Monday, August 13, 2012

15 Fat Burning Foods - Eating Your Way To Natural Fat Loss

Best Way To Burn Stomach Fat:

Quickly, can you name 15 fat burning foods in the next 30 seconds? How did you do? Well, there are a wide variety of fruits and vegetables that are hyped as foods that you can eat to help you to lose weight. They are also known as negative calorie foods and have what is known as a high 'thermogenic' value. In other words, they use more calories in the digestive process than what is actually contained within the food itself. This process speeds up your metabolism, which can lead to fat loss.

In actuality, it is not the food that burns the fat, but the nutrients in these foods that help in breaking down fatty deposits and make it easier for your body to help flush out the fat. Also, when your body is properly nourished it has a positive affect on maintaining your blood sugar level. Regulating your blood sugar level has proven to be the most effective method to maintaining the body's fat-burning capacity by eliminating the feel of hunger.

Following are 15 fat burning foods known for accelerating fat loss; they are packed with nutritional value and can assist you in achieving your weight loss goal and improve your overall health in numerous ways:

Beans

Steep in fiber and an excellent source of protein as well as iron, a single serving of beans is very filling and can satisfy your appetite for hours. The great thing is that they come in many varieties including lima beans, black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, green beans, wax beans, northern beans, and garbanzo beans. They are great for helping to keep the blood sugar level balance.

Garlic

This staple has a worldwide reputation as a miracle food and comes in over 300 varieties; it contains vitamins A, C, and D. One of the most common is the American garlic; it has a white paper-like skin and a very strong flavor. Its many forms include whole peeled gloves, minced fresh cloves, dried garlic powder, garlic extract, garlic salt, and whole peeled gloves. Garlic contains the compound allicin which studies have shown can help lower cholesterol and high blood pressure; it is a natural diuretic food that aids the breakage of fat. It has been observed that allicin begins to degrade immediately after it is produced, so its medicinal effect decreases over time. Cooking degrades its even further and microwaving allicin, more likely than not, totally annihilates any health benefits.

To receive the optimal effect, crush a little raw garlic and combine with the cooked food shortly before serving. Be careful not to overdo it - too much can irritate or possibly damage the digestive tract. Keep in mind that raw, crushed garlic yields not only the most powerful flavor but, as an entry on the 15 fat burning foods list, it is an extremely effective ingredient to have as a part of your health and fitness arsenal.

Carrots

This vegetable contains high levels of carotene, which is transform into Vitamin A. Carotene stimulates the metabolic rate of the body and speeds the elimination of fat deposits and waste. In addition, research has shown that this compound may be of significant benefit for maintaining blood sugar level and possesses antioxidant properties that can reduce the rate of certain types of cancer as well as cardiovascular diseases.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Known as a simple home remedy for ailments ranging from sinus headaches to a sore toe, apple cider vinegar also has the natural ability to accelerate fat loss. Made from apples, it contains malic acid, which is an essential ingredient for converting sugars and fats into an energy source that fuels the bodily functions such as walking, running, breathing, and blood flow.
Apple cider vinegar also have high levels of potassium that has an antiseptic quality , which helps to eliminate stored fats. Pectin is another ingredient contained in the fresh apples from which the vinegar is made; it is a soluble fiber that binds to cholesterol globules and pulls them out of the body. It works 24 hours a day to help your body remove unwanted fat. This also helps remove unwanted heavy metals. Less fat and cholesterol in the body reduces the risk of just about any ailment!

Onions

Like its fellow vegetable in the 15 fat burning foods category - garlic, onions have minerals and oils that will help to promote fat loss by the breakdown of fat deposits and speeding up your metabolism. They also are rich in vitamin C and chromium. Chromium is a mineral that is promoted as a weight-loss supplement due to it's supposed ability to stabilize blood sugar levels and boost the body's fat-burning metabolism.

