Exercise is an essential part of the weight loss equation and we all know it yet many of us still have trouble finding (or making) time to get enough physical activity to lose weight and keep it off. Purchasing exercise equipment at home is one option if you don’t have access to a 24-hour gym, but is it worth the money?

{That fancy exercise equipment can get the job done…if you’ll use it.}

There are so many factors that go into finding the right home exercise equipment, how do you choose without breaking the bank? Keep reading to find out if you should get exercise equipment at home.

Exercise Essentials

Losing weight requires a combination of cardio and strength training exercises that will help you burn fat as well as build muscle. Finding exercise equipment that will help you accomplish this at home can be difficult if you don’t have a lot of money, but not impossible. In fact exercise equipment in the home may facilitate more frequent bouts of exercise according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

One of the first pieces of exercise equipment that you’ll want to purchase is a set of dumbbells. You don’t need an expensive set with multiple weights; all you need to start is a mid-size pair that will help you get started.

You can choose between traditional dumbbells and dumbbells with weight plates so you can keep the same ones as you become more skilled at weight training.

Another piece of exercise equipment that can help you lose weight at home is a jump rope. The jump rope can be used in a wide variety of ways but more importantly it can help you get a rigorous cardio workout without spending a lot of money. Just to give you an idea, 30 minutes of fast rope jumping can burn 491 calories!

An exercise mat is a great piece of exercise equipment to have for your home gym because it is inexpensive and makes it easier to perform certain exercises on carpet. Whether you prefer yoga or Pilates or sweating with a good exercise video, an exercise mat can make performing these exercises at home much easier.

Wasteful Spending

When it comes to purchasing exercise equipment for the home, most people make a beeline for the shiny expensive equipment like treadmills, elliptical machines and multi-purpose exercise equipment. This type of exercise equipment can help you get the job done, but if you don’t exercise regularly with a gym membership then chances are good that big purchases like this are a waste of time for now.

This type of exercise equipment is a waste because they don’t provide you with a more effective workout than running or walking or riding a bike down a park path. With dumbbells and a treadmill you can have an effective calorie burning workout without emptying thousands of dollars from your bank account.

Until exercise becomes a regular part of your lifestyle you will also want to stay away from trendy exercise equipment that is beyond your physical capabilities at the moment. Kettlebells are a good example of a really effective piece of workout equipment that may not be best for a beginner.

Inexpensive Alternatives

As with most things exercise related there are different types of inexpensive exercise equipment that you can use to help you maximize your current workout. Finding these inexpensive pieces of equipment can help you build up your level of physical fitness without spending a ton of money.

Resistance bands are a great inexpensive alternative to cables. You can perform a wide variety of strength training and cardio exercises with these bands for a truly intense workout. Resistance bands come in different colors that indicate varying levels of resistance for a more or less intense workout.

{Use resistance bands to workout anywhere you have the time & energy!}

Pull Up Bars are another inexpensive alternative to traditional exercise equipment like dumbbells or weights and bench. Easy to affix into just about any doorway, pull up bars can work your entire upper body anywhere there’s a door. Take it with you on the road, to the office or anywhere else you have 15 minutes to work up a sweat.

Steps are an old school piece of exercise equipment but it is an effective way to burn calories and build leg and thigh muscles while getting an intense cardio workout. What’s most amazing about the steps is that they come with adjustable levels so you can up the intensity of your workout as you get fitter.

Exercise Balls are another piece of exercise equipment that can help you get an effective workout in the comfort of your home. Use the exercise ball to get an abdominal workout without risking back injury.

Circuit Training Must Haves

The truth is that you might not find it necessary to purchase any exercise equipment at all, particularly if you’re fond of circuit training exercises. However if you want to optimize your regular workout sessions you can use certain types of exercise equipment like dumbbells, jump ropes and exercise balls.

{These 3 pieces of exercise equipment is perfect for a circuit training workout!}

Small inexpensive exercise equipment combined with the right bodyweight exercises and you can get an intense full body workout without leaving the comforts of your home.

Everything Else

Exercise equipment isn’t limited to just traditional exercise equipment; it also includes anything else you need to help you maintain an active lifestyle. Basic sporting equipment you can find for cheap include soccer balls, footballs, volleyballs and basketballs. Tennis and Racquetball rackets can be purchased for less than $30 or rented from your local gym or recreation facility for much less.

Although not technically a piece of exercise equipment a solid pair of gym shoes is an essential part of any workout program. Contrary to popular belief however, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars for a pair of good gym shoes. Find a pair that is comfortable, breathable and provides good support for the types of movements you perform when you exercise.

As you become more physically active in order to lose weight you might want to start focusing on adopting a healthier diet as well. Read our in-depth review of Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat to find out how you can eat less junk food for weight loss.

When you make the decision to lose weight and get healthy, one of the most difficult parts can be finding information that helps you do it the right way. What is most important about losing weight the right way is finding easy ways to incorporate a healthier lifestyle into your busy life without overwhelming yourself.

{Too much fast food makes it difficult to control portion size and reduce calories.}

To help you make your weight loss healthy and easier, we have compiled 6 easy steps for you to follow. This list is by no means complete, however it will help you learn what you need to do for successful weight loss.

Keep reading to learn how to lose weight the right way!

Gradually Reduce Calorie Intake

Any weight loss authority you visit will inevitably tell you how important it is that you eat fewer calories. This is a well-known truism of successful weight loss. What they don’t tell you, however, is just how to reduce your calorie intake now without coming back for those calories later when hunger strikes.

If you want to lose weight the right way you’ll have to do it the same way you put on weight, a little at a time. If you currently eat 3,000 calories per day it is quite unrealistic for even the most determined dieter to simply cut that in half overnight. You can try, and a few of you will succeed, but most of us will simply eat that other 1,500 calories later in the day, maybe too late at night. This will lead to weight gain rather than weight loss, which will simply make you feel even less confident about your ability to lose weight.

Lose weight the right way by slowing reducing your calorie intake each week. Start with a realistic number like 200 calories, which could simply be replacing a donut or bag of chips with sweet baby carrots. This way you’ll not only get used to eating less food, but you’ll start to learn more about healthy snacks and healthy eating in general.

Keep A Diet Journal

So many dieters frown at the idea of keeping a diet journal, maybe because it feels like a new age diet. The truth is that by writing out what you eat and how much physical activity you get, you can identify the areas you need to change in order to lose weight the right way. When you simply recount what you’ve eaten in your head you’re more likely to conveniently forget things or decide what does and doesn’t count as “food”.

A diet journal isn’t meant to make you feel bad about yourself; its sole purpose is to help you see how much you eat and/or how little physical activity you get so you can see what changes you need to make to lose weight. This will also help you gradually reduce your calories because you can see where you can reduce calories.

The good news is that you don’t have to keep a diet journal forever. Once these easy steps to weight loss become second nature for you, you can tuck that journal away someplace and come back to it only if and when you feel it necessary to do so.

Eat Out Less

According to a 2011 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 35% of calorie intake in the United States comes from restaurants foods. This statistic shouldn’t be that surprising considering the growing number of obese children and adults in the United States, which is why losing weight the right way requires that you eat out much less than you do now.

Surprisingly it isn’t just what you eat at restaurants that could be causing weight gain and preventing weight loss; it is also portion sizes and inaccurate calorie counts. If you’re eating out more than 2 or 3 times per month then it will be near impossible to get an accurate count of your calorie intake, because the same 2011 study found that some restaurant foods often over or underestimate the calorie count.

This was particularly true for foods that have low calorie counts because these calories were underestimated. By limiting your restaurant food intake, you can lower your calorie count, fat intake and lose weight the right way.

TIP: If you get a craving for your favorite restaurant dish, make a few food substitutions and cook it at home!

Forget “Exercise” & Get Active!

Rather than thinking of exercise as something that must be endured to lose weight the right way, think of it as getting more active. Getting active to burn additional calories doesn’t always mean lifting weights or wearing yoga pants; it just means being more active!

{Outdoor activities that require you to move around can help boost fat burning.}

You can start simple by taking the stairs more frequently or walking more rather than driving. Find ways to get more activity into your day so that you get used to a physically active lifestyle and this will make it much easier for you to begin a traditional exercise program.

The good news is that you can do sports, go hiking or take a long walk through a scenic part of town in order to burn calories. Forget what you think is the only way to lose weight, a more active lifestyle will help you burn more calories, especially when combined with eating fewer calories.

Hydrate

At the risk of sounding like a broken record (because broken CD’s don’t play!) losing weight the right way requires you to drink more water. Not only does water provide a wealth of health benefits, it also can help you eat less calories because it fills you up. A glass of water before a meal can help you eat as much as 150 calories less than normal.

Why else should you drink more water? Well because water is a zero calorie beverage unlike soda, artificially flavored juices and sugary coffee drinks, you get to hydrate your body without all the excess calories. Replace a few of your non-water beverages throughout the day with water if your goal is to lose weight the right way.

Eat In Peace

Distracted eating is as dangerous to your weight loss efforts as distracted driving is to your life. Drop your normal routine of eating dinner in front of the television and sit down at the table so you can focus on your food. Put on some background music but turn the TV off for the 30 minutes it takes you to finish your meal.

{Take your dinner to the backyard so you can eat in peace!}

When you eat in front of the television you’re not conscious of how much you’re eating. By focusing on your plate you can take time to chew and listen to your body when it tells you that your hunger has been satisfied. This is another easy step to reduce your calorie intake.

Besides cut out TV time with dinner, and catch up on your favorite shows while you exercise!

The hardest part of losing weight the right way is reducing you calories, but intermittent fasting may be just what you need to give your fat loss a boost. Learn more about intermittent fasting for weight loss by reading our review of Eat Stop Eat.

Heart disease is known as the silent killer, taking the lives of over 600,000 Americans per year. These statistics are typical throughout the western world, with countries such as the United Kingdom, France and Australia all seeing large increases in the rate of death from the so-called ‘diseases of affluence’: cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, due to the sedentary lifestyles that are led in those countries.

{Spice up your morning oatmeal with berries & nuts for good heart health!}

Heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, is caused by the buildup of fatty deposits along the inside walls of your arteries. These fatty deposits restrict the flow of blood through your arteries to your heart, and when the heart doesn’t get enough oxygen due to a lack of blood, a heart attack can occur.

It is high cholesterol levels in your blood that causes these fatty deposits to build up inside the walls of your arteries. And that is why if you are overweight one of the things that you must make a priority is learning how to lower your cholesterol in a safe and natural manner.

First of all, start exercising. Get your body moving. If you have high cholesterol levels, then you are probably overweight and/or have elevated sugar levels in your blood. And the amazing thing is that exercise can be used to treat all of these conditions.

Now, if you are seriously overweight, you are going to have to ease into this and follow your doctor’s recommendations regarding any restrictions to your activity level, as well as following your doctor’s suggestions regarding any medications to control your cholesterol.. However, if there are no restrictions, then there are two types of exercises to perform…strength training to build muscle and cardiovascular exercise to build your aerobic conditioning.

And by far the most important of the two types of exercises for fat loss, lowering your weight and lowering your cholesterol is…strength training!

This probably wasn’t the answer that you were expecting, so let me explain to you why this is the case.

