Aloha Paradise...

Here's the 1st of many collabs to come with the Aloha Team.

A fun new project I am working on - featuring my collection of vintage swimsuits + some of my favourite current bikinis...

 

 

Model | Zoe Crosson

Photography | Melanie Tjoeng

Hair & Make Up | Ashlea Penfold 

One Piece Swimsuit | Vintage

Bandeau Swimsuit | Bikini Lover (Limited Edition)
Location | Gold Coast, Queensland. Australia

Lose Weight By Walking: Can You Really Lose Weight Fast Walking?

The truth is you will lose weight walking but only if your diet is in order. The fact is, 80 percent or more of weight loss results is due to diet. Even when your exercise program is very intense, dieting is where the majority of weight loss results come from.

I once believed that exercise was the fastest way to lose weight, but I now know this is untrue. Here are 2 proven facts about diet and exercise.

- Exercise is for health and building or maintaining muscle.

- Diet is for health and weight loss.



By perceiving exercise as a way to gain health benefits and diet as the way to get weight loss results, you will lose weight more effectively. Picture diet as the cornerstone of losing weight and exercise as the way to "help" your diet.

This simple way of thinking will make a big difference in your ability to lose weight.

So How Does Walking Fit Into All Of This?

Walking is probably one of the most healthy physical activities that a person can do. It is easy to do and very enjoyable.

Here's what The Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports said about walking:

- Walking reduces inflammation (preventing hardening of the arteries)

- Walking reduces hemostasis (sluggish blood flow)

Intense exercise does not reduce inflammation. Therefore, even if you exercise at an intense level, you need to add walking to your routine for maximum heath.

I used to discount walking as an activity necessary for people who were not fit enough for "real" exercise, but I was mistaken. Walking is actually necessary for optimum health, even for someone like me who trains 4-5 times per week.

Walking will make you lose weight but only if your diet is "well in tuned".

Disadvantages Of Excessive Muscle Mass - Why Avoid Gaining Too Much Muscle

To begin with, this article does not intend to slam bodybuilding. If someone is committed to making progress in bodybuilding as a sport, hobby or career and their ultimate goal is to grow their muscles to be as huge as possible, they deserve respect for their hard work and dedication.

I however have a personal preference for the slim and muscular look over making ones body as big and swollen as possible.

Nonetheless, everyone should direct their focus on what is appropriate for them. If you are a skinny and ectomorphic person, working hard at adding a significant amount of muscle mass to your frame will benefit you.

Gaining muscle can help with a healthier immune system, increase bone stability and help with providing a higher level of physical strength. Therefore, putting muscle on is a good thing, but gaining muscle in excess creates a number of disadvantages. The idea is to avoid gaining excessive muscle mass if the following disadvantages will bother you.



Wearing Normal Clothes Becomes A Problem

Extremely overweight and obese people usually need to custom-make their clothes due to their over-sized body. If you are too big with muscle mass you'll need to do the same thing to get clothes that'll fit you. You'll no longer be able to wear clothes of normal size without looking stuffed and feeling uncomfortable in them.

Your arms won’t be able to fit into normal shirt sleeves. Your back, neck and legs will be busting out of  your nice dress clothes like the Incredible Hulk. These are some of the clothing problems you are going to have if you choose to add a lot of bulkiness. Think about really huge bodybuilders. Do they ever look attractive in normal clothes?

People Will Think You Are On Steroids Even If You Are Not 

When you’re too thick with muscle, people assume you are on steroids even if you’re not. People will always judge you by the presentation that you deliver. If you are natural and get accused of being on roids it can be quite infuriating and discouraging. You are less likely to be accused of using steroids if your body size is within average.

Women Would Not Be Attracted

It is proven that women are attracted to mens muscles, but do women find men with big and bulky muscles attractive? Beefy guys usually deliver a look that appears like they are mean and dangerous whether they want to or not.

If you have a really huge and muscular look you may have problems meeting women friends to socialize with when you go out. Women will think you look cheesy, scary or dangerous due to your massive muscles. What about your clothing?

You will have a hard time dressing to impress women. Chicks like guys that look neat and sharp in normal stylish clothes, not when their body looks stuffed in a shirt and pants. Take note of the type of attention male celebrities get for their body image.

Brad Pitt, Matthew Mcconaughey and Hugh Jackman always get admired by women and they never look big with muscles. Having a nice lean, toned and trim body will get you more positive attention from the opposite sex.

Decreased Functionality Of Your Body

Becoming huge with muscles can actually reduce your ability to take part in physical activity that require effective movement and flexibility. You would not be able to play certain type of sports properly if your body is too bulky and huge. Staying slim with muscle mass is more of a sustainable look and a healthier functionality for your body.

