5 Reasons Quick Weight Loss Leads to Weight Gain

5 Reasons Quick Weight Loss Leads to Weight Gain: There's not a good reason to ever try a "quick weight loss only diet" or "fad diet." Why? Because you will end up with what you don't want--more weight gained than what you lost!

If you try a "quick weight loss only diet," what are you going to do once that diet ends? Another diet? You still have a lifetime to go! Get the picture? Going on diet after diet will wreck your metabolism and health.



Being fit is much more than going on a diet. Fitness is a lifestyle designed to improve your energy, your health, your mood, your self image and your body composition (among other benefits).



Here are 5 reasons quick weight loss leads to weight gain:



1. Quick weight loss leads to slowed metabolism, a weaker immune system, hormonal imbalances, loss of lean mass, increased body fat, decreased energy levels, disrupted sleep patterns, short-term results and yo-yo dieting.



Advertisements such as "lose 30 pounds in 20 days," sends a message that has a short-term solution to your weight problem. Weight lost that quickly (without regular exercise) will be mainly lost muscle mass instead of fat mass (this will slow down your metabolism). You also might be very ill after losing that much weight in such a short period of time.



Never do crash diets or severe calorie restriction. This will usually lead to yo-yo weight loss and even more weight gain. You will regain weight quickly once you begin to eat properly again.



2. You will regain weight when you don't change your body to more muscle mass and less fat mass. Building muscle mass will help burn fat and keep the weight loss off.



Exercise regularly with strength training and short interval cardio sessions. Too many long, slow cardio sessions will eat away at your muscles.



3. If you want to lose 20 pounds to get ready for your friend's wedding 3 months from now, that's great! Don't stop exercising and eating healthy after the wedding. Keep the good exercise and eating habits going---for life. There's no good reason to stop. That's how you can ultimately stop the yo-yo weight loss and regain. Otherwise, you will always regain more weight than you lost.



According to Marketdata Enterprises, an estimated 54 percent of people in the United States are currently trying to lose weight. This leads many of you to buy weight loss pills and "special foods" that promote weight loss. There's no need to do this. Just start with a regular exercise program and eat healthy based on your basal metabolic rate and activity level. You have to be willing to go with this plan for the long-term. It takes a long time to change your body's composition.



4. If you don't change your lifestyle habits, weight loss won't last. The typical dieter tries a new plan four times a year. "We have this mentality that a diet is something to go on and then get off as quickly as possible," says FITNESS advisory board member Madelyn Fernstrom, PhD, founding director of the University of Pittsburgh's Weight Management Center. "But lasting weight loss requires making lifestyle changes that will work long-term."



"With special-occasion weight loss, it's all about dropping pounds quickly," Fernstrom says. Do this too often and you may find that it's even harder to lose than before. "Constant crash dieting causes your body to cling to the calories you do eat because it's not sure when it's going to get more," she explains.



Rather than keep the pounds off just long enough to impress strangers on your vacation, think about rewarding long-term achievements. Maybe you want to train for your first half-marathon or get in shape to hike the Grand Canyon. Setting a big new goal each time you check one off your list will keep you headed in the right direction.



It's not only your waistline that suffers from yo-yoing. "Repeated crash dieting increases metabolic hormones, such as insulin, and elevates levels of sex hormones, including estrogen," says Andrea Pennington, MD, author of The Pennington Plan for Weight Success. "These changes cause you to start putting on weight around your middle, which research has linked to insulin resistance, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease."



5. Your confidence takes a hit with each weight loss and weight regain episode. "The more times you go through the gain-lose-gain cycle, the less convinced you become that you can break free from the constant ups and downs," says Keri Gans, RD, a dietitian in private practice in New York City. "No one wants to diet forever; it's hard work."



Burn fat, lose weight and transform your body!



Download your FREE 14-Day Accelerated Fat Loss Program, start burning max fat and start building your lean, hard body!



"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"



Check out my other great blogs:



Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!



Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Does High Blood Pressure Wreck Sexual Drive?

Does High Blood Pressure Wreck Sexual Drive?: Anyone with a history of high blood pressure in their family knows what devastation it can wreak. It carries with it a mishmash of health risks, many of them serious, like tripling the risk of dying from a heart attack, quadrupling the risk of dying from a stroke, doubling the risk of congestive heart failure and tripling the risk of developing kidney disease.



