Fit and Youthful Life

Guest Author: Rando Meresmaa


The best way to burn fat is the combination between nutrition, cardio training, weight training and motivation. If you leave out one of these factors then losing fat permanently is impossible. It is not enough to only do cardio or weight training, or even worse only using strict diets without any training at all. All of these factors have their own place, some are more important than others but all of them are important to achieve permanent fat loss.

Weight training

The primary fat burning effect of weight training into play comes after the workout from the increase in Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and from the increase in post-exercise metabolic rate. During weight training workouts, you are burning primarily sugar. The more muscle mass you have the more calories you burn.

For example:

BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)

If a man weighs 85 kg with 25% bodyfat then his lean body mass (LBM) is 63.75 kg

If we do the calculation then his BMR is 1747 calories. but if another man who also weighs 85 kg but he has 8% bodyfat then he would burn 2059.12 calories. That is an extra 312.12 calories. But for most people the extra increase in resting metabolism is not enough to lose fat permanently.

Cardio training

Weight training has a bigger effect after a workout but cardio has a bigger effect during a workout. Because aerobic exercise uses oxygen and is therefore fat-burning in nature. If you do a 30 minute cardio (aerobic) workout then you are a bit leaner after the 30 minute workout then before. All calories burned will have an impact on fat loss because overall calorie balance is what really matters. Sustained fat burning, oxygen-utilizing aerobic exercise is critical for fat loss. It is really not important if you do steady state cardio or high intensity interval training (HIIT), what matter is how many calories you have burned.



Instant Skin Tightener

Guest Author: Beth Campbell


We all know that to lose weight it helps to engage in a weight loss cardio workout in addition to following a healthy diet plan, but exactly what is cardio, what are the benefits and what are the best cardio workouts? Here are some answers to those questions and some examples of weight loss cardio workouts.

The word Cardio comes from the word cardiovascular which, according to dictionary.com, means: of, pertaining to, or affecting the heart and blood vessels. Cardio exercise is exercise that raises your heart rate to a certain level for a certain period of time. To learn what that level is for you, do a search online for the term target heart rate zone

Cardio has many benefits that include helping you burn calories, helping your heart to grow stronger, and increasing your lung capacity. It also may help with better sleep and less stress.

Cardio helps you reach your weight loss goal by burning calories. Burning calories through exercise means that you can create a calorie reduction and lose weight without having to lower your daily calories as drastically. For example, if you need to lower your calorie intake to 1200 a day in order to lose weight, by burning 200 calories through exercise a day, you can eat 1400 calories instead. Since by eating 1400 instead of 1200 calories, you will not feel as hungry or deprived, you will have a better chance of sticking with your weight loss plan.

Here are some good cardio exercises divided into those usually done in a fitness center or home and then those usually done outside. Some people prefer to join a gym to workout while others prefer to engage in outdoor exercise activities and yet other like to mix things up. Finding a good cardio routine for the type of setting you prefer will make you more likely to stick with your program.

Good cardio routines for indoors:

1. Elliptical machine: This is a very popular machine at most fitness center. Many people feel that on this machine, they can burn more calorie than other machines in the same amount of time. A big advantage of this machine is that the feet are always in contact with the machine so there is little stress or impact on the joints

2. Stair Climber: A good cardio machine and is especially beneficial for working the large leg muscles.

3. Treadmill: Good machine for running indoors and for walking for those not yet able to handle the elliptical machine or stair climber.

Good cardio routines for outdoors:

1. Jogging/Running: An excellent cardio workout but puts a lot of stress on the joints.

2. Swimming: Much less impact and builds endurance as well as muscle strength.

3. Bicycling: Another good low impact outdoor activity.

The main point to remember when deciding on a weight loss cardio workout is to find something that you enjoy and that will raise your heart rate. Be sure to check with your doctor before beginning and then to engage in cardio activity for at least 30 minutes 3 times a week.

Guest Author: Alien


Weight training programs are getting more and more popular these days. With more and more people with an urge to build heavier and bulkier muscles, these training programs have become a great success in the market today. These weight training programs are not as simple as they look like. People think that they would enter a gym and throw in some weights and they would build their muscles strong and bulky like most of the weight lifters and bodybuilders. But this is only a myth in their mind. The original fact is that bodybuilding requires a lot more exercise and workout to build muscles like those weight lifters and bodybuilders. There is no short cut for building muscles into strong ones until a person indulges himself in rigorous exercise and workout.

Those persons who are quite serious in building their muscles and achieving their goals of having heavier and bulky muscles must join one or the other weight lifting programs or they should be able to manage to organize his own weight training workout at his home or some other place. A person can easily find a weight training program anywhere. These programs make the person aware of the importance of exercise along with the intake of a balanced diet with all the nutrients included in it. If the body would not get sufficient nutrients then the person would not be able to develop good muscles and hence he would not be able to achieve his ultimate goal. But in a self organized weight training workout, one has to be self aware of every fact about weight training and he cannot get any external assistance.

In designing a self organized weight training workout, the first thing that should be kept in mind is the place. The place where the person would perform exercise should be comfortable for that person and it is better that the person is familiar with that place. The person should not strain himself very much in the beginning as it takes some time for the muscles of the body to open up for rigorous stress. A little stress is enough for the beginning which can be increased slowly. When the body becomes fully stretchable then only rigorous part of the exercise should be applied to the body. Along with the exercises, a balanced diet should also be taken by the person so as to supply proper nutrients to the body. Without proper nutrition the body would not be able to develop good muscles.