Readers Q & A

If you looking for answers to your fitness questions, health questions, weight loss,  and exercise,  you may just find them here!

This page is a compilation of questions and answers that have been asked over the past few months. 

I’m allowing you to ask questions to gain information on the things that confuse you when it comes to getting fit and healthy.

If you don’t see your question there, come back any Wednesday, send me a comment and allow me to help.

 

• What benefits do you get from eating frequently?
• My doctor has told me that I need to join a gym. I’m the biggest procrastinator in the world. What can I do to get motivated to begin a fitness program before it’s too late?
• I’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Should I even think about weight training?
• I’m having a hard time losing my belly fat. I’m exercising six days a week with weight training and doing cardio each session for the past six months.  Why haven’t I seen results yet?
• What percentage of body fat is considered healthy?
• How can I get fit without spending a fortune?
• Is walking a great way to lose fat?
• Are free weights better than machines?
• Why do I need a personal trainer?
• I’ve lost a lot of weight this past year and people have noticed.  But once I hit my goal, I started gaining back some of the weight I tried so hard to lose. What’s happening?
• I’ve tried taking fitness classes in the past, but I never stayed with it because I found them to be boring after awhile.  Do you have any tips to stay interested and motivated?
• Can I lose fat AND gain muscle at the same time?
• How can I make my thighs and butt look more appealing?
• How do I start a fitness program?
• I jog all the time, why can’t I lose weight?
• If I wanted to lose just 1 pound, how many calories would I have to burn?
• I want to build muscle by taking more protein…how much is too much…what are the risk?
• When is the best time to exercise? I’ve been told that if you are at the weight you want, you should do it before you eat, and if you are overweight, you should do it after you eat. What’s the right answer?
• If I wear one of those rubber/plastic sweat suits, will it help me lose weight faster?
• How can I lose weight as FAST as possible?
• Will eating past 7 p.m., result in weight gain?
• I do abs every day, but I’m still not losing stomach fat.  Why?
• I like working out on my own. It’s so much easier to fit into my busy schedule.  Why should I take a group-fitness class?

 

Q. What benefits do you get from eating frequently?

A. Believe it or not, if done correctly, you won’t gain unwanted fat.

Choosing what to eat to help lose weight needs to be something that can be continued for your lifetime. Nothing is so sad as someone who is on a continual ‘yo-yo’ diet and has weight fluctuations on a monthly basis.

The best answer is to prepare smaller, healthier meals for yourself. By preparing multiple “mini meals”, you can eat more often and also benefit by controlling the portion sizes.

Ideally, you would want to eat 5-6 “mini meals” each day in order to split evenly the amount of calories you take in throughout the day. (Divide the amount of hours you are awake by three and that will give you a good idea of how many meals you should have.)

• Eating more “mini meals”, and not skipping meals means less calories consumed at night.
• Eating more “mini meals” helps control your hunger pains for sugars and processed foods.
• Eating more “mini meals” is better for physically active people.

When you eat lean protein, starchy carbohydrates and fibrous carbohydrates in every meal, the nutrients are gradually transported throughout the body to help build and repair cells. This will also help stabilize blood sugar levels which will then allow the body’s fat burning capabilities to remain active all day long.

Another benefit is that eating throughout the day will require the digestive system to work harder and increase the body’s metabolism.

Exercise should not be forgotten because of all this eating. It is extremely important to eat both before and after each workout to have optimal benefits. About an hour before you begin to exercise, eat your pre-workout meal.

Carbohydrates are the key before a workout, along with small amounts of protein and fat. Your post-workout should be consumed within two hours of your workout. Carbohydrates should also be the major focus in order to replace what was used during the exercise session.

 

Q. My doctor has told me that I need to join a gym. I’m the biggest procrastinator in the world. What can I do to get motivated to begin a fitness program before it’s too late?