But if our very lives weren't enough for high blood pressure to be in the top five of our "Health Issues to Be Concerned About" lists, then how about the lives of our marriages and relationships?



High blood pressure has a significant impact on a couple's sex life. Sex is a crucial part of any relationship, and when a loving couple is not having it at least on a semi-regular basis, more often than not, the relationship sours faster than curdled milk.



The reason high blood pressure affects the average sex life all boils down to blood flow. Due to the narrowing of the arteries that high blood pressure creates, it diminishes a man's ability to have an.erection -- never mind maintain one -- as there's less blood flowing to the penis.



To rectify this situation, the average guy heads to his doctor, reluctantly tells him or her about his issues "down there," and the doctor prescribes him with some form of hypertension med -- usually an alpha or beta-blocker.



Problem solved, right? Not exactly.



While your blood pressure levels might lower incrementally, your sex drive will lower incrementally as well -- the very opposite of what you want to have happen.



This isn't some theory concocted by so-called natural health "whack jobs," mind you. Well-respected news organizations and medical information outlets -- like ABC News and the Mayo Clinic -- corroborate this. In an ABC News webcast on Feb. 7 of last year, Dr. Domenic Sica, chairman for Clinical Pharmacology and Hypertension at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, said this:



"When you look at it, a number of the blood pressure medications we use are associated with the onset of male dysfunction. Now, that can be a diuretic, a beta-blocker, or so-called peripheral alpha beta-blocker -- those are three drugs commonly linked to male dysfunction."



I'm not sure the link can be made any clearer; you name the hypertension drug, and it will adversely affect your sex life.



Given this, if you'll pardon the cliche, how does one kill two birds with one stone? How does one lower their blood pressure and improve their love life at the same time? Or is that even possible?



Absolutely it's possible, and you can learn how to do it all-naturally.



Best-selling authors Frank Mangano and Jon Benson have developed an easy, all-natural way to lower your blood pressure and improve your sex life at the same time. They weren't sure this was possible, but after months of research and hordes of emails from people on how their system worked for them, they don't just think it's possible, they know it's possible!



Let me prove it to you.



Go here:



Low Pressure Sex



I recommend you visit their website immediately, where you'll get a crash course on the links between what's 'down there' and hypertension; and most important of all, how you can improve the health of your body and your relationship...all-naturally.



Sincerely,



Mark Dilworth, BA, PES



Sources:



health.yahoo.com/bloodpressure-complication/high-blood-pressure-and-sex-overcome-the-challenges/mayoclinic--13476B30-E7FF-0DBD-18FF920E1D5480C7.html

americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2129

abcnews.go.com/Health/HypertensionTreatment/story?id=5236683

NaturaPause -- The Natural Hormone Solution For Men And Women

NaturaPause -- The Natural Hormone Solution For Men And Women: Product Review: NaturaPause -- The Natural Hormone Solution For Men And Women

Jon Benson Fitness



Reviewed by Mark Dilworth, BA, PES



When most people hear the words "menopause" or "andropause", they immediately think, "middle-age" and "misery". After all, most people experience the onset of the end of their reproductive cycle during middle-age -- and this is usually accompanied by emotionally and physically draining symptoms such as hot flashes, low libido, and mood swings.



However, the facts are changing, and they're changing with the times.



People are now experiencing these symptoms, along with constant fatigue and depression, much earlier in life. Some studies suggest that perimenopause can begin as early as twenty-five in some women. Men in their twenties and thirties regularly experience the symptoms of low libido and erectile dysfunction. Both men and women battle fatigue and depression -- often with drugs and dangerous habits.



What is causing this rapid onset of the symptoms of menopause or andropause? Is this 'really' what people are experiencing, or it is something altogether different that is "masking" itself as menopause or andropause? What can someone in their early mid-life do about these stressful symptoms? And, what about those who are actually experiencing the onset of the end of reproduction? Are drugs the only alternative? Are they actually safe?



The questions and much more are addressed spectacularly in NaturaPause: The Natural Hormone Solution For Men And Women.