Tomatoes

Whether raw, steamed, fried, stewed, crushed, pureed, or reduced to a sauce, the tomatoes is one of the most frequently eaten "vegetables" in the United States. It has a high Vitamin C and Citric malic-oxalic acid content. The acid contains enzymes that will hasten the metabolic process. It also helps the kidneys to release more water, which filters out large amounts of fatty deposits. Because it is a "fatless" vegetable, many people employ tomatoes fat-loss diet for a brief period of time.

Celery

Raw celery has a high calcium content and when eaten the calcium is sent directly to work. This pure form of calcium will stimulate your endocrine system. The hormones in your body will break up the fat that is stored in the body. In addition, celery contains a high amount of iron and magnesium; these minerals are excellent for flushing out your system.

Cucumber

The high silicon and sulfur content in cucumbers works to stimulate the kidneys to filter out uric acid, which is a waste product formed from the metabolic breakdown of substances in food called purines. Once this uric acid is washed out, it speeds up the removal of fat, and loosens the fat from the cells.

Asparagus

A good vegetable source of vitamin E, and a natural treatment for rheumatism and arthritis, asparagus is also a natural diuretic that promotes the elimination of fluids in the body. This pick for 15 fat burning foods contains a chemical that accelerates metabolism by assisting in the breakdown of the oxalic acid that tends to bind fat to cells. Its affect in reducing fatty deposits into small bits makes it easier to expend them out of the body.

Beets

This is another powerful diuretic that supports the functions of the liver and kidneys. Beets wash out floating body fats; they are rich in a special iron that cleanses the corpuscles. Corpuscles are blood cells that can contain fat deposits.

Cabbage

Because of the cabbage ability to inhibit the transformation of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat it is of great value in the fat loss war. It contains the minerals iodine and sulfur, which cleanses the body of waste matter from the membranes of the stomach and intestines. If you have a pot belly or want to rid yourself of love handles, cabbage is a natural diuretic that will help to break up the excess fat stored in these areas.

Olive Oil

This item should be at the top of the 15 fat burning foods for everyone. Numerous studies have shown that the reasons for southern Europeans low rate of cardiovascular disease is their frequent use of olive oil as their primary source of dietary fat. By utilizing olive oil in the same way, you can reap the same health benefits. Extra-virgin olive oil (nuts, avocados, and canola oil) is made of monounsaturated fat and helps to lower the levels of the 'bad fat' ldl cholesterol and also the blood fats that are known as triglycerides.

The fats that you need to avoid, the saturated fats found mostly in animal foods and diary products, are what raise those levels. That is why it is recommended that you eat only lean meats and nonfat dairy products. The bottom line here is, olive oil, used in healthy amounts as a replacement for the "unhealthy fats," will enhance your fat loss program.

Apples

This is a food that is high in fiber and provides your body with volume; it prolongs digestion, which makes you feel full longer. Eating apples in place of junk foods, decrease the likelihood of you eating foods that are less filling and high in calories. This encourages stable blood-glucose levels. Because fat burning foods such as apples have fewer calories, they are popular in fat loss programs that involve calorie counting. The high water content of apples is another reason why apples are great for weight loss. The water within the apple is absorbed by the body and helps to keep blood-oxygenation levels high.

When this occurs, your body's metabolism is stimulated and burns glucose energy. A low blood-oxygenation level makes your body feel sluggish and the nutrients that you do eat cannot be effectively transported to the areas of the body where they are needed. So, why not add apples to your list, and the next time you feel the urge to have a snack, pick up one and start munching knowing that you are making a significant contribution to your fat loss efforts.

Oatmeal

There is a reason why professional bodybuilders have relied on oatmeal as a staple of their breakfast; it is very high in nutrients. It is an amazing source of cholesterol fighting, fat-soluble fiber that is filling and provides a good amount of energy to propel you through any workout. Avoid instant oatmeal and choose rolled or steel cut oats instead.

