How To Get Six Pack Abs

If you want to know how to lose stomach fat and get 6-pack abs, I can tell you in about 30 seconds. You don’t need complex six pack ab workouts containing hundreds of crunches and dozens of exercises each week. The best way to burn belly fat and start seeing your 6-pack is to spend less time focusing on it!

In my opinion, all you need to do to get 6-pack abs is this…

Lose belly fat with nutrition, intervals, and resistance training.

More specifically…

First, start by improving the quality of the food you eat. No more processed carbohydrates, no more sugar, no more deep-fried foods, no more fast food, and no more sodas or juices. Simply making these changes will help you lose stomach fat fast, and you’ll drop your body fat percentage in just days.

Next, you need to spend more time on the basic workout methods, such as total body strength training and interval training, and less time on boring, ineffective ab training exercises. Doing hundreds of crunches won’t get you results. And doing long, slow boring cardio is also an inefficient way to burn belly fat and see your 6-pack abs.

According to researchers from Australia, including Professor Steve Boucher, the only way to spot reduce belly fat is to use interval training. This exercise method burns more belly fat than slow cardio workouts.

Once you’ve taken care of your nutrition, resistance training, and interval training, you can start with basic abdominal workouts. Here’s what you need to know, and this will surprise you!

1) Beginners should stay the heck away from situps and crunch-type movements until they master the Plank, Side Plank, and Bird Dog.

You have to take care of your back before you can start pounding it with traditional ab exercises.

2) Here are some my favorite no-crunch ab movements for intermediate exercisers…

a) the Stability Ball Rollout (also can be done with the Ab Wheel or as a Barbell Rollout)
b) the Stability Ball Jackknife

c) the Plank with Your Arms on the Ball (which according to research quoted in Mens Health, this exercise works your abs 30% harder than regular Plank – all without messing up your lower back).

Okay, so I’ve given my controversial advice about what beginners and intermediate fitness levels should do for abs…now for my more advanced 6-pack ab recommendations.

But first, I want to mention some “unknown” ab builders…

a) The Elevated Pushup

b) Straight Arm Cable Pullover

c) Front Squat

d) DB Pullover & even DB Triceps Extensions with extra stretch

All great total body moves to have in your program to burn calories and build abs at the same time.

Now what do you really need to do to bring out your abs once you have your body fat low?

My favorite advanced ab exercise is Cable Crunches, which are without a doubt, the best resistance exercise for building abs. There are several ways to do them, with one version being safer but just as effective as all other versions.

The big message I like to get across to clients is that they can build 6-pack abs without ever doing a single crunch while lying on their backs.

It shocks people, but it is true. If you want to lose stomach fat fast and see your six pack abs, focus on your nutrition, total body strength training, and interval training before you even consider adding more reps to your current ab workout. By Craig Ballantyne

I thought you might be interested in this article: Muscle Mass and Fitness Gym

fitness gyms

Health means proper living. However, through time, this concept has also come to be equated to ideas that many people would rather avoid. With the mention of health usually comes the thought about doctors, hospitals, illnesses, and many other not so pleasant connotations. The onset of the modern era has brought about new insights on health, perceptions which are far more positive and appealing to many. And with this, the growth and the popularity of fitness gyms have been observed.

Fitness gyms today have come to be among the most frequently visited establishments. They have also grown to be basic amenities in many places. All fitness gyms have something in common, and this one thing is the reason why they attract people of different ages – they offer to create a positive change in living.

Behind every fitness gym is the vision to keep every person physically active and moving. Movement is life, and being active does not only keep the body alive but also keeps the mind alert to react to any situation. Moreover, this gives a feeling of well-being that is so important to every person’s disposition and his perception of himself and of the world around him.

Fitness gyms also offer solutions to many of the problems of modern man. Whether it is to lose weight, to gain some fats and muscles, or to have a certain part of your body firmed up and shaped, fitness gyms will have answers to your needs. Manned by health experts and gurus, these gyms offer programs which are geared towards getting the best out of their every patron. And, many of these gyms even give their customers flexible time by which they can have their own program of exercises and activities without having to go through a tight schedule.

Fitness gyms, although primarily organized for physical development, actually offer many other opportunities for growth other than health. One good thing about these institutions is the high rate of socialization that they promote. Going to a gym today does not only mean facing exercise and sports equipments for several hours and trying hard to sweat all your unpleasant energies out. Today, gym exercise means meeting people, having fun, and discussing various topics. In the process, you do not only get physical benefits, but as well as intellectual and social stimulation. Aren’t these among the human aspects that must be developed, too? Well, they are! And every fitness gym will give you that.

