Hitting a plateau is such a frustrating part of working out. Everything seems to be going great guns and then suddenly without any warning the progress that you’ve been making over the weeks comes to a sudden STOP!

That my friend is what we call the dreaded plateau…

The Plateau can be broken by adjusting your workouts and your diet. Your body needs to be constantly challenged and by doing this you will continue to make great progress and ultimately reach your long term goals.

When you reduce your calorie intake to lose weight your body will respond by conserving calories or energy and in turn slows down your metabolism, which leads to the weight loss plateau. On the flip side the exercise plateau is caused by constantly doing the same workout week in week out.

You need to make sure that you are consuming the correct number of calories each day for your body’s requirements. That’s why I believe you should work out your calorie requirements every four weeks. Once you’ve worked out the correct number, stick to it.

With your workouts, mix them up every four weeks. Our bodies adapt very quickly to the stressors we place upon them so look at ways you can change your workouts. I recommend workouts that include resistance circuits, interval training and high intensity interval training.

Next time a plateau tries to stop you moving forward, embrace it as it gives you the opportunity to learn more about how your body ticks and what produces the best results…

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Steph Rice

Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution

PS – please make sure that you add me as a friend on Facebook for extra
motivation and fitness tips.

Click here to join me on Facebook

How close are you to getting the body of your dreams?

Are you almost there? Or do you think that it may take longer than you expected?

When you look in the mirror do you see an energized, healthy, lean woman looking back at you?

As we all know achieving a healthy lean body isn’t a walk in the park…. it takes effort, commitment and determination.

I want to share with you a wonderful little trick that I personally use with both my fitness goals and my business goals, it’s called Visualisation…

Visualisation is an effective way to accelerate your goals by creating a positive outcome which will help you create the reality.

Go with me on this…

Take a seat…(I know I don’t usually ask you to sit down!)

Now, I want you to get a clear picture in your head of how you want to look once you have lost your weight or got to the fitness level you’re working towards. What does your body look like, perhaps you are in a bikini or a figure hugging dress? Now, imagine how happy and confident you will feel when walking along the street or bumping into someone you haven’t seen for ages and they tell you how great you’re looking. You may picture yourself saying “Thank you; I’m feeling great right now”!

Keep this picture in your mind and the way it makes you feel. The picture will then penetrate into your sub conscious programming your body to move into the direction that you are visualising. This is a powerful way to keep weight loss and health at the top of your priority list.

Which ultimately means eating healthy and working out will become second nature.

Now that’s enough sitting, you know I’m all about the movement. Visualize and now go do it.

Try it and let me know how it works for you.

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Steph Rice

Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution

PS – please make sure that you add me as a friend on Facebook for extra
motivation and fitness tips.

Click here to join me on Facebook

Have you been on a fat free diet? I know I have in the past.

You’ve no doubt read in magazines or on websites that you should avoid eating too much fat to lose weight, how ridiculous is that!……it’s been proven time and time again that you need fats (essential fatty acids) as they are necessary for aiding weight loss and lowering cholesterol and they also support brain and body functions. Fats in a meal slow down the digestion process so the body has more time to absorb nutrients, providing a constant level of energy and keeping the body satisfied for longer periods of time.

You should aim for 30% of your total calories in fats.

Don’t worry, I’m going to explain.

There are four kinds of fats: monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, and trans fat. Monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat are the “good” fats found in milk and grass fed beef. Trans fat (trans fatty acids) is the worst kind of fat, far worse than saturated fat. It is found in processed foods, baked goods and fast foods. Trans fats lower HDL (good) cholesterol and increase LDL (bad) cholesterol. This can cause clogging of arteries, diabetes and other serious health problems. Partial hydrogenation is an industrial process used to make good oil into bad oil. The process is to make oil more solid and to provide a long shelf-life in baked products; they are also used in cooking oils for frying in restaurants. The main problem is that partially hydrogenated oil is laden with lethal trans fat which you should avoid.

Here’s the good news!

‘Good fats’ can be found in:

• Flax, Sunflower & Pumpkin Seeds
• Walnuts
• Avocados
• Oily fish (Salmon, Mackerel & Tuna)
• Organic Peanut, Almond nut Butters
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Make sure that you start including the ‘good fats’ in your diet today, they’re not just good for you but they taste great too.