Most people are under the misguided notion that the way to lose fat is just to cardio exercise after cardio exercise. But your body will adapt to this. This is why you see the same people at the gym on the treadmill day after day not getting any results.

To get the results you want…to build muscle, lower your weight, burn fat and lower your cholesterol, you must turn your body into a more effective fat burning machine. And the only way to do this is to add muscle to your frame.

Now, this is not what most women want to hear. What they were hoping I’d say is that 30 minutes on the treadmill while they are talking to their friends is enough.

Sorry, ladies, but you are just wasting your time.

But at the same time, I am not saying that you need to become an Olympic power lifter either. What I am referring to is about 90 minutes worth of strength training a week, which would be encapsulated into three 20-30 minute routines of body weight and resistance band exercises that could be done from home.

And the best part about using a set of resistance bands is that you can bring the gym with you anywhere, on vacation, to the office, wherever. They are a versatile piece of fitness equipment and owning a pair will allow you to save a small fortune on gym memberships.

{Resistance bands can help you lower your cholesterol and weight in a healthy natural way.}

And even though I emphasize the strength training, I do not wish to neglect getting in a proper cardio workout. If you are going to do your strength training three days a week, you should aim for three days a week of some form of aerobic activity. Which one is the best in my opinion?

Walking. Anyone can do it, you can do it anywhere, you need no special equipment and you don’t need a gym. Shoot for at least 30 minutes walking at a 4mph pace to cover 2 miles, and then, as you start to build your endurance as well as lose some weight, you can mix in some light jogging to increase the intensity of your workouts.

But apart from the physical changes you can make to lower your cholesterol, there are several other steps that you can take as well by improving the foods you eat…

• Eliminate any food with ‘partially hydrogenated’ anything in the nutrition facts label. These are the so-called ‘trans fats’ that are simply awful for you.
• Limit your sugar intake…this will help you lower your cholesterol and lose weight.
• Start to add more fibrous foods to your plate. One of the best things to do would be to eat a high fiber meal for breakfast. This way it will fill you up, you won’t eat as much throughout the day, you’ll lose weight and lower your cholesterol.One awesome recipe I could give you would be to take a package of Quaker Oats High Fiber Cinnamon Swirl Oatmealand add one tablespoon of all-natural peanut butter to it [watch and make sure it’s all-natural. A lot of peanut butter brands, such as Skippy’s, contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oil…the trans fats that I warned you about above]. Add ½ cup of water and microwave for about 2 minutes. When it comes out, add a handful of blueberries and a handful of almonds to the oatmeal.You are left with a great breakfast that is easy to make, quick to eat and contains unbelievable benefits for your health. Try it once and it will be a staple for life.
• Start eating smaller meals more frequently. This has been called the grazing diet but studies have shown that by eating smaller, more frequent meals you can lower your cholesterol and sugar levels more than someone who eats the same exact amount of food a day but eats it in three square meals daily. How we eat is as important as what we eat.

These are just a few of the tips that you can use to lower your cholesterol naturally, and reach the point where you no longer need to take a statin drug any longer.

About The Author:
Tony Rovere regained his health, strength and vitality by losing 60 pounds and managing to keep it off for over 4 years.

This is why he created Health-and-weight-loss-tips.com, where he shares his passion for health and fitness with others so that they can accomplish the same goals that he has achieved.

Exercising is an essential part of fat loss and there is just no way around that. But it can become overwhelming to figure out what type of workout to do and how frequently to do it, especially with so much information available. You know there needs to be strength training as well as cardio exercise, but which takes precedence and which one should be done more frequently?

{Don’t shy away from strength training exercises; they help you tone and burn!}

The key to finding and sticking to a fat loss program is to find the right workout schedule that will produce weight loss success. Keep reading to create a workout schedule for your weight loss!

Fat Loss Goals

Creating a workout schedule is about losing fat but it isn’t about obsessing over numbers on a scale. Reducing your overall body fat is the main goal and you might not like the results if your only gauge is your weight. A proper workout schedule should include both strength training and cardio, which means that you will build lean muscle and that can sometimes register as weight gain.

Keep this in mind as you create a workout schedule that works for you.

Strength Training & Cardio Exercise

When you sit down to create a workout schedule for weight loss you have to make sure you factor in time for strength training as well as cardio exercise. Exercise is an integral part of successful weight loss as well as reducing the risk of weight related illnesses, according to an October 2010 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It is important that you get both types of exercise because while strength training does build muscle and burn calories, cardio is a more efficient way to burn calories.

When it comes to creating a workout schedule for weight loss success it will be up to you to decide how you divide up your workouts. One way to set up your schedule includes alternating between cardio and strength training, factoring in at least 1 day of rest to allow your muscles to recuperate.

{Get creative with cardio options so your workout schedule doesn’t get boring.}

Workout Calendar

Create a workout schedule and place it on a calendar so you remember what your workout goals are each day, but also so that you don’t allow yourself to “forget” about your workouts. A calendar is particularly helpful so you can keep track of each exercise in that day’s workout regimen. Similar to a diet journal, a workout calendar will help you adhere to your workout schedule by holding you accountable for your fat loss.

Fat Loss & Muscle Building Schedule

Day One: Legs & Shoulders

Day Two: Yoga or Day Off

Day Three: Cardio & Abdominals

Day Four: Triceps & Chest

Day Five: Day Off or Pilates

Day Six: Biceps & Back training

Day Seven: 40 minute jog or brisk walk

Remember as you progress in your workout schedule you can stick to the same schedule but you will have to increase the intensity in order to keep seeing results. This also means that you should start at a level that allows you to build up the intensity. Don’t start with weights that are too heavy for your current ability and don’t try to run yourself into cardiac arrest. But don’t also allow yourself to give up too easily; just be realistic about your abilities so that you can see fat loss results each week.

If you prefer a workout without weights, consider this workout schedule;

Day One: Circuit Training & Abs

Day Two: Full Body Workout

Day Three: Day Off

Day Four: Circuit Training & Abs

Day Five: Full Body Workout

Day Six: Day Off

Day Seven: Circuit Training & Abs

You can also switch up some circuit training days with other physical activities like a tennis, hiking, basketball or swimming. This allows you to keep your workouts interesting without changing your workout schedule. The more physical activity you add into each week, the fewer traditional workouts you have to do, but you should always make time for strength training.

Workout Time

In the early stages of your exercise regimen you should aim for 30 to 40 minutes of exercise plus an additional 10 minutes of cool down and stretching. If you can’t make time to do the entire workout at once, then split it up into 2 parts because the most important thing is that you stick to the workout schedule.

As you get fitter you will want to increase your workout times as well as your intensity in order to get the same fat loss benefits. If you stick with the same level of intensity for too long, you will start to notice that you aren’t seeing the same results that you saw in the beginning. If you don’t feel as tired after your workout as you used to, that could be in indicator that its time to give your workout a boost.

Create Your Workout Schedule

Now that you have an idea of what a workout schedule for weight loss should look like, you can start to add your own exercises into the schedule. Just make sure that you’re targeting all the important muscle groups including the shoulders, back, abs, thighs, biceps & triceps and chest. Mix up the types of arm exercises or thigh exercises or any other type of exercises you add to your workout routine; this will keep you and your muscles interested in your workout each day.

{This Insanity Workout calendar provides a great model for a good workout schedule.}

Figure out what, if any, exercise equipment that you will need to help you stick to your workout schedule. Whether its dumbbells or resistance bands, make sure you’re prepared to implement your workout schedule. If you need to get a gym membership or go get specific exercise equipment make a list once your workout schedule is complete so you have everything you need to get started.

Always keep water and a towel handy throughout your workout sessions and choose workout gear that is comfortable and allows you to perform your exercises properly.

Successful weight loss requires sticking to your workout schedule as well as eating healthy. Now that you’re prepared to put your workout schedule into action, all you need to do is find a way to eat for weight loss. Read our review of Eat Stop Eat to find out why intermittent fasting may be more effective for weight loss than everyday calorie restrictions.

You know how you should lose weight; eat less and workout more. However sometimes you need the pounds to come off a little faster than healthy weight loss dictates. The question then becomes, what can you do to lose weight fast without compromising your health?

{For fast weight loss, give up alcohol…at least for awhile.}

There are simple things you can do that might help you lose a few extra pounds within just a few weeks. Keep in mind though that these tips are not meant for long term weight loss. But if you need fast weight loss, keep reading for tips to help you lose weight fast!

Give Up Booze

When you need to lose weight fast one of the first things you should give up are the empty calories found in alcohol. As much as you may like to unwind after work with a glass of wine, the truth is that drinking can impede your ability to burn fat, protein or carbohydrates as fuel. So instead those things get stored, which generally leads to weight gain, not weight loss.

Besides storing fat, the other problem with drinking when you need fast weight loss is those high calorie sugar-filled mixers. These are just more empty calories that contribute to weight gain without providing you with any nutrients.

Exercise More

If your goal is to lose weight, exercise more is always good advice. This is especially good advice if you need to lose weight fast. Instead of taking up a very low calorie diet to achieve fast weight loss, increase the time and/or intensity of your exercise regimen. Exercise burns calories and the more calories you can burn the more successful you will be at losing weight.

{Need to lose weight fast, get out and get climbing!}

For fast weight loss your goal should be activities that burn a lot of calories, preferably in an hour. Running and bicycling are excellent calorie burning activities, but if you’re looking for a change of scenery consider alternative activities like playing handball, swimming, rowing or even handball. These are activities that help you burn as much as 1,000 calories per hour, which can help you lose weight fast.

Drink Green Tea

It’s no secret that a green tea regimen can help with weight loss efforts. Green tea is a zero calorie drink and it has been known to increase your metabolism for greater fat burning. In fact a 2008 study published in Physiology & Behavior concluded that green tea is effective in reducing body weight because not only does it oxidize fat but it also increases your energy expenditure, i.e. fat burning.

Trade your daily cups of coffee for green tea to boost fast weight loss. Green tea isn’t a miracle weight loss cure that will help you burn thousands of additional calories, but it will give you the boost you need to lose weight fast. Additionally, the other benefits associated with drinking green tea include improving overall health as well as heart health, not to mention reducing blood pressure and bad cholesterol. All of these benefits can make fast weight loss much easier.

Fruits & Veggies

To give your fast weight loss efforts a boost, you need foods that help your body burn more calories such as foods high in fiber like apples, cucumbers and celery just to name a few. Adding fruit and vegetables to your diet is a great way to make sure that every single calorie counts for something.

What’s more is that fruits and vegetables are packed with water, another essential for weight loss that we’ll get to shortly. Because produce is so water-filled, you can satisfy your hunger with a lot less calories than greasy burgers and fries. Don’t take my word for it; check out the calories in apricots, grapes, spinach and watermelon.

Get creative with salads, vegetable casseroles and even grilled vegetable sandwiches to help you lose weight fast without sacrificing good health.                          

Breakfast Is Your Friend

As tired as you may be of hearing just how important breakfast is to a healthy mind and body, I’m going to say it again. BREAKFAST IS IMPORTANT. Not only does it help improve your brain function throughout the day, but eating breakfast helps you regulate your diet throughout the day.

When you eat breakfast you reduce your chance of mid-morning cravings, which inevitably leads to a trip to the vending machine for chips, cookies or cupcakes. These foods don’t satisfy your appetite; all they do is fill your body with calories making sure you’re hungry a few hours later and consuming even more calories.