In the most basic sense, every fitness gym offers opportunities to improve the quality of life. Since health is a basic need, and because health is life itself, gyms are formed to promote life. Whether you see these establishments as mere recreational places or miracle institutes that have all the wonders for healthy living, one thing remains clear – they play a significant part not only to individual growth but to societal growth as well. By promoting life and creating healthy people, both in the body and the mind, they make the world a much pleasant place to live in.

I thought you might be interested in this article: Weight Exercises and Weight Lifting Gloves

Weight Lifting Glove

It is important to pick the right weightlifting gloves for your hands and your needs. The right weightlifting gloves will help you lift more weight, keep you safe, and save your hands from calluses. The wrong weightlifting gloves will interfere with your weightlifting, could cause you to drop weights, and could actually harm your hands.

There are no visual concerns involved in the use of weightlifting gloves; the necessity of such body building apparel items is justified by the very practical nature of the products. Weightlifting can be definitely compromised by sweaty and slippery hands, not to mention the protection level the gloves provide against various joint and muscle injuries. The skin is exposed to a very intense pressure during bodybuilding training, thus sores and blisters are pretty common problems if the athlete does not use the right weightlifting gloves. Statistics even show that women are more exposed to skin injuries because of the increased sensitivity of their skin.

The material the weightlifting gloves are made of meets all the requirements necessary for sweat absorption, so that the quality of the grip may not suffer. Though there are plenty of sites to order such apparel items from, it is often a better idea to actually have the chance to try the gloves on and check the level of comfort they provide directly. A rule thumb here says that comfort comes before style and good looks, therefore, make sure to complete your weightlifting gear with quality products. Choose training gloves designed by good brands, and even if you get to pay a higher price, at least you know it’s worth every cent.

As for the perfect color choice of the weightlifting gloves, most athletes’ preference definitely goes towards dark shades since stains are less visible on them. One other element you should be careful about when choosing the weightlifting gloves is the fabric; your hands need to breathe properly through the material. If this condition is not met, heat and sweat will accumulate inside the gloves and you will feel more than just uncomfortable. The perfect weightlifting gloves are padded so that the grip is improved and supported, while the risk of blisters and hand calluses formation is lowered to the minimum.

Here are steps to take when choosing weightlifting gloves:

1. Try the weightlifting gloves on.

You should never buy weightlifting gloves without feeling them on your hands first. Go to a store that sells a wide variety of weightlifting gloves and try on a large selection.

2. Consider why you need weightlifting gloves.

If you just want to keep your hands dry so you can get a good grip on the weights, try neoprene gloves. If you are lifting heavy weights and want more support, try leather gloves.

3. Think about wrist support.

If you are a casual weightlifter, you probably don’t need any and can buy weightlifting gloves that only cover the hands. If you are lifting heavy weights, you might want weightlifting gloves that wrap around the wrists.

4. Examine weightlifting glove straps.

If you are a casual weightlifter, you might be fine with weightlifting gloves that just slip on. More serious weightlifters opt for gloves with Velcro straps for a tighter fit. Those who lift very heavy weights can buy gloves with long straps that wrap around the wrists. These provide maximum support but are more difficult to put on and take off.

5. Compare your favorite weightlifting gloves side by side.

Close all the straps just like you would have them when you lift weights. Open and close your hands to make sure they fit correctly. The weightlifting gloves should be snug so they don’t move around, but not so tight that they pinch the hands. If you have difficulty deciding, wear one type of glove on one hand and another type on the other hand. Choose whichever one is more comfortable.

6. Consider price.

Inexpensive weightlifting gloves cost less than $15 for a pair. Expensive ones can cost you $100 or more. There is no need to buy expensive weightlifting gloves unless you are a serious weightlifter or bodybuilder. It is a good idea to start with an inexpensive pair first, then upgrade to a more expensive pair to suit your needs. Weightlifting gloves only last a year or two, so it won’t be long until you need to change them anyway.

Most weightlifting gloves are made of neoprene, leather and nylon but only neoprene and leather are truly reliable when it comes to allowing the hands to breath. Nylon is not necessarily the best choice, since there are varieties that are both slippery and smooth, thus hindering the easiness of the grip. Leather is pretty good for glove manufacturing, but it is not as light as neoprene and nylon. Most often, these other two materials are used for linings; yet, most athletes consider that neoprene is the best fabric for weightlifting gloves due to its lightness, breathable nature and high durability.