A. For some people, a definition of the word procrastination may be the result of stress, a sense of guilt, a fear of embarrassment, the loss of personal productivity, the creation of crisis and the disapproval of other’s for not fulfilling one’s commitments.

Just by you asking this question shows that you are taking the first steps to stop procrastinating…and you should be congratulated for that!

When it comes to one’s health, this bad habit can be the biggest enemy you can face. You can think about starting an exercise program, you can make plans to eat properly so it will add to the benefits of working out, and you can say all the right things to get you motivated. But by not acting on those thoughts, we postpone healthy behaviors and switch from being an active participant to an unhealthy reactive spectator.

Make plans tomorrow to walk into your local gym and ask to be shown around. Bring a friend a long if you feel uncomfortable. You’ll be surprised to find out that most people will welcome you with open arms. No one is there to judge you, no one is there to laugh at you and no one is there to make you feel unwanted.

There are highly skilled professionals waiting to offer a helping hand. All you need to do is ask.

Tomorrow could be the day you start improving your chances for a healthier and happier life!

Q. I’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Should I even think about weight training?

A. The answer to that question is “YES…but…”

Exercise can play a tremendous role in improving one’s health. It can be especially important to someone who has been diagnosed with high blood pressure. BUT…you must always check with your physician before starting ANY exercise program.

Once you receive medical clearance, seek out a highly qualified fitness professional, someone who is certified by the NSCA or ACSM. These are people who are not only certified, but truly qualified to help you on your road to good health.

With their help, you will be given instructions on how to create a safe and effective plan to get optimal results with minimal risks.

Q. I’m having a hard time losing my belly fat. I’m exercising six days a week with weight training and doing cardio each session for the past six months.  Why haven’t I seen results yet?

 

A.  The first thing I would do is evaluate your exercise program, your cardio program and your diet. A concern for muscle, moderate aerobic exercise and proper nutrition should always help a person lose body fat. Here are a few basic rules.

Every 6-8 weeks, vary your exercise routine.  If you are continually doing the same workout for six months, you body is at a plateau. It has become an efficient machine and knows exactly how to maintain what it has.  You want to make it inefficient so that it works harder, builds new muscle tissue and requires more energy needs.  More energy needs equates to a breaking down of body fat for fuel.

Make sure you are not doing excessive steady state cardiovascular training.  There is nothing worse than someone who spends so much time on the treadmill and then wonders why they aren’t seeing a change in their body.  Don’t get me wrong, cardio is important for your heart and lungs, but isn’t entirely essential for fat loss.  Try incorporating circuit intervals of exercise and cardio in your routine for the next six weeks and see what happens.

Proper nutrition is also a vital element in any weight loss program.  If you are skipping meals or not eating enough to match your energy needs, then you won’t burn any fat.  If you are not exercising hard enough, than the amount of food might be too excessive. That only leads to that food being converted to fat.  Try to eat small meals consisting of a lean protein, a starchy and fibrous carbohydrate every meal.  Ideally, if you are exercising regularly you would want to eat every 3 ½ hours during your day.

Q. What percentage of body fat is considered healthy?

A. According to the American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, there are no universally accepted norms for body composition. A “healthy” range of 10% to 22% for men and 20% to 32% for women is considered satisfactory for health.

The pattern of body fat distribution is something one should pay more attention to than a particular percentage number. People who carry more abdominal fat tend to run the risk for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and premature death.

There are a number of ways to measure your body to determine if you are in danger of one of these issues.  One simple way is to measure all your body parts, chest, forearm, upper arm, thighs, hips, waist and calves.  If you don’t see measurable difference in a few weeks then re-evaluate your exercise program.

Another very simple method for determining body fat distribution is to divide the circumference of your waist by the circumference of your hips. Health risks increase when an individual has a ratio of 1.0.  A norm for men would be .90 and for woman would be .80.

