Have you been unsuccessfully trying to lose belly fat? If so, there is a good chance you might be making some basic mistakes.

In this article, we are going to go over the 2 essential areas that are crucial to have correct if you want to exercise to lose belly fat quickly and permanently.

1. Total body strength training workouts 2-3 times per week.

This can melt fat from your body by gaining muscle and increasing your metabolism!

The more muscle you work, the more calories you will burn. Remember that muscle is the main thing that will burn fat while exercise. Strength training will help you to lose belly fat because the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn.

Don’t make the mistake of doing the common “3 sets of 10″ on a strength machine with a minute of rest between each set. It is a better idea to follow more of a “circuit training” structure. Here is an example:

Warm up: 5-10 minutes

1. Pushups - 10 reps

2. 1 arm DB row - 10 reps per arm

3. DB squats - 12 reps

4. Leg curls on stability ball - 10 to 12 reps

5. Side planks - 5-15 seconds per side

6. Hyper extensions - 12 reps

7. Standing DB overhead press - 10 reps

8. Ab crunches on stability ball - 10 to 15 reps

Go from start to finish, and rest 30-45 seconds between each exercise. Try doing the entire rotation 2-3 times around. This should take no more than 20-30 minutes depending on how much rest time you need.

This workout is just an example to show you what a total body workout looks like. There are lots of different ways to structure a workout like this, but this serves our basic purpose.

With this type of total body workout, you will exercise to lose belly fat as well as gain strength. Whenever you doing total body workouts, you always want to wait a day before doing it again so your muscles can rest and recover.

2. Interval training cardio instead of long, boring, same speed workouts.

Interval training differs from regular “same speed” cardio routines because it is quicker and a lot more fun. It is a great way to exercise to lose belly fat because you alternate between high and low intensities throughout the whole workout. Here is an example:

First 5 minutes: warm-up

2 minutes: slow

30 sec - 1 minute: fast (almost as hard as you can)

-Repeat the “2 minute slow 1 minute fast” 3-6 times.

Last 5 minutes: cool-down

By doing this type of routine, you are making your fat loss workout time shorter and more effective. You will increase your metabolism and you will have a lot more fun burning fat! Do this right after your total body strength training workouts 2-3 times per week.

Be sure to keep your heart rate in mind. Because you are working very hard, you should check with a doctor and make sure this is a safe way for you to exercise to lose belly fat.

Now that you have a structure for how to exercise to lose belly fat. The effort to lose fat does not have to be frustrating and slow. If you exercise correctly and have the right diet, you should be able to lose 1-3 lbs of belly fat each week until you reach your goal!

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Have you been trying to lose belly fat but ended been failing over and over again? If so, there is a good chance you making some simple mistakes.

In order for you body to burn fat, it has to be in a “fat burning” state. This article will show you the 2 main ways to lose belly fat.

1. Increase Your Metabolism

What exactly is metabolism? It is your body’s ability to burn calories. If you have a high metabolism, your body burns lots of calories. If you have a low metabolism, your body will not burn as many.

The most important thing you can do to raise your metabolism is to add muscle. To most people, adding muscle to burn fat sounds counterintuitive. The truth is, muscle burns calories like a car burns gas. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn, and the more belly fat you will lose.

The best way to raise your metabolism is by exercise. There are two great ways to do this. The first one is strength training, and the other is interval training.

Strength training adds muscle. Don’t worry about getting “big and bulky”. This only happens when you train very specifically with diet and exercise. Strength training will add lean muscle mass, which will burn more calories at rest and while being active. Who doesn’t want to burn fat while at rest? Strength training is one of the best ways to lose belly fat.

Interval training is different from traditional cardio in the sense that it incorporates alternating between high and low intensities. For example, you could get on a stationary bike and go for 2 minutes slow and 1 minute fast, then repeat 3-6 times. This is a basic interval training structure. This is better than regular “same speed” cardio because it really works your body hard!

During those intense minutes, you are stimulating your body to raise its metabolism for hours after you are done exercising. Just like with strength training, you are making your body burn calories after you are done exercising. This is a must when trying to lose belly fat.