Articles you may be interested in reading: Weight Exercises and Workout Bench

Workout Benches

Bothered by the extra ounces of flab around your abdominal region! Have all your weight loss and muscle building efforts come to a zero? If that’s the case, it is time you get to understanding more on workout benches. Remember, these benches are just not meant to cut the flab temporarily, because when you use them for a long period of time, you will realize its true benefits.

Workout benches as long term investments

Let us be clear here – Anyone wanting to buy workout benches may not really do the purchase keeping in mind the immediate results. Invariably, you will find people looking at these fitness equipments from a long term perspective.

How to choose the best workout benches for your use?

Of course, your needs take precedence over everything else when you get to buying workout benches. But in terms of designs themselves, these benches are not too dissimilar across different brands. Universally, you will find these benches being made of a pair of upright racks that allow a supporting cushion for the barbell and weights. And the other end just so you know, does not have anything but some space for you to relax your head as you workout.

Different types of workout benches for your choice

When you get to buying workout benches, you will have an option between the Preacher Ball, The Olympic Weight benches, and the Ab Weight bench. Each one of them are designed differently from one another and importantly go well for a certain set of people. For example, with their sturdy design and supporting panels for bigger bars, the Olympic weight benches may be considered best for weightlifters.

Before you get to make the call on buying a workout bench, there are couple of things you should note:

1) Would you be comfortable in the workout bench you are intending to buy? There is no point in just buying a workout bench for the sake of it and you realize that the benches just don’t work for you as you are uncomfortable on them.

2) Would the bench you are buying, support heavy loads? Chances are that tomorrow you could decide in increasing your workload. In such a scenario, you must take care of the workload factor of these benches.

Buying a bench for your workout is not going to be tough at all for you. Remember – If you can think a bit on how well you would be comfortable with the bench you would be buying, the chances are that you can buy a bench that surely will work for you.

Buying workout benches

If wishes could be horses, you would have wanted to ride on the best workout benches. Well, almost though, because hunting down for one of the best benches around needs more than luck! People apparently have got all tangled up and confused in selecting a good quality bench for their needs. In the end, they seem to go with the cheaper priced benches, which just do not serve any fruitful purpose at all.

On selecting the best workout bench, you would need to go for quality, rather than price. Quality – Yes, that’s right! Too often, the word quality has been reiterated every time you think of buying a product. The more it is talked of, the more people tend to neglect it. Sorry to say, but any such misadventure here could lead you to wasting a lot of money.

The prices of these benches do not vary on a big spectrum. At best, you could find the price differing by some hundred dollars. But think about it – Is it really worthwhile for you to ignore a high quality workout bench for some hundred dollars? Probably not!

Why is quality so important here?

Apart from longevity and durability of the workout benches that you have here, good quality workout benches allow you for a safer workout regime. The last thing when you want while you workout is for the bench to give way or the weights to give way. That could be a dangerous thing to happen to you. Leave alone all other things, you definitely want your workout benches to provide you with a safe enough experience while you work out.

Where do you get quality workout benches?

Probably, the fair comment here would be that you would get a good quality workout bench anywhere on the Internet, as it seems to be flooded with websites and resources. By and large, you will find almost all the websites in the domain of fitness giving or promoting these products to people. But are all of them amongst the equals? As it happens with any product, you will possibly find some products being top ranked and some languishing right at the bottom of the stockpile. Needless to say, choosing the ones that are the top of the pole can make a difference to your fitness regime.

In question here is your health, and when you talk of anything related to your health, you may not want to compromise. Given that thought, you definitely would want the best possible workout bench for your fitness needs.

Benches of good quality, irrespective of their price, will in more chances than one, prove to be the best possible workout benches for you.

Read more other articles about: Weight Exercises and Gym Workouts

Gym Workout

We should have a “refresh” button for everything: a bitter coworker, a lame bar scene, the National Hockey League. Just a click or two could give us instant improvement.

Same with tired workout plans. Maybe yours has frozen up like a gym version of Windows 95. You may think you have to reboot, or even upgrade. Instead, all you need are a few tweaks for a faster, more enjoyable, more effective workout.

Take a typical guy’s stale routine: treadmill for 5 minutes, then bench presses until someone asks if he’s almost done—in which case he’s suddenly on his last set. Next, a few rows, curls, and crunches, then a quick toe touch and he’s out.

You can do better, beginning with your warmup. “Most men warm up with a few minutes of light cycling or jogging,” says Brad Jordan, NSCA-C.P.T., a personal trainer in Dayton, Ohio. And that’s fine if all you plan to do in your workout is lower-body exercise. But an upper-body workout demands something that’s more in sync with your plans. “Switch your warm up to jumping rope, rowing lightly, or using any cardio machine, like an elliptical trainer, that makes you pump your arms,” Jordan says.

