I can still remember sitting at a table with two wanna be bodybuilders in University and listening to their conversation as they ate three pieces of leftover grilled chicken with a large side of cottage cheese (This after-workout eating menu should have been hint #34 to change my approach with regards to fitness but I was a sucker for trying to get lean and mean back then).

The terms and language thrown around in discussing their current workout routine made them sound like they attended a private middle school on Mars. I felt intimidated to jump in and tell them I did 50 push-ups and sit-ups last night before bed.

[You don't need to be a smarty pants to understand fitness lingo... Kinda of looks like Jennifer Love Hewitt in disguise?]

For those who watch The Biggest Loser, read through the latest Fitness magazines, or follow one of the fat loss programs reviewed here, you’ll be familiar with this language. For others just starting out, it’s time to stop feeling embarrassed – read through the glossary below to help you decode some popular gym jargon. (more…)

Quick, name the three most watched TV shows in Canada currently:

#3 Law and Order

#2 So You Think You Can Dance

#1 So You Think You Can Dance

And no, it’s not a misprint.
Source: http://www.bbm.ca/en/nat08032009.pdf

Yes, it’s the summer season and there isn’t much on the tube. And yes, everyone’s favorite sitcoms will be back in the fall so the list above could look remarkably different. But people like, really like watching dance shows!

[No dumbbells required! Mastering their own body weight is what produces the lean and sleek look of these artists.]

The entertainment production value of these shows, sprinkled with a little reality TV for good measure, really helps in attracting viewership. Choreographed routines combined with matching outfits makes the viewer feel like they are watching a rock show in a big city arena.

Who am I kidding?

Women, and men, are watching these lean cut bodies pulsating and gyrating to different musical stylings because they are aesthetically pleasing!

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So you think you know everything about losing fat? Sure you’ve read about every weight loss trick and exercise on our site and others, but you still look in the mirror and wonder when the skinny version of you is going to break through?

Here we take a look at three secret weight loss tips that will melt the fat away immediately!

1. Body Weight Training

Isn’t this the same thing as yoga? Only girls do this type of training!

Simply put, most body weight training is hard and tends to crush the ego of the many who try. As far as we’re concerned, if you can not work with your own body weight than why in the world are you using additional weight such as barbells and dumbbells.

It’s incredible how many attempt to use heavy weights with a limited range of motion but can’t do a set of push ups, a squat to the floor or even one chin up. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely a place for external loading with heavy weights but not until you have the ability to master the following bench marks:
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With the first day of spring officially here yesterday, you may be tempted to pull your bike out of storage and start commuting everywhere and anywhere immediately.

I don’t blame you since the benefits of biking (as with any endurance activity) are many such as improved physical fitness, weight loss, decreased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Additionally, biking is great for the environment and easier on your wallet (gas and parking money be gone).

However, before heading out on your first biking adventure, here is a safety checklist to complete first:

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Counting calorie consumption has never been a problem for those people that wanted too. There are plenty of online databases of hundreds of food items that allow us to determine with a considerable amount of accuracy how many calories we have inputted into our bodies. But what about the calories we expend?

How many times have you heard or read about doing 15 minutes of cardio at the end of each of your strength training workouts or to go for a 15 minute walk, twice a day.

Well, one way to get a rough estimate of the calories you burn in many activities is with a simple formula developed by physiologists using a yardstick known as the Metabolic Equivalent or MET.

A single MET represents the amount of energy used at rest.

The University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health maintains what it calls the Compendium of Physical Activities, which gives the MET value of an array of sports, exercises and everyday tasks.

It’s basically a list of how much extra energy gets used if you run a 10-minute mile or spend time raking leaves.

The list can be downloaded from http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/tools/docs/documents_compendium.pdf

To estimate calorie usage, find your activity (or something similar to it) on the list and multiply its MET value by your weight. For example, take a woman who weighs 60kg and uses a stationary bicycle at moderate effort, which has a MET value of 7 for 45 minutes or 0.75hr. Multiply the three numbers together (60 x 7 x 0.75) and you’ll learn that 45 minutes on that bike would burn about 315 calories or 5.25 calories per minute.

MET values are drawn from population studies and don’t account for the individual differences that determine actual calorie usage.

Happy counting your burned calories!

