Excessive Belly Fat Is More Than A Vanity Issue-Find Out Why

With the many Americans overweight, covering up that extra weight and finding ways to effectively hide that "ugliness" from those around us is a serious concern for many.

Here's a bit of information that I bet you didn't know when it comes to those extra pounds- it poses a risk factor to your health. Having excess body fat is unhealthy but the extra belly fat can be particularly dangerous to you.

There are two types of fat in the belly area: subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous fat is directly beneath the skin and on top of your abdominal muscles. Visceral fat is deeper in the abdominals and surrounds your organs. It is the visceral type of fat that gives people that "beer belly" look.

While both types of fat have health implications, it is the visceral fat that poses the biggest risk to you. Why? Your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, degenerative disease and sleep apnea is greatly increased but also with the visceral fat your system is subjected to the release of inflammatory molecules on a regular basis.

Now that you know the health risks, your next question is can I lose this belly fat? Yes, you can but understand that you are not going to lose this weight with gimmicky items found in infomercials, diets pills or fad diets. There aren't any "miracle" solutions out there.

If you want take that weight off and keep it off there are only two things that are going to help you: proper nutrition and an exercise program that will stimulate your metabolism. You need both of these if you really want to succeed in improving yourself.

Wait! Before you run out to the store and buy that expensive home gym, you need to know that you MUST have an effective exercise routine. Without the knowledge of what will work for you, frustration is usually not far behind because of lack of progress.

I know that losing that belly fat is (or it should be) a top priority for you. Most people fail with their goals of weight loss because they don't see any progress. You can change that and change it now with a program that will guide you towards proper nutrition and exercise.

Are you concerned with excess belly fat?

Go to: http://www.squidoo.com/How-To-Get-Rid-Of-Belly-Fat-Quickly and get access to one of the internet's top selling fitness books.

Original Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Excessive-Belly-Fat?-Find-Out-Why-Its-More-Than-an-Issue-of-Vanity&id=1836096

Body Part Isolation vs. Complex Movements in Strength Training

Here is an informative article I thought you would enjoy!
Guest Blog Post by Mike Geary

What you need to know about Weight Training for a strong lean body that both looks good and is injury resistant

by Mike Geary - Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

Working as a personal trainer & fitness professional, there is one type of question I get all the time that shows that many people are missing the big picture regarding the benefits of strength training. This popular question usually goes something like this:

“What exercise can I do to isolate my _______ (insert your muscle of choice – abs, quads, biceps, triceps, etc)?”

It doesn’t matter which muscle someone is asking about, they always seem to be asking how to ‘isolate’ it. My first response to this question is always – “Why in the world would you want to isolate it?”

The first thing I try to teach my clients is that the body does not work well in muscle isolation. Rather, it works better in movements along a kinetic chain; that is, large portions of the body assist other portions of the body in completing a complex movement. In fact, there really is no such thing as true muscle isolation. There is almost always a nearby muscle group that will assist in some way with whatever movement you are doing. However, this article compares attempting to ‘isolate’ body parts via single-joint exercises to the much more effective strategy of performing multi-joint complex movements.

When you attempt to ‘isolate’ muscles by performing single-joint exercises, you are actually creating a body that is non-functional and will be more prone to injury. Essentially, you are creating a body that is a compilation of body parts, instead of a powerful, functional unit that works together.

Now if you really want to end up hobbling around in a body bandaged up with joint problems, tendonitis, and excess body fat, then by all means, continue trying to ‘isolate’ body parts. On the other hand, if you would rather have a lean, muscular, injury-free, functional body that works as a complete powerful unit to perform complex movements (in athletics or even everyday tasks), then you need to shift your focus away from muscle isolation.

