5 Fat Burning Lies

o you struggle to burn body fat no matter how much effort you put in at the gym? You might have fallen for a fat burning lie. If you want to burn fat effectively, make sure you are aware of these five fat burning lies.

Resistance training builds too much muscle

If you’re going for that ‘lean’ look, people might have told you to avoid lifting heavier weights in case you end up bulking up rather than losing fat. Instead, they’ll suggest lifting lighter weights and doing more reps. These people are wrong. Lighter weights simply do not create the level of metabolic effect needed to initiate fat loss, which means you might not be enjoying the full fat burning potential of your training sessions.
Resistance training with heavier weights is an amazing weight loss method, because as your strength develops you’ll be burning more and more fat when you’re not even working out. Regular resistance training with heavy weights serves to increase your metabolic rate by as much as 15 per cent according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, which speeds up the rate at which you burn calories.

Crunches will give you a flat stomach

Crunches have long been the exercise of choice for people looking for a toned flat stomach, but they’re wasting their time. And so are you if you are doing thousands of crunches hoping to lose body fat on your stomach. Crunches are a hugely ineffective fat loss exercise. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning compared a group of people doing crunches every day to a control group of people doing absolutely no exercise. They found that there was no noticeable difference in body fat between the two groups after six weeks.
In fact, crunches are so ineffective that experts at the University of San Antonio found that it would take 22,000 crunches to burn just a pound (0.5kg) of body fat. Targeting your stomach for specific weight loss is impossible, but you can speed things along a bit. Try a combination high intensity cardio session with sprint intervals and hill training, coupled with core-building exercises like the plank. This will turbo-charge your metabolism and strengthen your core at the same time.

Leg extensions burn fat on your legs

We’ve said it time and time again; spot-based exercises do not work for burning fat. But go into any gym in the world and you’ll see someone on the leg press machine for seemingly hours on end trying to ditch the fat on their thighs. Sadly, it’s not going to work. Leg extensions are an isolated exercise that develop the quadriceps, but do nothing for the body fat surrounding them. That means all you’ll be left with is defined quadriceps hidden under a layer of fat.
What you really want to be doing is compound exercises that will define your legs whilst simultaneously burning body fat. A great leg-based fat burning exercise session you can try is a set of jumping lunges. Think of a standard lunge that then springs into a lunge on the opposite leg, all the while swinging your arms. It’s almost like an exaggerated version of running on the spot, and will really help you to burn fat.

You should stick to the same workout

Once you’ve found a workout routine that works well for you, it can be tempting to stick with it indefinitely. This is a huge fat burning no-no. It’s thought that the human body takes around three weeks to adapt to a workout, after which point the results from that workout will gradually diminish. Before you know it, you’ll be meeting the dreaded fat loss plateau. That’s why if you want to burn fat effectively, you need to mix up your workouts.
Now we’re not saying you need to switch your workout routine every day. All you need to do is challenge your body from time to time by throwing a variety-filled circuit training session into your training schedule, and you’ll see sustained fat loss results. If you can’t fit in any circuit training, variety can even be as simple as changing the amount of reps you do of a certain exercise, or the weights that you lift.

Ab-stimulators will give you a flat stomach

If any new-fangled effort-free workout machine sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. The fat burning-lie that ab-stimulators can give you a flat stomach has generated millions of pounds for the fitness industry, so you can see why this is a lie you hear so often. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin tested these electronic ab-stimulators, and found that they did cause the abdominal muscles to contract as claimed in the adverts. However, this contraction did not activate the chemical or neural signs that lead to muscle development, meaning the machines are effectively a waste of time.
These machines are in fact so useless, that the researchers could not notice any difference between a group of people who had been using ab-stimulators daily, and a group who had not used them at all. No extra abdominal development was noted, and absolutely no fat loss was measured. No matter how much you want there to be, there is no effort-free fat loss technique out there.
https://www.realbuzz.com/articles-interests/fitness/article/5-fat-burning-lies/

What It Means To Be Fit

The major building blocks of fitness are often penned the three ‘S’s: Stamina, Strength and Suppleness. So, what gains are there from getting fit and how should we achieve it?