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Best wishes

Steph Rice
Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution

There are so many metabolism wrecking toxins out there these days, which can be found in processed foods, pesticides on our foods, sodas, alcohol to our everyday cleaning products and face and body creams.

They are everywhere….

These nasty little things are purposely destroying your chances of achieving a healthy lean body…..

They completely mess with your hormones by harming your endocrine system.
The endocrine system is one of your body’s communication systems, it uses hormones to tell the body what to do and it’s closely linked to your nervous system.

They can cause diabetes, obesity, hypothyroidism and so many more problems.

Start removing these toxins from your life today…..

Firstly, cut out any processed foods completely. Look at the ingredients on the foods you’re eating, what do they contain? Look for hydrogenated fats, high fructose corn syrup basically ingredients you cannot pronounce. Any processed foods that you put in the microwave or that comes in a packet or a box, stop eating them because they are nothing more than rubbish which you are putting into your body on a daily basis.

Instead eat fresh whole foods that are natural and will nourish your body. Try and opt for organic foods as much as you can, especially when it comes to your fruit and vegetables.

As for the cleaning products that you use for your home, replace them with natural cleaning products that don’t contain toxins. There’s definitely a good range to choose from these days or you can even prepare them yourself at half the cost. The same goes for your beauty products, go for the natural products every time. Your skin is the largest organ on your body, let it breath and keep it looking young and pure by treating it to the best toxin buster out there, water! Water in, toxins out, simple.

Cut the toxins out of your life and I guarantee you will start to feel the benefits.

I’ll be back next week.

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Steph Rice
Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution

I’m pleased to say that my first week of January is going very well. I’m on the road to reducing my body fat as I’ve gained a small amount over the holidays….

How are you doing? Is everything going as planned? Are you on the right track?

I’ve had a few emails over the past couple of days from women who are asking ‘how to keep themselves motivated without falling off the wagon’

My answer is this; you need to be following a structured and progressive workout program. What’s the point in working out blindly? This will only result in you giving up with your fitness goals without even really getting started.

How many of you are working out in a gym? How are you finding the post-Christmas stampede? You know the one where the majority of the members have promised themselves that they will workout at least 4x times each week to lose the weight that they’ve gained over the holidays but usually the motivation and determination has vanished by the end of February! The workouts are more often than not designed by an inexperienced fitness instructor, this usually includes hours and hours of slow pointless cardio and the worst thing of all it doesn’t include any weights or if it does you’re looking at a couple of resistance machines thrown in…

I could cry!!

If you are having problems motivating yourself or perhaps you need a gentle kick up the butt, then head over to The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution. Over there you’ll find all the information you could possibly need about achieving not only a Sexy Flat Stomach but a fit and healthy body in 2010.

Together we can do this, let me help you get into the best shape of your life!

Got any tips for other readers, leave them in the comments section. Share your story and motivate others.

I’ll be back next week.

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Steph Rice
Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution

Well its here 2010, the start of a fantastic new beginning for you…

Have you said to yourself that this is it; this is the year that I’m going to lose the excess body fat? I’m finally going to fit into the smaller sized clothes hanging in my closet, or perhaps you just want the doctor to say that you’ve passed your health check with flying colours?

Whatever your reason and whether you’ve got 5Ibs or 50Ibs to lose, if these goals are just floating around in your head they will never become reality unless you write them down!

Grab yourself a pen and paper, write down your long term goals, and then break them down into monthly, weekly and daily goals. You should now have a clear plan of what you want to achieve and when you want to achieve it by.

A very important factor I want you to include is when you achieve a weekly or monthly goal, reward yourself with something. Whether that be a massage or a new lipstick. Although achieving a goal is a reward within itself, us girls always like something a little extra…..am I right?

2010 is the year for you when you can achieve everything that you want to in life. I know there’s so many things I’m personally going to achieve this year… are you with me on this? We can do it together.

Please leave me your comments and let me know what your goals are this year, how you plan to reach them and keep us informed of how you get on.

I’ll be back next week.

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Steph Rice
Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution

I’ve been thinking about you this week, yes you……

I wanted to thank you for being there for me over the past 6 months, for reading my weekly blogs and for your comments & emails. It means so much to me….

We’ve almost come to the end of another year and we’re about to go into a brand new year. That’s why now is the time for you to start thinking about you.

2010 is going to be your year, where you achieve your goals. No more broken New Year resolutions, no more shattered dreams…..

