Hargreaves/170772

Lose Weight Faster With These Healthy Eating Tips

Who isn't looking to drop a few extra pounds as the warmer months approach? Before you starve yourself to death or kill yourself in the gym start with the basics and you'll be surprised as to how much weight you can drop just from some minor changes.

Cut out the Salt
 
Sure there is a level of salt that your body needs for a variety of functions; however the foods you eat now more than likely have all the salt you will need in a given day. So for starters stop adding salt to your food while cooking and stop adding it to your foods once it has been served.

Cut out the Sugar



 
This being the toughest of the tips, we all have some kind of sweet tooth. Whether it is for sugary carbonated soft drinks, or the occasional sugary treat like a piece of cake, a doughnut or a slice of grand mom's homemade apple pie, sugar is tough cookie to break (pun intended). But sugar accounts for a lot of everyone's weight gain. By eliminating the sugars, for example drink a diet soda as opposed to a regular soda, drink Crystal Light as opposed to regular iced tea, and so forth, can add up to some huge fat savings if you will.

Change to a Healthy Spread over Butter
 
Do you put butter or margarine on a lot of things? I used to do that as well. There are a number of spreads at your supermarket today that are made from healthy fats such as omega-3 and omega-6 that are far better for you and taste just as good. Also instead of using butter to grease up a pan for cooking or baking, use a non-stick fat free cooking spray. You save literally hundreds of calories from your waste line by making that change.

Whole Grains 
 
Growing up my mom always bought the white bread, the sugary cereals and oatmeal and really got me used to what I should not have been eating in the first place. So this took some adjustment time for me, but I made the switch from white bread to multi-grain bread, sugary oatmeal to a plain oatmeal and exchanged my sugary cereals of my youth for the more healthy fiber rich cereals that I need today.

Lean Meats, Fish and Chicken
 
By adding in good quality proteins to your eating habits you will be giving your muscles the building blocks it needs to stay strong and get lean. The stronger your muscles the more fat they burn and that is what you are going after. Stick with lean meats, plenty of fish and chicken breasts. Before you cook the food make sure you chop off any excess fat that it may have and if you need to flavor it, there are plenty of spices on the market that are sugar free, salt free and very tasty.

These are just five of the many ways you can make minor adjustments to your eating habits today that will pay big dividends on your way to your weight loss goals. Start implementing and you will be there in no time.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Bruce_A._Tucker/133962