For more ideas regarding healthy eating check out Mike Geary’s book The Truth About Six Pack Abs. You will find nutrition guidelines, eating habits and need-to-know information regarding your body and why the majority of people trying to lose weight fail miserably.

Yes, the economy is in the toilet, but that’s not an excuse to lie down on your couch with your favorite cheap comfort food and justify your actions as trying to save some money.

Burning calories doesn’t require large amounts of cash.

Here are some frugal fat loss tips that’ll keep you striving for your fitness goals:

1. Shoe Leather Express

Don’t spend your cash on gas, parking, or car insurance.

Try walking, cycling or running to your destination. The only equipment required for walking and running is a comfortable pair of shoes.

Or pump up the tires on mountain bike sitting in your garage, grab a helmet, and some reflective clothing, and bike to work a couple of times a week.

If your commute to work is too far for this kind for these primitive modes of transportation, then consider using them on the weekends for trips to the grocery store or shopping mall.

2. Dumbbells to Punching Bags

You may not have the space or money to set up the next incarnation of Gold’s gym, but smaller exercise equipment like a stability ball, free weights and exercise elastics are low-cost, portable ways to work out in your home.

Better yet, scour online classifieds sites like Craigslist and Kijiji for used versions of this equipment.

You’d be surprised at what you could find!

3. Check Out Your Local Rec Center

Many community or recreation centers provide mid-grade gym equipment and workout facilities at reduced prices.

There are also different fitness classes—from martial arts, cardio kickboxing, pilates, to ballroom dancing—to satisfy many different interests and tastes.

If you have children, ask about a family membership which is often a great value and a great way to keep the whole family involved in physical activity.

4. Get On A Program

It is always helpful to have a program to follow, to motivate you, and to maximize your results. There are hundreds of programs out there, but how do you know which one is right for you?

We’ve covered some of the best programs out there whether your goal is to lose fat, get a flat stomach, or try a detox?

The price ranges vary from $39-$77 depending on what your looking for but a reasonable investment if you consider the monthly cost of going to the best gym in town without a plan!

Waking up at 6:00am? Hitting the treadmill after work? Depriving myself of chocolate? Why the hell am I doing this again?

Maybe you’re trying lose weight, to keep your heart healthy and blood pressure down, to look better or fit into that wedding dress? There are lots of different reasons that push people to get up off the couch and exercise regularly. Regardless of your goal or reason, regular physical activity can also offer emotional and psychological benefits.

1. Fight Depression.

There is a considerable amount of research that suggests regular exercise is just as effective as prescription medication in battling mild to moderate depression. Why?  Exercise releases endorphins in the brain which can help numb the body’s pain perception. Take note of how you feel after a brisk walk or workout. If the activity was challenging enough, then you should feel more energy and optimism. The reason for this positive feeling is a result of endorphins being released during your exercise, which can result in a ‘natural high’. For a double dose of good stuff try exercising outdoors as Vitamin D from the sun’s rays has been noted to also positively affect your mood and help fight those winter blues caused by a reduction in exposure to sunlight.
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Physical activity is an important part of a living a healthy lifestyle. There are numerous health benefits, (ie. reducing the risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke) however, there is also an increased risk of injury that can affect your participation. Consider these ways to best prevent and to avoid unnecessary injuries:

1. Examine the condition and fit of your exercise equipment:

Running in a worn out or badly fitting pair of shoes, cycling with a damaged helmet or playing ice hockey with uncomfortable skates can lead to injuries. Make sure your equipment fits you properly or ask a professional to assist you when purchasing your equipment.

2. Warm-up and cool-down:

“Warming-up” is any activity that gets your muscles ready for your main physical activity or sport. Do a low-intensity activity (ie. walking, jogging) until your body feels warm and you break into a light sweat (usually 5-10 minutes). Your warm-up activity should use the same muscles you will use during the activity. “Cool down” after your activity by repeating your warm-up activity. Including stretching as part of your warm-up and cool-down activities is vital so this is no time for shortcuts.

3. Learn Proper Technique:

The proper technique is a very important part of any activity. When you start a new activity, watch someone who can perform that technique at a high level (Tigers Woods playing golf) or better yet take a few lessons. Knowing what you are supposed to do will allow you to get better at your activity and minimize the risk of hurting yourself.

