Here’s a fat-burning workout, designed to trim and slim you down in just 6 weeks.
Best for: Toned legs, healthy heart.

     Why it’s a fat blaster: Adding hills to your workout ups your calorie burn like crazy and gives you a fast cardio boost. Plus, it’s a great way to sculpt your legs and butt.
How to do it: Find a hill about the length of a football field (it should take you less than a minute to reach the top). Start at a warm-up pace for 5 minutes on relatively flat ground, then attack the hill. As you climb, you should start breathing heavily, with your intensity approaching 8 or 8.5 out of a possible 10. Push yourself until you make it to the top, then turn around and walk back down at a comfortable pace to let your breathing and heart rate recover. Once at the bottom, head back up again. Repeat a total of 8 times, then cool down for 5 minutes at an easy pace.
     Treadmill walkers can alternate 1–2 minutes at 4–8 percent incline with 1–2 minutes at 1 percent incline. Repeat 5–10 times. (No leaning allowed; use handrails only for balance.)
Your legs are getting an amazing workout, so head off soreness by stretching calves, quads, hamstrings, and glutes when you’re done.
     Do-it-better trick: Shorten your stride, take quicker steps, lean slightly forward from your hips, and pump your arms to help you power up the hill.
     Don’t forget to also incorporate a healthy diet that is low in fat but high in nutrition. Try eating 4-6 smaller meals a day to keep your metabolism at it’s fat burning peak. In no time you will have the toned legs and firm bottom that you have been striving for.

Think you know the facts about getting fit? You may be surprised to learn how many are really fiction. It's easy to fall into the trap: A workout buddy passes along an exercise tip, and then you pass it on to several folks you know. One day, you're at the gym, and sure enough, you hear the same tip repeated, so you figure it must be true. But experts say that in the world of fitness, myths and half-truths abound – and some of them may be keeping you from getting the workout you need.
     That said, experts say there are also some fitness myths that just need busting, and the sooner the better.
     Fitness Myth No. 1: Running on a treadmill puts less stress on your knees than running on asphalt or pavement. Running is a great workout, but it can impact the knees--since it's the force of your body weight on your joints that causes the stress, it's the same whether you're on a treadmill or on asphalt. The best way to reduce knee impact, is to vary your workout. If you mix running with other cardio activities, like an elliptical machine, or you ride a stationary bike, you will reduce impact on your knees so you'll be able to run for many more years.
     Fitness Myth No. 2: Doing crunches or working on an "ab machine" will get rid of belly fat.
Don't believe everything you hear on those late-night infomercials. While an ab-crunching device might help strengthen the muscles around your midsection and improve your posture, being able to see your abdominal muscles has to do with your overall percentage of body fat. If you don't lose the belly fat you won't see the ab muscles. But can doing ab crunches help you to lose that belly fat? Experts say no. You can’t pick and choose areas where you’d like to burn fat, So crunches aren't going to target weight loss in that area. In order to burn fat, you should create a workout that includes both cardiovascular and strength-training elements. This will decrease your overall body fat content, including the area around your midsection.
     Fitness Myth No. 3: If you're not working up a sweat, you're not working hard enough. Sweating is not necessarily an indicator of exertion. Sweating is your body’s way of cooling itself. It's possible to burn a significant number of calories without breaking a sweat: Try taking a walk or doing some light weight training.

We all know that we live in a fast pace world and we don't have time to exercise as much as we need to every day. We also live in a world that everyone wants to lose weight. On the days that you don't have time to exercise, take charge of your health by doing one of these 6 things that takes less than 6 minutes.

1) Bring a water bottle with you wherever you go. Drinking more water is a great way to increase your metabolism.

2) Do 5 flights of stairs every morning. Stairs are a great calorie burner.

3) Take a Multi! Most people don't get all of the nutrients that they need. By taking a multivitamin, you allow your body to function as it should.

4) Eat a piece of fruit before or with each meal. Fruit is sweet and full of nutrients and water which helps to curb your appetite.

5) Write down your food. I have never had anyone not lose weight that has written down their food.

6)Lastly, make a "Do Not Disturb" sign and put it on your refridgerator and your pantry. This will remind you to think twice before you enter and reach for something other than the fruit bowl on the counter.

You can do it! If you want to lose weight, start today. Pick one of these six tips and stick with it for this week.

     A great way to stay on track with your nutritional and fitness goals is to create a personal action plan for yourself. A personal action plan starts with a goal. A goal is something you want to accomplish for yourself but may take a while to achieve.
     Action plans are short term plans that will help you to reach your goal. They must include a specific action or behavior that you want to do and know that you will be able to accomplish. Your plan should include what you are going to do, when you are going to do it, how much you are going to do, and how many days a week that you are going to do it. An example would be I will walk for 20 minutes before meals every day.
     Another important aspect of your personal action plan is to include a scale that will measure your confidence level. Your confidence level is an indicator of how certain you are that you will succeed with the action plan that you have created. Create a scale numbered from 0 to 10 where 0 represents having no confidence at all and 10 represents the highest level of confidence. The more confident that you are, the more likely you are to succeed. If your confidence level is low you may want to consider changing your action plan.
     At the top of your personal action plan plainly state your intentions. State what, how much, when, and how many things that you intend to do this week. Next rate your confidence level on your scale from 0 to 10. Have a section where you can write down things that you feel could make it difficult to fulfill your action plan. Next state how you will overcome those challenges. Write down what resources you will turn to that week for support in fulfilling your action plan. This could be something as simple as talking to a friend or family member.
     At the bottom of your action plan include a spot to write in how you are going to reward yourself when you achieve what you set out to do. This should be something self nurturing to yourself. Often times we are so busy nurturing those around us that we forget to do anything nice for ourselves. We all deserve a special reward, something to look forward to for working hard to achieve our goals. Be sure to sign your plan and date it.
     At the end of the week, come back and access your progress. Did you accomplish what you set out to do? Record your progress in a journal or notebook. Don't forget to pat yourself on the back for your accomplishments that week. By making your action plan every week you will continue to make progress towards achieving your long term goal. The small steps that you take every week will eventually turn into larger steps, and before you know it you will have achieved the success of meeting your long term goal.
 
 

Exercise can make a difference on the outlook that you have on life by improving your self esteem and making the stresses of daily life seem more manageable. A good way to get started is simply by walking. Start out with a short walk every day and increase your distance a little at a time. There are also many simple exercises you can do from the comfort of your own home such as crunches, dips, pushups, and stretches. You can get more ideas on exercises that you can do from home or work from your Wellness Coach or Personal Trainer.

Additionally you can start by making simple changes to your diet. As much as you can, replace fried foods and sugar with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Try keeping a food diary to keep track of your daily food and calorie intake. You will notice a difference in your energy level and how you feel. Again, you can seek guidance and tips from your Personal Trainer or Wellness Coach.

Keeping track of your weight loss and measurements in a notebook or journal will bring a sense of accomplishment and will keep you motivated to keep up the good work. Remember, you didn't reach your current weight overnight, and it unfortunately won't disappear overnight either. Keeping up those baby steps will eventually get you to your goal!

Small changes in your daily exercise program and diet can improve your health dramatically. Benefits can include weight loss and can help you to manage health conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and diabetes with the guidance of your doctor.

Ultimately exercise can become a joy and something that you look forward to doing every day. Always have a dream, whether it be to walk or run a marathon, improve you health, or get to your ideal weight. Baby steps will get you there!