You Will Most Likely Gain Too Much Fat

Whether its gained by itself or with muscle, excess fat is not healthy. If you are trying to get as big as possible you'll most likely put on excess fat in the process. This is bad, because fat cells never go away. Those cells just shrink when you lose weight. the more fat cells you have, the more difficult it'll be to get lean.

Therefore, it's critical to avoid gaining them in the first place. Most people that want to get big muscles fast choose the route of bulking with excess calories. This leads to a swollen and rounded physique filled with fat.

Gaining additional fat cells to gain muscle, provides the way for your body to get fat easily and create a swollen look. The best approach is to aim to get lean, stay lean gain muscle with proper density. Don’t  gain more fat cells by bulking up to gain muscle.

Again, if you choose to get big with muscle mass you deserve respect for your effort and commitment. The above, however, are just some of the consequences you'll have to deal with if you become overly muscular.

Build Muscle To Look Really Lean And Ripped, Not Huge And Bulky

The Best Way To Build Muscle Mass - Build Muscle Properly To Look Attractive

If you want to build muscle to get an attractive look you need to take the correct approach that will lead to the right outcome.

If you think that building muscle to look attractive should only be about growing bigger muscle, think again.

By learning how to train to get the right balance between the two different muscle growths and gaining muscle in the right places on your body you can have great control over the way your body look.



I don't know about you, but whenever I am doing anything that will affect my appearance I want to make sure it looks attractive. If I am wearing a pants, a shirt, or a hat - it must look good on me.

Building muscle mass should also make me look sharp and appealing to the ladies, so I would do all that is necessary to get the right outcome that I am pleased with when building muscle.

I consider building muscle with a strategy to ensure an attractive body the best way to build muscle mass, because you'll be getting fitter, stronger, healthier and more attractive all at the same time.

Learn More About Sensible Muscle Building By Checking Out Visual Impact Muscle Building

How To Burn More Fat Quickly From Dieting - A Technique To Lose More Fat With Diet

When it comes to fat loss diets, there is not a specific type of diet that works for everyone. There are a variety of diets for burning fat that are effective. Would you go for it if you found a way to burn 15 to 20 pounds of body fat quickly before you choose one of the available fat loss diets on the market?

It's Possible To Burn 15-20 Pounds Of Fat In 2 Weeks 

Crash diets can be very effective when carried out over a short period of time. It is however not recommended for long term dieting. But if you use crash dieting over the short term it is the fastest way to burn fat. You can reduce calories very low for about 14 days before your metabolism slows down. Just a reminder, you should not do this longer than 14 days.



Crash Dieting Will Burn More Fat Than Cardio Exercise 

This concept is simple to understand. If your body burns 3,000 calories a day and you only eat 800 calories a day, you will create a 2,200 calorie deficit just like that. In order to burn that same amount of calories with cardio, you would have to jog on a treadmill for about 2 1/2 hours. It is just much easier to create a large calorie deficit with your diet than it is with exercise on a short term basis. However, in the long term, cardio is very effective at burning body fat.

Here Is A Simple But Radical Crash Diet Plan to Follow Before Your Fat Burning Diet

1) Eat only 600-800 calories each day for two weeks

2) Make sure to take multivitamins during this time

3) Avoid fatty and sugary foods

4) Eat about 100-150 grams of protein each day

5) Drink as much Green Tea and Coffee as you want

6) Make sure to drink plenty of water

Burn More Fat in Two Weeks Than Most People Do In A Year

I normally do this plan every year, around the middle of the month of May. I keep my body fat around 8 percent for most of the year, so this allows me to get super-ripped for summer.

I usually eat only skinless chicken breast in the morning for breakfast and one for lunch.

During the day when I get hungry, I'll drink a lot of of Green Tea. For dinner I will chop up a bit of cabbage and chicken and mix with chicken broth to make a soup (chicken broth is very low calorie and tastes great).

I'll add a little onions, cilantro, celery and jalapenos to this soup. This is how I will eat everyday for two weeks. It isn't fancy, but believe me your body will visually get leaner each and every day. It is very rewarding to see such fast fat loss results.

This Will Work along well for Any Of the Fat Loss Diets on the Market

Article by R. Moore - an avid fitness trainer that have perfected the right methods to help people get high quality results when building muscle and losing fat. His popular fitness programs are VI For Men, VI For Women and VI Cardio.

How To Get Muscles Fast For A Reunion Or Special Event

If you have some sort of reunion or special event coming up and you know that the other people present there will look at the shape of your body and react to it, you may want to make sure you're well prepared in advance for the occasion. So that, when you get there you'll be confident about the way you look, thus enjoy the occasion to make it memorable.