2010 is the year that you come first and create the new confident, happy, proud woman that’s been buried inside of you for far too long!

Start to surround yourself with positive people that have the same goals as you. People that make you feel good about yourself and see you for the ‘Special Woman’
you truly are.

It’s time that you step up to the plate and grab 2010 with both hands.

You can do this; you are truly worth it…..

PS, congratulations to the lucky winner of the competition to win a free copy of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution and thank you to all those who took part, I enjoyed reading your answers.

Enjoy the holidays and I’ll be back next week.

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Steph Rice
Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution

I’ve finally finished my Christmas shopping and wrapped all of my gifts….they’re nicely tucked under the tree, ready for Christmas morning.

If you’ve still got a couple of presents to buy then take a look at my last minute fat loss gifts that are perfect for friends, family or even yourself….

1. An iTunes gift card – great for adding new workout music to an ipod.

2. Swiss ball – a perfect gift for doing home based workouts, the workouts with the least equipment required are definitely the best.

3. Health shop voucher – fantastic for buying items such as raw almonds, almond milk, green tea, the list is endless. No excuses for eating rubbish foods going into 2010.

4. Massage or a facial – what better way to spoil yourself or a loved one, indulging in one of these little beauties after a hard workout is wonderful.

5. The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution ebook – This is a wonderful present for the busy woman who has little time to work out. It requires minimal equipment and can be done in the comfort and privacy of your own home. This is definitely the only workout book you will need in 2010. (A shameless plug I’m afraid, what can I say)

There you have it, I hope that helps….

There’s only one thing for me to say before I go, MERRY CHRISTMAS I hope it’s as special as you are.

Enjoy yourself and I’ll be back next week.

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Steph Rice
Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution

Since last week I’ve had so many questions about the book so I’ve decided as a special gift I’d like to give a copy of ‘The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution’ to the person who sends me the best answers to my question.

‘What are your main reasons for wanting to achieve not only a sexy flat stomach but a lean and healthy body?’

If you are the lucky winner, you will own a copy of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution just in time for Christmas. Ready to embark on your new journey, helping you make 2010 your healthiest and fittest year yet!

Please email all your answers to: steph@stephricefitness.com

Entries must be received no later than Monday 21st December.

Once I’ve received all your answers, I will let the lucky person know by email on Wednesday 23rd December.

Good luck everyone, I can’t wait to hear your answers.

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Steph Rice
Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution

I was talking to an online coaching client a couple of days ago about celebrity bodies and she was telling me that the only thing that was important to her was losing the fat and looking fabulous for her college reunion which is coming up at the end of September..

I told her that wouldn’t be a problem if she was willing to put 100% commitment into her training and diet! But I also pointed out that she’ll get more than just smoking hot.

So I thought I’d share with you what I told her. It’s great to have a hot and toned body that you are proud to show off but there’s soooo many more benefits that you should consider!

Taking care of our body by exercising and nourishing it, will most importantly bring us strength and agility especially as we get older because let’s face it, it happens to all of us.

A healthy and strong body will help us grow old gracefully. In turn it will help to fight off illnesses, disease, aches, pains and the usual suspects that come with getting older.

Your body is an amazing tool that you must always treat with respect and by doing so; it will return the favour by keeping you looking and feeling amazing as the years progress.

So next time you are in front of the mirror putting your face cream on, ask yourself if you’ve done your best that day to slow the ageing process naturally by eating a healthy nutritious diet and exercising, beats creams any day!

Until next week

Steph Rice
Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution

December is definitely my favourite time of year, Christmas is only three weeks away, I’m so excited….

I bought my Christmas tree this weekend and I must say my house is looking pretty festive.

As you all know I recently released The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution, your own personal guide to achieving the body of your dreams. A couple of days ago I received a very interesting question from a woman in Australia who said she was going back and forth about whether or not to purchase the book. Her question went something like this…

I run 4-5 miles 3 times every week and I eat pretty healthy but as a working woman I never seem to have enough time to make foods from scratch but I do eat the quick meals that you cook in the microwave and they are always low fat, so I know my diet is OK. Although I’m not overweight I could do with losing a 4 kilos but the weight wont seem to go even if I do increase my running distance. How can your book help?

Firstly the diet was my main concern, how can you possibly expect to achieve healthy weight loss with eating ready made, processed food? They may be convenient but there is absolutely nothing ‘healthy’ in them at all. The only thing that these non-foods contain is additives, preservatives and ingredients which you have no control over. A NO-NO when it comes to your amazing body!

