Did you know that you could be losing more fat just by shaking up your workout a little?

The use of multiple exercise styles during a workout lets you get more done, pay attention to more parts of the body, and lose more weight more quickly.  This method is the cornerstone of programs such as TigerFit Boot Camp Santa Monica, and it’s worked for many people.  It allows an amazingly flexible work out that you can customize to meet your needs and fit your body, and it’s just about the fastest way to get in shape.  Let’s take a look.

Aerobic exercise is an important part of any multiple training style technique.  This type of exercise uses oxygen to produce energy, and helps improve our heart health.  There are many different kinds of aerobic exercise, including cycling, running, many different sports, dance techniques and much more.  This is one of the most common varieties of exercise that most people include in their programs, but it shouldn’t be the only one.  That’s where many people make mistakes.

Resistance training is another important element in a good exercise program.  This is also called strength training.  Every step is performed against an opposing force.  These types of exercise make skeletal muscles larger and stronger, and can even improve bone density.  The goal is to slow overload the muscles and skeletal system, allowing it to become stronger.  Just remember that while you can do resistance training as a part of body building, they aren’t the same thing at all.  There’s no need to fear “accidentally” bulking up during this kind of training.  Body builders have to try hard to reach their goals.

Interval training uses sets of high intensity and low intensity exercise to work many different parts of the body.  One subtype of interval training is called Tabata training.  It uses four minute intense interval training sessions.  For instance, if you tried using Tabata training for sprints, you’d sprint as quickly as possible for twenty seconds.  Then, you’d walk for ten seconds.  You’d do this over and over again until you’d reached eight sets, or four minutes of working out.  Sprints aren’t the only exercises that Tabata training is good for – many different options are available.

Circuit training is similar to interval training, in that it combines high intensity and low intensity exercises.  However, aerobics and resistance training are usually the focus.  The time between exercises should be short, and you should move quickly on to the next one.

Last, but not least, is the Pilates method.  This workout system attempts to keep the body properly aligned and help improve the core muscles.  That makes for better posture, less pain, and stronger bodies overall.  More and more workout plans are using Pilate’s principles.

While many programs use a one or two of these methods, or a few, not many of them are actually using multiple training styles.  That means that fat loss is just slower in these programs.  TigerFit Boot Camp Santa Monica is currently the only fitness boot camp making use of these multiple training styles.  That makes TigerFit Boot Camp Santa Monica one of the most effective fitness options for people who want to reduce.  Anyone who’s interested in finding the right workout for them should make sure they check out multiple training options.  It could make a huge difference in your workout.

Choose the Diet Strategy that Helps You Lose Weight and Feel Great!

Both a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet such as the popular Atkins program and a low-fat, high-carb diet appear to help people lose pounds over the course of a year.

But as for mood? Only the low-fat diets will result in long-term improvement in mood.

People on both diets consumed roughly the same number of calories.

Both an energy-reduced, very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet and a conventional high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet are equally effective for achieving weight loss in overweight and obese individuals, a research scientist

Both dietary patterns also had similar effects on the cognitive domains assessed, which were working memory and speed of processing. However, the conventional high-carbohydrate, low-fat weight-loss diet was shown to have more positive effects on mood compared to the very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet.

The study was the first to show both long-term weight loss and improved mood.

This study looked at one factor, and prior studies haven’t focused on psychological factors. This is a great study focusing on something very important.

Other studies have found short-term improvements in mood in people who lose weight on different diets. And the new study also found such improvements over the first eight weeks of dieting.

But few studies have looked at long-term mood changes among people who lose weight.

Health organizations, such as the American Heart Association, tend to advocate higher-carb, low-fat diets. But many overweight and obese people are propelled toward the high-fat diets such as Atkins, “Livin’ La Vida” and “Good Calories, Bad Calories,” perhaps because of quick initial weight loss.

For the new study, 106 overweight and obese adults, who averaged 50 years old, were randomly assigned to one of two diets — a low-calorie, low-carb, high-fat plan or a high-carb, low-fat diet — for one year. Both diets restricted calories to about 1,433 to 1,672 a day.

A year later, average weight loss was about the same in each group: 30.2 pounds.

After the first eight weeks, participants in both groups showed mood improvements, but that lasted only in the low-fat group. After a year, the mood of those in the high-fat group returned to what it had been before they started dieting.