Take a high school reunion for example, if people haven't seen you in a while the very first thing they'll do is stare at the way you look.



In order to prepare properly for this type of encounter you'll want to take steps to make sure your body is in great shape. Looking too fat will give the impression that you have been living on junk food and looking too skinny will give the impression that you've been starving yourself which are both bad impressions.

What you need to do to create a good impression about your image is get some lean muscle mass onto your frame. There are steps you can take to get muscles fast which this article is intended to guide you to do.

Pay close attention to these key factors to build up muscle mass fast in time for your reunion, vacation or other special event.

Choose A Program That Is Most Suitable For You To Get Muscles Fast

One of the best approach to get muscles fast is carefully selecting the best diet and training program that will maximize your potential for putting on muscle. This specific diet and training program should be the most suitable for specific factors of your personal circumstances such as body type, age, fitness history etc.

This is very important in order to get your body to respond in the most favorable way from your efforts.

Diet And Training Works Together To Build Muscle 

Your diet and training must work together properly for muscle growth to happen. You need sufficient calories and the right nutrients in your diet. This needs to be combined with the right weight lifting exercises, suitable rep and set scheme and weights heavy enough to stress the muscle during your workout.

One very important aspect of a training program to gain muscle mass, especially when you want to do so fast, is utilizing compound exercises during your workout.

You'll need to hit some squats and deadlift for major resistance, hitting multiple muscle groups with one exercise and releasing testosterone and various growth hormones in the body.

You also need to give the muscle sufficient time to rest, recover and grow each time you work them. Therefore, you should not work the same body part on consecutive days. For example, working out the chest on Monday and Tuesday of the same week should be avoided.

Do Not Neglect Proper Nutrition If You Want Muscles Fast

I think it's fair to say that  muscle building begins with proper nutrition, because what you eat plays a major role both during the time you are working out and while the muscle is being rested for repair and growth.

During a workout the body makes use of the calories you feed to it for energy and it also makes use of the amino-acids in protein for muscle repair and growth. Therefore, it's very important to set your diet plan properly so your body can have the right supply of nutrients it needs to make use of your training to give you muscles fast.

As said, it's very important to work along with a program that addresses your specific circumstances when you want to build up your muscles fast. Training and diet affects people's body differently based on their personal data. Therefore, you should make sure the program that you choose is the right one that'll build muscles fast.

The Best Cardio Exercise To Get Lean Fast

An essential part of getting an attractive physique is to include the right cardio exercise in your workout program for getting lean. There are a number of different ways to perform cardio to burn body fat. The most popular type of cardio is steady state cardio, but when you want to burn body fat fast and effectively your best choice of cardio exercise is interval training.



Interval training is basically alternating between high and low intensities during your cardio workout. For example, alternating between walking and running during an exercise session is a form of interval training. This type of exercise, when done properly, don't only burn body fat fast during your workout, it also continues to burn fat long after your workout is complete. In fact, even while you're sleeping the night after your workout session fat loss will continue to happen due to the effect of the training.

Why Does This Type Of Exercise Burn Body Fat This Way?

Interval Training will increase the level of HGH in the body and boost the metabolism for rapid fat loss. Increasing the body's HGH level is a great way for burning off body fat and getting as lean as you desire. Studies have shown that Interval Training can burn up to 6 times as much fat as low intensity cardio. One of the main reasons behind this is the effect the training has on the level of HGH in the body.

Interval Training Will Get You Lean Fast 

The more calories you burn from a fat loss workout the faster you'll get lean. Interval Training will increase your metabolism for a couple of hours after the workout. This will lead to a much greater total number of calories burned than a more moderate form of cardio exercise. Therefore, if your aim is to get lean fast you have to opt for interval training.

Get Lean Fast With Effective An Effective Cardio Program
Learn More Here....

Muscle Building For Women - What's The Possibilities And The Limitations?

Both men and women are able to build up a significant amount of muscles by eating right and training with weights. Men however will be able to build more muscles as well as more rapidly than women due to different hormonal levels among the two genders. In order for a woman to build up a noticeable amount of muscle mass she'll need to push for a high intensity in weight training and eat a proper nourishing diet.



How Muscle Grow 

Muscle growth occurs when your muscle fibers are constantly overloaded with heavy weight lifting. This will cause the worked muscles to be left damaged by  the end of the workout session. These damaged muscle tissues will respond by repairing with an increase in size and and a higher quantity of contractile proteins, which will ultimately make the trainee end up with an increase in size of muscle fibers.

