According to a recent survey, 80% of people are not satisfied with the way their body looks. Many want flatter stomachs, thinner waistlines, bigger breasts, smaller breasts, curvier buttocks, or even less back fat to name a few.

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I discovered shapewear by accident. I read, Magic Body Makeovers, and discovered a line of products that can truly reshape your body instantly. Over time, these once sagging body parts become firmer with continual usage.

As I read this eBook, I felt the author was writing with me in mind. I am not extremely overweight, but I do have the extra 10-15 pounds in difficult places such as my abdomen and thighs. I really needed a body makeover, nothing extreme like liposuction, just something to help me look better in my clothes.

Magic Body Makeovers is for anyone who wants to look and feel better. It describes these new garments and how they will make you look
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If you are in need of a makeover, Magic Body Makeovers is your answer!

Thanks for reading,

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By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com

Fat burner supplements are advertised everywhere these days - on the internet, in magazines and even on TV. The ads almost always feature a very lean fitness model or bodybuilder and claim that these products, usually pills, were the secret to their six pack abs and very low body fat levels. Some of these ads suggest that the only way to get as lean as the "hot bodies" you see in the ads is by taking their "miracle pills" and that proper nutrition and exercise alone is not enough.

While I won’t dismiss the fact that there are ingredients in some fat "burner" products that might help a little bit, I take great displeasure in seeing misleading advertising claims as well as the misleading use of models who are often paid to endorse the product even though they may never have even used it (they’re just models!)

Many "fat burner" companies have been sued by the Federal Trade Commission for false advertising, false claims and falsifying before and after photos.

The best you get is a slight thermogenic effect and possibly some slight appetite suppression. A few products might work through other mechanisms like improving thyroid, but if you forgive me the generalization, I consider the effects of all these "fat burner" products to be minutia.

In one of my previous newsletters, I said that in my opinion, 97% of your results come from nutrition and training and maybe you get an extra 3% advantage from supplements. Just so you know those numbers aren’t something I just pulled out of thin air, lets take an example:

I have reviewed scientific data that EGCG, the active ingredient in green tea extract, if consumed in enough quantity, could increase thermogenesis / metabolic rate by an average of about 75 calories in 24 hours. Since ephedrine was taken off the market, green tea extract appears in many ephedra-free formulas these days. What is a typical calorie expenditure for an active male in 24 hours? lets say 2700 calories per day. 75/2700 = 2.7%.

That little extra doesn’t hurt, especially when it’s delivered in a healthful package such as green tea (rather than central nervous system stimulants), but it’s minutia in the bigger picture. Another way to put this into perspective is to make a list of what other things would burn 75 calories (for 150 lb person:)

* walk your dog for 15 minutes
* walk for 5 minutes at normal casual pace three times a day
* 30 minutes of ironing
* bagging leaves and grass clippings for 14 minutes
* re arrange your furniture for 10 minutes
* wash your car, 15 minutes
* vacuuming for 15 minutes
* 7.2 minutes of walking up stairs (could be spread throughout the day)

Ah yes, but why move your body when you can take the pill and metabolism increases while you sit and watch TV? How about for your health? A body that is not moved, rots away. Unlike a car which only has so many miles on it and wears out from over-use, people are the only "machines" on earth that fall apart from under-use.

Here’s what any good personal trainer will always tell you: No amount of calorie restriction or pill-popping will ever give you FITNESS. It willl never give you STRENGTH. it will never get you MUSCULARITY. It will never give you FUNCTIONALITY. At best it will help you reduce body mass slightly.

On one hand, I’m tempted to say that everything counts and that yes, 75 calories here and 75 calories there, it ALL adds up, because it does. After you’re exercising regularly and all your fundamentals are in place, details and little things do matter.

I’m simply asking you to put the benefits of any fat burners in proper perspective and realize that (1) there is no "need" for taking them and (2) the claims made in the ads are often erroneous or exagerrated.

My advice on fat burners:

1. NEVER buy a fat burner unless you get independent verification of the claims made for the product.

How do you KNOW they really work? Are you SERIOUSLY going to take the advertisers word for it? Are you SERIOUSLY going to take someone else’s testimonial as fact? Get verification for yourself by going to the pub med data base and looking for the primary research.

2. Put it in perspective

With those products that work, such as those providing a small thermogenic effect, put that in perspective as compared to how easily you could burn that many calories with even light exercise like walking or housework. Keep in mind the additional fitness and strength benefits you will obtain from exercise as opposed to doing nothing and popping a pill.

3. See if there are any side effects or health warnings.

With all supplements and especially with prohormones or stronger thermogenics like the ephedrine and caffeine stack, (if you still have access to them), understand the risk to benefit ratio, and be certain you know the dangers and contraindications.