The exact mechanism for the observed effects on mood still remains largely unknown. However, if the mechanism for the return of mood toward more negative baseline levels following weight loss with a very low-carbohydrate diet is related to this diet being so far removed from normal dietary habits, then a very low-carbohydrate diet may be best recommended for individuals who habitually consume low amounts of carbohydrate foods in their diet.

More carbs can increase serotonin concentrations in the brain, whereas added fat and protein can reduce concentrations. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in mood.

Altered mood has been shown to influence interpersonal behavior and, therefore, the consumption of a very low-carbohydrate diet may have psychosocial consequences for interpersonal behavior and relationships. I am not entirely clear as to the effects of mood on long-term weight loss; however a recent review article … suggested that one of the factors that may pose risk for poor long-term weight maintenance may be ‘eating in response to negative emotions and stress.’

Therefore, since negative mood may promote overeating, this suggests that consumption of a very low-carbohydrate diet over an even longer period beyond one year may have implications for maintaining dietary habits and weight loss maintenance.

Cross-training instantly adds spice to a stale fitness program. Here’s how it can work for you.

Cross-training is a combination of two or more kinds of fitness training. If this is starting to sound complicated or expensive – don’t worry. Cross-training is an easy way to instantly bring variety to a stale fitness program, no matter if you are just looking to live a more healthy lifestyle or even if you are a serious, hardcore athlete who is looking for a more challenging training regimen.

So, just what is cross-training?

If you are tired with the same old boring workout, you are at a loss to lose those last 10 pounds or you are geared up to bring a better level of fitness to your exercise program, cross-training will help you reach your fitness goals. Examine these ways to add cross-training to your fitness program:

Multiple physical activities. In this strategy for cross-training, two or more kinds of activity are combined with the same fitness goal in mind — like aerobic conditioning — in the very same training session. Example: swimming twenty laps before your morning fitness boot camp.

Rotating days. Another strategy, you should choose is to rotate two or more kinds of physical activities during the week. Example: jog on Monday and Wednesday and play racquetball on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

It’s best to choose the kinds of physical activities that you like and make them an integral part of your exercise plan.

And, what will be the pay-off for cross-training?

Cross-training definitely will enhance your overall performance and fitness, but wait, there’s more:

• Keeps you healthy and injury free. Cross-training alternates the stresses on your body giving your bones, muscles and joints a rest from stresses that come from too many repeated motions. Rotating between high-impact activities, like running, and low-impact activities, like  swimming, will help you avoid repetitive injuries and reduces the risk of overall injuries.
• Keeps you motivated. Exercise is always more fun when you are switching up your activities every day. Variety is the key to sticking with your fitness program.
• Blasts extra calories. By continually challenging your body with a cross-training program, you will burn more calories overall. Your improved health and fitness will produce better overall performance numbers.
• Gives you fitness options. If your racquetball racket breaks, you can still bicycle. If you strain your ankle, you probably still be able to swim laps.

Sounds great, how do I start cross-training?

To start a cross-training program, make a strategy based on physical activities and sports that you love. Above all, be creative! Think outside the gym, in addition to walking, swimming and cycling, don’t forget that you can get a great workout from physical activities likes dancing, jumping rope and fitness boot camp. Ideally, your exercise regimen should include variations of aerobic conditioning, resistance training, strength training and flexibility.

With your strategy in place, choose your physical activities and make sure you have good quality gear, including appropriate athletic shoes for specific fitness activities. Begin slowly, allow your body to adapt. Regularly pace your fitness sessions throughout the week and avoid consecutive days of high-impact exercise. As with any quality fitness program, always warm up before your workouts and cool down and stretch afterwards.

If you have always wanted to cross-train, have at it! You will find that experimenting with different exercise strategies and schedules will keep you moving and grooving.

—Michael Arnone is the TigerFit Blog Health and Fitness Writer & Fitness Ambassador for Tiger Fitness Los Angeles.
TigerFitnessLA.com TigerFitPersonalTraining.com TigerFitBootCamp.com TigerFitBlog.com

Fitness Tip: Use a smaller plate – Most houses have a collection of more than one set of dishes and usually they all vary in size. So, when you have a family dinner and the table doesn’t have to look perfect, set the table giving yourself the smallest plate you own. It holds a lot less food, but gives the appearance of normal servings.

Exercise of the day: Band Pullover – The Band Pullover focuses on both your chest and upper shoulder region to build a powerful and toned upper body with the flexibility of using fitness exercise bands.

The Cheat Meal should be an Integral Part of Your Diet and Exercise Program…Here are some strategies.