2. Create a Caloric Deficit

This is all done by diet! You would be surprised to know just how many calories you actually consume per day. You can keep a food log and then analyze it with this free website:   www.fitday.com

Remember that there are 3,500 calories in 1 lb. If you cut back by just 500 calories per day, then over the course of 1 week you have lost 1 lb of fat. The problem area is that a lot of times we underestimate the number of calories in the foods we eat. Once you understand this, you will lose belly fat quicker than ever.

Another way you can use diet to lose belly fat is by eating a lot of fiber. Fiber is very hard for your body to break down. Your body actually uses calories to help break down fiber during digestion. This is one of those foods that “burn fat” and increases your metabolism. Small changes like this will help you lose belly fat.

Cutting back on bad carbs is also a great way to lose belly fat. When consuming bad carbs such as sugar, white bread, junk food, etc., your blood sugar gets very high. When you have high blood sugar, your body releases insulin to store it as fat. If you consume good carbs such as fiber, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta, your blood sugar does not spike as high, and in turn not as much is stored as fat.

If you follow these tips, you will synergistically turn your body into a fat burning machine that will make you lose belly fat in no time.

Good luck to you and remember to keep learning and stay persistent. The effort to lose belly fat does not have to be slow and frustrating!

To figure out how many calories you should have, first start with where you are. In other words, figure out how many calories it takes to maintain your present size and then reduce from there. You can go about this in many ways. Most people simply choose an arbitrary number like 1200 calories and that’s what they eat, but in nearly every case that’s not nearly enough calories to ensure adequate nutrition, not to mention the deprivation that sets up.

While losing weight and to this day, I eat over 2000 calories a day on average and I’ve maintained a good weight for my height for over 17 years. Remember, your body requires calories to maintain itself.

Basic Calorie Requirements Calculation Based on Activity Level:

Sedentary : 13 X Weight = Avg. cal/day

Sedentary is not exercising at all

Moderately Active: 16 X Weight = Avg. cal/day

Moderately Active is exercising approximately 3-4 times per week

Very Active: 19 X Weight = Avg. cal/day

Very Active is 5-7 strenuous exercise sessions per week.

If you weigh over 200 pound now, and you’d like to weigh closer to 150, here is a calculation you could use to get started: Assuming you are going to be adding enough exercise to quality as Moderately Active, we’ll use 16 as our modifier:

150 pounds X 16 calories per pound = 2400 calories

Less 500 (Using the common 500 calories per day reduction) gives us a total of 1900 average calories per day

If you started to incorporate a plan that allowed an average of 1900 calories every day, you’d start to lose weight. The mistake most people make is to reduce calories too much, which ultimately sacrifices muscle plus sets you up for feeling deprived. It’s far better in the long run to go more slowly, keeping as much muscle as possible while burning calories via exercise. Remember too, even if you don’t eat quite that many calories on many days, you might eat more on the weekends for instance, so it ends up being closer to your goal of 1900 average per day. Take the total calories for the week divided by seven.

Remember, this average calorie number gives you plenty of wiggle room during the week. You can have some treats along with everyone else, or add more on weekends. Instead of constantly saying, “I can’t, I’m on a diet,” now you can say, “Thank you, that looks delicious,” and enjoy some. It doesn’t ruin your diet plan because you’ve got a large enough calorie allowance that if you are more careful some days than others, it will work out to the average number of calories you want. I tend to eat far less calories during the week than on weekends and my totals generally average out to 2000 to 2200 calories per day.

The 500 calorie reduction is a well accepted amount. You can reduce your calories further, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It doesn’t benefit anyone to try for faster weight loss, in fact, if you reduce your calories too much you end up wasting muscle in the process, which is exactly what you do not want to do. If you want faster results, it’s better to add more activity, thereby burning more calories at rest.

You may be thinking I’m nuts, recommending 1900 calories per day, but I can say for a fact that if you eat too little (1000 - 1200 calories is too few, IMO) then you set yourself up for all of the following:

Deprivation. You’re going to feel deprived, mentally and physically. 1000 calories isn’t enough for your basic metabolic needs, much less to fuel yourself for your activity needs. Add more food! Just have a bit more than you’re already having, so for instance, if you are allowed 1/2 cup of vegetables is a whole cup going to ruin all your progress? I doubt it. Eat a whole cup, or go ahead and have two oranges. Fruits and vegetables are very low calorie but provide high nutrition.