Q.  How can I get fit without spending a fortune?

A.  Money is an issue for everyone.  Lately, few people have it and those that do don’t want to give it away.  But I have to ask one question…HOW MUCH IS IT WORTH TO YOU?  How much would you say you would be willing to invest on yourself?

Obviously I’m biased because I am a fitness professional.  But, if you are serious about looking good, feeling great and living a healthier and happier life, hire a personal trainer.

You’ll be coached on how to get the maximum results out of your program without wasting a lot of money or a lot of unnecessary time on non-productive exercises. You’ll have the ability to prevent long term health issues from starting. You’ll burn more body fat, increase functional strength, and develop a body that you would be proud to show off.

You’ll also learn how to create workouts using equipment that you can use anywhere such as:
• Dumbbells
• Medicine balls
• Rubber band tubing
• Stability balls
• Bodyweight exercises

There are those that will tell you that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a great looking body.  Well, that’s true, if you know how to reduce the chance of injuring yourself when lifting weights with improper form, if you understand how to create exercise programs and if you are willing to put in the effort long term without any additional positive encouragement.

 Q.  Is walking a great way to lose fat?

A. More and more people are coming to me with obesity issues, and they are getting shakey instructions from their doctors to exercise.  When asked what exercise they are supposed to do, they are told to walk and that’s all that will be needed to supposedly lose their fat.

With all due respect to the medical profession, I’m going to strongly disagree with that and tell you why walking is NOT an effective way of burning fat.

If you are someone who’s goal is fat loss and you are coming into the gym and heading straight for the treadmill, bicycle or stairmaster, you are wasting your time.  Walking, although it is very good for your cardiovascular system, it will strength your heart and lungs…read this over and over…IT WILL NOT HELP YOU LOSE FAT.  It might actually help you gain fat.

Walking won’t burn a lot of calories
This activity is mostly low in intensity and will only burn a small number of calories. You would be better off doing something with a higher intensity in the same amount of time.

Walking will not increase your body’s metabolism
The word “metabolism” means how the body burns through fuel. Since this is a low intensity exercise, your metabolism will only have a small increase lasting for about 2 hours after the walk.  If the intensity was increased, you would have a much longer metabolic burn.

Walking will not burn a lot of fat
When you walk at a low intensity your body is not using a lot of muscle tissue.  So since new muscle tissue isn’t formed it does not require the body to recruit body fat as an energy source to ‘feed’ those muscles. What’s worse is that the total amount of energy used is so minimal that your end up burning off little body fat.

So what’s the proper way to lose body fat and still have a healthy cardiovascular system?

The answer is to have a concern for muscle more than an attempt to improve your running or walking ability.

If you focus on building lean muscle tissue through resistance training (weights), your body will turn into a fat burning machine. Skip the long distance runs and trot over to the dumbbells. Weight training will require tremmendous amounts of energy and it will need an energy source (FAT) to feed those newly developed muscles.

Q.  Are free weights better than machines?

A. The answer to that question is an absolutely, positively, unquestionably…YES!

Naturally, if you are not familiar with proper form and can’t handle much weight, it’s better to start on a machine.

Think about it…When you are ‘out and about’ in every day life, you are, for the most part, on your feet.  You push doors open on your feet, you pull things off shelves on your feet, you stand up and sit down on your feet, and you turn around on your feet.  It’s safe to say that just about everything you do in life, outside of a gym, will require you to be On Your Feet.

So, why does it make any sense to sit down to do anything?

When you sit down on any machine, your back is usually fully supported, your abdominal muscles are practically inactive and your center of gravity doesn’t even matter. But if you put a pair of dumbbells or a barbell in your hands, your abdominals have to be active, you have to be more aware of your techinque, just about every muscle in your body is cooperating with every other muscle to perform the movement properly.

It is entirely more valuable for you to have your body move the same way outside of the gym as you do in the gym.  Unless you are training to be a body builder, stop training like one.  Train the movements and not the muscles. This way you will be prepared to do anything.