I love to look forward to a weekly cheat meal, but it can easily get out of control and can lead to a whole day or whole weekend binge if you are not careful. Though very occasionally it’s OK to have a whole day binge (holiday’s, vacations, etc), 14 times out of 15 times I eat normally for breakfast and lunch and at dinner—I let it fly. As long as you limit it to just one meal per week, it will not have any negative effect and you have something fun to look forward to each week. Try to eat something bad that is very, very good—ie: the best pizza, fried chicken, ice cream, burger or baby back ribs that you can find! My current favorite is a slab of baby back ribs at Baby Blues Bar-B-Q – in Venice. Mmmm!

From my experience, this meal actually helps you to continue weight loss by sending signals to your brain/body that these foods are not that rare and it’s OK to use your body fat stores for energy (my progress is always better when I have a cheat meal). Also, timing is important, it’s better to have a cheat meal at dinner because after that you will go to sleep—having a binge at lunch can easily lead to a binge dinner too…believe me it happens.

Good cheating!

—Michael Arnone is the TigerFit Blog Health and Fitness Writer & Fitness Ambassador for Tiger Fitness Los Angeles.
TigerFitnessLA.com TigerFitPersonalTraining.com TigerFitBootCamp.com TigerFitBlog.com

Want to Lose 10, 20, even 50 pounds – and keep it off forever? Adopt these ultimate weight loss strategies now!

You already know that thousands of fad diets and rapid weight-loss scams promise quick and effortless weight loss results. But the basis of every successful, permanent weight-loss strategy still includes a healthy, low-calorie diet combined with a comprehensive exercise program. You must make permanent changes to your lifestyle and stop your bad habits in order to lose significant weight and permanently keep it off. So, how do you make your lifestyle changes permanent?

The 6 Ultimate Strategies:

1. Decide to Be Healthy

Permanent, lifelong weight loss does not just “happen”, it is a conscious decision that takes time and effort. Weight control requires focus and an enduring commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Be sure that you are ready to take on permanent lifestyle changes and that you are making this choice for all the right reasons. Nobody and nothing else can make you lose the pounds. The fact is, outside pressure — from family, friends and mates — makes you much more likely to resist change. The only reason for you to make diet and exercise changes must be to make yourself healthier and happier. While you are creating new lifestyle changes, it is important to try and resolve related problems in your life. Changing your habits takes a lot of mental and physical energy, so make sure you are not distracted by life issues that can derail your progress. Success timing is the key to your success. Be sure you are prepared to take on the serious challenges of weight loss and lifestyle change.

2. Choose Your Support System Wisely

Help yourself lose weight by taking complete responsibility for your lifestyle choices. However,  that does not mean that you must do everything by yourself. When you need an extra push, get support from your mate, friends and family. Choose people you know who really want you to be successful and who will keep you on track. Better yet, choose people who care about your feelings and challenges, will workout with you, and who share the priority you have placed on creating a healthy lifestyle.

3. Steady Short-Term Goals Win the Race

When you are deciding what results you would like from your new eating and exercise program, be completely realistic. Successful, long-lasting weight loss is a slow and steady process. Healthy weight loss translates to 1 to 2 pounds per week. In order to accomplish this, you will need to burn between 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume every day, by eating a low-calorie diet combined with regular exercise. Create “action goals,” like working out on a regular basis, instead of “end-result goals,” such as losing 40 pounds. By making steady changes to your habits, this will become your foundation for permanent weight loss. Again, make sure that your action goals are attainable, focused and measurable, for example, you’ll jog for 45 minutes a day, 4 days a week.

4. Re-Discover Healthy Food

By adopting a new eating program that encourages weight loss you must lower your total calorie consumption. But reducing your calories does not mean giving up flavor, fulfillment or even simplicity of meal preparation. You can immediately lower your caloric intake by eating a lot more plant-based foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables. A variety of foods is the key achieving your weight loss goals without having to give up either nutrition or taste.

5. Move-it, Move-it, Move-it!

Dieting by itself can help you lose weight. Removing 500 calories from your daily caloric intake can help you drop about one pound per week: (3,500 calories equals one pound of body fat). However, when you add a 55- to 65-minute vigorous walk 4 days per week, you can actually double your weight loss. The goal of exercise is to burn more calories for weight loss, but exercise offers many, many other healthful benefits. However many calories that you burn is dependent on the duration, frequency, and intensity of your workout program. The the best ways to lose body fat is through interval training (combining walking and sprinting) and aerobic training (such as walking or jogging) — for more than 40 minutes for most days per week. Though regular aerobic exercise is optimal for fat loss, all types of movement helps burn calories. A variety of lifestyle activities makes it easier to fit exercise into your day. Create strategies that help you increase your physical activity throughout your day. Example: take extra trips up and down stairs, park farther away from your destination and take walking meetings at work.