Created by Naturopathic physician Dr. Holly Lucille and "Fit Over 40" author Jon Benson, NaturaPause uncovers what Dr. Lucille calls "the root causes" behind the symptoms associate with perimenopause, menopause, andropause, rapid weight gain, functional erectile dysfunction and constant fatigue. Rather than addressing the "symptoms", Dr. Lucille and Benson address the "cause", as they enlighten both men and women in methods that can restore hormonal function.



NaturaPause is not a supplement or a drug, but a "how-to" instruction kit comprised of a six audio CDs, a 137-page book and a 28-page workbook.



"Most physicians try to replace hormones. That's a poor strategy," says Dr. Lucille in Audio 1. "Exactly what 'hole' did they fall out of?" From almost a decade of clinical practice, Dr. Lucille has found solid, natural methods for encouraging bodies to do what they were designed to do: heal themselves, from the inside-out.



This healing process can not only take care of the problem, but also the nasty symptoms -- and, unlike drugs (HRT is the common term for hormone therapy via drugs), leave the individual much healthier and more fit than when they began.



"Drugs have their place in hormone help, but they should not be the first choice. The body must be given the chance to heal the root cause of most of the symptoms...and that's something rarely discussed in traditional medicine," says Dr. Lucille. "For those on HRT, it is even more crucial to address the core issues, otherwise long-term health can definitely be affected."



NaturaPause audios include: "Hormones 101: What You Really Need To Know", "Menopause: Reasons And Remedies For Regaining Your Life," "Andropause: What Men Need To Know To Restore Vigor", "Exercise and Nutrition: Secret Weapons In The Battle For Youth", "Restoring Sex Drive: The Psychology and Physiology of Renewing Your Love Life", and "Putting It All Together: Dr. Lucille's 1-2-3 NaturaPause Plan."



Each audio is impressively thorough and conducted in a conversational style between Mr. Benson and Dr. Lucille. Both give their take on the subject; Benson from personal experience of early andropause at 27, and Dr. Lucille from a clinical perspective.



So, what is addressed in the NaturaPause Solution Kit? A small sampling includes...



-- Exactly why traditional medicine flat-out fails to wipe out the hellish symptoms of menopause, male menopause, perimenopause, weight gain, and constant fatigue;



-- What the natural health industry is missing, and why people are not seeing the rapid results they are looking for by trying what they hear on T.V. or read in a magazine;



-- The real, absolute, without-a-doubt cause of nearly all these symptoms and how to get rid of them, make people feel better, and radically boost mental, emotional, and physical health at the same time;



-- Why 95% of doctors never treat this hormonally-based cause;



-- A top-to-bottom, treat the cause Solution that is based in fact and medicine that's been successful for thousands of years;



-- And more than can be covered in this short review.



Dr. Lucille's book rounds out the package nicely, covering all you need to know about restoring and maintaining hormonal balance in what she calls, "An ever-increasing toxic environment. Dr. Lucille demonstrates how everyday household items are contributing to the increase of estrogen in both males and females. The result: children are reaching puberty 2.3 years sooner than fifty years ago, and both sexes are experiencing the onset of menopausal symptoms earlier and, often, in increased severity.



NaturaPause is the best product I have ever seen for addressing relief and restoration when it comes to this natural phase of life. Combine that with the solid, down-to-earth nutrition and fitness information, how-tos on sexual healing, and a complete "what works" natural supplement guide, and you have a product that everyone over 30 desperately needs in order to live at their peak for decades to come.



For more information, visit the NaturaPause website at --

http://www.jonbensonfitness.com



Mark Dilworth, BA, PES

Burn More Ab Fat with Top Training Method

Burn More Ab Fat with Top Training Method: If you want to do extra core strength work to burn total body fat, belly fat and build your six pack abs, mix in some core strength exercises on your cardio training day.

Note 1: Always remember that you have to eat right to burn body fat and lose weight. I see many strong, fat people at health clubs. Why? They love to workout consistently but they haven't made the commitment to really change those eating habits! And, that will give you layers of fat covering your muscles.



Note 2: Include these strength exercises in your regular strength training workouts: squats (all variations), deadlift, rows, shoulder press and medicine ball exercises. These exercises work your abs big time.



For example, research shows that the abdominal muscles are engaged more when doing squats than they are doing many of the more popular ab exercises. And, all it takes is bodyweight squats.



Squats require stablization in the body's core muscles in general, not just the abs. The other benefits of squats (strengthens quads, gluteals, hamstrings,etc.) are well known. So, the next time you do squats, brace your torso (like getting ready to take a punch) and work on those abs.