I have to say that these mass food production companies are very, very clever when it comes to marketing their products and describing them as healthy & nutritious.
I let the lady know about the list of nasty ingredients these foods contain and that they’re listed in The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution. Healthy foods definitely don’t take long to prepare, if you follow my tried and tested tips (page 16).

The next point was her cardio, it seems that so many women are under the misconception that cardio and nutrition alone will help them get a toned, lean body. Well as my new Australian friend has realised this certainly isn’t the case. You have to throw weights into the mix and I certainly don’t mean the 2Ib variety….

That’s exactly what my workouts call for and the great thing I told her was, because she is very short on time, they can be done in minimal time 3 times each week. Not only will she lose those 4 kilos she will have a lean and toned body. When I had replied and given her the information she needed to hear, she was convinced that The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution was the way to go and purchased it right away.

I’m looking forward to hearing her success story.

How can I help you? Do you have any questions about nutrition, fitness or how to motivate yourself? Let me know, that’s what I’m here for and I love to help. Just leave a comment or email me directly at:
steph@stephricefitness.com

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Steph Rice
Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution

This week following on the holiday theme, I’ve put together a special holiday workout for you.
Not only will it mix things up for you but you’ll have great fun doing it, burning any unwanted body fat that may appear.

Do this workout 3 x per week and make sure you leave 24 hours in between each workout.

Make sure that you warm – up before you begin the workout, 4 minutes running on the spot,
followed by Push – ups.

Perform each exercise one after the other without any rest.
Once you have finished the entire circuit, rest for 1 minute and then repeat the entire circuit
again gradually building up to 3 x.

Dumbbell Chest Press – 10 reps
Push – ups (fast) – 20 reps

Jump Squats – 1 minute

Don’t forget to let me know how you get on by leaving a comment.

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Steph Rice
Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution

I don’t know about you but I’m soooo excited that it’s the holiday season…

…spending time with my family, parties and all the presents,
I can’t wait!

Are you with me on this one? Or are you dreading the holidays as far as all the food and drink is concerned along with the potential weight gain?

You’ve been good all year; perhaps you’ve even started your new healthy living lifestyle and had success in burning some of that hard to shift body fat.

If I were to ask you, which of these two categories would you say you fit in to?

1. “It’s the holidays; so I’ll eat whatever I want because in January I’ll go on a diet and lose all the weight that I’ve gained.”

Unfortunately that rarely happens!

Or

2. “I promise to myself that I’ll have a couple of treats but that’s it. I can control myself.”

Unfortunately that rarely happens either!

Let me help you change the way you handle the holidays once and for all.

There just seems to be so much that we have to deal with over the winter holidays.
More rich foods, more alcohol, more parties, more family gatherings, more temptations
and so much more stress…

There’s so much more of everything, it would make any woman run screaming for the hills!

What can we do?…

Well, you can…PLAN PLAN & PLAN

You plan your meals and workouts throughout the year right, so why should the winter holidays be any different? Sure you have more parties to go to and you’re surrounded by so much more temptation but that really shouldn’t be a reason to throw all of you hard work down the toilet.

I’m going to give you a survival check list to follow…

1. Keep track of everything you are eating, don’t stop writing in that food journal. If you have a slice of cake, then you know that you have to cut back on the calories for the rest of the day.

2. If you are going to a dinner party, take a couple of homemade low calorie dishes with you and eat that food only. By doing this you will know that what you are eating is calorie controlled, natural & nutritious and you are contributing to the party

3. Write your workouts on your calendar. You’re not going to miss a family gathering or holiday shopping, so why should you miss out on your workouts?

4. Watch your alcohol intake. We all like to have 1 or 2 extra drinks over the holidays but what you need to remember is alcohol contains lots and lots of calories and when we’ve had one too many, it definitely limits our inhibitions and when that happens our nutrition plan goes straight out of the window. A small glass of wine is one of the most diet friendly drinks you could choose, but remember to limit the amount you consume.

5. Food gifts that are given to you, re-wrap and give them to a friend or a work colleague. It saves money on your part and it also saves you from adding extra weight. *An important point to remember though is to always make a note of who gave you the gift, because you certainly don’t want to give it back to the person that gave it to you in the first place!!