4. Read the label and see if the product contains enough active ingredient to even work.

A classic scam is when a "fat burner" advertisement quotes research that a certain inredient boosts metabolism, which might be true. What they may not tell you is that all the research with positive results used a large dosage of the ingredient, which might not be cheap. So the supplement company includes a "pinch" or "light dusting" of that ingredient just so they can say it’s in the bottle, even though it’s nothing more than "label decoration". Then they have the audacity to invoke the research studies in their advertisements when the amount of the ingredient in their product is no where near what was used in the research!

5. Proprietary blend scam.

Some companies don’t let you see how much ingredient is in the product formula, because it contains multiple ingredients and they say their formula is a "trade secret" aka "proprietary", so they list what is in the product but not how much. Well, if you don’t know how much is in there then how are you supposed to know whether it contains the proper dosage? (answer: you don’t!)

6. Make sure there is human research, not just rodent research.

In many cases, advertisements cite studies on rats and mice as "proof" under the assumption that the product will produce the same results in humans. Animal research is an important part of the scientific method, as it is often used to help find areas of research where human study should be pursued, or in the other direction, to trace back the mechanism that makes something work. However, for obesity research in particular, a positive finding in rats does not mean the same thing will happen in humans.

7. Look for more than one human study.

Consider trying a supplement after it has human research that has been replicated by different research groups which are not industry-sponsored. My policy is that I will usually only give a "buy" rating to a supplement when a product has an intitial well-designed human controlled trial published and then similar research has been replicated by another research group that is not supplement-industry funded.

Actually, I think it’s a good thing that nutrition and supplement companies fund and sponsor some of the research. They should. They should not only back up their claims with published clinical trials, they should share some of the cost of this expensive research.

However, a basic principle of the scientific method is replication. Other researchers should be able to duplicate the findings. Therefore, while the funding source does not necessarily prove bias, if there is only one study available on a supplement and it is company or industry sponsored, I usually take it with a grain of salt and put an asterisk next to it while I wait for confirmation from another study. (You might be surprised at how infrequently this type of confirmation occurs).

Do you really need “more” than nutrition and exercise?

Now, when you weigh the fact that even the products with research backing them only help a little, with the fact that many of the ads lie to you about research, exagerrate claims and hide vital information about ingredients, and with the fact that you can do a few more minutes of exercise per day and get the same results for free, how enthusiastic are you about fat burners? Yeah, that’s why I’m not real excited about them either and based on the fact that I use no drugs and no "fat burner" supplements and I compete in bodybuilding - very successfully - I’d say that the assertion, "it takes more than nutrition and exercise to get six pack abs" is patently false.

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto
www.burnthefat.com

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle," which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com

You’ve probably seen the advertisements:

“Drink wu long tea and lose a jeans size every 7 days!”…

“Burn 20 lbs of fat in 30 days with wu long tea!” …

Maybe you even watched Oprah a few years ago when Dr. Perricone said that switching your coffee for green tea would help you take off the pounds.

You may have also read or watched countless news stories which say how healthy it is to drink green tea.

The odds are good that if you’re interested in improving your health and losing fat, you probably either drink tea, take a green tea supplement or you’ve at least thought about it.

But what if I told you that most of the fat reducing claims for green tea were absolute, total BS, based on misinterpretation or deliberate misreporting of the research?

Unfortunately, it’s true. If you’ve bought green tea based on the claim that it causes large reductions in body fat, then you have been scammed.

Here are the facts:

Green tea DOES stimulate your metabolism.

However, the research is very unclear about what kind of impact this small, short term increase in metabolism will have on your bodyweight in the long term.

In the most often quoted study (Dulloo, 1999), A swiss research team found that 270 mg of green tea extract 3X a day increased metabolic rate by the equivalent of about 79 calories on average and increased the oxidation of fat as the fuel source.

If you do the math, it appears that 79 kcal a day would add up to an extra pound of fat lost every 44 days. Not much, but you’ll take it, right? Hypothetically, that would add up to an extra 8 pounds lost per year.

What advertisements quoting this study don’t tell you is that this and other similar studies did not even measure long term change in body fat percentage or bodyweight. They only measured a 24- hour increase in energy expenditure.

One study which is used as marketing ammunition to claim that wu long tea burns 2.5 times more fat than green tea was based only on a 120-minute increase in energy expenditure! (reminds me of that Mark Twain quote: “There are lies, damned lies, and then there are statistics.”)

Numerous follow up studies have confirmed the short term increase in metabolism, but the studies are mixed on whether green tea improves weight reduction or maintenance in the long term.

The research IS compelling, but not conclusive.

As for ad claims that say you’ll lose a lot of weight just from drinking green tea… absolute BS! Hopefully the Federal Trade Commission will catch up with these scammers sooner rather than later, as the marketing messages on the Internet are getting louder and bolder every day.