{Breakfast is the most important meal for a reason…}

It doesn’t matter how busy you are, get up 15 minutes earlier than you regularly do and make time for breakfast. You don’t need a big weekend breakfast of pancakes or waffles; all you need is a bowl of oatmeal and fruit salad, toast & eggs or cold cereal. Just make sure you have something that’s healthy for breakfast.

Bringing lunch to work with you isn’t a bad idea either for fast weight loss.

Drink More Water

Water is a beautiful thing, ya know. It has no calories or fat, it helps flush out your body and it quenches thirst, and that’s just for starters. For fast weight loss you need to make sure you’re drinking more water.

Drink a glass of water before each meal to help you eat less calories, which will help you lose weight if you’re exercising more (see above). What else? Drinking more water will eliminate a common mistake we all make; mistaking thirst for hunger. If you’re giving your body the water that it needs to perform basic functions then it will be easier for you to recognize the signs of hunger when they occur.

Drinking more water will help you eat less, which will help you lose weight fast.

These are just some of the things you should do to help you lose weight fast. In fact these are the healthy ways to facilitate fast weight loss, which should always be your goal. If you feel exhausted all the time then you’re weight loss efforts are unhealthy.

Give your fast weight loss a boost with intermittent fasting. It can help you stop craving foods heavy in calories, salt and sugar. Get more information on intermittent fasting by reading our Eat Stop Eat review.

So much about weight loss is about calories. Counting calories you eat and drink, counting calories you burn through exercise and even counting calories burned at rest. Unfortunately if your workout of choice isn’t a treadmill or elliptical machine you have no idea how many calories you’re burning as you sweat it out at the gym.

{Who would’ve thought gardening as a calorie burning activity?}

Wouldn’t it be great if you could at least have an idea of how many calories you burn when you exercise, play a sport or even do basic activities around the house? Keep reading to find out how many calories you burn everyday!

General Activities

When most of us think about burning calories we only think about the calories burned when we lift weights or strap on our running shoes, the truth is that you burn calories doing plenty of other things as well. Because you’re burning additional calories doesn’t mean you should work out less, it just means that you should consider these activities if you’re legitimately finding it difficult to make time for a full-fledged workout.

Keep in mind that the number of calories you burn during exercise and other physical activities will vary based on your current weight. But regardless of your weight, an increase in physical activity is a great way to reduce your risk of obesity and heart disease according to a 2009 study in Clinical Cardiology.

Cleaning house can cause you to work up quite a sweat yet we very rarely think of cleaning and dusting as a physical activity. The truth though is that 1 hour of dusting can burn 204 calories for a 180-pound person. Cleaning up around the house can burn as few as 207 calories per hour for a 130lb. person and up to 326 calories per hour for a 205lb. person.

Think about some of the most dreaded household activities like shoveling snow and raking leaves, these are quite the calorie burners. One hour of shoveling snow by hand can burn 490 calories and raking leaves for 1 hour burns 351 calories. If you hate mowing your lawn each week, I can give you 512 reasons to spend an hour getting the grass pretty!

Other activities around the house that are calorie burners include:

• Bagging grass & leaves – 327 calories per hour.
• Gardening – 372 calories per hour.
• Watering lawn – 123 calories per hour.
• Carrying groceries, laundry and other heavy loads – 654 calories per hour.

Exercising

It’s no surprise that you can burn a great deal of calories by exercising. Whether you choose to perform cardio or strength training exercises, you can burn more calories the longer and harder you push yourself. This doesn’t mean push yourself to the point of injury just that you shouldn’t quit when you start feeling the burn. The burn is when the fat is melting and the muscles are growing.

Running: Running is perhaps one of the best calorie burning exercises that you can perform. If you’re just starting to get physically active you should start slow to avoid injuries. If you run a 12 minute mile then you can burn 654 calories per hour of running. A faster pace of about 8 miles per hour can help you burn 1,163 calories in 1 hour. Cross country running can burn more than 800 calories per hour. Perhaps the best calorie burner of all for runners of any level is running up stairs, which burns more than 1,200 calories per hour.

Swimming: Swimming is yet another amazing calorie burner. If you want burn more calories when you hit the pool, switch up your stroke. The butterfly stroke is the hands-down calorie burning star, burning more than 1,000 calories per hour in the pool. Freestyle swimming can help you create a calorie deficit as well; a fast stroke can burn 817 calories per hour and a slow stroke can burn 651 calories per hour.

Weights: Lifting is an essential part of losing weight and building muscle; it’s what gives you the toned and sculpted look that highlights your weight loss. A light workout of weight lifting can burn as little as 177 calories and as much as 279 calories per hour. A vigorous workout with heavier weights can burn 490 calories or more per hour!

{Build muscles and burn calories at the same time!}

Bodyweights: Bodyweight exercises like push ups, sit ups and lunges can also help you reach your calorie burning goals. Light bodyweight exercises, which means just a few sets can burn more than 300 calories per hour depending on your body weight. A vigorous workout however can burn in excess of 600 calories per hour. If you prefer circuit training, you can burn 745 calories per hour with minimal rest.

Sports

Playing sports is an effective way to burn calories but it keeps your workout interesting while working a wide range of muscles. And if you’re a competitive person, you won’t focus on quitting time no matter your current weight!

A few sports you may want to consider playing for an hour of calorie burning? Try these:

• Basketball – 745 calories per hour.
• Boxing – 1,117 calories per hour.
• Football – 735 calories per hour.
• Handball – 981 calories per hour.
• Martial Arts – 931 calories per hour.

Outdoor Activities

Getting physical activity in the great outdoors can be a refreshing and scenic way to burn your calories. Whether you like to skate or hike or climb mountains, it is important to know how many calories you burn when you get out and get moving!

Grab your backpack for an hour of hiking and you can burn more than 600 calories, but if you want to log some miles cross country hiking then you can burn between 350 and 560 calories per hour.

If zooming by on wheels makes your heart beat faster than strap on your roller blades because you can burn from 700 calories to more than 1,100 calories per hour. If you prefer more adventure with your calorie burning then get your equipment together for a little bit of rock climbing. Going up the rock can help you burn 900 calories per hour, whereas mountain climbing can give you a 745 calorie deficit after an hour of hard work.

So you see there are tons of ways you can choose to create a calorie deficit for weight loss. Now that you know how many calories you can burn in an hour, you can configure your diet to help you lose 1 pound each week. If you need help cutting calories find out if your weight loss goals can be helped by intermittent fasting. Read our review of Eat Stop Eat for more information!

Are you sick of hitting the gym for your traditional humdrum weights and cardio workout? Do you dread a workout that no longer challenges your muscles or your mind? If you answered yes to these questions then you may need to add a bodyweight exercise program to your regular workout regimen.

{The tuck jump will tone lots of muscles and help you work up a sweat!}

Bodyweight exercises are an effective way to infuse life into your exercise programs so you don’t give them up due to boredom. These exercises are also a great way to improve strength and tighten your body so keep reading to find out which bodyweight exercises you should be doing.

What Are Bodyweight Exercises?

Bodyweight exercises are considered strength training exercises, so you don’t have to worry that you won’t get in any muscle building and strength training. The difference between bodyweight exercises and traditional strength training exercises is that rather than free weights, your body is what is used to create resistance.

Just like with traditional strength training exercises, the results are found within the repetitions. It is in the repetitions where you see your muscles being sculpted into a beautiful shape that allows you to have the body you’ve worked so hard to gain.

Bodyweight exercises are also ideal because they make exercise accessible for those who would like to be proactive in weight loss and fitness but don’t have the money or time for expensive gym equipment or memberships. What’s more is that if you don’t quite feel comfortable exercising in front of a gym full of people, bodyweight exercises allow you to workout in the comfort of your home.

The more you progress in performing bodyweight exercises the greater your balance and flexibility will become, which will help improve your ability to be physically active.

Balance

To work your thigh and buttock muscles, do the one leg balance. This exercise is quite simple to perform, all you have to do is balance yourself on one leg for as long as you can. Be sure to inhale and exhale as you balance to stay still.

If you find that simply standing on one leg is too easy, you can turn this into a one leg squat, by dipping down and squeezing your inner thighs and buttocks to bring you body back up to standing position. Hold the balance for 30 seconds or perform 14-16 repetitions and then perform the same exercise on the other leg.

Wall Squats

Stand about 2 feet from a wall with your feet planted firmly on the ground, and your back against the wall. Slide your back down the wall until your knees are at a 90 degree angle and hold this position for as long as you can.

{The technique is the key to success with wall squats.}

Take slow deliberate breaths to allow yourself to hold this position longer. If you can no longer hold this position while also maintaining the proper form, then take a break and get back into this position and hold. This is a great conditioning exercise for running, skiing and tennis as well as a host of other sports.

Tuck Jump

The tuck jump is an exercise intended to help develop or improve explosive power. Before you perform this, or any other bodyweight exercises it is important to do a full warm up.

To perform the tuck jump begin with your feel shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. Squat down as is performing a squat and when you’re down, jump straight up bringing your knees to your chest in the air. Grab your knees (if you can) at the top of the jump.

Let go of your legs and control your landing to avoid injury. You should come down in the squat position, prepared to repeat this motion.

When you do tuck jumps do not perform them on concrete, instead find soft flat surfaces like a mat or the grass.

Reverse Crunch

If you’re sick of traditional crunches and sit ups then try the bodyweight exercise known as the reverse crunch. Not only will the reverse crunch strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles, according to a 2006 study published in the journal Physical Therapy, but it will also help you focus on balance.

To do the reverse crunch, lie on your back with hands out to the sides. Bend your knees and bring them towards your head, exhaling as you complete the movement. Your hips should lift slightly from the floor but make sure you don’t rock as this can lead to injuries. Hold the position for 1 to 3 seconds and repeat this move. Complete 10 to 15 repetitions, and as many as 3 sets.

Mountain Climbers

Some bodyweight exercises can be just as grueling as lifting a ton of weights or doing an hour on the treadmill. The mountain climber is one such body exercise. When performing this bodyweight exercise, maintaining the integrity of the movement is essential to avoid injury, especially to the back.

Starting position for the mountain climber bodyweight exercise is on your hands and knees in a sprinter’s position. Place your hands on the ground firmly and run in position for as long as you can. Keep your back straight throughout this exercise. If you have trouble with this, set a timer for 30 seconds and run in place until the timer buzzes and repeat several times.

Squat Thrusts

Squat thrusts are another bodyweight exercise that can improve explosive movements that many athletes rely upon.

Start squat thrusts with feet together in a standing position. Squat down and put your hands on the floor on the inside of your feet. Jump your feet backwards so you land in traditional push up position then jump your feet back near your hands and stand up. This is the full motion of the squat thrust, so starting and ending position is standing up with feet flat on floor.

{This bodyweight exercise targets a variety of muscles.}

Perform up to 3 sets of squat thrusts, and between 14 and 16 repetitions. If you can’t do more, slowly add more repetitions with each set until you can perform at least 14 reps.

Getting your body tight and toned so you can show off your hard work doesn’t have to mean lifting weights. Bodyweight exercises are sufficient to help you tone muscles and many of these exercises like mountain climbers and squat thrusts will also get your heart pumping.