6. True Healthy Lifestyle Change

Temporarily eating nutritious foods and exercising for just a few weeks or even several months will not create permanent weight loss. You have to adopt these behaviors permanently into your lifestyle. In order do that, you must to change every behavior that contributed to making you overweight. Lifestyle changes begin with taking a truthful look at your dietary habits and daily exercise routine.  Examine your individual challenges to weight loss and design a strategy to slowly alter habits and feelings that have sabotaged your past weight loss efforts. Admitting your own challenges will not get you past them entirely, but it will help you plan ahead, control them and help you finally succeed in permanent weight loss. You probably will have the occasional setback. Instead of giving up, start fresh the very next day. Never forget that you are making important lifestyle changes and it will not happen all at once. Just stick to your healthy new lifestyle and soon your long-term results will all be worth it.

—Michael Arnone is the TigerFit Blog Health and Fitness Writer & Fitness Ambassador for Tiger Fitness Los Angeles.
TigerFitnessLA.com TigerFitPersonalTraining.com TigerFitBootCamp.com TigerFitBlog.com

Click to check out How Alexis Lost 50 Pounds of Body Fat
While Being a Busy Mom with 2 Very Active Boys! >>

The All New & Improved…Tiger Fitness Los Angeles!

The premiere Personal Training and Boot Camp Company in Los Angeles and surrounding cities has just massively expanded it’s fitness programs with a whole gym bag full of FAT BURNING, MUSCLE TONING, CORE STRENGTHENING AND BODY REVITALIZING fitness programs!

The NEW TigerFit Personal Training System is the ultimate program for building the beach ready body that you want. You will experience muscle building improvements and weight loss results that you have not seen in years, if ever. Fat will burn, muscle will tone, energy will increase and your body will transform back into its youthful shape. You will finally be able to pull that belt a few holes tighter and make your skinny jeans your regular jeans. It’s that effective, it’s that amazing.

The best part of the system is that it is adabtable and flexible. We have applied the dynamic principles of the TigerFit Personal Training System to three high-octane fitness programs that run the gamut from one-on-one to group training, from outdoor to indoor, from affordable to premium.

•

TigerFit Advanced Personal Training

For people that need the one-on-one attention that having your own personal trainer provides. Clients are always amazed how easily they get into incredible shape with this system. With Advanced Personal Training there is no guess work, and most importantly, you don’t have to go it alone. With a seasoned professional by your side, guaranteeing your success, results tend to come faster.

MEN: Click Here for Personal Training WOMEN: Click Here for Personal Training

•

TigerFit Ambush Small-Group Personal Training

For clients that want to workout with a few friends. Each Ambush session is a small group, limited to 3-6 clients, with similar fitness focus (weight loss, bridal party tune-up, etc). The best part is the training costs are shared while you attain your fitness goals. You can put together your own group or I can match you with other fitness minded people that share your goal.

MEN: Click Here for Small-Group Training WOMEN: Click Here for Small-Group Training

•

TigerFit Boot Camp

TigerFit Boot Camp is perfect for clients looking for a team-oriented, alternative fitness experience. We call our boot camp a kitchen sink fitness program because we throw in everything that we can think of; challenging body weight exercises, yoga, circuit training, pilates, weight training. You name, we use it. Not only does using the best of every fitness method get our clients into amazing shape, it insures that the program stays fresh, and that our clients enjoy the experience. TigerFit Boot Camps make it hard to believe you are getting in such great shape because you’re having so much fun.

MEN: Click Here for Boot Camp WOMEN: Click Here for Boot Camp

_________

Each program allows you to take a FREE test drive so that you can get a taste
of the most FUN and EFFECTIVE workout programs Los Angeles has to offer.
Go to TigerFitnessLA.com to Get Started Now >>>

•

Tiger Fitness Los Angeles offers Personal Training and Boot Camp fitness program in the following locations:

Bel Air Beverly Hills Brentwood Culver City Hollywood Los Angeles Malibu

Mar Vista Marina Del Rey Pacific Palisades Playa Del Rey Santa Monica

Venice Beach West Hollywood West Lost Angeles Westwood

Interval training is a powerful fitness strategy for new exercisers and hardcore athletes alike.