As for health benefits - green tea is certainly a champ. It’s high in antioxidants and there are more than 2,000 research citations about potential health benefits of green tea (not to mention a 5,000 year history of use in China and the far east).

Even if you’re a skeptic, green tea is hard not to like and it’s hard to dispute that it’s a good idea to add green tea to your nutrition program as one part of a well-balanced fitness lifestyle.

But when it comes to claims for large and rapid losses in bodyweight and bodyfat, (especially the wu long tea ads that are currently all over the internet), buyer beware.

The science we do have says that the thermogenic effect of green tea - while very real - is also very small.

Train hard and expect success always,

Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com

After 18 years in the fitness business, “How do I get great abs” is still BY FAR the most frequently asked question I receive out of the 30,000+ emails that come into my office every month. No doubt, it’s because abs are the one body part that most people are the most frustrated with. Although their questions are often phrased differently and each person’s situation seems unique, my answer to “how do I get great abs” is almost always the same… and you’re about to hear it…

“1,000 Sit-Ups And Crunches A Day and Still No Abs!”

One question I received recently REALLY got my attention because a young guy told me he was doing 1,000 crunches and sit ups a day and said he still couldn’t see his abdominals. He wrote:

“Tom: I have been working out for around a year now and I cannot get my lower abs into any type of shape. I’m starting to see my upper abs a little bit, which is great, but despite doing 900 various crunches, ab roller, and 100 sit-ups four days a week, along with my regular workout on the weights, I still have a tire around my waist. What else can I do?”

What did I tell him? Well, I gave him the same answer I’ve given thousands of people over the years, which is the only true “Secret” to great abs…

It takes training to increase strength, build endurance and DEVELOP the abdominals, but to SEE the definition in your abdominals - or any other muscle group for that matter - is almost entirely the result of low body fat levels.

This may sound counter-intuitive, but if you can’t see your abs, it’s not an issue of “muscle development” at all. You simply have too much body fat covering up the ab muscles. The lower abdominal area also happens to be the one place that most people - especially men - store the body fat first.

There’s a Scientific Reason Why Your Lower Ab Flab Is The Last Place To Go: Belly Fat - A Big Problem

Most people don’t have their fat distributed evenly throughout their bodies. Each of us inherits a genetically determined and hormonally-influenced pattern of fat storage just as we inherit our eye or hair color. In other words, the fat seems to “stick” to certain areas more than others.

There’s a scientific reason for this. Your fat cells are not just inert “storage tanks” for excess fuel. They are actually endocrine glands which send and receive signals from the rest of the body. You could say that your fat cells “talk to your body” and your body “talks to your fat cells.” This occurs through a hormone and receptor system.

For body fat loss to occur, you must first get the fat cell (adipocyte) to release the fat into the bloodstream. THEN, the free fatty acids must be delivered to the working muscles where they are burned for energy.

For fat to be released, the hormone adrenaline (epinephrine) must be secreted and send a signal to your fat cells. Your fat cells receive this hormonal signal via adrenaline receptors called adrenoreceptors.

Fat cells have Beta 1 (B1) and Alpha 2 (A2) receptors. B1 receptors are the good guys. They activate hormone sensitive lipase, the enzyme that breaks down the fat and allows it to be released into the bloodstream to be burned. A2 receptors are the bad guys. They block the fat-releasing enzymes in the fat cell and encourage body fat formation.

How Body Fat Storage Patterns Affect You And Keep Your Abs From Showing

What’s the point of all the physiology? Well, it turns out that in men, the lower abdominal region has a higher concentration of A2 receptors, so this gives us one possible explanation of why the lower abdominal region is often the first place the fat goes when you gain it, and the last place it comes off when you’re losing it. (Incidentally, the fat in women’s hips and thighs is also higher in A2 receptors). This situation is dictated by genetics and by the hormonal and enzymatic pathways we discussed.

Think of ab fat like the deep end of the swimming pool. No matter how much you protest, there is no way you can drain the deep end before the shallow end. However, don’t let this discourage you. Lower ab fat WILL come off, it will simply be the last place to come off. First place on - Last place off.

This helps to explain why abdominal exercises have little impact on body fat loss. It’s a huge mistake to think that hundreds or thousands of reps of ab exercises will remove lower abdominal fat, except to the degree that it burns calories and contributes to the calorie deficit. What removes the fat - all over your body - is a calorie deficit and that comes from decreasing food intake, increasing activity, or a combination of both.

What I suggested to this young man was cutting back the ab training, spending the time he was wasting on excess ab exercises for more intense, calorie-burning cardio and weight training for the rest of the body. I also suggested he do an accounting of his food intake, get his nutrition in order and decrease his calories slightly if necessary.