Lean Turkey

This is another favorite food of bodybuilders. Many studies have proven that the proteins contained in lean turkey boost the metabolism that promotes fat loss and helps to build up the lean muscle tissue that enables you to burn even more fat. (calories.) The reason lean meats stimulate metabolism and burns calories is because it uses more energy in the digestion process that other foods.

So there you have it, 15 fat burning foods that not only promote fat loss but contains vitamin and minerals that yield many other health related benefits as well. As with any changes in diet or fitness related activities, you should always consult with your health care practitioner first!


Sunday, August 12, 2012

5 Cardio Workouts to Burn Fat

Best Way To Burn Stomach Fat:

Everything you know about cardio is about to change. You're about to discover the truth about 5 cardio workouts to burn fat and lose more belly fat in less workout time. Let's start by looking at the old, outdated way of burning fat.

Cardio Workout #1 to burn fat: Slow cardio

The first cardio workout to burn fat is "Old School Cardio". For years, we've been fooled into thinking that we need long, slow, boring cardio workouts to burn fat. However, too many men and women slave away on the cardio machines for 40, 60 and even 90 minutes per workout without burning fat. How is this possible?

To be honest, I don't know exactly why it doesn't work, but two recent research studies found that women doing 40-60 minutes of low intensity cardio, 3-5 days per week, did not lose belly fat after at least 12 weeks of cardio. Based on those results, slow cardio is not one of the best cardio workouts to burn fat.

In fact, in one of those studies, researchers tested high-intensity cardio, and found that high-intensity cardio was able to burn fat.

Cardio Workout #2 to burn fat: High-intensity cardio

The only problem is that high-intensity cardio requires you to work as hard as you can until you burn at least 400 calories in a workout. That will take you at least 40 minutes - so while this is one of the better cardio workouts to burn fat, it's still not the best.

A better approach is to use interval training. This is the third cardio workout to burn fat.

Cardio Workout #3 to burn fat: Interval training cardio

In a study from Australia that compared 2 cardio workouts to burn fat, subjects doing 3 interval training workouts per week lost a significant amount of belly fat while another group doing 40 minutes of slow cardio per week did not burn belly fat.

So interval training is a much better workout choice for fat loss. To do interval training, you do a normal warm-up, and then you alternate between hard exercise and easy exercise, then you follow with a cool down. This routine only takes twenty minutes.

Here's a sample of the interval cardio workouts to burn fat. Do a 5 minute warm-up, and then exercise for 1 minute at a pace that is 10-20% harder than your normal cardio intensity. After that 1 minute, decrease your exercise pace all the way down to cool-down level. Repeat that hard-easy cycle 5 more times. Finish with 3 minutes of cool-down.

Cardio Workout #4 to burn fat: Tabata Interval cardio

Since interval training became popular, personal trainers have been looking for other short cardio workouts to burn fat. A study from Japan used something that is known as the "Tabata Protocol", and many trainers believe this is even better than cardio and regular intervals. The fourth cardio workout to burn fat is the Tabata Interval program.

I'm not convinced it is better than regular intervals, but it is a heck of a hard way to do a fat burning workout. After a warm-up, you 20 seconds of hard work followed by 10 seconds of recovery. Repeat that 8 times. This fat burning workout takes only 4 minutes!

Cardio Workout #5 to burn fat: Bodyweight circuit cardio

Finally, the fifth cardio workout for fat burning is bodyweight circuit training. Like intervals and the Tabata workouts, bodyweight circuit training is not really "cardio", however, these are the three better cardio workouts to burn fat.

Whatever you want to call bodyweight cardio, here's how it works.

First, you start with a quick, easy bodyweight exercise, such as Jumping Jacks.

After that, alternate between 3 lower-body and 3 upper-body bodyweight exercises, using squats, pushups, lunges, pulling exercises like rows or chinups, split squats, and total body ab exercises like mountain climbers.

Finally, finish off the 8 exercise circuit with a tough total body exercise like jumps, burpees, or running in place. Now that's fat burning cardio!