If you can’t get in a full 30 to 45 minutes bodyweight exercise plan, break it up and perform them several times throughout the day until you have completed a proper bodyweight exercise regimen.

If you’re a do-it-yourself kind of dieter then you’ve probably been looking for a way to eat less sugary and salty foods. Read our review of Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat to see how intermittent fasting can help you lose weight more effectively.

Anyone who’s been on the roller coaster known as weight loss knows that it requires 2 things: a well balanced diet and regular physical activity. Most of us have a handle on one or the other; we eat properly and get very little physical activity or we work out regularly and have a poor diet.

{Even small weights can help boost your weight loss.}

The key is to get to a point where these two paths sync up and help you get to the finish line known as successful weight loss. For those of you who eat healthy but don’t get enough exercise or those of you who simply need a few more exercises to add to your workout regimen, keep reading for 7 exercises for weight loss!

Burning Calories

The point of exercising for weight loss is to create the calorie deficit that allows weight loss to occur. Certain exercises and physical activities are more effective calorie burners but the truth is that successful weight loss means finding exercises and activities that you are willing to do.

Find strength training and cardio that you enjoy and are willing to do regularly to lose weight.

Weight Lifting

So many dieters are terrified of lifting weights for fear that they will end up looking like a bodybuilder. It would be great if weight lifting could produce those kinds of results but the truth is that you’d need a good diet and a structured weight training program for that to happen.

Weight lifting is an effective exercise for weight loss because it helps you build muscle, which burns more calories than fat, according to the Mayo Clinic. Weight lifting will also help shape and tone your body so when those layers of fat are gone you’ll look the way you’ve always wanted.

You don’t need to lift 50-pound weights to have an effective weight loss program, you just need to do enough repetitions to burn fat and build muscle. What’s more is that even a light weight lifting workout for weight loss will burn about 250 calories per hour. For perspective consider that an intense weight lifting program will burn and additional 300 calories per hour!

Swimming

If you’re looking for an effective calorie burning exercise for weight loss that isn’t too hard on your body, consider swimming. Swimming is one of the best workout exercises for weight loss because it works nearly all the muscles in the body plus enhances your endurance and improves your heart health.

If you’ve just begun your weight loss efforts swimming is a good place to start because unlike running, it doesn’t place undue stress on your knees and ankles. Start a swimming workout for weight loss until your muscles are strong enough for a land-based workout.

The type of stroke you choose can be a determining factor in how many calories you burn during your workout. The butterfly stroke is the most effective calorie burner, burning more than 1,000 calories per hour!

Old School Aerobics

You didn’t read this subheading wrong, performing aerobics is a great way to burn calories and build muscle for weight loss. If you’re looking for an exercise that gives you a full body workout without the boredom then consider old school aerobics.

Your Jane Fonda spandex is optional, but seeing it through to the end is not! Whether you choose step aerobics or general aerobics you’ll get an intense workout for weight loss that you’ll feel the next day. One hour of general aerobics can help you burn more than 600 calories in an hour, which can help you produce that all important calorie deficit for weight loss.

{Aerobics classes are filled with men and women seeking to transform their bodies.}

Beginner dieters or older dieters may want to consider water aerobics which can produce the same benefits without putting so much pressure on certain bones and joints. Although water aerobics aren’t quite the calorie burner that general aerobics are, when combined with a well-balanced diet it can still be an exercise for weight loss.

Many gyms and recreation centers are offering old school style aerobics classes to get your heart pumping!

Running

It’s no secret that running is at the top of the list of effective workout exercises for weight loss. It improves your heart health, builds muscles and burns a massive amount of calories. Specifically running targets all the thigh muscles so you can thin out that problem area by pounding a little pavement.

When combined with a healthy low calorie diet, running alone can help you produce the calorie deficit you need to lose weight effectively. Whether you run a 12-minute mile or a 5 minute mile, running can burn from 930 calories per hour up to well over 1,600 calories per hour! Of course it will take some time, but the more often you run the more effective it will be as a calorie burning exercise for weight loss.

Cycling

If you hate hopping on a stationary bike and going nowhere then dust off your old bike and strap on a helmet because cycling is a great exercise for weight loss. Being outside in the fresh air isn’t just an ideal way to boost your mood; it’s an incredible calorie burner. Moderate bicycling, which is about 12 to 14 miles per hour can burn 745 calories per hour—more than enough to help you lose 1 pound per week.

If you think you don’t have time to get in one hour of cycling each day then find creative ways to make sure you have time. If possible ride your bicycle to and from work or to the grocery store to pick up just a few items. Run your errands using your bicycle and place a carrying basket on the front or back if you need to pick up items.

The point is that cycling is an amazing exercise for weight loss and if you’re serious about weight loss you will make time for the calorie burning boost you get from bicycling.

Rollerblading

Although the 90’s are over it is still cool to rollerblade, especially if you need to give your fat loss effort a boost. Strap on your in-line skates and safety gear and get ready to build up leg and core muscles while you burn plenty of calories. One hour of rollerblading can burn more than 1,100 calories!

{Grab a friend and do this fun activity to burn calories!}

The way that rollerblades are made requires good balance, which is why your inner thighs and abdominal muscles also receive a great workout in addition to the fat burning. What’s more, rollerblading uses your bodyweight as resistance which helps you improve your bone strength. Just like cycling, rollerblading lets you get a peek at ever-changing scenery so you never get bored with your exercises for weight loss.

Play Sports

If traditional exercises bore you and lead you to give up after a few days or even a few weeks, then consider sports as an alternative exercise for weight loss. Sports keep you interested in the activity and they’re competitive so you’re not watching the clock waiting for your hour of exercise to be over.

Sports like soccer, water polo, martial arts, paddleball and rugby all burn more than 900 calories per hour. By reducing your calorie intake and playing any (or all) of these sports 3 days each week, you can still create a 3,500 calorie deficit so you can lose weight.

Now that you know what you need to do to help boost fat burning, its time to get your diet under control. Read our review of Eat Stop Eat to learn how intermittent fasting can help you control your diet.

People always say that laughter is the best medicine, but medicine for what exactly? As it turns out laughter is the best medicine to keep your heart and body healthy, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

{These 2 funny guys laughed themselves thin…with the right diet too, of course!}

It’s not just laughter that makes you healthy but it’s what laughing means that’s so compelling. Keep reading to find out how laughter can improve your health and your finances!

Stress & Weight Gain

It’s no secret how stress can negatively impact your ability to lose weight and can in fact lead to weight gain. When we feel stressed out we tend to make decisions based on instant gratification—whatever will alleviate the stress NOW is what we do, regardless of how it impacts our ability to lose weight.

The behaviors we exhibit when stressed are more responsible for weight gain than any physiological factors. Whether it’s poor food choices or making the decision to skip a workout, these are the actions that can contribute to weight gain and sabotage your weight loss efforts.

Unfortunately it isn’t just the numbers on the scale that increase with stress; it’s also the numbers in your bank account. According to the same study in the American Journal of Health Promotion, the subjects who practiced Transcendental Meditation had lower health care bills than the subjects who did not use meditation to deal with stress.

Fewer visits to the doctor means an overall healthy you, and more money in your pocket means more money to spend on clothes to match your thinner, less stressed body!

Identifying Stress

One of the keys to dealing with stress so that it doesn’t affect your ability to lose weight, is recognizing the symptoms of stress when they arise. By recognizing the symptoms you’re in a better position to cope with stress in a healthy way.

Some of the symptoms of stress can be confused with other symptoms so it is up to you to identify which of these you feel when you’re stressed;

• Anxiety
• Headache
• Irritability
• Anger
• Change in sex drive
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Overeating
• Inability to focus
• Lack of motivation
• Sadness
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Under-eating

These are just some of symptoms, which can also be found in a host of other health problems. But by identifying which of these behaviors you exhibit when stressed can help you figure out how to deal with the inevitable stressors in life.

One of the best ways to cope with stress isn’t to vegetate in front of the television, it is to actually get up and get moving about! Take a run in the park, spend an hour boxing or hop in the pool for an hour of laps. In fact exercising the stress away is a great way to stay in shape while you alleviate stress.

Happiness & Weight Loss

Just like stress can have a negative impact on your weight, being happy can have a very positive impact. You see when you’re happy you feel more motivated to accomplish goals, like weight loss goals, which can help you achieve those goals.

Unlike stress, which sucks the motivation out of you and makes you sad, happiness gives you a sense of hope that you can do the impossible. When you feel like you can do what needs to be done to lose weight, you can do it.

{Ever notice how you forget what’s bothering you when you’re laughing?}

This doesn’t mean that you need to walk around smiling weirdly like you’re on happy pills; it just means that you need to develop a happier attitude about life in general and weight loss specifically. When we’re stressed we tend to bottle up those negative emotions and let them fester rather than do things to tackle that stress. When you’re happy you’re less likely to sit in front of the television depressed about your inability to lose weight or find a job or land the perfect mate.

Feeling happy makes you want to go out and try to make those things happen for you, which usually has the consequence of helping you lose weight, get the job and land the guy or girl of your dreams!

Laughter for Fat Loss?

Does being happy mean that the very act of laughing can help you lose weight? Well the science is still out on this specific fact, but what we do know is that a good sense of humor and a positive outlook can positively affect your weight loss efforts. Just think about how you felt after a good bout of laughter.

Your muscles stretch, you breathe faster and your blood pressure goes up which gives you the same sensation as a mild workout, only slightly more fun. And what’s best of all according to Maciej Buchowski from Vanderbilt University, 10 to 15 minutes of laughter can burn as many as 50 calories. It isn’t a massive amount of calories, but the effects of laughter mimic those of exercise which we know improves heart health and reduces the risk of heart disease.

Whether or not laughter can actually help you drop a pound, it does have many positive attributes that make it ideal for weight loss. You feel better when you laugh, which makes you feel better about the things you don’t like about yourself like your weight. The more you take a positive attitude about your weight loss the more likely you are to achieve your weight loss goals.

What It Means

Simply being happy and having a positive attitude isn’t a guaranteed path to quick and easy weight loss, but it does give you a greater chance of success. Having a positive attitude makes goals seem more attainable, which makes you likelier to stick to your healthy eating plan and weight loss regimen.

Sometimes you just need help controlling your appetite during stressful situations and intermittent fasting can help. Read our Eat Stop Eat review to find out how intermittent fasting can help you stop over-eating.

Starting a new exercise regimen can be daunting and scary. Becoming physically active after a long period of being sedentary can make exercise difficult, and sometimes demoralizing. Unfortunately exercise is a tried and true way to help you burn calories for weight loss.

{Swimming is a great calorie burner and muscle toner!}

Figuring out what kinds of weight loss exercises you should be doing boils down to 2 factors;

1. How many calories are you burning, and;
2. Whether or not you enjoy the exercise.

Keep reading to find out the 6 weight loss exercises that can help you lose weight.

Running – Calories burned in 1 hour: 745

Whether you do it outside in the park or on a treadmill at the gym, the calorie burning strength of running cannot be understated. If you ran for 1 hour just 5 days a week, at approximately 5 miles per hour, you would burn 3,725 calories which is just over 1 pound lost per week!