As it turned out, his diet was a mess, and as nutrition experts like to say, “You can’t out-train a lousy diet.”

It’s a monumental error to think that 1,000 reps of ab work a day will make your abs finally “pop” when your diet is a disaster and that’s leading to fat storage. It’s not that ab exercises aren’t important. But all the ab exercises in the world won’t help as long as you still have body fat covering the muscles. You can’t “spot reduce” with abdominal exercise and YOU CAN’T SEE YOUR ABS THROUGH A LAYER OF BODY FAT!

My Championship-Winning Ab Workout Routine

Personally, I only do about 15 minutes of ab work two times per week, with anywhere from two to four exercises for about 10-25 reps per exercise. Forget about thousands of reps of sit ups – it’s a waste of time. The reason my abs look the way they do is not from endless repetitions, but because I get my body fat down into the single digits with a highly specialized fat-burning diet program.

Here’s a recent ab routine that I’ve used (for bodybuilding/ ab-development purposes). I do this routine only twice a week and I change the exercises approximately every month so my body doesn’t adapt. I prefer slightly higher rep range than other muscle groups, but as you can see, it is far from doing a thousand reps a day.

A1 Hanging leg raises
3 sets, 15-20 reps

Superset to:

A2 Hanging knee ups (bent-knee leg raises)
3 sets, 15-20 reps
(no rest between supersetted exercises A1 & A2, 60 sec between supersets)

B1 Weighted swiss ball crunches (or weighted cable crunches)
3 sets, 15-20 reps

Superset to:

B2 Incline Bench Reverse crunches
3 sets, 15-20 reps
(no rest between supersetted exercises B1 & B2, 60 sec between supersets)

How To Use Cardio For MAXIMUM Fat-Burning

Times have changed since the Aerobics revolution of the 1970’s and 1980’s. For years, aerobics was the darling of the fitness world. Then scientists began to acknowledge the benefits of weight training - for everyone, not just for bodybuilders.

Recently, the pendulum has swung the other direction and we’ve actually started hearing fitness “experts” suggesting that cardio should be kept to a minimum or even avoided completely. That’s the way things tend to go in the fitness world - they swing back and forth in trends, from one extreme to another. Lots of cardio or no cardio.

I suggest you avoid trend-hopping and pay close attention to what actually works, by people who know what they are talking about (such as bodybuilders, who are the leanest muscular athletes in the world). Doing nothing but cardio is a mistake. But cutting our cardio completely is also a mistake. The truth lies in the middle. Maximum fat burning occurs when you combine cardio training and weight training together.

Those who are genetically gifted with above average metabolisms will find that a slight drop in food intake and just a few days a week of cardio will usually do the trick. However, most people who are struggling with fat loss (sometimes referred to as “endomorph” body type) are simply NOT burning enough calories to get the results they want. The answer for them is more activity to burn more calories.

For health and weight maintenance, I would suggest 3 short cardio workouts per week, about 20-30 minutes per session. But for maximum fat loss, I recommend 4-7 days per week of cardio or other physical activity for 30-45 minutes (based on results), at a moderate pace. You can mix up the type of cardio you do, or choose the type you enjoy the most - stationary cycling, stairclimbing, elliptical machines, aerobic classes and other continuous activities are all excellent fat burners (it doesn’t have to be indoors or on a cardio machine).

If time efficiency is a concern for you, you could do 2-3 of those cardio workouts as high intensity interval training and you’ll achieve very good results even with briefer workouts. Even as little as 20-25 minutes per session can get great results IF your intensity level is high enough. Remember, seeing your abs is about low body fat. Low body fat is about burning calories and creating a calorie deficit. The calorie deficit is created by increasing the number of calories you burn and or decreasing the amount of calories you take in from food. Increasing intensity is one way to burn more calories in less time.

NOTE: To reach the “ripped” 3.7% body fat level you see in my photos, I do cardio 7 days a week for 30-45 minutes per session, in addition to my 4 weight training workouts per week.

7 Nutrition Secrets For Great Abs

That leads us to nutrition. Many people say that “abdominals are made in the kitchen, not in the gym,” and there’s a lot of truth to that. You can do thousands of reps of ab work every week, but if your nutrition is not in order, you can forget about getting a great set of 6-pack abs.