4. Listen to your body

It’s very normal and natural to have some muscle soreness if you’re not used to exercising or are trying a new activity. But be fully aware about the difference between soreness and pain. Pain can be your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong and usually prevents you from continuing your activity. Always avoid pushing your body through pain. Ignore the popular “No Pain, No Gain” phrase. Attend to injuries early and don’t wait for them to get worse. A great way to minimize muscle soreness is progress gradually in your new activity. Let’s face it, your body is not used to the new activity so start out carefully. For example, walking briskly for 30 minutes three times a week will better prepare you to start jogging for an hour.

5. Try Different Sports

Cross-training was the buzz term back in the 1980s. Remember Bo Jackson? Simply put, it’s good for your body. Cross-training means doing different activities instead of the same activity all the time. It’s a great way to prevent injuries and vary your physical activity by forcing the body to utilize different muscles. An example of cross training can include walking, running, swimming, strength training.

Sitting through another meeting today and watching PowerPoint presentation slides fly by made me realize how deterimental this can be to people’s fat loss goals. The doughnuts and coffee sitting in the middle of the table don’t help either.

Enter Jennifer Baran. She recently began renting out a room at the suburban Buffalo health centre and reconfigured it into a “walking conference room” where sitting is not permitted. Oh you can still find a monitor for PowerPoint presentations, a conferencing telephone and coffee pot but the chairs have been replaced with treadmills and/or elliptical machines. The point of this all being, everyone can work out while they work.

Another great benefit pointed out by Thompson: This is not a meeting where rambling off-topic tangents would be tolerated, or even possible. There’s nothing like a little burn to keep a speaker on point.

Inspiration in this area has been noted in several places: Dr. James Levine, a Mayo Clinic obesity researcher who assembled his own walking desk after publishing a study that found thin people were on their feet an average of two hours more and burned 350 more calories daily than those who are obese. There is also Craig Dexheimer who walks three kilometres an hour on a treadmill — in full business dress, cufflinks and all. His professional staffing firm, Salo, has installed two walking conference rooms and he said the idea seems to be catching on.  “You can check e-mail, you can log into the database,” said Dexheimer, who lost 25 pounds in six months.

Various organizations have also begun virtual races to exotic places around the world. This exercise is designed to provide employees a fun way to motivate each other to get active and build closer relationships with those you work with while having the opportunity to win great prizes along the way. The process is easy – get a team together and register for the 8 week virtual race. Record your activity online and you’ll be able to track your team’s progress on the map to the final destination.

Kudos to any organization that strives for any of the above work/life balance ideas!

For more fat loss ideas for women, check out Fit Yummy Mummy by Holly Rigbsy. She outlines everything within her program from proper goal setting and mindset to a 16-week workout plan and a ready made grocery list for you.

The arm is one of the first things noticed by others. It can be covered up with a sleeve or fully exposed. If they are well defined, chances are the rest of the body is too. Here are five ways to sculpting your guns a la Ron Burgundy:

1. Work your Triceps

The triceps comprise 60% of your upper arm, therefore, you should be training them 10% more then your biceps! The two muscles compliment each other and for a great workout try doing bicep and triceps exercises in the same workout.

2. Supersets

Super what? A superset consists of doing one exercise followed immediately by another different exercise. For example, doing dumbbell curls followed by overhead triceps extensions. Not only will this give you a great pump (rush of blood in your arms), but it will increase your heart rate which in turn burns more calories.

3. More Cardio

If you want to clearly see your muscles, you need to shed fat, and the best way to do that is by concentrating on your cardio. We suggest you take a serious look at interval training, specifically Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training. It’s cardio 2.0 with no more slow sessions or fancy equipment; get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week.

4. Eat Right

Drink Water. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Drink Water. If you are eating two servings per day, then go up to four servings per day by the end of the week. Drink Water. Stick with fiber-rich fruits and vegetables – organic if possible. Hey you…. What are you waiting for? Drink your water!

5. Mix up your workout

There are countless exercises for your biceps, triceps and forearms combined so why are you still doing one-arm dumbbell curls from your high school gym class? Change it up because variety means results. Don’t be afraid to throw body weight exercises like push ups and chin ups in there for good measure!

For more great ways to a greater body check out Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training for Fat Loss. Craig is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week.