Sure, some vegis and fruits are high in sugar, but it’s natural sugar. I seriously doubt our planet grows any killer foods - it is more likely the food industry which has processed those foods to become nothing more than a dried powder, then add back more sugars, and chemicals so it will resemble the original product, is more harmful than a simple apple or banana?

If you are diabetic or must watch the sugars, have a small bit of protein along with the higher glycemic food, such as an ounce of cheese with your apple. Notice I said an ounce of cheese, not a slab big enough to feed a small country.

Metabolic Slow-Down Feeding yourself too few calories sets you up for metabolic slow-down. Studies have shown time and again that a heavier person can find it difficult to lose weight, even though eating very low calories, simply because their body’s metabolism is burning at such a slow rate. As you probably already know exercise helps to speed up your metabolism but so does eating. That’s why they say breakfast is so important, not only to fuel yourself but because it starts the metabolic furnace burning, and it continues to burn all day. If you don’t eat anything until noon, you don’t stoke your furnace to start burning until then either.

Has the ultra low calorie approach worked for you so far? If not, why not try something more reasonable? Tag along with a friend who doesn’t have a weight problem and you’ll see how sometimes they eat more, sometimes less, but on average they eat enough to fuel their body and maintain their weight.

Adding more food gives you additional eye appeal. If you split up 1000 calories over the course of an entire day you’re looking at pretty skimpy portions on your plate each time you eat. I like to feel like I’m getting enough to eat and I do this by rounding out my plate with extra vegetables.

If I’m having a frozen entree for instance, I’ll cook up a cup or more of frozen vegetables to add to my plate. The extra vegis really fill me up, providing the satisfaction I need, and I often have a bit extra vegetables to throw away. Is that wasting food? No, it’s smart. Far better for me mentally to have extra food to toss away than to be licking the plate because I’m still hungry. I’m also not likely to start wanting something else to eat right after dinner if I’m feeling content with the amount I’ve eaten.

Make an effort to learn to like your food as is. Plain mixed vegetables with nothing on them are delicious. It took me awhile to stop putting butter on them, and then even quitting the Molly McButter (just chemicals and sodium). I eat them plain and yes, they are great. Nature made our fruits and vegetables naturally sweet and all those “extras” we are used to using like butter on vegetables or potatoes certainly make things taste all yummy but they also make us larger than we need to be. Those “extra” calories add up.

Slowly Make Adjustments to What or How Much You Eat

Wean yourself off adding sugar to your cold cereal. Read the label; all processed cereals contain a ridiculous amount of added sugar. There’s no need to add more. My only exception is brown sugar on oatmeal. I don’t sugar my cereal at all anymore but it took me awhile to make the change. Start by adding a bit less, then next week cut back a bit more until you break the habit entirely. Tiny changes make up for big results over time.

If you feed yourself well, and focus on increasing your activity, even if only a little, then you will continue to lose fat, build muscle and get more shapely, all the while increasing your metabolism so you can eat more food!

Have you ever dreaded the idea of pulling weeds, planting a tree, or pushing a lawn mower around the yard?

Does just thinking about it make you sweat? I am sure the majority of are nodding your heads in agreement. What I am about to suggest only takes a slight change in your thinking and a bit of planning and you can learn how to lose weight and get in better shape while gardening this year.

For those of you that are already gardeners, you know that gardening is one of the best ways to get exercise because it involves all of the muscle groups in your body.

Like I mentioned earlier, we only need to change the way you think about outside chores. See I am falling into the trap too, I just called them chores. Instead, you should think of them as outdoor exercises that are designed to enhance the condition of your body and help you lose weight.

As with any exercise program, check with your doctor before starting. Make sure you are dressed properly and that you stretch before beginning.

If you aren’t used to exercising in the garden or have been relatively inactive all winter, start slowly. Start with weeding, watering, and planting seeds.

As you feel yourself getting stronger you can increase your gardening repertoire to include: pruning, heavy digging, hoeing, pushing a loaded wheelbarrow, or mowing the lawn. I think you get the idea because the list of outdoor gardening exercise ideas is endless!

Even carrying plants or a bag of potting soil to the car from the store and then out into the yard is exercise! You can potentially burn up to 300-600 calories per hour depending on your intensity and which gardening exercises you engage in.