1. Eat about 15-20% below your calorie maintenance level. If you use a more aggressive calorie deficit of 25-30%, then do not keep calories too low for too long; increase calories to maintenance or maintenance +10-15% 1-2 days per week.
2. Spread your calories into 5-6 smaller meals instead of 2-3 big ones. Be very conscious of portion size. If you eat too much of anything (even “healthy” food), you can say goodbye to your abs. Period.
3. Eat a source of complete, high quality lean protein with each meal (egg whites, lean meat, fish, protein powder, etc)
4. Choose natural, complex carbs such as vegetables, oatmeal, yams, potatoes, beans, brown rice and whole grains. Start with aprox. 50% of your calories from natural carbs and reduce carbs slightly (esp. late in the day) if you are not losing fat.
5. Avoid refined, simple carbs that contain white flour or white sugar
6. Keep total fats low and saturated fats low. Aim for 20% of your total calories from fat (and no more than 30%). A little bit of “good fat” like flax oil, fish fat, nuts & seeds, etc is better than a no fat diet. Essential fatty acids actually assist the fat burning process.
7. Drink plenty of water - a gallon is a good ballpark to shoot for if you are physically active.

1000+ reps of daily ab work is an amazing feat of endurance, but that’s not how you get visible, 6-pack abs! If you were to do 1,000 reps of ab exercises every day, you would have outstanding development in your abdominal muscles and you would definitely have great muscular endurance. Unfortunately, if your abs are covered up with a layer of fat, you will never see them even if you do 10,000 reps a day!

You Condition and Strengthen Your Abs With Specific Ab Exercises…
But The Secret To Seeing Your Abs Is Reducing Your Body Fat!

I once saw a photo of a man who broke one of the Guiness World Records for sit ups. It was the most paradoxical thing, but this man did not have any abdominal muscle definition. He was not obese or overweight at all, mind you, but he had a small enough layer of body fat that the muscular defintion did not show through. I’ve never seen a better real life example which demonstrates the basic principle discussed in this article:

You get great abs from reducing your body fat, and you reduce your body fat by creating a caloric deficit through nutrition and metabolism-stimulating and calorie-burning exercise.

I’ve spent my entire career - through more than 18 years and 28 bodybuilding competitions - studying the science and practicing the art of body fat reduction. I speak from experience and I walk my talk as you can see from my pictures.

If you’d like to learn for yourself, what I’ve learned about fat burning nutrition and getting your body fat level low enough so that you can finally see a “6 pack rack” of abs, then be sure to take a look at the Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle program. Thousands of men and women call this their “fat loss bible.” For all the details, click here:
www.BurnTheFat.com

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com

At least 7 scientific studies have provided strong evidence that energy containing beverages (i.e., “liquid calories”) do not properly activate the satiety mechanisms in the body and brain and do not satisfy the appetite as well as food in solid form.

Epidemiological research also supports a positive association between calorie-containing beverage consumption and increased body weight or body mass index. New research now suggests that soda may not be the only culprit…

The primary source of liquid calories in the United States Diet is carbohydrate, namely soda. Now running a close second are specialty and dessert coffees. Did you know that a 16 ounce Frappucino can contain 500 calories or even more! That’s one-third of a typical female’s daily calorie intake while on a fat loss program.

A recent study at Purdue University published in the International Journal of Obesity set out to learn even more about this bodyfat - liquid calories relationship.

Researchers compared solid and beverage forms of foods composed primarily of carbohydrate, fat or protein in order to document the independent effect of food form in foods with different dominant macronutrient sources.

Based on previous research, some experts have recommended targeting specific beverages as being “worse” than others. High fructose corn syrup and soda has been singled out the most and you’ve probably seen that yourself in the news.

There’s no question that soda has been on top of the “hit list” for some time now, by virtue of the amounts and frequency of consumption alone.

However, this recent study says that from a pure energy balance perspective, we should be cautious about ALL liquid calories, not just soda and not just carbohydrates!

Fruit juice for example, appears to be an obvious improvement over soda, so many people have swapped out their soda for fruit juice. However, when fruit juice is compared to an equal amount of calories from whole fruit, the whole fruit satisfies appetite better (largely due to the bulk and fiber content), and so you tend to eat fewer calories for the day.
[On an interesting side note, soup does not seem to apply; soup has higher satiety value than calorie containing beverages, possibly for mere cognitive reasons.]

If you were to meticulously track your calories from beverages and you made sure that your calories remained the same for the day, whether liquid or solid, there would probably be little or no difference in your body composition.

But that’s not what usually happens in free-living humans. Most people do not accurately track or report their caloric intake. Our mistake is that we tend to drink calories IN ADDITION TO our usual food intake, not instead of it.

Men are especially guilty of this when they drink alcohol - Men tend to drink AND eat, while women tend to drink INSTEAD OF eating.

This new research found that with all three macronutrients - protein, carbs or fat - daily calorie intake was significantly greater when the beverage form was consumed as compared to the solid.

Yes, it’s true! Even protein drinks did not satisfy the appetite the way that protein foods did!