As for the rest of your routine . . . stop calling it routine. Refresh it, and yourself, with these moves.

1. Start with Your Hamstrings

“Most men do the exercises they like first and save the ones they know they hate for last,” says Steve Lischin, NASM-C.P.T. “Toward the end of a workout, they either put little effort into these exercises or just skip them entirely.” Performing your workout in the opposite order can give muscles you tend to overlook (such as your hamstrings) the attention they deserve. And saving your favorites for last can help you recharge when your energy level is in decline.

2. Stretch Between Sets

“Don’t stretch only when your muscles feel tight,” says Jordan. Stretching the muscles you’re working not only helps them stay loose, but can also increase your range of motion, allowing you to work more muscle fibers with each additional set.

3. Take a Coffee Break

Anytime you draw your legs toward your midsection—reverse crunches, V-ups—you emphasize the lower portion of your abs. These moves also stress your hip flexors, the muscles on the front of your thighs. When these muscles are involved, your abs exert less than full effort, and you end up with tight hip flexors.

Overcome this tendency by pretending there’s a cup of coffee resting just below your belly button. Before bringing your legs up each time, imagine tilting that cup toward your legs first. “This redirects your body positioning, so the effort stays concentrated on the lower abs,” says Len Kravitz, Ph.D., coordinator of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.

4. Close Your Eyes

This helps you visualize the muscles you’re working, which is especially helpful for posterior muscle groups like your back, hamstrings, and butt. (Exceptions allowed when that brunette happens by.)

Also try closing your eyes during any exercise that involves balance, such as a one-legged squat. “It challenges the neuromuscular system and helps you establish better balance,” says Carter Hays, C.S.C.S., a Houston-based personal trainer. “It’s actually harder closing just one eye than both eyes; it’s weird.”

5. Change Your Inclination

Rather than do three sets of dumbbell presses followed by three sets of incline presses, combine the two exercises. Start with one set of chest presses on a flat bench. Then raise the bench one notch from the flat position—to about 15 to 20 degrees—for your second set. Continue raising the angle one notch per set, stopping at the notch before vertical.

“This lets you exhaust more muscle fibers by working your chest through five or six different angles instead of just the basic two,” says Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., a Massachusetts-based exercise researcher. You’ll actually end up doing fewer sets, so you’ll save time, too.

6. Get Twisted

During the standard single-arm dumbbell row, your palm faces in as you raise and lower the weight along the side of your chest. To get more out of the move, rotate your wrist inward 180 degrees as you lower the dumbbell so that your thumb ends up pointing behind you when your arm is completely straight. This rotation helps adduct the scapula, working the back through a fuller range of motion for added strength and size.

7. Stop and Go

Instead of raising and lowering the weight in one continuous motion, pause for a second about halfway up, continue the movement, and then pause again about halfway down. “In a set of eight to 12 repetitions, you’ll add only an extra 16 to 24 seconds to each set, but you’ll be able to exhaust your muscles faster using less weight,” says Lischin. This tactic works great with shoulder presses, lateral raises, and bent-over lateral raises.

8. Lower the Weight with One Leg

Your muscles are much stronger during the eccentric phase of an exercise—when the weight is being lowered. With leg presses, leg curls, and leg extensions, consider the “two up, one down” option. Try pressing or curling the weight up with both legs, then slowly lowering the weight back down using only one leg. This lets you work your muscles even harder in the same amount of time without constantly needing to change the weight, says Westcott.

9. Spread ‘Em

Change your hand spacing with each set of barbell curls, instead of keeping them placed at shoulder width for all you repetitions. “Spreading your hands a few inches farther out stresses more of the inner portion of your biceps, while bringing your hands in a few inches builds more of the outer part,” says Lischin. Or, try switching from the standard shoulder-width grip on a barbell to an angled position with an EZ-curl bar.

10. Run the Rack

Save time on the last dumbbell exercise in your workout. Instead of doing three sets of shoulder presses, biceps curls, or any dumbbell move, start with a weight that’s about 50 percent of what you usually use to do 10 to 12 repetitions. Perform the exercise six times, then quickly grab the weight that’s one increment heavier. Continue working your way up in weight until you finally find one that you can’t lift six times using proper technique.

Then reverse this process by grabbing a slightly lighter weight and completing as many repetitions as possible, even if you can only manage a few. Keep moving down the rack until you’re left using the lightest set of dumbbells possible.

I thought you might be interested in these articles: Weight Exercises and Superdrol

Superdrol

Muscle building supplements to help the athlete increase his body weight, specifically the lean muscle mass. These are often called legal steroids by some and include such popular supplements as Superdrol, Phera-plex and Halodrol.