Those are 5 cardio workouts to burn fat. Only two are "traditional", but those 2 are the longest, and least effective. The shorter fat burning cardio workouts are the best way to burn belly fat fast.


Saturday, August 11, 2012

How To Lose Belly Fat - and Sit-Ups Are Not The Answer

Best Way To Burn Stomach Fat:

Are you trying to lose that annoying Belly Fat? I'm sure you have heard that sit-ups and crunches are the way to do it, because those exercises make use of the abdominal muscles. However while it is absolutely true that sit-ups will strengthen the abdominal muscles and make you stronger in that area, and you may look thinner because your improved muscles hold in the fat better, this does not actually reduce belly fat in itself.

For a complete and long lasting solution to how to lose belly fat, we need to look at how the body works and how it is able to actually lose weight. The simple fact is that if you are going to lose weight - from any part of your body - you need regular exercise. The fact that the most obvious and visible area of excess fat in your body is your belly does not alter this fact. When you do not exercise enough, or over-eat for a protracted period, one of the areas which naturally shows this excess more than others is the belly. Similarly if you start to exercise and lose weight, it will disappear quickest from the same belly area. So no special "belly exercises" are actually necessary - just healthy exercise!

In addition to exercise, diet plays a critical role in losing or gaining weight. You can exercise but still find you are gaining weight if you are eating very badly or in large quantities. So both exercise and diet are required to get the full effect. You need to adjust your diet so that you are burning more calories than you consume, at this point you start to "burn" the calories stored as fat in your body. Obviously changing your diet to reduce the amount of calories being consumed helps, as does reducing the actual quantities of food you eat if you have been eating excessive amounts.

The key to losing belly fat is actually quite simple, and there really is no secret or special program - exercise, and eat less (and eat well). So the two key action points are firstly to reduce the calories you eat, with smaller amounts of food or lower calorie foods. Secondly every day perform some physical exercise. Do this and you WILL lose that belly fat!


Friday, August 10, 2012

The Best Way to Get a Flat Stomach is Not Sit Ups Or Crunches

Best Way To Burn Stomach Fat:

Sit ups and crunches are not the best way to get a flat stomach. Actually, walking and running are the best stomach flattening exercises. So many people make the mistake of slaving away on the floor doing thousands of crunches everyday in the hopes that it will give them a flat stomach. However, stomach exercises only play a small role in actually giving you a flat stomach.

The #1 myth in fitness is that you can spot reduce fat by exercising the muscles in the area that you want to lose fat from. This is known as the spot reduction myth. Our bodies naturally store more fat is some areas based on gender and genetics. Women tend to store excess fat on the thighs, hips, and stomach, and men tend to store excess fat on the abdomen.

The reason we store more fat in certain areas is that there is a higher number of fat cells in that area. There are not many fat cells in the hands, so you rarely see someone with fat hands unless they are really obese. So despite what the marketers try to convince you, you cannot spot reduce fat by doing targeted exercises for any area of your body, including your stomach.

Here's just a quick distinction between spot reduction and toning muscles or building muscles. You can definitely tone muscles or build lean muscles with targeted exercises. Let's say that your arms are not well developed and a little flabby. If you started doing arm exercises you would definitely tone and build your arm muscles. The problem that many gym-goers face is that they have built their muscles through weight training exercises, but they still have a layer of fat covering up those muscles.

In order to get a flat stomach you need to take a comprehensive approach to fitness and perform weight training, aerobic exercise, stomach exercises, and eat a healthy diet. After eating a healthy diet, aerobic exercise might be the most important thing to focus on if you want to get a flat stomach because aerobic exercise burns tons of calories.

Walking and running both burn tons of calories and this helps you to lose stomach fat. I have never met someone who runs on a regular basis that was significantly overweight. And if you think about athletes, running is the secret to how they keep and get flat stomachs. Every track and field athlete (with the exception of throwers like shot putters and discus throwers) has a flat stomach because they run all the time for exercise. Basketball players, soccer players, and tennis players run all the time and generally speaking they all have flat stomachs.