In addition to burning a significant amount of calories, running is a weight loss exercise you should be doing because of the many health benefits associated with running. According to an article published by Vanderbilt University Psychology Department, running can lower blood pressure, expand lung capacity and improve heart health to prevent heart attacks and heart disease.

Keep in mind however that as effective as running is as a weight loss exercise, it may take some time for you to burn the full 745 calories per hour. If you haven’t worked out in awhile or if you have a lot of weight to lose, you will have to build up to a full hour of running.

Racquetball – Calories burned in 1 hour: 931

Regardless how you feel about the game of racquetball it is a great weight loss exercise that doesn’t necessarily feel like exercise. The competitive nature of racquetball lets you focus on winning rather than finishing, which is a great way to keep you interested in regular physical activity.

The reason racquetball made the list of weight loss exercises you should be doing is that in addition to being a calorie burner it is a great lower body workout that tones the thighs, legs, butt and lower abdominal muscles. Because you’re running side to side and swinging a racquet, you get a well rounded workout that will help you work up a sweat.

The other thing that’s great about racquetball for weight loss? You get to hang out with a friend while beating them at racquetball!

Freestyle Swimming – Calories burned in 1 hour: 817

In summer or in winter swimming is one of the best weight loss exercises you should be doing. Swimming works all the muscles, improves lung capacity and is a relaxing way to burn a few hundred calories. Freestyle swimming is something that all capable swimmers can do, as it is the method most of us use when learning to swim.

The good news is that seasoned swimmers can burn even more calories by swimming the butterfly stroke for 1 hour. This method burns more than 1,000 calories per hour but may be too vigorous for you if you’re just becoming physically active again. However swimming is a great weight loss exercise for those not yet ready for impact aerobics like running, and a 2006 study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness indicated no difference in the effect of aerobic exercises in the water or on land.

Boxing/Sparring – Calories burned in 1 hour: 838

Getting in the ring with a buddy for an hour of sparring is another weight loss exercise that you should be doing. Although an hour of actual boxing burns more than 1,100 calories, many exercise newbies may find this method of exercise too intense.

Nevertheless, sparring with a partner is a great way to burn calories while improving your response time and coordination. Getting in the ring to spar means not getting hit is a great motivation to keep moving!

The movements associated with boxing; footwork, punching, ducking and breathing can help tone a wide range of upper and lower body muscles. So next time you’re looking for a fun weight loss exercise you can do with a buddy, book an hour at your nearest boxing gym!

Rock Climbing – Calories burned in 1 hour: 1,024

Even if you think that rock climbing is a weight loss exercise that’s too adventurous for you, think again because many gyms and recreation centers offer indoor rock climbing so you can learn before hitting the great outdoors.

Sign up for a few rock climbing lessons and you can burn more than 1,000 in the first hour! In addition to being an amazing calorie burner, rock climbing helps tone arms, legs, butt and core since you’ll need all these muscles to keep you on the rock and not on the ground. Balance and concentration are key when rock climbing so you’ll become a better athlete and problem solver by rock climbing.

Jumping Rope – Calories burned in 1 hour: 981

Jumping rope is a weight loss exercise you should be doing at home because it’s so simple and requires inexpensive  exercise equipment. One hour of fast rope jumping can burn close to 1,000 calories which puts you well within reach of losing a one pound per week until you reach your weight loss goal.

If you don’t like going to the gym or simply don’t have time, purchase a rope at a sporting goods store and get your workout in the backyard or basement. This perhaps the easiest of the weight loss exercises you should be doing, and it doesn’t require anything but a good pair of sneakers and a rope.

It is important to mention that these calorie burning weight loss exercises are but one part of an exercise program for weight loss. Strength training should also be a part of your workout routine to boost your resting metabolism and tone muscles. The good news about this is that weight lifting and basic calisthenics are also great calorie burners, so no matter what you do you’ll always be working towards your weight loss goals.

Tired of counting every calorie in your favorite sweet snack? Read our review of Eat Stop Eat to see if intermittent fasting can help you reduce your sugar intake.

We all have our own reasons for wanting to lose weight; looking better, feeling better or simply just being healthier. So when Hollywood funny man Jonah Hill shed an impressive 30 pounds for a new role, it proved that all those tabloid magazines were right; celebs really are just like us!

{Committing to weight loss can help you achieve these results too!}

It turns out that work is another good reason to get rid of excess fat. But I was curious, as I’m sure many of you were, how Hill was able to shed so much weight and keep it off. Keep reading to find out what I dug up in my quest for more weight loss info!

Weight Loss Goal

Shortly after being cast to star in an action packed film re-boot of the famed ’21 Jump Street’ television show, Jonah Hill began his weight loss plan by setting a weight loss goal. He reportedly set a weight loss goal of 30 pounds to get him in the shape needed to work alongside super fit co-star Channing Tatum.

Because the film role is so physically demanding, Hill set about getting to work on his weight loss goal…on his own.

This is perhaps what is most inspiring about Jonah Hill’s weight loss because we just take for granted that celebrity weight loss is easier than it is for us mere mortals. But setting your own weight loss goals rather than having a celebrity personal trainer do it for you puts you in charge of your own weight loss.

Setbacks

Another aspect of Jonah Hill’s weight loss that we can all take something positive from is getting back on track after weight loss setbacks. These setbacks are inevitable, not because we’re gluttonous beings who can’t exercise self control, but because changing eating habits and becoming more physically active after years (or decades in Hill’s case) of in activity is difficult.

After reportedly gaining weight during the early stages of his weight loss program, Hill asked for help from a nutritionist and a personal trainer. While these tools may be out of your price range, you should take this from the Jonah Hill weight loss story; if you can’t do it on your own as for help!

You may not have the money to have someone preparing meals for you and designing workout programs designed especially for you, but you can use sources like TFLA’s calorie page and healthy recipes to help you adopt a healthier diet.

Change Your Mindset

Personally my favorite part of the Jonah Hill weight loss story is his reaction to eating junk food after adopting a healthier diet. My friends constantly think I’m strange or full of it when I say that eating fast food, for example, is no longer something I enjoy. But Hill told the Los Angeles Times this;

“If I eat something unhealthy now, I kind of feel a little weird and my body hurts.”

This is an essential part of weight loss that can make all the difference in the world. When you adopt a healthy diet for weight loss, that means eating fruits, vegetables, lean proteins like fish, whole grains and low fat dairy products, your body gets used to nutrient-rich foods without a lot of fat, cholesterol and sodium.

Why is this good for weight loss? Well for starters if you take a significant amount of time away from overly processed fast foods, when you finally do go back to your beloved junk food, they won’t taste quite as good as you remember.

{Getting slim means adopting a proper diet.}

But like Hill on his weight loss quest, you can’t go back to deep fried mozzarella sticks during week 2 of your weight loss program. Jonah Hill has credited his weight loss to properly learning how to make healthier food choices before going back to his old high fat and sugary favorites.

Making the Choice

Although Jonah Hill’s weight loss was prompted by a million-dollar movie deal, he does concede that “being healthier” is something he’s always wanted to do and his role in ’21 Jump Street’ prompted him to finally do it.

You may not have a million dollar deal in the works to motivate you to lose weight, but according to a 2008 study losing weight can affect your salary as well as promotions at work. This study found that obese candidates were viewed as less qualified for leadership rolls and often received a lower starting salary than those within a healthy weight range.

Although you should lose weight for yourself and no one else, it is important to note that society’s view of overweight people can have an impact on you, just as it did on Jonah Hill. Since his weight loss, Jonah has signed on to do much more than play the chubby funny sidekick in films as evidenced in his new film, ‘Moneyball’ and has recently signed on to star in yet another action film, this time with Mark Wahlberg!

Weight Loss Lessons

If you take one thing away from Jonah Hill’s weight loss quest, take away the only tried and true method of weight loss: healthy diet & physical activity.

Just because he has a little bit of money doesn’t change that Hill had to eat healthier and exercise regularly in order to maintain his newly svelte physique. Forget the weight loss gimmicks out there because there are no short cuts to weight loss.

However because you are not pressed for time in your weight loss efforts you can take a slightly different approach to losing weight. Create your own fat loss goals and rather than trying to do a complete overhaul of your current lifestyle overnight, make small changes each week until you get more activity and eat healthier.

If traditional exercise is something you loathe, then start with something you do enjoy. Jonah Hill famously began his weight loss efforts with trips to Runyon Canyon in Hollywood, and you should choose something that isn’t beyond your capabilities. If you haven’t worked out in the past year, start with a low impact exercise like walking or bicycling.

Increase the difficulty of your activity when you feel ready for long term weight loss success. As Jonah Hill’s weight loss story shows, a little motivation and the right mindset do a lot for your weight loss success.

If cutting back on soda and sugar is something you continue to struggle with, read our Eat Stop Eat review to find out how intermittent fasting can help!

It’s no secret what you have to do to lose weight; eat less and exercise more. But what do you do when you need a tougher workout in order to continue your weight loss progress? There’s a simple answer actually; find a more efficient way to burn a lot of calories!

{Running, jumping and winning; a great way to lose weight!}

Forget spending endless hours in the gym in front of a mirror trying to burn calories by lifting weights and running on a treadmill—although those are totally effective too—and get competitive. Sports provide you with a more exciting and challenging way to burn more calories.

Keep reading to find out which sports you need to do to burn more calories!

Why Sports?

Sports are a great way to burn more calories because of their competitive nature. When you’re competing you work harder to win and you’re not watching the clock to make sure you’ve put in your 45 minutes of cardio.

Because there is a goal to competitive sports, more than just finishing them, you are more likely to engage in these activities. These sports will help you burn more calories, which can help you reduce your risk of weight related illnesses like heart disease and chronic health problems. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute recommend weight loss of 10% to see a decline in risk of obesity related illnesses, but some studies indicate results with just a 4% to 5% decrease in overall body weight.

Basketball Game

Strap on your favorite pair of sneakers, grab a few pals and hit the nearest basketball court if you’re looking for sports for to burn more calories. One hour of competitive basketball can help you burn tons of calories—mostly from running from one end of the court to the other—while keeping your heart healthy and strengthening your legs.

In addition to improving your stamina and coordination, an hour of competitive basketball can burn 745 calories per hour for a 205-lb. individual. If the game takes longer to win, it’s a bonus for you because you get to log more calories toward your weekly calorie deficit.

Rowing

You don’t have to be on the rowing team at Harvard to appreciate the insane amount of calories burned in just one hour of vigorous rowing, although I’m sure it helps!

Rowing is truly a full body workout, giving you a healthy dose of cardio along with working your arms, back, legs, core and shoulders. Why should you row vigorously? To win the race, of course!

Spend one hour in a boat rowing to the finish line and you could burn 981 calories if you weight 180 pounds and 1,117 calories if you weight 205. Participate in a rowing race just once a week and you’re 1/3 of the way to burning off an entire pound for the week! Not a bad trade off for rowing until your legs and arms are on fire, right?

Cross Country Skiing

If nothing gets your heart pumping like winter sports for to burn more calories, then consider cross country skiing. Often thought of as the boring step-sister to the more exciting downhill skiing, a cross country ski race is a good way to work up a sweat while it’s cold and burn tons of calories.

Never mind that you’ll probably burn another 100 calories simply suiting up for the race, but you’ll also burn more than 1,300 calories if you weight 205 pounds. Gliding through the snow in a race for the finish line can help you burn more calories than traditional exercise but it’s also an incredibly exciting way to burn 1,144 calories if you weight 180 pounds!