Q. Why do I need a personal trainer?

A. With the way the econonmy is today, it is even more important than ever to employ the services of a personal trainer.  When you joined your gym, you set a plan of action to invest in your health and well being.

Using a trainer can provide many benefits that you won’t find working out on your own.  The most important benefit is that you will not waste your money, you will not waste time guessing if you can get the results you are after, and you will see your body transform in a much faster fashion than you would if you choose to do it on your own.

Here are just a few reasons why a personal fitness trainer, coach, or mentor might be right for you.

You are a beginner to exercise
If you are new to the workout scene, a personal trainer is just what you need.  He/she can be your coach and introduce you to the proper techniques, inform you about the correct form and instruct you on how to start an exercise program safely, efficiently and effectively.

You want to lose weight
This is probably the number one reason people come into the gym.  And it is probably the number one reason they leave the gym without reaching that goal.  A personal trainer will be able to help you to lose the fat and build muscle by keeping you on track.  It totally eliminates the guesswork and the wasted time of doing incorrect exercises which send you in the wrong direction.

You will be motivated
People get bored quickly when they do the same things day after day.  Their body adapts to the resistance and then the results stop coming.  A trainer will be there when you lose the motivation to stick with a consistent program.  They will provide the accountability that you will need to have and help you develop a lifestyle that encourges health.

Your program will be designed for you
Eveyone is different. Some have chronic health conditions, injuries or diverse training goals that require individuialized fitness programs.  A personal trainer will work with you and your health care provider to plan a safe and efficient program that’s not like every other cookie cutter program you might find in a muscle magazine.

You won’t end up hurting yourself
Part of a personal trainer’s job is to watch over you and instruct you how to maintain proper form and provide valuable feedback about your strengths and weaknesses.  Most people become unaware of their form when they become fatigued. Because a personal trainer can look out for these situations, they can help push you or correct you when necessary.

You will avoid plateaus
When you workout for a long period of time, your body gets used to what you are doing and doesn’t not work any harder than necessary.  Basically, it gets bored of the same old routines and because of that, your body doesn’t get any new results.  A trainer will be able to create innovative programs that will not only be challenging but will be geared towards your fitness goals…and you will get results!

You will eliminate wasted time and wasted effort
Personal trainers’ help you stay focused on your goals and prevent you from wasting your time with inefficient workouts. You’ll be training with a plan that is aimed at your goals and not what others are doing.  You’ll gain maximum results in a minimum of time because you’ll have a professional who knows how to get you there.

You’ll learn how to create programs for yourself
Eventually, you will not want to need the assistance of a trainer.  You’ll want to be able to know how to design an effective workout program. You’ll want to have an education on how and why you need to do certain exercises.  You’ll want to be able to understand what other options you will have when your particular piece of equipment is not available.  All good personal trainers will teach you the basics of building your body and modifying a fitness program that will create maximum results each and every time.

 

Q. I’ve lost a lot of weight this past year and people have noticed.  But once I hit my goal, I started gaining back some of the weight I tried so hard to lose. What’s happening?

A.  There are many people who run into this situation, so don’t think you are the only one.  People love being told how good they are looking but once the compliments stop rolling in the determination and dedication to the exercise routines slows down.
Positive encouragement is a great thing.  But not having it should not stop you from getting to your goals and then staying there.
Do it for yourself and don’t worry what others think. Realize that in order to look your best, you have to maintain a healthy lifestyle. That means  an ongoing exercise program with small but measureable results should be what you are after.  Reward yourself and give credit to your hard work and you will feel good about yourself no matter what.

Q.  I’ve tried taking fitness classes in the past, but I never stayed with it because I found them to be boring after awhile.  Do you have any tips to stay interested and motivated?

A. The sign of any routine becoming boring means that you have eliminated your motivation to improve.  There should never come a time when you are bored in an exercise class.  It’s the responsibility of the instructor to keep you excited for an hour and to make you feel like you had a workout each and every class.

