There are lots of things you can do to help you burn more fat. Today we offer you three more that you can take to the bank and help you in your quest to be a lean, mean, …um… living machine.

1. Do Intervals. Periodic fast paced intervals raise your metabolic rate higher so you can burn more fat. Even walking at a normal rate, and then speeding up for 30-60 sec, and alternating that routine will help to burn more fat than maintaining a steady pace.

2. Build Lean Muscle. Actually having more lean muscle will allow you to burn more calories as it requires more calories even if you are not working out those muscles. Muscle burns more calories than fat does. Work at strength training that builds lean muscle.

3. Eat Good Fats. Eating good fats help speed up your metabolism, burn other calories, and are used by the body for energy while not being stored by the body. Coconut oil is an excellent fat to include in your daily regimen that will help you burn more fat while being used for energy and fighting off illness and infection at the same time. Other good fats include organic butter, avocado, and olive oil (best without too much heat).

Partial source: Yahoo Shine

Make sure you look closely when buying organic, or when buying any food for that matter. Sometimes the labeling can be tricky. Foods can be labeled:
A. certified organic,
B. made with organic ingredients, or
C. contains organic ingredients.

The levels are associated with percentages:
A. 100% Organic – nothing but organic ingredients and processing aids (label: certified organic)
B. 95% Organic – up to %5 nonorganic ingredients and must not be produced using excluded methods [gmo, sewege fertilizer, or radiation] (label: certified organic).
C. 70-95% Organic – 5-30% nonorganic ingredients that can be just about anything, but not produced with GMO’s, sewage fertilizer, or radiation. They can contain pesticides. (label: made with organic ingredients)
D. 70% Organic – really means less than 70% organic ingredients and can contain as little as 30% organic ingredients and up to 70% nonorganic ingredients. The nonorganic ingredients can be just about anything, it can be GMO, it can use sewage fertilizer, it can use pesticides, and it can be irradiated. (label: contains organic ingredients)

So what is the takeaway from all of this? Read the ingredients that you are buying, it is best to know where the food is coming from and how it is processed (buy local if possible), and if buying organic, you have some more assurances if 100% of the ingredients are organic as opposed to partial… even though with getting food from an outside source, you never know.

Sources: Farm Wars

Our Body Blast Class located at the Crag of Cool Springs has been going great. The class is 6:00am on Tuesday and Thursday and is FREE for a limited time.

The location is:
The Crag at Cool Springs
121 Seaboard Lane #10
Franklin, TN 37067-2817

This class is geared for those that would like to cut weight and get strong; giving you the ability to do things that you may have never thought possible. Body Blast will take you through from the ground up on building muscle and melting fat with proven methods of total body strength training. As well as being unlike any other class you’ve ever attended, Body Blast will challenge every fitness level even if there may not be a fitness level just yet. It is 1 part HIIT, 1 part resistance training, 1 part isometric, and 1 part body weight. Body Blast will use everything you have and give you the results you are looking for. We will also give you the tools and tips to cut that unwanted weight by teaching you some valuable food solutions for your dietary needs.

It is pretty well accepted that an active lifestyle improves the quality of your life in terms of health, strength, and energy. So how does sitting, or being sedentary play into this? Evidence suggests that the amount of sitting can play a major role and that sitting too much is not the same as exercising too little.

In discussing a paper published by Pennington Biomedical Research Center, an article on Scientific American states:

“Not surprisingly, they report that time spent sitting was associated with increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality (there was no association between sitting and deaths due to cancer). But what is fascinating is that the relationship between sitting time and mortality was independent of physical activity levels. In fact, individuals who sat the most were roughly 50% more likely to die during the follow-up period than individuals who sat the least, even after controlling for age, smoking, and physical activity levels.”

We know that many of you have to sit in order to earn your living. Interestingly enough, the article went on to state that the greater number of breaks from being sedentary improved metabolism, waist circumference, and BMI. So we encourage you to take short breaks, or work standing up for a short time if you are able. If you must sit for work, having time for not sitting after work is even more important!

I have been asked about burst training more than once this last week. I assume that it is gaining in popularity, but given the fact that I don’t follow trends I am not surprised that I haven’t heard about it. After doing some research I learned all I need to know on the matter. I have found that burst training, although effective is not a complete source of exercise for the body. It is however a great addition to a strength training regimen and a nice addition to resistance training.

The one thing I can’t stand, especially in the my field is “a one size fits all” approach to anything but especially to fitness. Your workouts should have a great amount of variety both to effectively stimulate your muscles and also to keep you motivated towards your goals. Burst training is, going all out for as long as 15 minutes or as little as 5 minutes. It is an intense style of cardio that would work great with your other workouts.

Just remember to never subscribe to any fitness machine or fashion that claims to be the “new standard” in the industry. Stick with things that have stood the test of time, like body weight training (pushups, pull-ups and the like), isometrics and weight lifting. Throw in some boxing or jump rope for cardio and you are on your way. If you need a customized plan then you need a personal trainer. You are in luck! I can help you there…

There will always be a new device that is designed to woo the public but nothing can replace forcing a physical fitness habit. You can achieve the same results if you just make a healthy habit out of your exercise. You just have to get up and get to it. No one has to remind you to brush your teeth or close the car door behind you, they are good habits and you need more of those.