You CAN lose weight by gardening ~ eat less and move more! The following list shows what a typical man weighing 180 pounds will burn in 30 minutes of activity. If you weigh more you can burn even more calories!

• Watering lawn/garden~ 61
• Raking~ 162
• Bagging leaves~ 162
• Planting seeds/seedlings~ 162
• Planting trees~ 182
• Weeding ~ 182
• Clearing Land ~ 202
• Digging, spading, tilling~ 202
• Laying Sod~202
• General gardening~ 202
• Chopping wood~ 243
• Gardening with heavy power tools~ 243
• Mowing the lawn with a push mower~ 243
• Shoveling snow~ 243
• Shoveling heavy snow~ 364 cals

Tips for your success:

1. Don’t over do it~ one or two hours of gardening is plenty, especially when you are beginning!

2. Don’t lift objects that are too heavy for you. If you injure yourself, chances are that you won’t be able to continue to garden for exercise and weight loss.

3. Stretch before, during and after gardening. Don’t stay down on your knees while weeding or planting for extended periods of time~ get up and move!

4. Get out in your garden and exercise at least 3-4 times a week.

5. Continue your outdoor exercise routine even after you last blooms have faded. Shoveling the snow, raking leaves, and splitting wood are great calorie burners that will lead to weight loss!

6. Don’t forget the added benefit of growing your own healthy fruits and vegetables and your yard will look beautiful from all of your hard work!
7. Have Fun and “Just do it”!

Once you get into the habit of viewing gardening as an excellent way to lose weight and stay in shape, you may never go back to the gym again!

The vast majority of postpartum women will not return to their pre-pregnancy weight without the help of proper nutrition. This article will explain why extreme diets don’t work and why the Glycemic Index may be the best long-term solution for postpartum weight loss.

Don’t Go To Extremes

There are thousands of “diets” on the market, yet the question still remains: how can we achieve weight loss in the healthiest, most permanent way? Restricting calories too much can shut down metabolism and cause us to gain weight in the long run. Eating “Fat free” can make us hungry all the time and deprives the postpartum body of key nutrients. “High protein/no carbohydrate” diets are unhealthy and can put our bodies at possible risk of liver and kidney damage.

We know going to nutritional extremes doesn’t work. Alas, we come back to the age-old method of balance. How we balance carbohydrates, fats, and proteins can make all the difference.

Research shows that unsaturated fats are better than saturated. And proteins such as chicken, fish, and even beans far outweigh red meat as a healthy choice. What about carbohydrates? Which carbohydrates work best for weight loss and energy? Choosing the correct carbohydrates in balance with healthy proteins and fats will help you achieve the healthiest form of weight loss for the postpartum period and beyond.

The Hormonal Response To Food

When we eat, our bodies digest and convert foods into usable forms of energy. The main unit of energy for the body is a sugar called glucose. When people talk about blood sugar levels they are referring to how much glucose is in the bloodstream at a given time.

A stable blood sugar level is important for health and our bodies stimulate hormones to regulate it. If we have too much sugar in our blood, a hormone called insulin is released. Insulin will bring our blood sugar back to an acceptable level, however it also encourages our bodies to convert the excess sugar to fat.

According to Joyce and Gene Daoust, authors of 40-30-30- Fat Burning Nutrition, “It is important that an individual’s blood sugar level does not rise too high or too quickly because, if it does, the body reacts by alerting the pancreas. The pancreas then detects the excess glucose and secretes the hormone messenger, insulin, to correct it. Increased levels of insulin force your body to burn glucose for energy and store any excess away as glycogen or fat.”

Essentially, insulin promotes the storage of fat in our bodies. To burn fat instead of store it, we should limit the amount of insulin in our blood. The way to do this is by keeping our blood sugar levels from getting too high, too fast. How do we control our blood sugar? Fortunately, there is a tool that will make our job easier.

The Glycemic Index (GI)

The Glycemic Index is a numerical rating scale that measures how fast a particular food can raise blood sugar (glucose) levels in our bodies. At the top of the scale is pure glucose with a rating of 100. All other foods are ranked in a hierarchy along the scale. Foods that break down (convert into glucose) slowly have a low Glycemic rating. Foods that breakdown quickly have a high rating. The Glycemic Index (GI) values of different foods are extremely important, because the speed at which foods are converted into glucose not only affects our insulin levels, but our appetite, cholesterol and blood fats as well.