Obviously the holidays are for enjoying yourself but stick to my tips and you will go into 2010 looking and feeling amazing.

Happy Holidays!

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Steph Rice
Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution

I hope you’ve all enjoyed the 3 Part Video Series on Emotional Eating. As I mentioned at the end of last weeks video blog, here’s the final piece of the puzzle to help you end Emotional Eating for good!

All you need to do is put your details in the box below and I will personally send you your FREE report and help you put an end to allowing your emotions to rule your waistline, once and for all!

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Steph Rice
Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution e-book.

I did my weekly grocery shop yesterday as always, I buy my food on a Sunday so I can prepare and cook it ready for the week ahead.

I have to be honest with you, it really upsets me when I see so many foods in the store that are supposedly ‘healthy’ or ‘low fat’ that truthfully most contain ingredients that we can rarely pronounce let alone know what they are!

A lot of the chemicals found in so many foods that are often called ‘healthy’ by the food manufacturers actually mess with the chemical balance in our bodies. This leads to an imbalance within our endocrine system which can then help send our emotions off to crazy town!

Discover what I’m talking about in the last of my 3 part series on Emotional Eating.

Let me know how you’ve overcome your emotional eating gremlins or if you have any questions you’d like me to answer by clicking on the comments bubble.

Until next week

Steph Rice

I’m Back!

Here’s the second installment to my three part Emotional Eating series which I have put together to highlight the connection between our thoughts and the foods we eat.

Our mind can play games with how we approach the choices we make and the worst part of this is that we so often allow it to!

So I have put together this second video to let you know how to recognize your negative voices, how to recognize the link between your emotions and the unhealthy foods you may choose and what you can do to change your current habits to form new ones.

Let me know what you think by clicking on the comments bubble.

Until next week

Steph Rice

Having spent a number of years personal training many women and researching the reasons why we become overweight. I discovered that there is one constant reason why women regularly gain weight (and find it difficult to stop) and that reason is Emotional Eating.It is evident that women tend to stuff down unwanted emotions with chocolate, cakes, ice cream etc.

It is a fact that emotional eating is one of the biggest causes of weight gain today…

I want to help you become fitter & healthier by helping you change your behaviour around food, the way you act and think.

Remember your nutrition habits and body shape are YOURS to change!

That’s why I’ve put together a special three part series over the next three weeks that will give you most of the tools to break emotional eating for good!! On the fourth week, I’ll give you the final and most important piece to the puzzle.

Let’s crack this together..

Please leave your comments, it will be wonderful to read each of your thoughts.

Until next week

Steph Rice

Let me ask you a question…

Do you also think there’s more and more confusing and contradictory information out there on how to lose weight?

I was in my local book store recently and I must have seen at least 200 books, each of them offering a different diet solution! There was low fat, high carbs, no carbs and then the usual suspects the cabbage soup diet, the grapefruit diet, and the fruit only diet to the breakfast cereal diet, the list went on and on.

Maybe you are one of those women who have tried countless diets over the years? Perhaps the diet worked over the period that you were actually on it but when you started to reintroduce foods that you previously eliminated the weight started to creep back on, plus quite a few extra pounds and you were back to square one! Am I right?

Diets are tricky things, promising us one thing and before you know it giving us a hell of a lot more than we expected.

If diets worked, wouldn’t we all be following the same one and seeing amazing results that we would never need to follow any other for the rest of our lives?

We must remember that we are human and can’t possibly go through each and every day depriving ourselves, not only the occasional treat but the correct amount of calories we need to survive on each day.

I’ve had many women come to me over the years and say that they have been on a diet for most of their adult life, which is incredibly disheartening. Life is for living and enjoying, not for following a strict diet plan 24/7! Unfortunately with all these women their metabolisms have taken a severe battering because of the constant ‘yo yo’ dieting that they have put their bodies through over the years. Each time that they have gone onto a new diet their metabolism slow down, which as we know the body then starts to store more fat which for any woman trying to lose weight, this process is a viscous cycle!

I’m going to confess now; I’ve come up with the most amazing diet plan that actually works! It’s called ‘The Healthy Eating Plan’. It nourishes your body each day with wholesome nutritious foods.

It doesn’t contain anything that is processed, so nothing that comes in a box or a packet and when you look at the ingredients you can actually pronounce them because nothing is man made.