Superdrol clones are still out there and you can find legal steroids online if you know where to look. With the recent activity of the FDA and the trouble the Bodybuilding.com recently went through many online retailers aren’t going to bother with prohormones or designer steroids anymore. Most have had a quick 48 hour sale or stopped selling them altogether. There are a few online supplement companies that are still rolling the dice.

For right now there still several prohormones that have not been banned by the FDA and are actually legal steroids. If you are looking to buy legal steroids because you want to stay out of trouble you can pick up some clones and “generics” of the original Superdrol. The chemical ingredient you are looking for is 2a 17a di methyl etiocholan 3-one 17b-ol so make sure that is on the label when you buy a Superdrol clone.

Superdrol, Halodrol 50, and Epistane are is still the most effective prohormones for gaining muscle mass or getting ripped on a low calorie diet. They are strong enough to shut down your own natural testosterone production so make sure you have your post cycle therapy lined up so that you can keep all of your gains. They may be legal to buy but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat them like regular steroids. The same protocols for safety must be adhered to.

Stock up on the best prohormones while you still can. The government is continuing to crack down on them and they won’t be legal much longer. The banned list for designer steroids gets bigger every year.

Today’s athletes are fortunate to have such a broad range of supplements to help them improve their natural performance. Please be responsible and learn as much as possible about the supplements you’re considering, especially those that could be considered as legal steroids.

Other posts you may be interested in reading: Workout Video and Used Fitness Equipment

Used Fitness Equipment

Today, more and more people are getting more and more concerned about how their body looks. You can never deny the fact that having a great looking and muscular body is very attractive. With those well-defined muscles, you can be sure that you will have more sex appeal than your average person with that extra “love handles” or “beer belly”.

You also need to consider the health reasons behind the great looking and muscular body. Having a great looking and muscular body means that you will also have a healthy heart. First of all, you need to consider that muscles burn fat inside your body. By doing this, you will be able to prevent heart related diseases where fat clogs up your arteries and make you suffer from heart attacks and stroke.

You have to realize the fact that there is a significant increase of heart related diseases and diabetes cases in the United States of America. Thanks to fast food and automation, people in the US are getting fatter and lazier each day. Because of this, more and more Americans are turning their TV off, and are now starting to exercise in the gym. Exercising is the best and the normal way to develop your muscles and keep your heart healthy. It is very important to remember that by exercising, you will be able to have that muscular body you have always wanted. However, what if you don’t even have time to go to the gym and you prefer staying at home?

You can consider answering this question by purchasing your own home fitness equipment. However, you also need to realize that home fitness machines are quite expensive. If you are a type of person who is in a low income level and you still want to exercise, you can still do so by jogging around your local park. However, the main disadvantage of this is your local weather. If it rains or snows, you can never go out and do your daily run.

So, the best way to exercise without going to the gym is by purchasing used fitness exercise equipments. These are second hand exercise equipments that the previous owner doesn’t want anymore because of various reasons. Some sells their home fitness equipments because they plan on replacing their fitness equipment with newer models, while other says that they sell their home fitness equipments because no one actually uses it.

However, before you purchase used home exercise equipment, you have to consider the fact that these equipments are already used and may have maintenance problems. If it is possible, you have to try it out first for a few times. By doing this, you will determine if the used fitness equipment being offered is still in good working condition. Never buy used fitness equipment that emits strange and unnecessary noise when being operated.

If it is possible, you can bring your fitness trainer along when shopping for used exercise equipment. They will be able to determine if the used fitness exercise equipment being offered is in top working condition or not. They will also be able to recommend some exercise fitness equipments that you need.

These are some of the things you should remember when purchasing used fitness equipments.

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Health Fitness Nutrition

Five years after telling a bunch of angry apes to keep their filthy paws off him, Charlton Heston starred in Soylent Green. In the film, a megacorporation solves a starving world’s need for nutritious food by turning the dead into dinner. This is complete science fiction, of course: Most of us are so short on key nutrients we couldn’t possibly be someone’s square meal.

In fact, studies show that 77 percent of men don’t take in enough magnesium, that many of us are deficient in vitamin D, and that the vitamin B12 in our diets may be undermined by a common heartburn medication. And we haven’t even mentioned our problems with potassium and iodine.

It’s time to play catch-up. Follow our advice, and a cannibal will never call you junk food.

Vitamin D

This vitamin’s biggest claim to fame is its role in strengthening your skeleton. But vitamin D isn’t a one-trick nutrient: A study in Circulation found that people deficient in D were up to 80 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke. The reason? D may reduce inflammation in your arteries.

