I agree with all the above.  There are a couple of things I'd like to add - I've recently listened to the CD programme by Wayne Dyer called Excuses Begone.  It's great to show you how to get past mind conditioning.  For instance, belief that weight loss is difficult and will take a lot of time.  You are much more likely to have success if you believe that it's easy and won't take long.  We tend to follow the line of least resistance.  This analogy can obviously be applied to any area in our lives where we have built up resistance and belief systems.

Another interesting e-mail I received was about exercise.  Short bursts of exercise of a minute or two with rest periods for a maximum of 20 minutes will get your body burning better than cardio exercises of longer periods which puts too much stress on your heart.    Since getting that information I have come across it from other sources too.

Sue 

Hi Sue,

Short intense exercise or interval training is indeed a better option than long,steady cardio for health and weight loss.

Long cardio sessions have an initial effect on fat loss but very quickly the body adapts to the stress and will become more fuel efficient so you use less fuel to do the same distance.

Long cardio sessions also release a stress hormone called Cortisol...it is highly Catabolic which means it will eat up your hard earned muscle tissue...seeing as muscle tissue uses up energy to stay alive,this is not good as you are literally decreasing your metabolic furnace.

Interval training releases anabolic hormones which are muscle builders.

The best way I have found to build muscle and lose fat is interval training using weights...example: 5 exercises of 8-12 reps with no rest in between sets...rest no more than 90 secs and repeat up to five times...use free weights or body weight.

The cardio version of this is all out for 30 secs and rest for 30 secs...do for 20 mins.

This will raise your metabolism,burn fat and promote muscle growth...if you doubt it just look at a Sprinter's body v a Marathon runner's...sprinters do short intense workouts and lots of weights...marathon runners do lots of steady distance runs.

In fact my little pic at the top of the page shows me doing an interval session with kettlebells...go to http://www.robinallan.com/blog.html   and you can see my results of training this way.

Robin

Thanks Robin - just read your blog.  If I can look as fit as you I'd be well happy - in a slightly different form of course!! lol

I've just got Al Sears PACE ebook and am in the process of reading through it.  I've never been a gym goer - I get sooooo bored.  I remember the highly fit regular jogger, actor Leonard Rossiter (of Rising Damp fame) died of a heart attack.  That's always stuck in my mind.  One of my friends is Joice Maduaka who is a sprinter and competed in the Olympics - you can find her on the web.  She has a strong powerful body - as you say, a sprinter.  The women who are long distance runners seems to lose all their bodily fat and curves.  Quite a difference.

Knowing that I can improve my fitness on 30 minutes a day is a great relief - I don't have hours to spend doing exercises which I find tedious.

Thanks for the information.  I always find that I get what I need at the right time.

Sue 

I would also like to share many tips here

Dont go "on" diet- you will go "off" it pretty soon.
Eat 5-6 small meals a day, follow food pyramid- make healthy food choices
drink at least 8 glasses of water a day
use fitday.com to track your intake
never starve/deprive yourself
do cardio 4-6 times a week for average of 45min and light weight training a few times a week
avoid simple carbs.If you want to learn more visit  http://www.get-the-body-you-want.com/