Running burns tons of calories and it is the best stomach flattening exercise. Running is way better than sit ups for burning calories. If you run at a 6 minute per mile pace, you can burn about 500 in 30 minutes. If you wanted to burn 500 calories doing sit ups, you have to do more than 2500 sit ups. Assuming that you could do 50 sit ups every minute, it would take you 50 minutes to do 2500 sit ups-and that's straight with no rest. I don't know of any athletes that can do 2500 sit ups in a row or even in a day, but I do know quite a few people that can burn 500 calories in 30 minutes running.

Now, if you have bad knees or can't run fast, don't fret. Walking is also a great exercise for people who want to get a flat stomach. Getting a flat stomach is all about burning calories and losing body fat. Walking 5 miles a day will burn about 500 calories. I don't know about you, but I'd rather walk 5 miles a day than do 2500 sit ups.

Okay, let's recap. You can't magically burn off stomach fat and get a flat stomach simply by doing stomach exercises. If you want to get a flat stomach, you have to lose body fat and lose weight. In my opinion walking and running are some of the best stomach flattening exercises, so aim for 20-60 minutes a day of aerobic exercises 3-5 days a week.


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Losing Stubborn Belly Fat is Very Easy

Best Way To Burn Stomach Fat:

Most people realize that excess fat is unhealthy, but the key is where the fat is distributed. People with apple-shaped bodies (fattest in the abdomen) have a greater risk of heart disease and diabetes than those with pear shapes (fattest in the hips, buttocks, and thighs).

There are two main types of fat in the stomach area. Visceral (pronounced viss-er-al) fat is stored deep inside your body. It surrounds and protects your internal organs. Subcutaneous (pronounced sub-cue-tain-ee-us) fat, on the other hand, is stored just under your skin. It's the stuff that wobbles when you jump up and down.
What's the best way to lose belly fat?

It won't surprise you to learn that the best way to lose abdominal fat is to eat right and exercise regularly. And there's a growing body of research to show that the fastest way to burn off the fat from your belly is with a combination of weight training and aerobic exercise.

A good example comes from research published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism [4]. For the study, researchers compared the effectiveness of two exercise and diet programs. Subjects taking part in the study were assigned to one of two groups.

* Group one followed a diet based on the traditional food guide pyramid (50-55% carbohydrate; 15-20% protein; less than 30% fat). They also did cardiovascular exercise 4-6 days per week at 50-75% of their maximal heart rate. Each workout lasted 30-60 minutes.

* Group two followed a diet that was higher in protein and lower in carbohydrate and fat. Their exercise program consisted of alternating days of resistance and cardiovascular interval training six days per week.

Body composition was assessed by dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) before and after the 12-week training program. DEXA is an extremely accurate way to measure changes in body fat. It's far more reliable than the skin fold calipers or body fat scales often used in health clubs.


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Learn How to Lose Belly Fat With 7 Minute Workout

Best Way To Burn Stomach Fat:

I've actually witnessed workouts that were hard as nails and did not do anything for the body.

I've also witnessed the simplest workouts that were nothing short of enjoyable for the person and having them lose belly fat in no time. So what's the secret? There really is no secret, but there are some things you can do in order to start losing belly fat and overall body fat with a simple workout.

First of all, you want to make sure that you do a highly energized cardiovascular workout - this is great so that you can lose overall belly fat.

The first thing you want to do is to workout in the morning on an empty stomach. I know this sounds crazy but you will actually lose 300% body fat on the empty stomach than on the regular stomach. Have you ever heard the saying that champions are made in the morning? There's a deep truth in that.

Now what exactly do you want to do in the morning. First of all, it's important that you to do is to do a little warm up, this will not be part of your 7 minute workout, but it will still help. You may want to walk on the treadmill, or even walk around the house for about 1 minute; you can even do toe touches as well.