Your workout routine is getting stale (again) and the dreaded plateau is setting in. What can you do to burn more calories without spending hours and hours of grueling hours of cardio at the gym? The answer is boot camp style aerobic interval training. Once the go-to fitness program of choice for hardcore athletes, interval training has become a powerful ally for the average boot camper.

So, just what is interval training?

First of all, calm down, this is not brain surgery. Interval training is a simple way of alternating intense bursts of activity (sprinting, jumping, etc.) with intervals of light activity (walking, jogging, etc.).

For instance, let’s say walking is your exercise of choice. If you’re a novice exerciser, you should  incorporate short bursts of jogging into your regular vigorous walks. If you are not as fit, you should alternate easy walking with intervals of quicker walking. As an example, if you are walking outside, you should try to walk quicker between regularly spaced trees, city blocks or street lights.

So, what can interval training do for my love handles?

Whether you are a hardcore elite athlete or beginning exerciser, interval training can help you supercharge your fitness program. The health benefits speak for themselves:

• You will burn many more calories in a given amount of time as you would steady state exercise (walking, slow jogging). The more intensive your exercise program, the more calories you will burn — even if your intensity is increased for just a few minutes at a time.
• You will improve your overall aerobic fitness. As your overall cardiovascular capability improves, you will be able to workout longer and with more stamina and intensity. You could finish your 1-hour walk in 40 minutes — or you could stick with the full 60 minutes and burn tons of extra calories.
• You will keep your motivation on high. Adding variety by increasing your intensity in short intervals can add a needed shot in the arm to a stale exercise routine.
• You do not need any special fitness equipment. Just modify your current fitness program.

How will my body adjust to an interval training program?

During intense exercise programs, your muscles create waste products (lactic acid) that can lead to sore muscles. A large accumulation of waste products can make continuing your fitness program a painful, tiring experience. However, by alternating bouts of intensive exercise with less challenging intervals, you will help decrease the buildup of waste products in your muscle fibers. More comfortable exercise should be your result.

Do the principles of interval training work similarly for everybody?

In a word yes. But interval training can be taken to many levels. If simply want to shake up your exercise routine, you can decide the speed and length of each high-intensity interval based on how you are responding to the exercise, This fitness approach to interval training is known by the Swedish term fartlek, which translates to “speed play.”

After your warm up, you could increase your intensity for one-half minute and then go back to your regular pace. The next period of more intensive exercise may last one to four minutes. The intervals can be varied throughout your workout, how much you increase your pace, how often and for how long is entirely up to you.

If you have a specific fitness goal in mind, you should take a more scientific approach. A fitness boot camp instructor or certified personal trainer can help you time your intensity and duration of your interval periods — which could include similar movements to those you will use during your chosen sport or activity — based on your target heart rate, the proficiency of your lungs and heart to bring oxygen to your muscles (VO2 max) as well as other metabolic factors.

You will add huge amounts of variety to your fitness program with this type of interval training program, but you should know that it requires more structure and focus, so be sure to plan shorter periods of intense activity as well as shorter recovery periods.

Are there any risks associated with interval training?

Interval training is not right for everybody. People with chronic health conditions or have not been exercising regularly, should consult their doctor before trying any type of fitness program.

Like any fitness program, keep the risk of overuse injury in mind. By rushing into a strenuous workout before your body has had a chance to adapt, you could hurt your tendons, ligaments, muscles or bones. Be sure to start any new fitness program slowly. Start out with just two or three higher intensity periods during each workout at first. If you think you are overdoing it, slow yourself down. When your stamina improves, try challenging yourself to vary the speed. You will be surprised how quickly you maximize your fat burn with the addition of interval training.

Fitness Tip: Body Mass Index (BMI) – is considered a more accurate tool than body weight alone to assess overall health and risks associated with being overweight. Lean body mass (muscle) weighs the same as fat, but takes up 2/3rds less space on your body. So you can see why a person with a lower BMI or lower Body Fat % looks slimmer than a person of the same height and weight, but with a larger % of body fat makeup. Remember that BMI alone should only be used as a guideline and is not 100% accurate. Make sure that you are getting your body fat % measured either using an impedance scale at home or get the help of a fitness professional utilizing body fat skin fold tests to get the best accuracy of your overall body fat % and health. Calculate your BMI at our site today!

Exercise of the day: Ball Band Thigh Blaster Intermediate – The Ball Band Thigh Blaster Intermediate gives you the isolation you need to work your quads with the use of your stability ball and fitness bands.
Click Here to see it in action!