While you would think that protein drinks are purely a good thing, because protein foods have been proven to reduce appetite and increase satiety, if you turn a solid protein food into a protein drink, it loses it’s appetite suppressive properties in the same way that happens when you turn fruit into fruit juice.
[NOTE: After weight training workouts, liquid nutrition may have benefits that outweigh any downside, especially on muscle-gaining programs]

Why do liquid calories fail to elicit the same response as whole foods? reasons include:

• high calorie density
• lower satiety value
• more calories ingested in short period of time
• lower demand for oral processing
• shorter gastrointestinal transit times
• energy in beverages has greater bioaccessibility and bioavailability
• mechanisms may include cognitive, orosensory, digestive, metabolic, endocrine and neural influences (human appetite is a complex thing!!!)
• last but not least, nowhere in our history have our ancestors had access to large amounts of liquid calories. Alcohol may have been around as far back as several thousand years BC, but even that is a blip on the evolutionary calendar of humanity.

As a result, our genetic code has never developed the physiological mechanisms to properly register the caloric content in liquids the way it does when you eat, chew and swallow whole foods.

Bottom line: This study suggests that we shouldn’t just target one type of liquid calories such as soda. If you’re trying to beat body fat, it’s wise to limit all types of liquid calories and eat whole foods as much as possible.

Start by ditching the soda. Then ditch the high calorie dessert coffees. Then cut back on the alcohol. From there, be cautious even about milk, juice and protein drinks.

Drink water or tea instead, or limited amounts of black coffee - without all the high calorie extras.

If you do consume any beverages that contain calories, such as protein shakes, be sure to account for those calories meticulously and be sure you don’t drink them in addition to your usual food intake, but in place of an equal amount of food calories.

Remember, those protein shakes you might be drinking are called “meal replacements” not “free calories!”

For many years I have suggested focusing primarily on whole foods rather than liquids, even protein shakes. Unlike so many other fat reduction programs, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle does not require any kind of liquid meal replacement or protein drinks and our company does not exist to sell supplements; we are here to educate you and millions of others about the realities of body fat loss.

We now have even more scientific data that confirms what Burn The Fat has been teaching all along.

I hope you found this helpful. You can learn more about “Burn The Fat” at www.BurnTheFat.com

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com

Reference: Effects of food form on appetite and energy intake in lean and obese young adults. International Journal of Obesity. 2007 Nov (11):1688-95. Mourao DM, Bressan J, Campbell WW, Mattes RD. Department of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2059, USA.

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com.

When it comes to the truth of the matter, we would all like to get healthier. You might not recognize it, but aerobic exercises are, beyond any doubt, going to be one of the most beneficial things you can do so that you can genuinely get healthier. Just think of the wasted time you spend worrying about how you appear, or even the times that you end up sad and depressed about some aspect in your life! If you can occupy these times with aerobic exercise, not only is it going to be beneficial for you, it is going to help you in more ways than simply your health.

Nevertheless, sometimes you would like to work on a specific part of your body in such a way that makes it stronger, or flatter, or more shapely. Many times the workouts which we create for ourselves simply center on your whole body. This can be great, because aerobics are something that can work advantageously for your entire body. But many people will have an area of their body that they would like to specifically target, and so it is occasionally good to target just a piece of you.

Our lower body can be something that we would like to work on. Your legs and rear end are parts of you which have to be strong since they are what get you through each and every day. You have to be able to have endurance when it comes to walking and running, and a vast majority of people don’t like the way their legs or rear end look and prefer to change this by working out.

There are several things that we can do to strengthen our lower body while we are working out. Everybody ought to know that while you are performing aerobic exercises you should be moving your legs constantly. The repetitions of whatever you are doing for your aerobic workout, such as walking or running, they should be done in such a way that your leg muscles are moving to their utmost potential. It is very, very important to get your heart pumping!

A terrific way to increase the amount of work that your legs are doing, and consequently make them stronger, is to get leg weights to attach to your legs as you work out. These are usually in the form of weighted ankle-bracelets fastened with velcro and easily affordable. This means that you’ll be able to be stronger since you will have to exert much more force to move your legs and your ankles. This is a brilliant way to make sure that your aerobic exercise workouts target your legs and your lower body. As your legs get stronger, you will find that the weights around your ankle become easy. Simply increase the weight, but be careful not to over-do it with the weights. You may find that just a few grams extra weight will do the trick. Don’t forget to target all areas of your body when working out.

As with all forms of exercising, it is important to allow a period of time to warm up your muscles and some time at the end of your workout to cool down. It is advisable to consult with your doctor to see if your chosen form of exercising is right for you and your fitness levels.