Top Training Method - Interval Cardio/Core Combo Workout



I recommend that you do your cardio session on a separate day than your strength workout because interval cardio drains you. My clients will use this type of workout all the time to vary cardio workouts and burn more abdominal fat and back fat.



A good interval cardio/core workout only takes 30 intense minutes (10 cardio, 10 core, 10 cardio) to complete but it is a proven fat burner. You don't have to do a million ab crunches to see results.



Isometric exercises also work your core and burn fat without much movement.







Isometric exercises are very underrated and are great for building muscles, stabilizing muscles, building strength, improving power and burning fat.



Isometric contractions can be described as a type of muscle contraction where your muscles develop tension without changing length. For example, pushing against a wall and holding for 30 seconds causes an isometric contraction.



You should strength train your muscles with all contraction types (eccentric, isometric, concentric). All muscles function eccentrically (reduces force or deceleration), isometrically (stabilizes force) and concentrically (produces force).



Isometric exercises cause most if not all of your muscles to work during an exercise. The stability ball plank exercise (pictured above) is a great example. To do the plank, you get into position and hold for a period of time (like 20 seconds). So, many core exercises are great isometric exercises.



So, here are some good isometric bodyweight exercises:



1. Deep Knee Bends and Hold 10 seconds



2. Stability Ball Plank, 20 second hold



3. Bridge, 20 second hold



4. Pushup and Hold 20 seconds



5. Side Plank, 10 repetitions each side, 10 second hold



6. Captain Chair Knee Ups and Hold 10 seconds



7. Ab Curl Ups and Hold 20 seconds



If you do interval cardio workouts on treadmill:



--Run fast, 1 minute

--Walk, 1.5 minutes

--Do this rotation for 10 minutes



If you run intervals outdoors on grass or astro-play turf:



--Sprint 60 yards

--Walk back to starting line

--Sprint 60 yards

--Do this rotation for 10 minutes



Running outdoors is much tougher because you do all the work and you have to go against wind and generate your own momentum. My preference is to exercise outdoors. You don't need a gym membership. You can do this program at home or anywhere you like.



And, remember, it does no good to burn 500 calories if you later eat 1,000 calories. In other words, you have to keep up with your nutrition goals or no workout will give you the results you want.



Try a cardio/core workout and burn more fat!



Download your FREE 14-Day Accelerated Fat Loss Program, start burning max fat and start building your lean, hard body!



"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"



Check out my other great blogs:



Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!



Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Spring Renewal--10 Tips to Shape Up Your Mind and Body

Spring Renewal--10 Tips to Shape Up Your Mind and Body: Spring is a great time to renew yourself. The weather is warmer, the sun is shining more, the grass is greener, trees and flowers are blooming and there’s more hours of daylight. Everything seems to be renewing itself so why not you too!

Any change, positive or negative, must take place in your mind first.



Here are 10 tips to shape up your mind and body this spring:



1. Freshen up your attitude. Everything goes better for you when you have a positive attitude. The way you choose to react to the day’s events is a choice you make every day. A positive attitude does wonders for your health. Make your best days even better and make your bad days better by adjusting your attitude.



2. Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep affects memory, concentration and health. In a Medical News Today article, “Getting A Good Night's Sleep,” the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM), reports that sleep problems add up to a global epidemic that affects 45% of the world's population.



"Insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), restless legs syndrome (RLS), and sleep deprivation significantly impact physical, mental and emotional health, in addition to affecting work performance and personal relationships," WASM said.



3. Limit prolonged stress in your life. A certain amount of stress is good for us to live efficiently. Too much stress…well, you know the answer. In a Mayo Clinic article, “Stress Basics,” it states:

“When your brain perceives a threat, it signals your body to release a burst of hormones to fuel your capacity for a response. This has been labeled the "fight-or-flight" response.



Once the threat is gone, your body is meant to return to a normal relaxed state. Unfortunately, the nonstop stress of modern life means that your alarm system rarely shuts off. Without stress management, all too often your body is always on high alert. Over time, high levels of stress lead to serious health problems.”



My recommendations for helping control stress:



--regular exercise

--laugh often and don’t take yourself too seriously

--learn to relax by using tools such as music, deep breathing, walking, massage, meditation, etc.