Believe me, focusing on how well your body functions will give you the side effect of a body that looks even better than it would have if you focused on muscle isolation. For example, take a look at the physiques of any NFL running backs, wide receivers, or even world class sprinters. Trust me when I say that these guys pretty much NEVER train for muscle isolation (their strength coaches wouldn’t be crazy enough to let them), yet they are absolutely ripped to shreds! Just look at guys like Maurice Green or Terrell Owens and tell me who wouldn’t want a physique like those guys.

Another benefit to moving away from the ‘muscle isolation’ mindset in weight training to a more ‘complex movement’ mindset is that you will find it much easier to lose body fat. The reason is that by focusing more on multi-joint complex movements as opposed to single-joint muscle isolation lifts, you not only burn a lot more calories during each workout, but you also increase your metabolic rate, and stimulate production of more fat burning and muscle building hormones such as growth hormone and testosterone.

Let’s look at an example. The machine leg extension is a single joint exercise that works mainly the quadriceps, can potentially cause knee joint instability in the long run, and doesn’t even burn that many calories. On the other hand, exercises like squats, lunges, step-ups, and deadlifts are all multi-joint complex movements that work hundreds of muscles in the body (including the quadriceps) as a functional unit, create more stable and strong joints in the long run (when done properly), and also burn massive quantities of calories compared to the single-joint exercises.

Now although I do feel that multi-joint exercises should comprise the majority of your weight training workouts, I also think that there can be some benefits with just minor inclusions of single-joint exercises for variety, etc. I choose to build my training programs with about 90-95% multi-joint exercises and about 5-10% single-joint exercises at most.

If you’re interested in discovering more ways to create a body that looks as good as it functions, pick up a copy of my innovative book The Truth About Six Pack Abs

Lose Bellyfat Now-Tips to get you started

We are all aware that when it comes to belly fat, it just doesn't look good on anyone. Sometimes we use self-deprecating humor to mask our true desire to get rid of the extra weight.

Health wise, extra belly fat is not good for us either. For those over thirty-five and overweight, you really need to lose that weight for better health.

Stress, high blood pressure and heart problems are health issues that can be exacerbated by extra belly fat.

How can you lose that belly fat quick and easy, you ask? Check out these tips to help you slim down:

Exercising is more effective than “just dieting” or taking weight loss pills. Running, cycling, walking are excellent ways for you start your slim down.

Remember resistance training, it's an important part of any workout regimen.

Eat healthy and instead of 3 big meals see if you can eat 5 smaller meals throughout the day.

Vary your workout routines; this will help you avoid getting into a rut.

Regular exercise and proper nutrition are your keys to getting rid of that unwanted belly fat. No magic pills, over-hyped diet-of-the-week are needed.

Find additional training ideas to get rid of belly fat by going to: How to Get Rid of Bellyfat.

Do You Know These Three Things To Help Lose Belly Fat Now?

Many Americans wonder how to get rid of belly fat. We all want to have those fabulous six-pack abs but not many people know what it takes to get that desired goal. Many products out on the market promise amazing and quick results but do those fast and easy methods really work?

To get the results that you are truly looking for the answer is not in fad diets, questionable fat-loss pills or other hyped up products. The best way to lose that belly fat is through proper nutrition and exercise.

A combination of cardio training, nutrition and strength training is the best way to go. Granted it’s not as sexy as the hyped up things we see all the time that promise you’ll shed pounds as you watch TV but the method will work for you. Cardio methods that you can start today are walking, cycling, and swimming. If you don’t have access to a pool then walking is a great way to start out. You don’t need to join a gym, you get fresh air and you’re helping your body! Strength training can be done easily as well. Push-ups, crunches, squats are good body conditioning exercises that can be done without special equipment and they can be done anywhere.

One other ingredient you will need is commitment. There are going to be days when you don’t feel like exercising or when that pepperoni pizza with extra cheese is calling your name. Remember why you are eating right and exercising because you want to get rid of that belly fat and be a healthy person. Set your goal now and put it where you can see it everyday and if you need to get help from family or friends who will help you stay committed to becoming the person you want to be.