To Lose Weight, Eat Foods With A Low GI Value

It’s that simple. Choose low Glycemic foods and your body is less likely to convert them into fat. For example, you’ll notice that eating a cup of All Bran cereal (GI = 51) will sustain you longer than a cup of corn flakes (GI = 84). As you can see, Corn Flakes elevate your blood sugar faster than All Bran.

An apple (GI = 38) will keep you full longer than a piece of watermelon (GI = 72). Because the apple converts to sugar in the blood slowly, your insulin levels will be much lower than if you ate the watermelon. You will also get more sustainable energy over a longer period of time from the apple.

The Glycemic Index and Appetite

Controlling food portions and appetite becomes easier when you understand how the GI of certain foods affects your body.

Typically, high GI foods stimulate appetite by making blood sugar rise and fall quickly, thus creating a feeling of constant hunger. For example, a slice of white bread has a high GI, because it’s starches release and digest quickly. When blood sugar rises and falls rapidly, the body is stimulated to eat again. Candy, potatoes, honey, and other refined (processed) grains will have the same affect.

To reduce appetite, eat low GI foods such as beans, vegetables, fruits, and certain whole-grains. They release at a slow, steady pace, keeping you full, energetic and away from the refrigerator! Although most carbohydrates are naturally low in fat, those carbohydrate foods with a low GI index also have more fiber. Low GI foods release energy in the body at a much slower rate, helping you avoid “peaks and valleys” and maintain a steady energy level.

More ways To Reduce GI

Other factors, such as the way foods are prepared can affect the GI. Coarsely ground flour in bread tends to release at a slower rate than extra fine flour. Old-fashioned oatmeal made with fiber-rich rolled oats and natural sugar has a lower GI than the instant version. Even cooking spaghetti less can decrease its Glycemic Index, making the carbohydrate molecules release at a slower rate. In general, the more a food is cooked, the faster it releases sugars and the higher GI it will have.

The same goes for raw fruits and vegetables. The crunchier, the better! It takes the body longer to release and digest raw vegetables, thus converting to sugar slowly and keeping us full longer.

Combining high GI foods with low GI foods will also reduce the speed at which sugar is released in your blood. For instance, if you ate a rice cake (GI = 99) you would have an insulin spike because the rice cake is converted into sugar very fast. However, if you had a tablespoon of peanut butter (GI = 15) with your rice cake, the total GI of the meal is only 57. Yes, the peanut butter adds more calories to the meal, but because you have less insulin in the blood those calories are more likely to be burned instead of being stored as fat.

It’s important to note that portion size is a big factor. This article assumes you are not overeating. When you take in way too many calories than you need, your body will certainly store fat. However, if they are low Glycemic calories you would store less fat than if they were high GI calories.

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Putting It All Together

Here’s a formula for new moms who desire weight loss and high energy. Try to balance all your meals with:

40% of calories coming from low GI carbohydrates

30% from lean protein

30% unsaturated fat

The above ratio has been shown to keep your blood sugar at an optimum level for burning fat instead of storing it. Since protein and fat have naturally low GI’s your carbohydrate choice will be the biggest factor in the total GI of your meals.

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A Sample Day Of Balanced Meals with a GI below 50

Breakfast: Low fat cottage cheese, peaches and raw almonds

Lunch: (water packed) Tuna salad sandwich (Mayo, celery, sweet pickle relish and lettuce), grapes

Snack: String cheese and an apple

Dinner: Grilled salmon, vegetables (Onion, green pepper, zucchini) and salad with low fat dressing, an orange

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The great thing about the Glycemic Index is it’s easy to learn. It’s the perfect tool for busy new moms. Instead of wondering what to eat, you’ll start making smart food choices around low GI foods. Once you combine the power of the Glycemic Index with regular exercise you’ll watch those postpartum pounds melt away in no time. You can learn more at www.strollerfit.com

View a Glycemic Index of various foods here:

http://www.strollerfit.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=8501D08C-C199-51B2-7EF0A45D08E1B199