Why is it that fat-loss and reducing-body-fat related information and products are so much in demand, yet obesity and being overweight are on the up — actually at the highest rate ever? With the health and fitness industry booming it seems absurd that this is occurring. What the heck is happening?

Now remember 'fat loss' is not the same as 'weight loss'. Weight loss is "overall" loss of body weight where fat loss is based on reducing body fat.

Other than the temptations of our daily life (e.g. alcohol, take-out foods etc.) people tend not to succeed at fat loss because they are either not committed, not well informed on fat loss or they are committed for the wrong reasons. In other words you either aren't abiding by the rules, or have been misled by some other belief, or you are trying to lose body fat because you are trying to keep other people happy rather than yourself.

Think about why it is you want to lose body fat. Make sure you really want to put in 100 percent effort. You want to feel great about making this decision not obliged to do it.

Losing body fat can help increase your self-esteem as well as boosting your health so giving it your best shot with a positive frame of mind is always the "way to go".

What exercises should you do?

Mostly it depends on your fitness level and if you have any type of injuries, back pain, or medical conditions that may affect what you can and can't do. Make sure you check with your doctor first before starting any type of exercise or eating program, so he/she can indicate and provide you with a letter verifying that it is "ok" for you to start exercising and at what level.

One more point. If you're attending a gym or purchasing gym equipment please make the effort to ensure that your fitness level is suited to the equipment or program you're performing. If in doubt seek advice from a professional — don't just assume because your next door neighbour or friend does it you can.

Plenty of ways?

There are plenty of ways to exercise to burn off body fat. Sure cardiovascular exercise via treadmills and indoor cycles are great but if you really want to ramp things up a notch then try using machines or exercises that use both your upper and lower body. Why? Because you're exerting yourself further in turn burning off more calories.

If you enjoy being outdoors then walking, jogging, running, rollerblading — just to name a few — are also great.

Finding an activity that suits your body's needs and fitness level is important.

Weight or resistance training is a huge plus when it comes to cutting back body fat. Did you know that the more lean muscle mass you have the more calories you burn? This means that your body can burn more calories day and night, that's right — even while you're sleeping!

To maximise your potential to burn off calories much more efficiently include weight/ resistance training and cardio into your program.

I've included some examples below of training routines to give you an idea of a typical program to help combat body fat. For those of you who are genetically gifted with lean muscle and a higher metabolism or who aren't too keen on getting lean then as low as two cardio sessions per week is ample.

Beginners:

Monday: Full Body Workout
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Full body workout
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: Full body workout
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Off

If your metabolism is slow then you will probably need to add an extra day or two of cardio per week — around four to five cardio sessions per week.

Intermediate:

Monday: Split routine
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Split routine
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: Split routine
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Off

A sluggish metabolism will require around five days of cardio per week.

More advanced:

Monday: Upper body
Tuesday: Lower body
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Upper body
Friday: Lower body
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Off

If you're trying to maintain your fat loss then five days a week of cardio will more than likely be necessary. If you have a special occasion coming up perform six cardio sessions per week.

Vary the time of your cardio sessions from 30 minutes through to 50 minutes — depending on your fitness and the intensity of your workout.

Don't go getting yourself caught up in the mindset of thinking that you have to perform two hours of cardio each workout, because you don't. Just keep your body guessing by changing the format of your cardio routines so you and your body don't become bored. And, if you hit a plateau that's ok, in fact it's great, because it's your body telling you need a change.

If you're short on time and want to perform extra cardio sessions on a weight training day then separate the two e.g. cardio in the morning and weight training at night.

The wrong program for you:

Have you ever read a successful fat-loss story that you, and everyone else you know, tried only to find that it didn't work that well for you or them? Did you stop to think that maybe the person in the success story had their program specifically designed for their body type, not yours!

If you really want to "kick some fat loss butt" you need a program that is designed to suit your body type and fitness level. Don't expect super results from a program that someone else used, remember they may have had a different metabolism, fitness level, body shape and eating program to you, which makes it very difficult for you to reach the same levels of fat loss as they did.

After reading this article you should have a greater knowledge of where you may be going wrong with your fat loss or how to get started on a new fat loss program If you are keen to get started on your own personally designed health and fitness program please feel welcome to visit my web site: www.mypersonaltrainer.co.za

Happy Training!