Stamina

In terms of your health, stamina is perhaps the most important aspect of fitness. Aerobic fitness (or cardiovascular fitness) relates to the efficiency of your heart and lungs. Someone who is aerobically fit is not only more able to get through that workout video without giving up, they are also able to deal with daily tasks, stresses and strains without feeling burned out by the end of the day. But despite its name, you don’t have to ‘do aerobics’ to get aerobically fit. Star jumps and grapevines are fine, if that’s your thing, but if not, you can gain and maintain stamina through any number of activities – most commonly ones that use the large muscles of the legs and body, require large amounts of oxygen and are prolonged and repetitive.
For example, walking briskly, running, dancing, swimming or cycling. The harder you work during aerobic exercise, the more calories you’ll burn, but there’s a pay-off to be made between intensity and duration. That’s why it is so important to vary shorter, harder sessions with longer easier ones. It’s also vital to allow your body time to adapt gradually by building up your aerobics workouts slowly but surely, therefore minimising the risk of injury.

Working out for increased stamina

Since cardiovascular fitness is so important to health, experts recommend that we aim to get 30 minutes a day of aerobic activity on most days of the week. That doesn’t necessarily need to be all in one go – in fact, some studies have shown that breaking exercise down into mini bouts, of approximately 10 minutes, actually burns more calories than doing one prolonged session, due to the effect of exercise on metabolism. If you want to go beyond merely safeguarding your health, however, you should aim to work a little harder in some of your aerobic activities. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends two to five sessions of more vigorous exercise, lasting 20-50 minutes.

Strength through resistance training

The importance of strength goes far beyond building muscles and being able to lift heavy objects. Performed regularly, it’ll reward you with a faster metabolism, less body fat, a toned, firmer physique and stronger connective tissues and bones. There is also strong evidence that suggests strength or resistance training can favourably modify several risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, including lipid and cholesterol levels, blood pressure, body composition and glucose metabolism.
Resistance training is also recognised as a great way to burn calories. Even once your resistance training has finished, your body will continue to burn calories as a result of EPOC (Excessive Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption). As the oxygen demands on the body have been high during training, the body will take longer to recover to its resting state. Therefore the body will still be burning calories long after the exercise has finished.

How muscle mass helps you burn calories

One pound (0.45 kg) of fat uses just a handful of calories to maintain itself each day. A pound of muscle, however, is far more ‘energy-hungry’ requiring approximately 45 calories a day. So, replace two pounds of fat with two pounds of muscle and you’ll actually be burning 90 more calories every day, even when you’re not exercising.
Strong muscles have more tone and are denser than untrained ones, too, so even though you may not weigh less on the scales, you’ll look and feel trimmer. Another important benefit of resistance training is that it can help to stave off osteoporosis, because the action of muscle pulling on bone stimulates bone to get stronger.

Working out for better strength

You can perform effective resistance work with just your own bodyweight as resistance, use tubing and elasticated ‘resistance’ bands, hand weights, medicine balls, Swiss balls. To make significant strength gains (and sculpt and tone muscles), you’ll need to work with weights two to three times a week, and increase the amount of weight you lift as soon as it becomes comfortable. Muscles only get stronger when you make them do something that is tougher than what they are accustomed to.

Suppleness through stretching

Being flexible isn’t about being able to wrap your legs behind your neck, or even touch your toes; it’s about having a good range of motion in all your joints, allowing for easy, fluid movement, good posture and muscle balance. Regular stretching increases blood supply and nutrients to joint structures, keeping tissues pliable and elastic and possibly slowing joint degeneration. Flexibility differs from joint to joint. You may have fantastic hip mobility, for example, while you find it difficult to reach your hand around your back to do up a dress, because your shoulders are tight and immobile. That’s why a total stretching program is important, rather than simply focusing on one or two muscle groups. Regular flexibility work can help to offset the effects of aging and slow down the decline in suppleness. It can also help to realign soft tissue structures that have adapted badly because of postural habits.

Training for better flexibility

Ensure you make time for stretching after your activity or on alternate days of the week. It’s a great way to ‘switch off’ after your workout, and you’ll find that the deep breathing and slow, gentle movements involved aid relaxation and bestow a feeling of well-being. Activities such as yoga, Pilates, swimming, Tai Chi and other martial arts will all also help you maintain flexibility, due to the variety of positions and ranges of movement involved.