If you don’t see that happening, try taking another type of exercise class.  It might be that you aren’t challenged enough in your current class.

Also speak with a personal trainer about small group classes of 2 – 4 participants.  If you are all of equal abilities, the trainer can individualize your goals to a greater extent and still offer a great exercise program!

Q. Can I lose fat AND gain muscle at the same time?

A.  So many people come to me with this goal and it’s sad that they have been lead to believe, through infomercials and glossy magazines that this is possible.

It would be fantastic if it was possible to build a massive amount of muscle tissue AND at the same time shed pounds and pounds of fat.  So, can it be done?

NO!!!! It is absolutely, positively  not a chance in hell that you can lose massive amounts of fat AND still gain a lot of muscle at the same time.

You can do one or the other, but not both.

If your primary goal is to put more muscle on your frame, you should focus on building more muscle on your frame.  Then once you have determined that you have the amount of muscle you desireed, then start looking into some smart fat loss. (You want to lose fat in a way that does not take very valuable lean muscle tissue with it.)

If your primary goal is to lose fat, you should be doing things the opposite way. You would then be focusing on fat loss first and then when that is accomplished, aim at adding more lean muscle tissue to your body.

An important note to remember.  If your body has more lean muscle tissue than body fat, you will be burning fat all day long.  That fat will be the energy source to keep the lean muscle tissue alive.

Q. How can I make my thighs and butt look more appealing?

A. This is a question that many people (especially women) have difficulty with when judging how their body looks in the mirror.
The answer is simple.  The best way to make your lower body look good is to focus on your entire body.  Most people have this misconception that they can “spot reduce” their problem areas by only focusing on those areas. Fat loss doesn’t work that way!

In order to lose weight (any weight) you have to take a synergistic approach.  You need to have a concern for muscle, do a moderate amount of aerobic exercise and have proper nutrition.  If you skip any of the three you won’t see results.

It’s unfortunate if you are doing everything that I suggested and still not seeing things happen.  That might be a reason to blame your parents.  But remember, genetics plays only a small role and it’s not something that should put the brakes on your progress. You will start seeing things happen but it might take a little longer.

It’s important not to worry because if you are slimming down other people will have noticed. Try not to be over critical of your looks because it might be that you look much  better than you even realize!

Q. How do I start a fitness program?

A.  You are off to a good start by asking this question. Most people won’t ever ask, due to fear, embarrassment or just ignorance, and the end  result is that they try for a while and then give up. Doing things correctly instead of just doing things requires a Plan of Action.

1. Consult your physician to make sure you are physically ready to start exercising.  You might have some physical problems that could cause an injury. So, it’s best to have a doctor’s approval first.

2. Take “Baby Steps” by starting SLOWLY. It’s always recommended to gradually allow your body to get used to your new exercise program before going “full steam ahead.”  Too much too soon will usually result in setbacks.  When you first start out, let your body ease into it. A good looking body takes effort and a little bit of time.  Don’t be impatient.  It’s not going to happen overnight…but it will happen if you are consistent.

3. Look into your future. Every day, take a few moments to close your eyes and try to imagine how good you are going to look in the coming weeks once you start working out. See the pounds melting away.  Notice how your clothes start fitting better. Appreciate how others are envious of the way you now look.  Visualizing has been proven to be an effective tool to trigger your brain to do what it needs to create successful situations for you.

4. Anticipate “minor” setbacks, roadblocks and U-turns.  Your body is going to try to fight you every step of the way.  Building a good looking body takes work. It can be difficult at times.  Just realize that if you stick with it and accept that there will be some “bumps” along the road to success, you can figure out ways to avoid the obstacles and stay on track.

5. Keep things simple. Don’t allow yourself to turn a manageable task into a difficult situation. A fitness program is a learning experience.  Don’t force yourself to “absorb” everything in one day. Allow yourself to gather information in pieces. Every day you learn something new.  As the weeks go by you will realize that it becomes much easier to do things and you will see your body start to change.