--have a grateful attitude

--focus on positives and not negatives

--disassociate yourself from negative energy vampires in your life



4. Drink mainly water and unsweetened drinks. Drinking too many sugary drinks will contribute to dangerous belly fat. Your body is about 70% water so it functions better when you are properly hydrated. I recommend drinking about half your weight in water every day.



So, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink about 75 ounces of water. High water content found in foods such as fruits and vegetables does count towards your intake.



5. Get a healthy, managed meal plan and comply with it at least 90% of the time. If you are trying to burn fat and lose weight, nutrition is critical. Eat main whole, natural foods that have one ingredient. For example, fruits and vegetables have one ingredient.



I don’t ever encourage any diet that significantly omits one of the macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins). Your body’s metabolism needs all 3 macronutrients to operate properly. So, diets that are very low in carbohydrates or fats will not help your body in the long-term.



Also, what you eat plays an important role in brain function.



6. Regular exercise is critical. If you made a New Year’s resolution, how’s that going? Need to get started exercising again? Physical exercise helps you burn fat, manage body weight, regulate stress and is necessary for maintaining good blood circulation to the body and brain. It also can significantly reduce the risk diseases such as heart attack, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Enough said.



I recommend weight training 3 days a week and short, interval cardio sessions 2-3 days a week.



7. Staying active as much as possible is very under-rated. It helps relieve stress, improves bloodflow and improves breathing. Sedentary lifestyles are a huge problem in society. We’ve gone from being physically active laborers (such as farmers) to sit-down jobs. So, if you have a "sit-down" job, I would recommend that you move more. When you sit, your fat-burning enzymes basically shut down.



Try to stand as much as you can during the day and take walking breaks to activate your fat-burning enzymes. Any activity is good to go along with your regular workouts. All movement burns calories.



8. Learn something every day to help you live life. I love fitness. But, there are experts in health, business, medicine, and other life disciplines who help me in other parts of my life. Read books, start a new hobby, go to a seminar, listen in on webinars/teleconferences, follow experts on Twitter and Facebook, etc. There is really no excuse for not helping yourself improve.



9. Unless your daily nutrition is perfect, you need to take dietary supplements. Multivitamins, fish oil and vitamin D3 are examples of common supplements that people take. Consult with your doctor before taking dietary supplements.



For sure, you don’t need fat burner supplements and weight loss pills. They don’t work long-term. Spend your hard-earned money to buy whole, natural foods for your meal plan.



10. Get professional advice if needed. When’s the last time you had a full physical exam? If you can’t remember, its been too long! Are your fat loss and weight loss efforts failing again and again? You may need a personal trainer to help you visualize success and individualize your fat loss and nutrition program.



Its hard to change your body all by your yourself. Research proves that you have a better chance to succeed if you have social support. That could be a trainer, spouse or friend.



Are you depressed? Although regular exercise will help you feel better, that won’t be enough to deal with serious depression. Get professional help.



Hey, its spring! Start taking positive steps today to improve your health and wellness.



Download your FREE 14-Day Accelerated Fat Loss Program, start burning max fat and start building your lean, hard body!



"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"



Check out my other great blogs:



Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!



Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Stubborn Fat: Does it affect you? Part One

Stubborn Fat: Does it affect you? Part One: By David Grisaffi, CHEK

Corrective Exercise Kinesiologist

Golf Biomechanic Certified

Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach

www.FlattenYourAbs.net



Everyone walking on the face of this earth has an abundance of fat cells throughout their bodies.



In fact, if you’re a healthy adult with normal body composition, you have approximately 30 billion fat cells. This is an astronomical number when you think about it. Did you ever wonder why you have so many? Have you ever wondered what those fat cells are for?



The answer is, fat cells are part of our genetic code and they allowed us to use stored energy when food was scarce. This survival mechanism is very much the same today as it was 10,000 years ago. However, today our needs have changed. There is an abundance of food in modern society today.



When you consume too many calories, your body goes into storage mode for that “rainy day,” so to speak, but the “rainy day” does not happen. So your body simply stores those extra calories as fat. When you eat less calories then your body demands your cells release stored fat for energy. Pretty simple equation, however it does not appear that all fat is the same.