Core stability

Core stability is a phrase often bandied about by fitness professionals – but what does it mean and how can you get it? In brief, core stability refers to the strength and responsiveness of the muscles around the back and pelvis (the core), from which all other movement emanates. Poor core stability puts you at risk of injury, back pain and muscular imbalances – and is usually associated with poor posture and body awareness. Exercises to improve core stability differ from typical strength, stamina or flexibility exercises in that they are often very subtle, can be repeated a number of times each day and usually don’t require any external resistance. The other difference is that you won’t actually see when your core stability has improved. The muscles you are working lay deep below the surface of the body, so any improvement in strength or recruitment is more likely to manifest itself in improved efficiency of movement, better posture or an absence of discomfort.

Training the core

To get a feel of the core muscles, stand up and place your fingertips a few centimeters in from your hipbones and feign a cough – you should feel the muscles contract involuntarily under your fingertips. The easiest way to initiate a contraction in these muscles is to start by pulling up the pelvic floor (as if you were trying to stop yourself from peeing). This is because the lower fibers of the deep-set transversus abdominis muscle actually intermingle with the pelvic floor muscles. Now imagine you are wearing a corset around your waist, which has a zip in it. Continue to pull in and up, using those muscles you located in the cough, imagining you are doing up the zip from your pubic bone to your navel. Breathe freely throughout and sustain the contraction for a few seconds, building up the length of the holds as you get more used to it.
Fitness is not all about losing weight, entering competitions or winning times, getting fit now might mean that you have the flexibility to carry out day to day tasks when you are older.

Getting to know your fitness level

Before you embark upon an exercise and fitness programme, it is vital you assess your level of fitness. Here's our guide to working out your current exercise fitness level, so you don't jump in at the deep end.
Read the statements for each of the fitness categories below and decide which one applies best to your current exercise situation. Begin at that level and as your fitness and experience builds up, re-check against each fitness category to confirm if you’re ready to move up in your exercise training programs.

Beginner fitness level

• You are starting to exercise for the first time and/or ...
• You are returning to training after an: illness, injury, other commitments and/or… period of inactivity
• You are new to exercise classes (you have never attended an exercise class before)

Intermediate fitness level

• You exercise two or three times per week and have done for at least 6 months and...
• You have attended exercise classes regularly in the last 6 months (perhaps one to two classes per week)

Advanced fitness level

• You exercise more than three times per week and have done for at least six months and...
• You frequently attend exercise classes (perhaps more than two classes per week)
• https://www.realbuzz.com/articles-interests/fitness/article/what-it-means-to-be-fit/ 
•  

Top 7 Excuses to Overindulge, and How to Take Control

Don’t let excuses get in the way of eating healthy! Check out our tips on breaking out of the scarfing cycle.

Excuses, excuses.

Excuses, excuses. We all make them when it comes to eating healthy. But when you think about it, there’s really no reason to scarf down all that “bad for you” food. Here we shoot down some common excuses for putting away those extra calories.

1. It’s a holiday (or the weekend, or date night). Life has lots of special occasions (and weekends)! Indulging a little on holidays won’t hurt — but you can plan ahead for special meals that are healthy, too. For example, hack your holiday cookies by using oatmeal, fruits and nuts as main ingredients.
   
   
2. I’m down in the dumps (or stressed to the max). You blew a work deadline, had a flat tire or left your wallet at the grocery store. “Comfort food” is calling you. Bigger stresses, like unemployment or caring for a sick relative, can also cause you to overeat — even when you’re not hungry. Try taking a brisk walk and reaching for a healthy snack. When you have a minute to slow down, check out our tips to control your stress.
   
   
3. I already blew it with that cookie. Nobody’s perfect. Focus on what you can do next, not on what you did last. You can also try planning ahead to eat well on the run. Hint: Portable snacks like fruit, nuts and popcorn can save you from the vending machine.
   
   
4. Someone brought donuts (or cake, or pizza) to the office. It’s OK to pass on the freebies! Keep some healthy snacks handy to curb the cravings. If you do indulge, find a way to get in some extra physical activity at work! Try these tips to get active.
   
   
5. I don’t have time to eat healthy. You can cut up a carrot and slice some strawberries in the time it takes to call the pizza place and find that coupon. Salad is a great make-ahead meal, and the possibilities are endless. Get our tips on making a hearty, healthy salad.
   
   
6. It’s hard to find healthier choices when eating out. Restaurants are changing! Healthier options are everywhere if you know what to look for. Look up menus online ahead of time, and don’t be afraid to ask about substitutions. if you’re tempted to overeat, skip the buffet. Try sharing portions or saving half for later. Check out more healthy tips for dining out.
   