The shortfall: Vitamin D is created in your body when the sun’s ultraviolet B rays penetrate your skin. Problem is, the vitamin D you stockpile during sunnier months is often depleted by winter, especially if you live in the northern half of the United States, where UVB rays are less intense from November through February. Case in point: When Boston University researchers measured the vitamin D status of young adults at the end of winter, 36 percent of them were found to be deficient.
Hit the mark: First, ask your doctor to test your blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. “You need to be above 30 nanograms per milliliter,” says Michael Holick, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of medicine at Boston University. Come up short? Take 1,400 IU of vitamin D daily from a supplement and a multivitamin. That’s about seven times the recommended daily intake for men, but it takes that much to boost blood levels of D, says Dr. Holick.

Magnesium

This lightweight mineral is a tireless multitasker: It’s involved in more than 300 bodily processes. Plus, a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that low levels of magnesium may increase your blood levels of C-reactive protein, a key marker of heart disease.

The shortfall: Nutrition surveys reveal that men consume only about 80 percent of the recommended 400 milligrams (mg) of magnesium a day. “We’re just barely getting by,” says Dana King, M.D., a professor of family medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. “Without enough magnesium, every cell in your body has to struggle to generate energy.”

Hit the mark: Fortify your diet with more magnesium-rich foods, such as halibut and navy beans. Then hit the supplement aisle: Few men can reach 400 mg through diet alone, so Dr. King recommends ingesting some insurance in the form of a 250 mg supplement. One caveat: Scrutinize the ingredients list. You want a product that uses magnesium citrate, the form best absorbed by your body.

Vitamin B12

Consider B12 the guardian of your gray matter: In a British study, older people with the lowest levels of B12 lost brain volume at a faster rate over a span of 5 years than those with the highest levels.

The shortfall: Even though most men do consume the daily quota of 2.4 micrograms, the stats don’t tell the whole story. “We’re seeing an increase in B12 deficiencies due to interactions with medications,” says Katherine Tucker, Ph.D., director of a USDA program at Tufts University. The culprits: acid-blocking drugs, such as Prilosec, and the diabetes medication metformin.

Hit the mark: You’ll find B12 in lamb and salmon, but the most accessible source may be fortified cereals. That’s because the B12 in meat is bound to proteins, and your stomach must produce acid to release and absorb it. Eat a bowl of 100 percent B12-boosted cereal and milk every morning and you’ll be covered, even if you take the occasional acid-blocking med. However, if you pop Prilosec on a regular basis or are on metformin, talk to your doctor about tracking your B12 levels and possibly taking an additional supplement.

Potassium

Without this essential mineral, your heart couldn’t beat, your muscles wouldn’t contract, and your brain couldn’t comprehend this sentence. Why? Potassium helps your cells use glucose for energy.
The shortfall: Despite potassium’s can’t-live-without-it importance, nutrition surveys indicate that young men consume just 60 percent to 70 percent of the recommended 4,700 mg a day. To make matters worse, most guys load up on sodium: High sodium can boost blood pressure, while normal potassium levels work to lower it, says Lydia A. L. Bazzano, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of epidemiology at Tulane University.

Hit the mark: Half an avocado contains nearly 500 mg potassium, while one banana boasts roughly 400 mg. Not a fan of either fruit? Pick up some potatoes—a single large spud is packed with 1,600 mg.

Iodine

Your thyroid gland requires iodine to produce the hormones T3 and T4, both of which help control how efficiently you burn calories. That means insufficient iodine may cause you to gain weight and feel fatigued.

The shortfall: Since iodized salt is an important source of the element, you might assume you’re swimming in the stuff. But when University of Texas at Arlington researchers tested 88 samples of table salt, they found that half contained less than the FDA-recommended amount of iodine. And you’re not making up the difference with all the salt hiding in processed foods—U.S. manufacturers aren’t required to use iodized salt. The result is that we’ve been sliding toward iodine deficiency since the 1970s.

Hit the mark: Sprinkling more salt on top of an already sodium-packed diet isn’t a great idea, but iodine can also be found in a nearly sodium-free source: milk. Animal feed is fortified with the element, meaning it travels from cows to your cereal bowl. Not a milk man? Eat at least one serving of eggs or yogurt a day; both are good sources of iodine.

I thought you might be interested in this article: Workout Video and Loose Belly Fat

Loose Belly Fat Fast

Recently, Cornell University researchers asked a group of people a simple question: “How do you know when you’re through eating dinner?”