The placement of fat deposits on our bodies varies depending on each person’s genetic influences, lifestyle choices and nutritional intake. Men tend to store their body fat around their bellies and chest. Women tend to store it around there hips, buttocks, thighs and back of their arms. A complete discussion of hormones and fat storage would be beyond the scope of this article, but let it suffice to say that certain hormonal process do determine body fat distribution.



There is one major factor that many people do not realize when they are attempting to lose body fat and this can be a stumbling block in anyone’s long term success. Many people approach fat loss and fitness with great enthusiasm and determination. With this attitude, they lose body fat and feel great, but even so, they just do not seem to get rid of ALL they fat they want to. They lose fat successfully for a time, but ultimately get stuck just before all of the fat is completely gone.



This is commonly known as a plateau and this plateau phenomenon causes many people who were previously successful to lose their enthusiasm and return to their old ways. When old habits take over again – and this happens to the majority of dieters - the body fat comes back with a vengeance. This is due to programming of the fat cell. Each time you try to lose body fat again, it seems to take longer and require more effort.



So what is the real solution? It’s simple – you must understand how fat cells work and how to get past the plateau phenomenon and defeat this last bit of body fat, that we often call stubborn fat.



I have worked with many clients and I would say most of them have a good amount of stubborn body fat. This fat is literally “programmed” to be very difficult to lose. It seems to remain on our bodies no matter what we do, hence the word stubborn fat. Modern diets and weight loss programs almost all seem to work in the beginning, but then they never really address this crucial part of fat loss – the last bit of stubborn fat.



Stubborn fat develops when your hormonal pathways are broken down. Age does play a role in this: Fat deposits increase and become more resistant to fat loss methods as you get older. This you have little control over, but some things that lead to stubborn fat development are under your control. Yo yo dieting is one of them. Losing weight on crash diets and then regaining it – often known as the “rebound effect” – will only increase stubborn fat in the long run. A decrease in exercise and activity level also compounds the stubborn fat problem. This is why people who crash diet on low calories and refuse to exercise and move their bodies, often have the worst stubborn fat problems of all.



Our ancestors really never had to deal with this problem because they moved and engaged in physical labor as a regular part of daily life, whereas technological conveniences and the modern lifestyle have caused many of us to become lazy and inactive.



Stubborn fat is metabolized extremely slowly and is resistant to the hormonal process that takes place while the fat burning process is started up. To burn fat, the adrenal hormones better known as adrenaline and noradrenaline, attach to the fat cell receptors and essentially “open them up” so the fat can be used in the energy pathways. There are two kinds of receptors in your fat cells: one is alpha and the other beta. The beta receptors are much more active and respond to adrenal hormones. To lose body fat, the adrenal hormones switch on and the body begins to use fat as energy. However, in the case of people with stubborn fat, this does not occur, so no body fat is lost.



According to my good friend and colleague Ori Hofmekler, author of the warrior diet, "stubborn fat” has a lower ratio of beta receptors to alpha receptors." Therefore, your body’s hormonal “fat dissolver,” adrenaline, will not be able to enter the fat cell and open the door. Ori also points out that “to make these matters worse, stubborn fat has more estrogen receptors which cause even more stubborn fat.”



If all this sounds bad enough, what makes it even worse is that if you indulge in the typical modern diet and sedentary lifestyle, this often results in reduced insulin sensitivity (read my past article on Insulin Sensitivity for more information). Added on top of everything else, your fat tissue becomes so incredibly resistant to your attempts to lose it, it seems like you will be stuck with it forever.



Diets fail because they only look at the caloric reduction side of the equation. You need to understand the other variables in the equation – exercise and lifestyle. You need to understand the deeper issues you are really dealing with. Getting rid of stubborn fat is not nearly as simple as just slashing calories and dieting. Stubborn fat is the result of a complex interplay of biological and hormonal processes – all of which are affected by how you eat, how you move and the type of lifestyle you lead.



Now that you understand why you have stubborn fat, right down to the hormone and receptor level, the question is “How do you alter your nutrition, exercise and lifestyle to get rid if this resistant body fat?” The answer will be found in part two. Stay tuned.



If you enjoyed the information in this article, you will also enjoy the

David Grisaffi Walking Guide, which is a complete walking exercise plan

that comes FREE with the Firm And Flatten Your Abs program at www.FlattenYourAbs.net