Get rid of that muffin top, Part 3: HIIT

Ok, so you've waited for it so here is the answer to help you trim off the muffin top and pass the strapless dress test to boot.

Ready?!

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)!

HIIT is a training modality where periods of near maximum effort exercise is interspersed with intervals of moderate-intensity aerobic movement. Research has shown that HIIT burns adipose tissue (body fat) up to 50% more effectively than low-intensity exercise.

How do you do it?

One option is short (10-30 minutes) aerobic/anaerobic cardio workouts. Not that old-fashioned, leaning on the cardio equipment stroll that you see some people doing in the gym while reading the latest gossip mag. No, we're talking sweat-producing, increased breathing, high intensity effort.

For example, you could do some fartlek-style running, walking, or cardio machine work where you go all out for as long as you can and then recover with low intensity movement for as long as you need. This requires you to be very self aware, but can be great for beginners. If you want something more structured, do 15-60 seconds of all out effort and then recover for 30-90 seconds. If you use cardio equipment you can also manipulate the ramp elevation (ie treadmill, eliptical trainer) as appropriate. The goal is to continually vary the intensity and therefore increase the overall fat burn. This option should only be done 1-2 times per week depending on your fitness level and training goals.

Another option is to mix in muscle conditioning with aerobic/anaerobic effort. This training modality should only be done 2-3 times per week on non-consecutive days, again depending on your fitness level and training goals. Here, you mix body weight and/or weight training exercises with short bursts of aerobic/anaerobic effort. The goal is to use total body movements that use all of your major muscle groups. As with cardio HIIT, you mix 15-60 seconds of maximum(or near maximum for Newbies) effort with a recovery period of 30-60 seconds:

Sample Workout:

Rotating side plank
Renegade pushups
Medicine ball wood chop
Burpees (Newbies: squat thrust)
Fwd/bwd lunge
Squat w/dumbbell lateral raise
Triceps dips

Do a moderate intensity activity such as jumprope, run in place, jumping jacks, etc between each exercise with stretching as needed.

Be sure to cool down and stretch afterward.

And remember, proper eating habits are vitally important to your success so go get a glass of water and a banana, and get started!

Get rid of the muffin top, Part 2

Yesterday, I talked about how what you eat is important for slimming your waistline. In fact, your eating habits are responsible for as much as 80% of your weight management success. So, if you haven't started logging your meals and incorporating yesterday's tips, get to it!

Now, it's time to talk about exercise.

Spending endless hours on the treadmill is not the best way to take off the fat. While it is good for your heart and may be a place to start for the beginner, it's not enough. You do burn calories while you're exercising, but you won't build the metabolism boosting muscle that will increase the amount of calories, and therefore body fat, that you want to burn long after you've stopped exercising. In fact, the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism. That's why bodybuilders can eat as many as 5000 calories per day and still come in lean and mean during competition time.

But don't worry, I'm not at all suggesting that you beef up, unless you like that look, but increasing your muscle mass will give you the toned, sleek look that many women desire.

One of the most effective and efficient ways to build muscle while burning excess body fat is with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Research has shown that HIIT is one of the most effective means of losing fat and is used by some of the best trainers in the world, including those you see on popular TV shows.

Next time: High Intensity Interval Training.

Getting rid of the muffin top, Part 1

Ahh, the muffin top.

Some people like the term and think it's cute, while others abhor it and find it derogatory.

Said to be originated by the Australian TV comedy "Kath and Kim", the term has taken hold and bamboo-like root in our popular slang. Loosely translated, it's the extra "fluffiness" that hangs over the waistband of a woman's (often too tight and too low-rise) pants and skirts much like, well, the top of a muffin seems to spill over the cinched rim of the paper casing.

Whatever you might think of the term, it does identify and highlight a problem area that many women want to target: the waistline.

While you might think that some special exercise alone is necessary to rid yourself of unwanted belly fat, it usually boils down to two things: proper nutrition and effective exercise.

First, nutrition -

You may not have to throw out your entire diet to get the results you want. Sometimes small changes can make a BIG difference. Here's where to start:

1. Limit or exclude foods made with white flour, white sugar, and corn syrup, such as breads, pasta, cakes, cookies, etc. Choose whole grains whenever possible, and try sweetening with berries or a little fruit juice.

2. Avoid processed foods. Hint: if you don't know what the ingredient on the label is, much less how to pronounce it, there's a good chance it's a processed food.

3. Avoid or limit soda. Do you know how much sugar, aka empty calories are in your soda? Find out...

4. Stay away from fast food. This is good for your financial health as well. Find a few great recipes and pack your lunch or snacks to go. For healthy recipes and food info try www.foodfit.com or www.sparkrecipes.com.

5. Drink water. The elixir of champions, your body's metabolism runs much more efficiently, and thus burns fat better, when you are properly hydrated. Six to eight glasses is the general recommendation, but some nutritionists actually recommend half your body weight in ounces.

6. Eat more veggies. A client recently noticed HUGE differences by adding more spinach to her diet. True, she began to eat it in Popeye sized portions (love ya, FL, wink), but it works for her, she likes it, and it helps to balance her diet and cravings overall.

7. Cut out the fried foods. All cooking oils have about 120 calories per tablespoon, so anything fried in it soaks up some of the fat-laden goodness to deposit right on your hips and tummy.

So, get to work, dahling!

Tomorrow, we talk exercise.