Minute #1 - Jump rope for 1 minute, the intensity of it will increase depending on how fast you go. So the faster, the more body fat your will burn; just jump rope for one minute in the morning and you'll already see how great your workout is.

Minute #2 - Now You will want to do the plyo-lunge. Do you know what a regular lunge is? Well simply go into the 90 degree part of the lunge, and switch feet. Keep switching 90 degree angles until you get into minute #3

Minute #3 - High knee or jog in place for one minute, many people are building up a great sweat, you can even go on the treadmill as well, but be sure not to take too long of a break - other wise it will be 2 workouts of 3 & 4 minutes instead of the other way around.

Minute #4 - Get that jump rope again, why? It works out your whole body and makes you body much more dynamic, Do the Jump rope for 1 minute.

Minute #5 - Plyo Jumps, Start off and jump as high as you can while circling your arms in the air and come back down with light knees

Minute #6 - Squat Thrusts. Ever heard of squat thrusts, simply squat down on all fours and then go into push up position, now go back into original position.

Minute #7 - Your Choice, whichever workout is the best for you, you should do it, you can either do jump rope, run in place or come up with your own work out for the last part. Jump rope is highly recommended, especially if you do it a high pace.

Remember to either do this in the morning or after weight training. Do not wait too late to workout, any time after 8 PM, is way too late to do any workout because your body will pay in the morning. So be sure to start immediately!


Monday, August 6, 2012

Speed Up Metabolism and Eliminate Belly Fat

Best Way To Burn Stomach Fat:

There are many people who exercise faithfully, doing crunches until they are exhausted and dieting to the point of starvation, but in spite of all their hard work they just can't seem to eliminate their belly fat. They have the right idea but the way they are going about it is working against them. The secret to getting rid of stomach flab is exercise and diet, but not in the way most people think.

Burning away excess fat is the most effective way to eliminate belly fat but to properly do this you must speed up your metabolism. And the best way to rev up your metabolism is with diet and exercise. Unfortunately many people think this means doing what was mentioned above; lots of sit-ups/crunches and a calorie restricted diet, which leads to little if any fat loss, particularly around the belly.

Probably one of the most misunderstood parts of any fat reduction program is the part your metabolism plays in the process and how diet and exercise can affect it. There are certain energy demands that need to be met if your body is to function properly. Calories are the fuel that we get through the foods we eat. These calories are consumed by the body's cells and used to either fuel the daily functions of the body or are stored for future energy needs as fat. We all know what happens when we eat to many calories but what happens if we eat to few?

The answer can be surprising for many people. As the body becomes starved for calories it will actually begin to slow its own metabolism as it goes into starvation mode. It will begin to hoard every last calorie and add it to its existing fat stores. At the same time it will begin to break down its lean muscle mass as a way of getting the energy it needs. This is the exact opposite of what you want to do when it comes to eliminating belly fat.

There are three things that you can do to speed up metabolism while at the same time reducing fat.

1. This has to do with how healthy to food you eat is. The type of calories and the amount eaten have a large impact on how your body functions. Eating foods rich in complex carbohydrates, high in fiber, and full of vitamins and minerals gives the body the nutrients it need to run at its optimum level. It takes more caloric energy to digest and process these types of foods then the refined and high sugar foods that line most supermarket shelves today.

2. Resistance Training - Lifting weights and adding lean muscle mass is a great way to not only increase your metabolism but also reshape your body from top to bottom. The more lean muscle mass you have the greater your metabolic rate even while at rest. This translates to increased fat burn off during and after your workout.

3. Aerobic Exercise - Aerobic or cardio exercise, when combined with a healthy diet and resistance training, is the third step to any weight loss regimen. Going for a daily walk is a good way to get started. Find something you enjoy doing and make it a habit.

If you seriously want to eliminate belly fat then you will need to speed up your metabolism. With some motivation and effort on your part to change your diet and start exercising you can soon be on your way to that firm flat belly you always wanted.