So, you have decided that you want to get healthier. This is a great decision. You probably already know that aerobic exercises are the way to get healthier and fitter fast. Just as you probably already know that regular aerobics can help you maintain your weight loss and stay trimmer. What you may not know is that by joining an aerobics class you are likely to receive far more benefits by joining a class than just performing aerobic exercises by yourself. Although, any exercise is better than no exercise at all.

At an aerobics class, you will have an instructor. You will be taught all about aerobics, what they can do for you, how they work and why aerobics are so important. The instructor will teach you the fundamental types of aerobics that you need to be doing to target the specific areas of your body. You may not know the different moves yet, the instructor can teach you. You will also be taught how to move from one type of aerobics to another. Another great thing about learning aerobics from an instructor, especially if they are good at what they do, is you will be good at aerobics too.

Another beneficial thing to an aerobics class, other than simply teaching you aerobic exercises, is they give you motivation, and incentive, too. The hardest part about taking any form of exercise is the actual doing of it, be it riding your bike, jogging, or whatever else you are doing for exercise. By joining an aerobics class, you are actually scheduling your exercise in advance. You can mark your classes on your calendar. This is like saying that these times are the times when you will be going to your aerobics class and you will have to go. I can hear you saying: “I can schedule my exercise anyway”. This is true. However, you will be amongst other people, your friends and exercise colleagues. This is a far more positive attitude to attribute to yourself. With a positive attitude, you are more likely to gain benefits from your aerobic exercise.

If you have any lack of motivation, for any reason, then trying to work out on your own just might not be the right thing to do, so joining an aerobics class is probably the best way to get ahead. Very often, just marking down your aerobics session on your calendar or diary is just what it takes to make you more likely to go.

A final note on motivation and incentive. It is best to pay for your classes in advance, rather than pay-as-you-go. Psychologically, and the same goes for the vast majority of people, you have already paid for something and you want to get your money’s worth. The alternative of pay-as-you-go means you can miss a class and you won’t be losing money.

To recap, the benefits of joining an aerobics class:

Of course, as with all exercise, ensure you have the all-clear from your doctor beforehand. The doctor can advise you on which aerobics class is best for you and your fitness levels.

The saying is: “Life Begins At 40″. I disagree. From the very first beat, our heart will continue to beat for the rest of our life. Your heart beats about 100,000 times in one day and about 35 million times in a year. During an average lifetime, the human heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times and pump about 50 million gallons (189.25 million litres) of blood. It is, therefore, vitally important to make sure we look after our heart because it is the hardest working muscle in our body.

Most people would like to be healthier and should know that regular aerobic exercise as part of their daily routine can take them from the point of being unhealthy to a point where you can be really healthy and then to be able to enjoy all that life has to offer, no matter what our age. However, there are certain groups of people who have to design their aerobics exercises very carefully to avoid injuring themselves.

Seniors are one of those groups of people. With regards to aerobic exercise for seniors, there are several things that must be taken into account before you begin. We should all remember, regardless of how old we are, aerobic exercise is something that you are going to want to build up gradually. Where you start with your aerobic exercises, is going to depend greatly on how healthy you are to begin with. If you want to get healthier, then you have to go from where your health levels are and work up. This is especially important for seniors to remember as well.

We, as seniors, are going to have to take a closer look at our health, as a whole, before we begin to have aerobic exercise on a daily basis. This is because, in general, seniors are more prone to health problems, so they should see their doctor before they attempt to begin any aerobic exercise and, after starting, they should consult a doctor before making any major changes to the way that they get exercise. Following these procedures will mean a safer workout.

After consulting a doctor and getting the all clear, seniors can begin a routine of aerobic exercise in much the same was as people of any age. Unless their doctor has suggested that they don’t do aerobics for a health reason, a senior should begin with a short, gentle work out, and gradually work their way up to longer and more strenuous work outs. This is exactly the same way in which others should start an aerobic exercise program. If seniors follow these instructions, and if they don’t do anything that they feel their body can’t handle, they should have the same results with aerobic exercise as anyone else.

It all depends on how healthy you are to begin with, and how far you want to take the aerobics exercise as a senior. As long as you take it easy, especially at first, don’t overdo it, then an aerobics workout is going to be very beneficial for you. It is worthwhile just reminding you, once again, that, like anyone else, you should discuss your fitness plans with your doctor, even if you feel that you are totally healthy. Your doctor is the best person to give you more information about which type of exercise is going to be best for you.

As we all know, there are numerous ways to exercise to get healthy. However, water aerobics might be something that you would not have thought about. Being naturally bouyant, water is a superb medium for workouts, especially if impact on the knee or ankle joints, for instance, is part of the problem. Hydrotherapy has a long history of helping to sooth pains and to get fit, indeed back to ancient Egyptian times. Many top athletes use water exercises as part of their fitness routine. Basically, water aerobics will not only help you to get really fit and healthy, but there are many other benefits to exercising in water.