   
7. I’ll start being healthy tomorrow (next month, after the holidays). Why wait? Start now and you’ll see the benefits sooner. Take small steps to build lasting healthier habits. Begin with these simple tips on how to eat healthy. You’ll be amazed at what you can do — one bite at a time.
8. https://healthyforgood.heart.org/Eat-smart/Articles/Top-7-Excuses-to-Overindulge-and-How-to-Take-Control 

Suggested Servings from Each Food Group

If you’re looking for a simple way to watch your weight & eat healthy, follow this handy serving size chart to understand portions. It’s easier than you think!

Confused by all the different diets being touted as the healthiest way to eat?

One friend will only eat raw food, another has gone full paleo on you, and yet another has sworn off gluten! The good news is, there’s a science-based healthy eating plan that doesn’t require you to give up all the foods you love.
The American Heart Association recommends an overall healthy dietary pattern tailored to your personal and cultural food preferences. This pattern can include a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, fish, skinless poultry, nuts, and fat-free/low-fat dairy products, and should limit sugary drinks, sweets, fatty or processed meats, solid fats, and salty or highly processed foods. It’s all about making smart choices.

So, what and how much should you eat?

Here are the recommended number of daily or weekly servings of each food type, based on eating a total of 2,000 calories per day. Your calorie needs may be different, depending on your age, activity level and whether you are trying to lose, gain or maintain your weight. To find your recommended daily calories, use the NIH Body Weight Planner found at https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/bwp/index.html.

What’s a serving?

Don’t worry, you don’t have to measure everything you eat. We’ve provided a few examples of what represents one serving of common foods. Be sure to check the Nutrition Facts label on packaged foods to understand the serving size and number of servings per package. And be aware of “portion distortion.” The recommended serving size is often less than the amount you’re used to eating or the portion you are served, especially at restaurants.

Vegetables

• Fresh, frozen, canned and dried¹
• 5 servings per day
• Examples:
  •  1 cup raw leafy greens
  • ½ cup cut-up vegetables
  • ½ cup cooked beans or peas²
  •  ¼ cup 100% vegetable juice³

Fruits

• Fresh, frozen, canned and dried¹
• 4 servings per day
• Examples:
  • 1 medium whole fruit
  • ½ cup cut-up fruit
  • ¼ cup 100% fruit juice³
  • ¼ cup dried fruit¹

Grains

• At least half should be whole grain/high in dietary fiber
• 6 servings per day
• Examples:
  • 1 slice bread
  • 1 small tortilla
  • 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal flakes
  • 1 oz (⅛ cup) uncooked pasta or rice
  • 1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta, or cereal
  • 1/2 cup popped popcorn

Dairy⁴ 

• Low-fat and fat-free
• 3 servings per day
• Examples:
  •  1 cup milk
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1.5 oz cheese

Poultry, meat and eggs

• Lean and extra-lean; skin and visible fat removed
• 8-9 servings per week
• Examples:
  • 3 oz cooked meat or poultry
  • 1 egg or 2 egg whites

Fish and other seafood

• Preferably oily fish that provide omega-3 fatty acids
• 2-3 servings per week
• Example:
  • 3 oz cooked fish or seafood

Nuts, seeds, beans and legumes

• 5 servings per week
• Examples:
  •  Tbsp peanut butter
  • 2 Tbsp or 1/2 oz nuts or seeds
  • ¼ cup cooked beans or peas²

Fats and oils

• Preferably unsaturated
• 3 servings per day
• Examples:
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil (canola, corn, olive, soybean, safflower)
  • 1 Tbsp soft margarine
  • 1 Tbsp low-fat mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp light salad dressing

¹ Frozen, canned and dried produce can be as nutritious as fresh. Compare nutrition info on package labels and choose products with the lowest amounts of added sugars and sodium. Look for vegetables without salty sauces and fruits packed in their own juices or water instead of heavy syrup. Drain and rinse canned produce and beans.
² Note that 1/4 cup cooked beans = 1 oz protein equivalent but 1/2 cup cooked beans = 1 vegetable serving.
³ A small portion (1/2 cup) of 100% juice can fulfill one of your recommended daily servings. But keep in mind, juice isn’t as filling as whole fruits and vegetables and may have extra calories and less nutrients like fiber. Avoid sweetened juice and juice drinks.
⁴ Includes nondairy nut/grain/soy-based milks that are fortified with calcium and vitamin D and low in sugar.
https://healthyforgood.heart.org/Eat-smart/Articles/Suggested-Servings-from-Each-Food-Group