The answer might seem obvious. After all, doesn’t everyone push the plate away when they feel full? Well, no. The leanest people do, according to the scientists, but people who are overweight rely more on what are known as “external cues.” For example, guys packing a few extra pounds tend to stop eating when . . .

• Their plates are clean.
• Everyone else in their group is finished.
• The TV show they’re watching is over.

Unfortunately, these cues have nothing to do with how they feel physically. “People’s brains are often out of touch with their bodies,” says C. Peter Herman, Ph.D., a University of Toronto expert on appetite control. “And when eating becomes mindless, overeating becomes routine.”

The key player in all of this appears to be a region of your brain called the left posterior amygdala, or LPA. This area monitors the volume of food in your stomach during a meal. Fill your gut to a comfortable level, and the LPA tells your brain to drop the fork. Trouble is, it delivers that information at dial-up speed in a DSL world. “Many men consume calories faster than their bodies can say, ‘Stop!’” explains Herman. “So they look to external cues to guide their consumption.”
The bottom line is this: To shrink your gut, you need to start listening to it. We’ve scoured these science and tapped the top experts to help you learn how to do just that. Use these seven simple strategies, and you’ll fill up without filling out.

Strategy 1: Sit Down to Snack

Turns out, the trappings of a formal meal make you think you’re eating more than you actually are—and that may boost satiety levels. A 2006 Canadian study found that when people ate lunch while sitting at a set table, they consumed a third less at a later snack than those who ate their midday meals while standing at a counter.

Think of it as the Zen of eating: “If you treat every dining experience with greater respect, you’ll be less likely to use your fork as a shovel,” says sports nutritionist and behavioral psychotherapist Lisa Dorfman, M.S., R.D. “And that includes snacks as well as your three squares.”

Strategy 2: Turn Off the Tube

University of Massachusetts researchers found that people who watched TV during a meal consumed 288 more calories on average than those who didn’t. The reason: What you’re seeing on television distracts you, which keeps your brain from recognizing that you’re full.

Strategy 3: Slow Down and Savor

“Pay close attention to those first three bites, which people usually wolf down due to excitement,” says Jeffrey Greeson, Ph.D., a health psychologist at Duke Integrative Medicine. In fact, mimic a food critic: “Examine the food’s texture, savor the flavors in your mouth, and then pay attention and feel the swallow,” he says. “Psychologically, this form of meditative eating boosts satiety and promotes a sense of satisfaction for the entire meal.”

While you’re at it, try spicing up relatively bland fare, such as scrambled eggs, with hot sauce or smoked paprika. “Hot, flavorful foods help trigger your brain to realize you’re eating,” says Dorfman.

Strategy 4: Take a Bite, Take a Breath

University of Rhode Island researchers discovered that consciously slowing down between bites decreases a person’s calorie intake by 10 percent. “Breathing helps you gauge how hungry you are, since it directs your mind toward your body,” says Greeson. “It’s also quite practical, since you can do it throughout a meal and not draw attention to yourself in a social situation.”

Strategy 5: Don’t Share Your Food

Researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo observed that men who ate with a group of buddies downed 60 percent more calories than when they ate with a spouse or girlfriend. That’s because people often match their intake of food to that of their dining partners.
Of course, you shouldn’t have to sit home on guys’ night out. Choose one reasonable entrée for yourself, and skip the communal foods—bread, nachos, wings, and pizza, for example—which encourage you to take your eating cues from pals.

Strategy 6: Keep a Food Journal

It’s an effective way to remind yourself how much you’re eating over the course of a day. But it doesn’t need to be complicated: University of Pittsburgh scientists found that dieters who simply wrote down the size of each meal (S, M, L, XL) were just as successful at losing weight as those who tracked specific foods and calorie counts.

One useful addition: Detail the motivation behind your eating habits. “Were you really hungry or just blowing off steam before bedtime? Recognizing that you weren’t feeling true hunger reinforces the idea of listening to your body,” says Dorfman.

Strategy 7: Don’t Trust the “Healthy” Menu

You’re likely to underestimate your meal’s calorie count by about 35 percent, according to a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research. The best approach is to check the restaurant’s nutrition guide before you order. A University of Mississippi study found that people consumed 54 percent fewer calories when they used this simple strategy.

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If there were one industry out there that could be used to encapsulate the very definition of the word “marketing hype”, weight loss supplementation would be it. This includes fat loss diet pills.

I honestly don’t know of any other market out there filled with more fairy tale logic, exaggerations and flat-out lies than this one.

I honestly don’t know of any other market out there filled with more fairy tale logic, exaggerations and flat-out lies than this one.