Just think when you’re done your reward can be a hot cup of green or oolong tea!

Cycling

Nothing takes you back to childhood more than hopping on 2 wheels and racing your friends to your favorite hangout. Well when it comes to sports that burn more calories than traditional exercise, cycling is back in fashion.

Strap on your safety gear and challenge your friends to a bicycle race—loser buys sushi for everyone else!

I know what you’re thinking; I can just hop on a bike at the gym and burn tons of calories instead of inhaling carbon dioxide bicycling on the road. Unfortunately when the pride you feel about winning isn’t on the line you won’t push yourself as hard, which means you won’t burn as many calories. The difference?

Bicycling at the gym for 1 hour burns 372 calories for a 205 pound person, while bicycle racing burns an impressive 1,489 calories per hour for that same person. And if you weigh 180 pounds, you will still burn off an inspiring 1,308 calories in an hour.

Jai Alai

Those of you looking for an extreme sport that’s fun and burns enough calories to make it worth the risk, look no further than the popular world sport known as jai alai. Played on a court with 3 walls, a ball and a cesta, jai-alai is like racquetball at more than 100 miles per hour!

The game of jai alai is a major calorie burner due to the swinging of the ball and running to the ball. This game is also considered quite dangerous thanks to the high speed at which the ball travels, but if you have the stomach for this sport you will be rewarded after one hour of play with between 980 and 1,117 calories burned! And if you don’t get a massive bruise because you didn’t move fast enough, chances are you also have won bragging rights.

Jai alai is a great sport to burn more calories than an hour of traditional exercise.

Martial Arts

Whether you’ve always had dreams of beating those jerks at Cobra Kai, looking to learn self-defense or even a little discipline, learning martial arts is also a great way to get in shape.

In addition to teaching you the discipline that will help you make healthier food choices, every hour of martial arts training you attend will burn between 817 and 931 calories! Learning to protect yourself while losing weight is a win-win situation, and when you consider how many calories will be burned during a martial arts competition you’ll be burning calories faster than you can count them!

BONUS CALORIE BURNER: Step Aerobics

Ok so the 90’s are over but I’m sure plenty of you out there still have a step gathering dust someplace in your home. If not I’m sure you have a neighbor (or mom) happy to part with theirs.

Why should you go back to this 90’s exercise craze? For starters it is one heck of a calorie burner, in addition to being a super fun way to burn calories. Step aerobics can be done at home or at a class at your local gym. Although not a sport, step aerobics burns 695 calories per 1 hour for a 180-lb person and 791 calories for a 205-lb. person!

The competitive nature of sports makes you work harder and longer for the glory of the win, which is why these sports burn more calories than traditional exercises.

If you’re tired of counting calories and worrying about food all day long, read our review of Eat Stop Eat. Intermittent fasting might help you worry less about calories and more about getting fit!

Getting in shape doesn’t mean spending all of your hard-earned cash to do so. Forget expensive exercise equipment, personal trainers and over-priced gym memberships; there are plenty of ways you can burn fat and build muscle without going broke.

{Personal trainers can be expensive…and annoying. Find a cheaper way to get in shape!}

Whether your goal is to save money or simply find creative ways to get a regular workout, keep reading to find out the many free ways you can get fit and lose fat!

Running

One of the most effective and cheapest ways to burn calories is running. If you’ve already got a pair of effective running shoes, then this is one exercise you can do anywhere at anytime for no money at all.

What’s more is that running provides you with fresh air and constantly changing scenery so you never get bored with your workout. You can always choose to run different routes in different parts of the city so you can explore your surrounding while getting in incredible shape!

So the next time you think about what you can do to workout without spending money, lace up your shoes and starting pounding that pavement!

Freebies

Another great way to get fit for free is gym freebies. When a new gym opens (or when business is slow) many gym facilities will offer free sessions with a personal trainer, free exercises classes or free access to the gym for a limited number of visits.

Of course this can’t last forever, but taking advantage of these free ways to get fit and lose fat can help you lose weight without spending all of your money. Besides these gym freebies are a great way for you to see if any of these services is something for which you wouldn’t mind paying.

{A free week of rock climbing will burn calories and be a great experience!}

If you feel exhilarated after a session with a personal trainer, maybe you’ll find a way to pay for it. The same is true for that new hip hop-salsa class that’s free all this week or that rock climbing wall. Take advantage of these free offers as different ways to get fit and avoid exercise boredom.

Library

If you’re like me, you probably swore off buying exercise videos after you spend an insane amount of money on the Tae Bo series. While effective, these exercise videos often lose their luster after a few months. The exercises become easier, which means your workouts become less effective over time and your weight loss hits that dreaded plateau.

Instead of buying every new exercise video that hits the market (P90X), hit up your local library and check out their copies. This gives you an opportunity to try out the newest exercise craze without taking part in another expensive fad.

The only thing it’ll cost you at the library is the time it takes to sign up for a library card!

Bodyweight Exercises

It’s not surprising that most people don’t want to splurge on high-priced weights and exercise equipment. This is especially true if you struggle to get physical activity on a regular basis. But who says you need all that fancy equipment to get in shape?

There are plenty of exercises you can do to get fit and lose fat that require no equipment at all, especially bodyweight exercises like push ups and pull ups. Exercises like these allow you to use the weight of your body to provide resistance and build up muscle. Combine this with running and you can get a full body workout without spending any money!

Here are just a few bodyweight exercises you should try if you’re looking for free ways to get fit & lose fat;

• Crunches
• Plank
• Dips
• Calf raises
• Squats
• Oblique sit-ups

These are just a few, but you can get a full body workout for free by doing bodyweight exercises.

Public Parks

Public parks have gotten on the fitness bandwagon, providing a wide range of activities to help the community stay active and fit. Besides running, many public parks have exercise equipment right in the park for you to use at your convenience. In fact one study found that those who live closer to public parks are more likely to get more physical activity.

{Fresh air and exercise for free? Imagine the money you can save for a new wardrobe…}

If you think your park doesn’t provide these facilities, contact your local recreation center to get more information.

Get Competitive

Dust off your football, basketball, tennis racquets or soccer ball and gather a group of friends of a friendly game. Assembling your pals in the park for a competitive game is a great (and free) way to make sure you get regular exercise.

There must be a reason you hang on to all the old sporting equipment from your youth; now you have a reason to dust them off and put them to good use. Sports are a great and free way to stay in shape without really feeling like exercise.

In addition to that, sports provide a great way to burn calories. Just look at the calories burned playing these competitive sports for one hour;

• Basketball – 745 calories
• Football – 838 calories
• Flag/Touch Football – 745 calories
• Soccer – 931 calories
• Singles tennis – 745 calories
• Doubles tennis – 558 calories
• Ultimate Frisbee – 654 calories

Next time you’re bored on a Sunday afternoon, gather your friends for a friendly game of…whatever!

Use Your Computer

The beauty of having a computer right at home is that you can always find a way to exercise. Some of you may argue that it isn’t free because you have to pay for the internet, but you have to pay for it whether you exercise or not!

So, use your fingertips to help you find an exercise routine that fits your weight loss goals. The internet gives you access to a wealth of free exercise information in the form of videos, photos and step-by-step instruction.

By making an effort to become more physically active each day, you can worry less about spending money on traditional methods of exercise like hitting the gym or using a personal trainer. An overall more active lifestyle will make these free ways to get fit and lose fat, a natural part of life.

Regular exercise is only half of the weight loss equation. Read our Eat Stop Eat review to see how you can use intermittent fasting to break your poor eating habits.

When it comes to losing weight, stress can often have a negative impact. When we’re stressed we tend to seek out things that comfort us; chocolate, booze, cigarettes or television. Unfortunately many of these comfort devices don’t help with weight loss.

{If this is how you handle stress, keep reading for a healthier solution!}

Exercise however, is a great way to relieve stress and burn fat at the same time. In fact some exercises are so hardcore that they are go-to exercises to alleviate stress in a positive way. So rather than buying a pack of smokes or indulging in chocolate-chocolate chip ice cream, keep reading for ways to exercise your stress away!

Stress & Fat

Our bodies react to stress in a multitude of ways, including weight gain. Sometimes the weight gain is due to the ways in which we respond to stress including to overeating and excessive drinking. At other times, the hormone cortisol can be to blame.

Cortisol does more than contribute to weight gain, however. It is also involved in regulating your blood pressure and glucose metabolism, as well as immune functions and inflammatory responses. But we do call cortisol the stress hormone because when we’re in “flight or fight” mode this hormone is secreted at higher levels than when we are not stressed.

When stress is chronic, which basically means you are always in stress mode, this hormone is secreted more often which can lead to weight gain. So, one important key to weight loss and weight maintenance is to keep stress at a minimum. If that isn’t possible, find ways to alleviate the daily stressors in your life.

If you’re thinking of an extreme low-calorie diet to lose weight, beware: a May 2010 study found that restricting calories can increase your cortisol output. So rather than extreme diets, adopt a well-balanced diet and try a few stress-busting exercises below.

Running

When the stress of daily life gets in the way, make room for a run in your schedule to clear your mind or help you deal with it. In addition to the known benefits of exercise—reduce risk of heart disease and high blood pressure and weight loss—running helps release endorphins that can help give your mood a lift.

Running can help you forget if that’s your goal, but the focus required to run properly may actually help you find a way to deal with the problems causing you stress.

In addition to reducing the symptoms of depression an anxiety, running can help you forget the day’s stress while you burn some serious calories. Losing weight can give you a confidence boost, which may help make you feel less stressed about the thing in life you can’t control.

Kickboxing

In addition to burning more than 900 calories per hour, kickboxing is an incredible way to get rid of stress. Before you roll your eyes, consider what stress relief you’ll get from kicking and punching someone while imagining the source of your stress! Whether you need basic self defense or a good way to stay in shape, kickboxing is a calorie burning wonder than can help you accomplish both!

If you’re not ready to kick box with a human partner, many gyms offer bags so you can practice kicking and punching…and stress relieving!

Kickboxing may not be the most mature way to deal with stress, but it works and it burns plenty of calories…what other reasons do you need?

Yoga

It is a well established fact that yoga is a great way to alleviate stress. In fact the goal of yoga is to promote tranquility, so you can’t really find a more soothing way to burn calories while forgetting about life’s stressors.

Because of the intense focus on breathing and postures, the nature of yoga really trends toward relieving stress. And if you’ve ever tried yoga before, the soothing voice of the instructor, the comfy yoga pants and the silence in the room all lend themselves to helping you forget about what’s stressing you.

{What could more soothing than yoga…on the beach?}

If you have yet to hop on the ‘yoga train’ then you should start with a simple, less intense type of yoga like Hatha, suggests the Mayo Clinic. When you’re looking for a way to unwind after a long stressful day, yoga can help you make sure you don’t spend the rest of your day stressed.

Tennis

What better way to alleviate stress than smashing a ball with all of your might across the net? Tennis (or racquetball) gives you a clear method of finding an outlet for your stress (hitting the ball), while burning as much as 745 calories per hour!

