Why Cardio Will Not Help You Lose Weight and Could Make You Gain!

Are you trying real hard to lose weight? Giving it your best shot? Following all the rules? Then I bet you do plenty of good quality cardio exercise, don't you? If you're really committed, you might even put in an hour each day! Gotta burn up those calories. Gotta stay in the fat-burning zone.

But what if ....

I mean, what if it's all just make-believe?

What if it's nothing but a myth ...

That cardio is the best exercise for weight loss, that is. Could that be possible? Sounds kinda crazy, doesn't it? I mean, 'they' have been telling us for years that cardio burns fat.

So why is it then that the people I've watched day after day, after week, after month, after year on the treadmills do nothing but gain weight? Why is it that so many people who walk every day, or even perform higher intensity cardio every day, just can't seem to slim down? And why is that when I dramatically slashed the amount of cardio performed by myself and my clients, the weight came off with far greater ease?

Because the cardio myth just ain't true, that's why.

Here's what the latest research and clinical evidence is telling us about exercise for fat loss:

- While cardio exercise can assist you to lose weight in the short-term (coming from a background of little or no activity), these effects soon taper off

- This is because cardio exercise is repetitive by nature, and your body is conditioned to adapt quickly to repetitive movement. After all, why waste energy (that means burn fat) on something that requires a relatively low level of functional movement? And no, it doesn't matter that cardio puts you in the 'fat-burning zone!' It's all about what your body does after the event ...

- As a result, the only way to continue the fat loss response from cardio exercise is to perform greater and greater amounts of the stuff

- Not only is this not practical, it actually backfires on you in the end anyway

- You see, regular bouts of repetitive cardio actually elicit a fat-storing response in your hormonal system. This is because evolution has programmed your body to store fat in times of crisis - and long-duration cardio is viewed as just that. In nature, you'd only be on the move for a period of time if you had a threat to your survival: to your food source, your safety, or your shelter. So it would be important to store fat faster.

Does that make sense? I'm thinking that no matter how much of a cardio queen - or king - you are (hey, I've been there, I know it's hard to give up on), you've still got to admit there's something to what I'm saying.

So WHAT should you do instead?

--- Perform functional movements like squatting, lunging, bending, pulling, pushing, or twisting

--- Force continual adaptation and an increased fat-burning response by combining these movements in different ways, and with varying loads or added stimulus. See a good personal trainer - such as a Chek trainer - for more information on this. Or see my Functional Fitness article on this site.

--- Okay, so if I'm totally technical about it, it's not 100% true that cardio exercise is no good for weight loss. Some approaches to cardio can be a useful addition to your weights or functional training. The side salad to the meat and veg, so to speak. But I'm not talking about standard cardio training. Have you heard of interval training? This is a great method for fitness and fat loss, when combined with an effective weights or functional movement pattern. An example of interval training would be to set aside no more than 20 minutes wherein you run one minute as fast as you can, then walk or jog a minute to recover.

--- Use all your free time (from not having to do so much cardio) to research what YOUR body really needs.

Try the following for starters:

- A consultation with a good Personal Trainer
- Read the Metabolic Typing Diet, by William W. Wolcott and Trish Fahey and figure out how to optimise weight loss by eating right for your body. Visit my website for further information on Metabolic Typing consultations.
- Read 'How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy' by Paul Chek, H.H.P and learn how to do, well, just what the title says
- If you really want to get stuck into the details of what I've just spoken about (and one my best sources for this article), pick up a copy of 'Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and your Survival', by Bent Formby. It's one of my favourites!

Cardio for weight loss: it's not the solution. That's a fact. The question is - are you willing to take a leap of faith and discover it for yourself?

Life is Now: Don't waste yours on the treadmill.

Oh - and Press Play :

Kat

Katrina Eden

http://www.katrinaeden.com

Easy Weight Loss for Dog Lovers

If you need to lose weight, more than likely you are thinking in terms of diet and exercise plans, not pets. There are, however, several reasons why getting a dog may be the best thing you ever do, in terms of weight loss. Having a dog can lead to several small but significant lifestyle changes that all add up, over time!

For one thing, a dog requires a minimum of one hour a day of walking and thats every day, not just sunny days, and not just when you feel like it. Of course, you can just take the dog into the yard and throw the ball for it, but why not take advantage of your canine companion and go for real walks every day? Its better for you, and better for the dog. Over time, it gets to be very enjoyable.

Some people feel that just the act of getting a new puppy is weight loss measure in and of itself. Until its trained, its more than likely to keep you on your toes youll be lucky to get a chance to sit down and eat, let alone cook! That initial crazy period usually ends pretty quickly, though. Besides walking, here are some other tips for easy weight loss with dogs.

Heres a great trick feed any bits of food you dont want or think you shouldnt eat to the dog. For example, I havent eaten a toast crust in over two years. I used to eat them just to be rid of them. It just seems wrong to throw them in the garbage, somehow. But feeding them to the dog is nothing more or less than symbiotic. You may not think this is a great weight loss measure, by the way, but Im sure that all those crusts add up!