6. Get rid of the junk. Open up your refrigerator and trash everything that you already know isn’t healthy for you. Say goodbye to all the sugars, processed foods and high fat products that are lining your shelves. If you put “bad fuel” into your body it’s only going to underperform. The results won’t happen and your body will start looking less and less appealing to you and everyone else.

7. See professional assistance. You are making an investment in your own body.  With today’s economy the way it is, it would be foolish to spend hard earned money on a gym membership and try to “experiment” on ways to exercise. Find a certified personal trainer and spend a few bucks now so you can see results later.  The worst thing in the world you can do is waste time with useless exercises you might have seen in a magazine.  If you don’t know what you are doing, let the fitness pros help.

Q. I jog all the time, why can’t I lose weight?

A.  The question I would ask a person when they make a statement like this is…what is your goal?

If a person is jogging all the time and wonders why they aren’t losing any weight, it’s probably because they are jogging all the time!

Jogging is a wonderful form of aerobic exercise. The words “Aerobic Exercise” can best be described as a great way to strengthen the heart and lungs.  It is not the way to burn fat or even lose weight.

Your body burns equal amounts of muscle tissue and fat when you are jogging.  Once you start increasing the resistance, difficulty, speed or any other variable, you start going into an “Anaerobic” phase.  This requires your body to need more energy.  Since very valuable muscle tissue is the most readily available source of energy “fuel”, it is used first.

In order to lose weight, your primary focus should be to maintain and increase your muscle tissue and not lose any of  it.  Having more lean muscle tissue (that doesn’t mean “body builder” muscles), your body will require more energy during your rest and recovery phase.  This will send a signal to use body fat as a fuel source to keep that muscle alive.

So stay away from the treadmill until you hit the weights. In order to build a fat burning machine, you need to make your body want to burn fat.  Try jogging after you do your resistance training and you will have a better the chance of seeing that happen.

Q. If I wanted to lose just 1 pound, how many calories would I have to burn?

A. One pound of that dreaded material everyone likes to call body fat equals 3,500 calories. If your aim is to lose just one pound, look at losing 500 calories per day. If you multiply that number by 7 days (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories), you will lose one pound in one week.

A few easy ways to burn off those calories is through exercise, creating a calorie deficit through your diet or a mixture of both. My suggestion would be to have a combination of both. Creating a fitness plan can be easy if you make minimal changes in your eating habits (creating a 250 calorie a day deficit) and add circuit training for as little as 30 minutes per day. A great workout could be done by adding a cardio component in between every other exericise.

Q: I want to build muscle by taking more protein…how much is too much…what are the risk?

A. So many people want to get “BIG”, but they all want to take short cuts. Steroids and human growth hormones are illegal in most states, so the next option always seems to be excessive protein intake.

The problem with that is that your body is not able to store extra protein to use at a later time. There is only a certain amount of need for protein when it comes to building muscles. If your intake exceeds the needs, that excess will be converted into fat. Sadly, you still might get bigger since that’s your goal, but it won’t be muscle that you packing on…it will be fat.

There are other things to be concerned about too. Your can become very dehydrated. When protein gets metabolized into your body, it requires a lot of water for utilization and excretion (elimination) of its by-products. If you are exercising hard, you will already be on your way to dehydration and additional protein will take you over the top and shut you down.

Q: When is the best time to exercise? I’ve been told that if you are at the weight you want, you should do it before you eat, and if you are overweight, you should do it after you eat. What’s the right answer?

A. I’ve heard this question for years and no one ever mentions anything about the types of exercises being done, the duration, or the resistance involved in the exercise session. They all think it has something to do with the time of the day.

Let me clear things up by saying that if you exercise with a high level of intensity in the morning or in the evening, you’ll “burn” the same number of calories.