The healthy eating plan contains all varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables. 100% whole grains, brown rice, brown pasta, millet, quiona. Lean red meats, chicken and fresh fish. Also raw nuts, seeds, pulses and legumes. Whenever possible go with organic produce.

You must eat five times a day, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner.

The great thing about this diet plan is it’s so easy to follow and you definitely don’t deprive yourself, in fact I insist that you have a treat meal once a week.

I guarantee that you will have more energy, your skin and hair will look glowing and most importantly you will feel amazing!

This is how I eat, why don’t you give it a try!

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Steph Rice

I’d like to share a little story with you…

Before I got into the fitness industry, I worked in the corporate world. I was a suit wearing, soda drinking, chocolate eating overweight and unhappy woman!

My metabolism was on the floor and as for exercise; I’m ashamed to say that came and went depending on how energetic I felt and to be honest with you that was pretty rare!

I wish someone had told me the way to get my metabolism off the floor.

So, I thought I’d share with you my 4 tips.

1. Always eat breakfast!
As the age old saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and you know what, it is!
Studies have shown that eating ‘break (the) fast’ may increase your metabolism by 10%.

2. Always eat 5 meals each day
Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner. This will stabilize your blood sugars level and stop hunger pains. By doing this you will keep your metabolism working at top speed, so that you will be burning maximum amount of calories throughout the day.

3. Interval training
This is one of the best ways to train, short bursts of fast cardio followed by a slow recovery period which can all be completed in around 15 – 20 minutes. Intervals are so great that your metabolism will be spiked way after you’ve actually finished working out.

4. Weight training
Weight training stimulates your muscles to become stronger and healthier, providing your body with beneficial improvements in strength and function. Weight training also burns body fat and increases lean muscle mass, so the more muscle you have the faster you will burn fat. This is because muscle is more metabolically active than fat so replacing your fat with muscle helps you turn the wobble into wow!

There you have it, follow these 4 tips and your metabolism will be so fired up that your body will be a fat burning furnace.

Remember to keep the questions coming in.

Stay fit, keep focused and feel fabulous!

Steph Rice
Author of The Sexy Flat Stomach Solution
www.stephricefitness.com

I was at my local gym a few days ago, I still enjoy going despite no longer working from one, and I love the atmosphere. After my session I was thinking, it does disturb me when I see someone doing an exercise incorrectly and all the fitness instructors can do is gossip by the gym office. I’ve been in the fitness industry for so many years that I still feel I have a duty to people in a gym to show them the correct way to perform an exercise even though I no longer work in one.

Anyway getting back to my original point, there is a woman that I have seen at the gym for the past 4 months, she is heavily overweight and all I see her do is go from one piece of cardio equipment to the next! Her program goes something like this, 20 minutes on the treadmill walking at a slow steady pace and then 20 minutes on the bike at a slow steady pace. That’s it, and then she’ll head straight for the changing rooms only to be seen next time doing exactly the same workout.

Unfortunately over the past 4 months her shape has hardly changed but she keeps on going so good on her for trying!

This story is so true for many women wanting to lose fat. The one full proof, 100% guarantee way to lose body fat is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Not only can you get this over and done with in less than 20 minutes (instead of 40 minutes +) but it’s a shore thing when you want to drop the fat FAST…

If you are into your long cardio sessions because you enjoy them, then good on you. I love nothing more than to go for a run just as the sun is coming up on a summer’s morning, it’s a great feeling but to lose fat fast then that is a big NO….

With low intensity training, doing long runs or a long bike ride will only burn fat for as long as you are working out and when you stop, the fat burning stops! But with HIIT your metabolism will be spiked and you will continue to burn fat for up to 24 hours after you have finished working out. Imagine, 9 hours after finishing your workout you’re sat in your office or your car and you’re still burning fat…..how cool is that!

So let’s take a look at what this HIIT training is all about. It’s basically performing high intensity intervals for a short period of time, lets say 20 seconds all out sprinting, followed by 40 seconds of recovery, do this fifteen times and there you have it your 15 minutes. I’m not saying it’s easy because it’s not but if you want to see results FAST…. Then this is the one for you! You can also try this using a stationary spinning bike, cross trainer or rowing machine, the list is endless. For me I love HIIT training outside, one of my particular favourites is hill sprinting but I’m going to leave the details of that for another time.

Have a go and let me know how you get on by leaving a comment.

Until next week,

Steph.