I honestly don’t know of any other market out there filled with more fairy tale logic, exaggerations and flat-out lies than this one.

I honestly don’t know of any other market out there filled with more fairy tale logic, exaggerations and flat-out lies than this one.

Promoting an endless array of “magical” fat loss diet pills, powders, creams and teas to entice your interest, those in the fat burning supplement industry seem to be willing to do just about anything to get their hands on your hard-earned money.

All they have to do is use fancy terms like “clinically proven”, “patented”, “scientifically formulated” and “research proven”… slap some ingredients together in a fancy bottle… place a grossly excessive price tag on it… place it on the shelves… and people will continue to fork over their cash.

Does it matter if these fat loss diet pills and other weight loss products actually work? No.
Does it matter if there is concrete research to support their effects? No.

Does it matter if there is any logical basis whatsoever for their claims? No.

As long as there is a compelling advertisement and an uninformed consumer willing to take the bait, this unfortunate situation will continue to perpetuate itself over and over again.

People will continue to spend billions of dollars on garbage, like fat loss diet pills, every single year, and the “geniuses” at the top of the ladder will continue to reel in the dough without ever delivering on their promises.

Am I going a bit over the top? Am I exaggerating to make my point stronger?

Not in the least.

Let me make one thing clear here…

There is not a SINGLE weight loss supplement product (including fat loss diet pills) available in the WORLD that could ever take the place of a proper fat loss training approach and nutritional program.

If your goal is to burn body fat and achieve a lean and defined body, then an intelligent workout routine and diet is the only way to get there. There are no shortcuts to any place worth going, and the notion that the “secret” to rapid fat loss lies in fat loss diet pills or powder is completely and totally false.

Does this mean that I am totally against the use of fat loss diet pills and other fat burning supplements? No.

However, it’s very important that you see them for what they are: a very small additional boost that should be used in conjunction with a consistent workout plan and proper diet.

In addition, it’s also important that you understand that the majority of the fat loss diet pills you see lining the shelves ARE a waste of money, and that only a select few are really worth bothering with.

There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of specific fat loss diet pills available for use, but throughout my research I can count on one hand those that I really feel are worth trying out.

Here are 3 fat loss diet pills that I feel might be worth experimenting with, as a small addition to your overall program…

(Make sure to consult your physician before using any of the fat loss diet pills I’m about to discuss, as individuals with certain pre-existing medical conditions should not use them.)

Ephedrine/Caffeine

Although these are two separate types of fat loss diet pills, ephedrine and caffeine appear to have synergistic effects when used in combination with one another.

EC combinations increase thermogenesis within the body (the rate at which calories are burned as heat) as well as the metabolic rate. They are also a powerful energy-increasing combination that can be used as an effective pre-workout or pre-cardio stimulant.

The most commonly used dosage is to consume caffeine and ephedrine in a ratio of 10:1, meaning that you should be ingesting 10 times as much caffeine as compared to the amount of ephedrine. A typical dosage is 15-20mg of ephedrine coupled with 150-200mg of caffeine consumed 2-3 times daily.

Green Tea Extract

A very rich source of a powerful antioxidant known as “ECGC”, green tea extract also appears to have a thermogenic effect in the body, but via different pathway than EC supplements.

It does so without increasing the heart rate or blood pressure, which is an added benefit for those who want to avoid the “jitters” that are a common response to other stimulants.

When purchasing green tea extract in pill form, look for products that are standardized to contain a minimum of 90% polyphenols and 55% EGCG. In order to derive all of the fat burning and energy enhancing benefits of green tea extract, aim to consume about 200-400mg of EGCG daily.

Yohimbine

Derived from the bark of a tree growing in West Africa, yohimbine is an alkaloid that appears to accelerate fat loss by increasing lypolysis during exercise.

It also appears to specifically target stubborn fat areas such as the hips, butt and thighs due to its effects on the “alpha adrenoreceptors”, which are present in high numbers on the lower body.

Yohimbine appears to be effective when used in conjunction with EC combinations. If you are not supplementing with an EC combination then it probably has little use. If you would like to give it a try, start by reducing your ephedrine/caffeine intake by 40-50%, and try adding in just 10mg of yohimbine to start.

These are a few examples of specific fat loss diet pills which just may prove to be a useful addition to an effective fat loss approach.

If you want the full inside scoop on fat loss diet pills and other weight loss supplements, visit www.HowToBurnFat.com. You can instantly download my “Fat Loss Supplements Exposed” e-book, which contains indepth, unbiased reviews on over 25 of the top-selling fat loss diet pills and other weight loss supplements available today. By Sean Nalewanyj

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