There may be a little bit of difficulty if you plan on exercising on a full stomach due to the amount of blood involved in the digestive process diminishing the level of oxygenated blood feeding your muscles.

But the fact still remains that the best time to exercise is whatever works best for you.

Q. If I wear one of those rubber/plastic sweat suits, will it help me lose weight faster?

A.  If you were to stand on a scale before you used one of those suits and then stood on it again after your workout, you would see a difference in the number on the scale.  But all that shows is a reduced number.  It doesn’t mean you burned any fat.  More than likely, that type of suit will just make you lose water faster by causing you to sweat.  Then when you become thirsty, you will gain back that sweat by drinking fluids.  An added problem is that these suits make your body overheat which eventually makes it stop working…so you stop working.  Think of excessive sweating as a car that has just sprung a leak in its radiator.  Once all the fluid goes out of the car, it breaks down.  The car still weights the same but now it’s not working.  The same thing will go for you.

Q.  How can I lose weight as FAST as possible?

A.  Someone once came up to me and ask how they could lose 10 pounds of ugly fat as quickly as possible.  I told her to cut off her head! (Well, if you saw her you probably would have said something along those lines too.)

As ridiculous as that answer sounded, I felt the same way about the question.  When it comes to quick weight loss, most people end up doing all the wrong things.  Unfortunately, they usually end up endangering their health and/or their long term fitness goals too.

Our bodies have a self-protective mechanism that does everything in its power to protect itself from dying.  Since it’s only safe to lose about 2 pounds per week, the body will revolt if you try to do anything more extreme.

Once any of those protective mechanisms turn on, it will automatically slow the weight loss process down.  What’s worse is that it can actually damage your metabolism in a way that will endanger your chances of long term weight loss.

It’s time to face the facts.  It took you a long time to put that weight on and it will take a good amount of time to take it off.  The important thing is to get committed to start trying today…SLOWLY.

Weight training, moderate aerobic exercise and a proper diet will start you on your way to a better looking body.

Q.  Will eating past 7 p.m., result in weight gain?

A.  Although many people think they have an internal alarm clock to wake them up in the morning, it does not have one that goes off after 7 p.m. and starts to store fat. Each of us has a certain number of calories that we can consume without gaining more weight. Sometimes people change their routines and need to eat at a later hour. If your thought was true, you would have to stop eating even though your body is still awake and in need of an energy source to keep it going. The best thing to do is spread out your calorie intake throughout the day to prevent hunger pains and up and down blood sugar levels.

Q.  I do abs every day, but I’m still not losing stomach fat.  Why?

A.  Quick answer?  It’s because you are doing abs every day!  Focusing all your attention on your midsection by doing crunches for the purpose of fat loss is a losing proposition.  You cannot “spot reduce” ANY body part and expect to see results.  The body burns fat cumulatively and it requires lean muscle tissue to do its job.  The more lean muscle you have on your entire frame, the higher your metabolism will become.  The higher it gets, the better your chances of seeing body fat being burned off the ENTIRE body.  The only thing that will happen if you do abs every day is that your midsection will expand from the excessive muscle mass you will gain.  You wouldn’t do a million chest presses to make your chest smaller…so don’t do it for your abs either.

Q. I like working out on my own. It’s so much easier to fit into my busy schedule.  Why should I take a group-fitness class?

A.  STOP!!! People are creatures of habit. If you keep doing what they’ve always done…you keep getting what you’ve always gotten. Running, free weights and a few exercise machines can get you fit.  But the workout it provides does not prepare you to do the things in the ‘real world’.  You can build all the, what I like to call “show me” muscles you want, but it won’t help you when you need to reach for something on a high closet shelf. Small group fitness classes keep you off the machines…they make you move in patterns that you do each and every day…they help burn body fat all over your body.  And they are more fun and challenging because you don’t determine the workout.  But if you still insist that machines will get you better results, ask yourself when was the last time you sat down to do any movement and actually accomplished what you set out to do.

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