In addition to its ability to help you exercise the stress away, tennis is a full body workout that works legs, arms, shoulders and core muscles. The aggression required in the game of tennis also allows you to feel in control of something, which will help you stress less about the things you are unable to control.

Grab a friend and smash a few dozen tennis balls so you can deal with the stress and keep your cortisol levels even.

Boxing

Although you would think boxing might be a stressful way to exercise—it could be if you’re terrified of getting hit—it is actually an effective way to help you deal with stress. Obviously the punching gives you an outlet to deal with any unresolved aggression you may have about stress, but the movements also burn fat and build muscle.

The amount of calories you burn boxing should also help alleviate any stress you feel about reaching your weight loss goal. An hour of boxing with a partner can help you burn more than 1,100 calories, while sparring will still burn more than 830 calories.

{This handy little piece of equipment is great for boxing & kickboxing!}

With numbers like that you might just start hoping for stress just so you can hit the ring! Don’t do that though, haven’t you heard; stress can lead to weight gain!

Hiking

What could get rid of stress more than being out in the vast beauty of nature? Beautiful green trees, tons of oxygen, a bright blue sky, tons of oxygen and a kick-ass pair of running shoes could be the way to keep the stress in your life to a minimum.

Whether you sit in traffic all day, have a micromanaging boss or coworker who drives you crazy, an hour in nature will release feel-good endorphins to keep fat at bay. Sometimes you just need to clear your head and slow things down a little just to see the big picture. When you do this, you can separate stressful from annoying and deal with them accordingly.

Remember that it’s not just fat that you’re helping get rid of by exercising the stress away. Too much stress can lead to many other health problems that include high blood pressure, compromised immunity and decreased bone density & muscle tissue. So keeping stress, especially chronic stress, at a minimum isn’t just about weight loss; it could be a matter of life and death.

Emotional eating is a common way in which many of us deal with stress, but it is hardly a productive way to manage stress. Intermittent fasting may be just what you need to stop stressful snacking. Read our Eat Stop Eat review to learn more about intermittent fasting.

When it comes to building up chest muscles, not all chest exercises for men are created equal. Some exercises work better for some than others, it just depends on your goals and the steps you take to achieve them.

{Having fitness experts on your payroll helps, but so will these easy chest exercises!}

Since the chest is an area in which men all over the world seek to build, there are tons of chest exercises for men to accomplish a wide variety of goals. Keep reading to find 4 easy chest exercises for men that you can do just about anywhere!

Push Ups

When you need to build your chest muscles no chest exercise for men is easier, or more effective, than push ups. Choose whatever push up variation you like; wide-grip push up, one-handed push up, decline push up or Hindu push up. In addition to building up chest muscles, push ups are a great way to improve strength.

If you need to get a more effective chest workout, push ups are easy chest exercises for men that can be switched up to work different parts of the chest. The most important thing to remember about performing chest exercises is that proper form matters. Without proper push up form, not only will you have an ineffective workout, but you also put yourself at risk for injury.

Chest Dips

Chest dips are easy and perfect chest exercises for men that can be done easily at home or the gym. If you have a dip bar at home, or a piece of equipment that can hold your weight similar to a dip bar, you can complete this chest exercise for men in the comfort of your own home.

Performing chest dips is an easy way to work your muscles and test your strength in relation to your body weight.

To do: Keep arms straight with your shoulders directly above your hands on the dip bar. With your knees and hips slightly bent, lower your body down until you feel chest and shoulders stretch. Then push up with your arms until they’re straight.

{Proper form is the key to successful chest dips.}

Bench Press

The bench press, like push ups, are effective chest exercises for men that can be done easily at home or in the gym. With the help of a bench, a bar and a dumbbell or barbell with weights, you can strengthen and tone chest muscles effectively. For many, the bench press is the go-to chest exercise for men because it’s up to you to determine how much weight you life, therefore how much upper body strength you have.

The reason bench presses are considered one of the best chest exercises for men is that it builds muscle and strength in one exercise. When you need a stronger upper body, consider the adding the bench press into your strength training workout.

Avoid injury during the bench press by adhering to the following tips:

• Prevent the bar from slipping by keeping your thumbs wrapped around the bar.
• Get a spotter so you have back up if you push yourself too hard.
• Don’t forget to breathe during each repetition to maximum effect.
• Gradually add weight as your bench press form improves.

Chest Fly

Most guys I know have a bench with weights in the home, yet so few utilize the chest fly to improve muscle strength. The chest fly targets pectoral muscles, but your biceps will also feel the burn. As far as chest exercises for men go, the chest fly can be done with barbells or cables if you want greater resistance.

Sets vs. Reps

To get the most out of these easy chest exercises for men, remember that one set of 10 repetitions isn’t likely to garner you the results you want. Building muscles and strength through chest exercises takes time and work, which means that you should perform these exercises regularly to see positive results.

Struggling to get at least 3 workouts in each week? Read our Turbulence Training review to find out how 3 days a week can transform your body!

When it comes to getting the six pack abs you’ve always wanted, we here at TFLA try to give you as many exercise options as possible. The same old crunches and leg lifts can only take you so far before boredom sets in. Today, we’ve come up with a few sports that, when done correctly, are the perfect six pack abs exercises.

{Killer abs like these require a lot of work and loads of laps!}

Keep reading to find out which sport will help you get the six pack abs that’ll make others green with envy!

Yoga

Forget what you think you know about yoga and keep an open mind because yoga is a great six pack abs exercise that helps give you a strong core. The static poses and focus on bodyweight exercises and breathing helps give you a solid foundation to begin giving your abs a hardcore six pack abs workout!

Six pack abs exercises like mountain tilts and the triangle pose are great yoga exercises that strengthen the core and abdominals. Even if you feel that yoga is too calm and relaxing for an effective six pack abs exercise; give it a try. If you don’t love it, there are dozens of other sports you can do for six pack abs!

Skiing

Skiing is a great activity that gives your abs a good workout. Specifically cross-country skiing is a great cardio exercise, but it also an amazing six pack abs exercise. The up and down motions made by your arms and twisting torso strengthen your abdominal muscles as you work to made yourself glide over the snow.

Cross country skiing is a great full body workout as well because the cardio aspect burns hundreds of calories per hour. Don’t take my word for it though; see how sore your abs feel after a day of cross country skiing as your six pack abs exercises.

Kayaking/Rowing

Water seems to provide an ideal environment for six pack abs exercises. Everyone is well aware how effective swimming is for strengthening abdominal muscles, but other water sports like rowing and kayaking have proven highly effective six pack abs exercises.

The rotation of the abs in kayaking provides plenty of exercise for toning the obliques, which is an important part of six pack abs exercises. The power required to paddle a kayak strengthens abs as well as core strength.

Rowing requires your body to perform different motions, but rowing is another activity that helps you achieve six pack abs. Rowing tightens abdominal muscles and strengthens the core by performing a constant rowing motion. Machines at your local gym, called rowing machines, are an effective alternative for six pack abs exercises.

Soccer

One look at David Beckham and there can be no doubt that playing soccer will suffice for six pack abs exercises. Besides all the running that soccer involves (futbol for my non-American friends!), heading a ball and quick changes of directions are all signs of a powerful core and well-sculpted six pack abs.

{He doesn’t believe a lot of factual things, but he does believe that soccer is a great six pack abs exercise!}

Running and kicking simultaneously while changing the direction of the ball gives you six pack abs exercises that’ll leave you sore in the morning. Even recreational soccer players like you and I can get a good round of six pack abs exercises by participating in a game of soccer.

Running/Sprinting

Whether you like to run at a moderate pace or sprint like the wind, these are both incredibly effective methods of performing six pack abs exercises. The pumping motion of the arms during running or sprinting works the oblique muscles while the bending motion of the hips works the lower abdominals and core.

Running or sprinting is a superb form of cardio exercise that has the added benefit of burning and strengthening your core. When you don’t have time to alternate between strength training and cardio workouts, choose a long run or an effective sprint to get six pack abs exercises and a full cardio workout!

These are just a few sports that can help you achieve six pack abs. Alternate between traditional abdominal exercises and six pack abs exercises and activities for a well-rounded abdominal workout. Don’t forget the importance of a healthy & well-balanced diet to achieving six pack abs.

Wanna learn more about achieving that elusive six pack? Read our The Truth About Six Pack Abs review…it’ll change how you work your abs!

When the subject is push ups most guys have 2 different mindsets:

1. Real men do push ups on the floor…with their knuckles!…or
2. Push up stands are a viable option to maintain proper push up form.

[Watch a real man do lots of push ups and gain almost no muscle...do ya see?]

Ok, so maybe not all ‘real men’ do push ups on their knuckles but you get my drift. In this article we’ll discuss the merits of push up stands and see if there are any disadvantages to using them.

Why Push Up Stands?

Push up stands have proven useful for a variety of reasons, most commonly because they are a great way to perform upper body exercises when recovering from injury. Wrist or elbow injuries make doing traditional push ups difficult and painful, so rather than not exercise plenty of physically fit people take help from push up stands to get the job done.

Push up stands are also helpful for those new to exercise. Push up stands help maintain proper push up form to make sure your muscles are getting the maximum workout each time you lower your body. Beginners often make form mistakes that can lead to injuries, and using push up stands can reduce that problem. Push up stands also work well for ladies in need of an upper body workout, even when doing the ‘girl push up’ push up stands help maintain proper form.

So far, looks like the “real men” are losing to the real men who understand workout and sports-related injuries!

Using Push Up Stands

Even if you don’t have injuries or problems with your push up form, push up stands are easy to use. Just like traditional push ups, push up stands allow you to tighten or widen your grip to work out different muscle groups. Certain commercial push up stands swivel to alleviate even more pressure from the wrists. Push up stands provide for an effective workout the same way traditional push ups do, except with a bit more stability.

Whether you perform push ups on your knees or toes, push up stands are a helpful way to complete your upper body workout.

Cost

In this age of expensive workout equipment and even more expensive diet products, it’s refreshing to see that push up stands are still reasonably priced. The smart shopper can easily find half a dozen push up stands under $20. The cost of your push up stands will be determined by your push up needs. The good news is that the way push up stands are packaged makes them easy to test in the store before you buy.

[Push up stands can help you accomplish many upper body goals.]

When compared to costly weightlifting equipment, push up stands give you an equally effective workout at a fraction of the cost. Besides, using your body weight is just as—if not more effective—than using weights.

Push Up Stands—Yay or Nay?

Definitely yay. Push up stands are an effective workout tool that inexpensive and allows you to complete an upper body workout when and where you can. In addition, push up stands allow you to remain slightly active when an injury has sidelined you.

The point of working your arms, chest, shoulders and core is so they can be tight and fit. You can do 1,000 push ups but if the form isn’t correct then your muscles won’t receive much benefit. Using a push up stand allows you to make sure each push up is done with proper form. When those wrists are trembling from your weight underneath you, it’s easier to focus your mind on keeping your back straight and your butt low.

Below are just a few exercises you can do with push up stands!

The truth is that push up stands and traditional push ups are both effective ways to achieve an upper body workout. Choose which method is best for you and add it to your exercise regimen. Alternate days using push up stands and then not using them to see which gives you the best workout.

You’ve got your strength training covered so read our Fat Burning Furnace review and find out what you can do to burn more fat!