I must admit (and veterinary dog food purists, close your ears!) that it goes a bit further than that. What if you have made a yummy pasta dish, and theres just a little left, not really enough to be worth putting in a plastic container and saving? If its not so good, Id throw it out, but if it is good, that puts me in a spot. Ill probably either eat it outright despite being full, or pick away at it over the course of a few hours until its gone. This can be avoided if you just simply and automatically give it to the dog. After all, dogs evolved alongside humans for millennia in exactly this way. They ate the leftovers of whatever their human companions were eating. Nowadays, the pet food industry cautions us against doing so, but if the food youre eating is reasonably healthy, whos to say that feeding small bits of it to the dog will do the dog any harm at all?

Personally, I have, on occasion, sunk even lower than that in canine gastrointestinal abuse. There is a brand of white cheddar popcorn, marketed as Smartfood and sold in huge bags, with about a day and a half worth of calories in each. I love it. I love it so much I have been known to eat a whole bag over the course of a few hours. Its delicious. Its the kind of thing I should never buy a bag of. But if I do, and Ive ripped into it, and its disappearing, I can do damage control by periodically pausing in my binging to tip large amounts of the popcorn into a bowl on the floor, where it is just as quickly eaten up by the dog.

It helps to have a big dog. I dont know that any of these measures would work so well with a little one that cant eat quickly. It helps, also, if the dog is at least half black lab. They are purported to have iron cast stomachs, rather like goats, and this has proven to be true in the case of my dog as proven when, at the age of eleven months, she ate four tubes of oil paint, metal and all. She ate all the reds, yellows and oranges, strangely enough ignoring the cool side of the color wheel completely and, amazingly, suffered no ill consequences at all!

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How To Lose 40 Pounds in a Month

Just a few days ago someone asked me if it's possible to lose 40 pounds in a month, and if so how she could do it. I decided to take the answer I gave her and to make an article of it. So here it is.

But before I write about how this can be done, let me say that I suggest you give yourself more time to lose 40 lbs. A month will require some drastic measures. But if you're adamant about it, read on. You need to be aware that in order to lose 40 pounds in 30 days, you need to create a massive calorie deficit. This isn't something which is easily done. It's possible to do this in just 2 ways:

1. Use a detox diet - A detox diet cleanses your body of a great deal of undigested pounds and helps you to create a calorie deficit. A detox diet includes drinking a lot of fluids, usually water and fruit juice (fresh juice). This kind of diet flushes you out and helps to stave off hunger. In this way it's possible to lose 40 pounds fast. In a month, it can be done. However, you need to be aware that this may not be the healthiest thing to do. Using a detox diet for too long can be detrimental to the body since you're not eating a lot of necessary nutrients. It's great for fast weight loss, but don't use it for too long.

2. The second way to lose 40 lbs in a month is to create the necessary calorie deficit by working out a lot and eating in moderation. You will need to do a lot of cardio (at least 4 hours each week) and also do strength workouts, but cardio is key. You will not be building muscle tissue in this month, you will only be losing weight. If you do enough cardiovascular workouts, and eat in moderation (a lot of vegetables and fruit and short on carbs), you may be able to lose 40 pounds in 1 month. But you need to be aware that this will require a massive effort on your part.

As I said, it's possible to lose 40 pounds in a month with the right kind of determination and willpower, but I suggest you give yourself a bit more time. It'll make it easier.

To read about the best detox diet and cardiovascular based diet, visit this webpage:
Diet plans to lose 10 lbs in 2 Weeks.

John Davenport lost over 30 pounds in his twenties after being overweight most of his life. To read more about fast weight loss, click here: How To Lose Weight Fast And Never Gain It Back

Free Weight Loss Meal Plans

Actions to remedy weight are numerous. Weight loss surgeries, medicines and pills, exercises and diet regimens are the common ways to lose weight. Alternative medicine such as drinking herbal teas and pills are also said to help lose weight. There are free weight loss programs that are shared through the Internet A part of these free weight loss programs are free weight loss meal plans. These provide for absolute better alternatives than any painful injury that you have to go through before you can actually achieve your desired shape.

To have a meal plan is important because it is a great way to guide you with your food intake. These free weight meal plans are usually designed to contain the right food groups and keep the meal balanced. It must be emphasized that dieting entails that you should be able to choose and eat the right kinds of foods that your body needs to maintain the nutritional requirement but whether you are on a diet or not, it is advisable to plan your meals. If you do not have a weight loss problem and you do not want to encounter such problem, you should make sure that you also plan your meal otherwise you might find yourself in the same dilemma as most people who have weight loss problems.

Doctors, nurses and people working in the health care community advise using free weight meal plans for patients. This is to ensure that the patient is able to recover or to recuperate from the sickness through the nutrients that can be found in these foods and at the same time ensure that the intake of food is being monitored to fit the dietary requirement considering his or her physical condition. Dietitians make special meal plans to cater the person unique needs. That is why it is advisable for you to get a dietary expert especially if you do not have any idea on which foods to eat and which foods not to eat.'

If you do not want to get a dietitian but you cannot make a meal plan of your own, try to search the Internet about free weight loss meal plans. These should be your keywords because there is a difference between meal plans that is designed for weight loss than just a normal meal plan. Meal plans for weight loss will give you a ready source of recipes and food combinations to help you lose that dreaded weight.

A good meal plan cannot be taken for granted. There are many available weight loss meal plans and tips on how to make one available on the Internet This makes getting a meal plan that is for weight loss more convenient and efficient.

Anthony Thedford has been writing information articles for years. For more information on weight loss, please visit our website at http://www.infosearchlive.com/weightloss/Weight-Loss/Weight-Loss.php