Before you embark on any course of exercise, it is always wise to consult your doctor beforehand to find out whether your chosen method of exercise, (in this case, water aerobics), is going to be right for you and your fitness levels.

Once you have decided that you would like to exercise with water aerobics, you will then have to decide whether you are going to be doing these exercises on your own or with a club or group. With a club or group, you will be taught how to do the exercises as well as enjoying the camaraderie of a group. Either way, alone or in a group, you will find that water aerobics can, and will, fit into your regular workout routine.

When you are doing water aerobics exercises you will be doing much of the same things that you would be doing at a regular aerobics class on terra firma, without the high impact. For instance, running or walking, can just as easily be done in water, as with other movements. The water resistance adds to the workout.

Because water aerobics offers more resistance in everything you do, it means that you are going to have to exert more force in order to make the movements you want to make. This can only be a good thing, since you are forced to use more of your muscle groups, therefore you are forced to get stronger.

By joining a water aerobics class, the instructor can help you figure out which routine will be best for you and will ensure that you are getting as much out of your workout as you possibly can. He or she will be able to guide you and the class through a series of repetitive movements which will all be designed to increase your heart rate and blood flow.

Hopefully, by performing water aerobics, you will soon be increasing your heart rate which will allow you to work out your body in a great and aerobically beneficial way. With regular attendance at your local swimming pool, it will not be long before you will feel yourself getting healthier. The result of water aerobics can only make you healthier and will strengthen every part of your body.

If you are a beginner to water aerobics, or indeed, any aerobic exercises it is vitally important that you don’t push yourself too much, initially, as this could result in injury. An injury at an early stage could put you off aerobic exercises and has a very demoralising effect. Start gradually, working up to more advanced techniques.

Take a look at water aerobics classes near you. You will find that a lot of leisure centers with pools offer a “splash class” with instructors. They are very popular, so be prepared to meet lots of new people and make new friends. After all, getting healthy should be fun and enjoyable as well as enjoying the benefits of having a healthy life. You will be having the most fun in a pool since you were a young child! Enjoy!

You have decided that you want to start aerobic exercises. Congratulations! This decision could just about be one of the best decisions you have made in your life and you are about to become much more healthy.

Looking around at the different aerobics classes available, you are justified in feeling a little overwhelmed. This is because there are so many different ways in which to work out aerobically. One of the most important things that you have to decide is which class is right for your fitness level. As a spectator of an aerobics class you might see that there are lots of choreographed movements all designed to raise your heart rate and to maintain it at an acceptable level. It is understandable that when you join a class you are going to be un-coordinated at first, but believe me, it doesn’t take long to adjust to the movements and before you know it, you will be just as coordinated as the rest of the class and it will be like you have been doing aerobic exercises all your life.

It is vitally important that you don’t feel intimidated. Don’t feel that you have to start at the top. However, it is true that you have to be getting a good workout and a good workout is one which is going to get your body moving fast, consequently, your heart and lungs are going to be forced to work harder than they are during resting. These are the fundamentals of aerobic exercises and it is important that you understand this. Too light a workout and you may be wasting your time. Nevertheless, any workout is better than no workout.

Advanced aerobics will definitely be something that you have to work up to. Especially if you are just starting to exercise. The old saying “You have to walk before you can run” is very true with aerobic exercises. It is very unsafe to do too much at first because you may injure yourself or run into problems. An injury could be very disheartening and may put you off aerobics for a long time. If in doubt about your fitness levels, please consult a doctor beforehand who can assess your fitness levels and advise you on which course to take.

Above all else, aerobics should be fun and enjoyable. If you feel that you are unable to go to an organized aerobics class, the beauty of aerobics is you can exercise from home. Because the point of aerobics is to get your heart rate up, the blood flowing and getting your lungs to work harder, you can start by just walking in place and move your arms and legs in such a way that you get your heart rate up. As you progress, you will find that you will be able to do more movements and also be doing them faster. When you reach this point, try jogging on the spot and moving your arms and legs faster. Remember to keep your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes and at least 3 times a week.

Add something else into your routine, for instance, jumping jacks. Try to do as many repetitions as you can. Another thing to bear in mind - music is a great motivator and aerobics work great to music. See if you can keep tempo with the music. Obviously it has to be something lively. Classical music won’t work as well. You can time your routine to the music. Do one set for an entire song and then another set for another song, for example.

For beginners of aerobic exercises using these examples means you can start from nothing and really get into great shape in next to no time at all. When you feel you are ready to start an organized aerobics class, you won’t feel quite so intimidated. You will meet some great people and make some great friends. So, not only are aerobic exercises extremely beneficial to your health, they are also superb for socializing and, as mentioned above, aerobics should be enjoyable. Have fun.