Stomach fat is many things, among them annoying, ugly and impossible to lose. Worry no more, for there are steps you can take to make losing stomach fat easier than it has ever been!

[Being a cartoon character is the only way to stop worrying about losing stomach fat!]

All you have to do is make a few small changes to your life and ridding your body of that pesky stomach fat will just another goal to accomplish. Weight loss is never easy, but we’ve come up with a few tips that will make losing stomach fat easier.

Count It Out

Eyes always roll when I mention diets because people hate food restrictions. The bad news is that losing stomach fat cannot occur without some changes in your daily diet. Changes to you diet means reducing or eliminating certain foods, while adding others like fruits and vegetables.

The key to losing stomach fat however, is to seriously cut down on how much junk you eat. The first place you should start is with snack foods. Get rid of big Family Size bags of chips and cookies and get individual packs. Sitting a huge bag of chips on the sofa next to you is like an open invitation to eat the whole thing, by counting it out, or only eating what the serving suggestion is. This will help you eliminate unnecessary calories that occur from overeating, and a calorie reduction is how weight loss happens.

A well-balanced diet that has fresh fruits and vegetables will satisfy you without adding unnecessary fat and sugar. Whole grain foods will really help you control how much you eat because they make you feel more satisfied with a smaller amount of food. Lean meats and beans are will also make losing stomach fat even easier.

Go To Bed

Your success or failure in losing stomach fat has a lot to do with your sleeping habits. Successful weight loss requires you to be of sound mind and body for most of the day. When you don’t get enough sleep your mind isn’t sharply focused and you’re twice as likely to make unhealthy decisions. A tired person will choose the elevator over the stairs, a cupcake over a fruit cup and a night on the couch over a few hours at the gym.

[If this is too much for you, how're you gonna make it to the gym?]

In addition to bad decision making, getting enough sleep each night gives your body the times it needs to recharge to function properly for the next day. When you don’t get enough sleep your body incorrectly assumes its stress and often makes the decision to store the cortisol rather than burn it. Losing stomach fat will be easier if you get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night.

Water

It doesn’t matter what you think about water as long as you drink it. Water is essential for all types of weight loss, but especially for losing belly fat. Besides flushing out toxins, water gives your body life. It keeps you hydrated so that you don’t bloat up like a hot air balloon.

Water also makes bowel movements easier, and nothing makes a stomach look bigger than being full of crap! Pardon the imagery, but water helps your body function as it should, which makes losing stomach fat easier. Water alone won’t expedite your weight loss, but drinking enough water each day will help in your quest to lose belly fat.

Don’t Force Yourself to Exercise

Losing stomach fat requires you to be active! Whether its playing tennis to get a good upper body workout or taking a long with a few friends, getting moving is about being out and enjoying life without always eating. When you get used to leading a life of activity, going to the gym or scheduling time for regular workouts will become easier. By being active on a regular basis you’ll feel almost restless on days when you’re less active.

When you do decide to have a traditional workout, an exercise regimen that includes both strength training and aerobic exercises—combined with improved eating habits—is the most effective method for losing stomach fat. It really doesn’t matter what kind of exercises you do as long as you’ve created that calorie deficit for weight loss. Go the gym, play your favorite sport or do things that get you off the couch and get movin’ around and watch the stomach fat melt away!

Reduce Portion Size

Reducing portion size is probably one of the most difficult aspects of losing stomach fat. Your stomach has gotten bigger and takes more food to fill it up, however eating isn’t supposed to “fill you up”. You should feel satisfied after a meal, not stuffed to the brink of explosion.

[Sure portion sizes have gotten bigger...but do you really have to eat the whole thing!?!]

The only way to see your belly begin to shrink is to eat less (and exercise more) so your stomach actually has an opportunity to shrink. Losing stomach fat means only eating as much as your body needs to sustain itself. When you eat, don’t allow food to be falling off the plate—that’s the number one sign that you’re eating way too much.

Eat less food and losing stomach fat will be easier than you thought. The difficult part is to keep the tiny tummy you worked so hard for!

Read our The Truth About Six Pack Abs review and get even more tips to make losing stomach fat less of a headache and more of reward!

The goal is six-pack abs, but what tools will best help you achieve your goal? Will you choose tried and true abdominal exercises or new-fangled equipment not guaranteed to get the job done?

[Ab chairs like most exercise chairs, are not created equally.]

With the quest for a better body more sought after than ever, many companies have introduced exercise equipment that sounds good at the time but leaves dieters still looking for the next big thing. Keep reading to find out if the Ab Chair is another useless purchase or your answer to that six-pack problem.

What Is The Ab Chair?

An Ab Chair, put simply, is an abdominal workout machine in the form of a chair. The frame of the Ab Chair is supposed to help users maintain proper form for sit ups or abdominal crunches. Because the Ab Chair allows for a greater range of motion, users can perform abdominal exercises they otherwise might be unable to perform.

How the Ab Chair Works

Most Ab Chairs come with an instructional DVD but wouldn’t it be great if you could find out how to use it before you made a purchase?

How Much Will The Ab Chair Cost?

The Ab Chair is made by several different manufacturers but the price range for this workout equipment starts around $70 and increases to well over $100. Obviously your wallet will help you decide if the Ab Chair is worth the purchase, but you should also consider how much of a problem you have working abdominal muscles.

Does The Ab Chair Work?

In the most straightforward sense of the word, yes the Ab Chair, ‘works’. However it doesn’t work very well to tone the abs. The first problem with the Ab Chair is that it doesn’t address the issue of burning belly fat. The Ab Chair is strictly for abdominal exercises, however it doesn’t do a very good job of providing resistance for a tougher abdominal workout.

[Ab Chairs are made by dozens of manufacturers...this is just one of them.]

The way the Ab Chair is created also makes it near impossible to use for the extremely overweight, who are most likely to purchase this exercise equipment. The flimsy material from which the Ab Chair is made is so thin and places you so close to the floor that it’d probably be more effective to lie on the floor and work out proper crunch form in the mirror.

Ab Chair Pros

• Easy to store
• Adjustable foot rests (if you find them helpful)
• Allows a workout of the oblique muscles 

Ab Chair Cons

• Expensive
• Maximum weight load is 250 pounds.
• Not enough resistance for effective abdominal workout
• Uncomfortable

Ab Chair Verdict

Getting your abdominal muscles into the shape you want may be accomplished by purchasing an Ab Chair, but it may also be accomplished by regular abdominal workouts. Since the Ab Chair does not come with enough resistance for those with lots of belly fat to truly work the midsection, we do not recommend this piece of workout equipment.

The unstable structure of the Ab Chair combined with its weight limit means this is not workout equipment meant for people that actually need to lose weight. If there was a perfect customer for the Ab Chair it would have to be individuals only 5 or 10 pounds overweight and have cash to burn on ineffective workout equipment.

If you’re serious about transforming your abdominal area into something to be proud of, stick to traditional abdominal exercises like crunches, captain’s chair and leg lifts. Paying careful attention to your diet will help you create the calorie deficit needed so the world can see the six-pack you have hiding underneath the fat.

Real Six-Pack Abs

Men and women alike have scoured the earth in search of the perfect abdominal workout for six-pack abs with little reward…until know. Read our The Truth About Six Pack Abs review to correct your workout flaws and get a killer six-pack before beach season!

When you work your upper, body does it mostly consist of pull ups, push ups, free weights and resistance bands? That’s how we’ve been conditioned, so to speak, to think that our upper body exercises should focus on building muscles and strength.

[Even this iconic sex symbol knew that upper body exercises were important to looking this good!]

There’s nothing wrong with building muscle, unless you need to lose fat first. Upper body cardio exercises will allow you to increase strength and (possibly) muscle mass, while burning the excess fat. We’ve compiled a list of 5 upper body cardio exercises that you should add to your existing upper body workout, so keep reading…

Swimming

Swimming is a great upper body exercise because it works the upper back, chest and arms effectively. What’s really good is that swimming is good for those of you who haven’t exercised in awhile because it’s low impact. Low impact upper body exercises like swimming are good for people with old injuries or weak muscles. Doing laps in the pool gives you lower body support while you workout your upper body.

By changing up the swim stroke you can determine which upper body muscles are exercised during each workout. Swimming as an upper body exercise lets you decide how intense your cardio is as well as how thoroughly you work the upper body. When you need cardio without the impact, swimming is one of the most effective upper body exercises.

Boxing

You don’t have to be Mike Tyson to get a good upper body workout by boxing. Cardio boxing is mostly an upper body exercise; however you also improve balance, footwork and coordination. The punching and blocking motions of boxing exercises many upper body muscles including shoulders, arms, back and chest.

Boxing not only increases your heart rate, but the fast punching movements tone and strengthen muscles. Boxing is one of the best upper body exercises to burn and tone simultaneously. Another reason you should give cardio boxing a shot? The discipline required in boxing will go a long way to help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Jumping Jacks

Jumping jacks are traditional upper body exercises that work the arms, shoulders and back. Unfortunately when most of us think of jumping jacks our minds automatically race to 8-year olds flailing arms wildly about, so we don’t give them the respect they deserve. While exercising the upper body, jumping jacks work the legs and keeps your heart pumping!
[Alternative jumping jacks like this will increase intensity of upper body exercises.]

Jumping jacks are effective upper body exercises because like swimming, the type of jumping jack you do can greatly improve your workout and increase the intensity of your upper body workout.  If you want your core to see some action during jumping jacks, consider the reaching jumping jack. During this version you perform a traditional jumping jack, bend over and touch the floor between each jump.

Hand Cycling

Unless you’re a hardcore cyclist, chances are you are as unaware of this upper body exercise as I was. That is, until I recently saw a guy on this weird contraption and asked him what on earth he was doing!

It turns out that hand cycling is exactly as it sounds—steering a bicycle with your hands and upper body muscles. Before you balk, consider that hand cycling is to upper body exercises what traditional cycling is to lower body exercises. Imagine the work your legs to do keep the wheels of a bicycle rotating, now imagine your arms, chest, back, shoulders and even core doing the same work.

[Hand cycling is an efficient way to get around while you perform upper body exercises.]

Although purchasing a hand cycle can be costly, most exercise facilities have at least one so you can switch your upper body exercises to prevent boredom. This is also a great upper body exercise that you can do with a buddy. Whether you cycle competitively or simply to lose weight, hand cycling is the perfect upper body exercise to do with a workout buddy!

Hand & Arm Movements

Add hand and arm movements to get upper body exercises completed during stationary cardio workouts. This probably sounds strange but when you hope on an exercise bike or treadmill you work your lower body pretty hard while your arms simply hang uselessly for an hour. By adding hand and arm movements like jumping jacks, dumbbells or free weights you perform upper body exercises while you do your cardio exercises.

Inserting these extra upper body exercises into your regular workout routine, you can increase your heart rate while toning upper body muscles. Whether you are walking, running or doing the treadmill in front of the TV, grab dumbbells or use your arms to exercise your upper body. Upper body exercises such as this are an easy way to give your body every advantage to achieve your weight loss and exercise goals.

It’s not easy getting your upper body to look the way you want, but regular exercise and a balanced diet can get you there if you let it.

You’ve got tips to work your upper body, now find out what you can do for a better mid-section by reading our review of The Truth About Six Pack Abs. It’ll change everything you thought you knew about getting “look at me” abs.