Understanding Testosterone 

Testosterone is the principal sex hormone in men and it plays a key role in regulating muscle mass. One key function of testosterone is it increases protein synthesis within cells, which results in the build up of cellular tissue (anabolism), especially in muscles. The plasma concentration of testosterone in men is about 7-8 times as great as the concentration of women on average. This distinction result in males to have more noticeable muscle build ups than women when trained in the same way.

Women Can Build Muscle With The Right Workout Program

Despite having a much lower testosterone level than men, women can still build up noticeable amounts of muscle mass by consistently taking part in a good weight training program that is specifically designed to induce muscle growth.

This program should incorporate a good rep and set scheme for maximum intensity. However, unless you're a woman who plans to get into professional bodybuilding you should minimize the amount of muscle mass you put on your body, which should be pretty easy because building muscle takes time, intensity and hard work.

There are many female models and celebrities that train with weights but do not look overly muscular, neither do they look masculine in appearance. The weight lifting basically caused them to have a nicer tone in appearance. I believe if you're woman who want to get into weight training to build muscle your aim should be to get the slim and toned body type.

Your Strength Training Program - How To Gain Strength Without Gaining Muscle

When you think about getting stronger you'll believe the only way this is possible is to train to increase the size of your muscles. True, the more muscles you build the stronger you should get as well, but most people are not aware that muscle size and muscle strength does not directly correlate. It's possible to workout in a way that minimizes muscle damage thus minimize muscle growth, but at the same gain a substantial amount of strength.



The approach of gaining strength without gaining muscle is very important for achieving the ultra lean and muscular physique because working the muscle in that way will also increase muscle density to contribute to a sharp-looking body.

If you want to learn more about how this is accomplished click here to download the free report Your Strength Training Program - Advance Tips To Gain Strength Quickly Without Gaining A Massive Amount Of Muscle. The information in this report will help you clear up any misconceptions you have about strength gain and muscle building. Download Now

What Is The Shrink Wrap Effect?

The Shrink Wrap Effect is one of Rusty Moore's advance techniques to get your body to display maximum muscle definition for any special event. This technique is not just about losing body fat, it involves making your muscle look fuller and much more sharp. You can use this exact strategy before summer or an upcoming special event and you will look shaper than ever.



This technique is the way of getting the skin to wrap really tight around the muscles, so you look more ripped than ever. Sometimes you see people with really well defined abs - whereby all the grooves in the abdominal area are clearly visible and the muscle is really tight against the skin. Some people get this at times and they're not aware of exactly how it happened.

Rusty Moore found out exactly how to achieve this effect and he reveals it all in this free ebook. The best thing about the shrink wrap effect is it stays on for months and it's very easy to maintain.

The entire technique is explained in this Free ebook. Just click to get it Now 100% free

Kellon Lutz Workout Routine And Info On How Kellon Lutz Maintain A Fit Body

Actor Kellon Lutz got much attention for his physique which he has been maintaining for years. You should notice that Lutz is also lean and muscular which is the male body type that is being admired and promoted in Hollywood.



How Did Kellon Lutz Start Building His Body 

Lutz has been in great shape since his days in school. He's benefited a lot from his love for athletics. He played football in high school and also worked out regularly in the gym. The actor clearly had a passion for being active. He said one of the reasons he chose Chapman University for attending was because it is located close to the beach.

Kellon Lutz Workout Routine For Movie Roles 

Kellon Lutz did not have to make any major body transformation for his movie roles. It was just a matter of getting into his best shape. While filming the HBO series Generation Kill in 2007 in the African desert he and his fellow actors challenged one another in pushup and situp contests and lifting weights in a makeshift gym.

Lutz main workout for staying in shape includes starting his session with 5 minutes of cardio followed with working out the core. Core activation will allow him to get maximum muscle utilization in all his other exercise. After a few sets of powerful full-body workouts, Lutz do simpler exercises that target specific muscles, letting his body recover a bit before another blast of energy and muscle-fiber recruitment.

Kellon Lutz Workouts Outside The Gym

Working out in the gym is just one part of Kellon Lutz workout routine. The actor loves hiking, swimming and walking his dog as regular hobbies. All these activities has tremendous benefit for fitness including burning fat and increasing endurance. This is the reason Lutz has a very low body fat level in most pictures and movies he is in. Keeping a low body fat percentage is key for having an impressive lean and muscular physique. All you need is just an average amount of muscle and keep fat at a minimum level and you'll look great.

Kellon Lutz Diet Plan 

Kellon Lutz approach to diet is 'eat frequently in small quantities'. He eats small meals every 2 to 3 hours and make sure he never skips breakfast. He uses this technique to manage body weight without allowing himself to feel deprived or ravenously hungry. Before bedtime Lutz would eat a boiled egg to keep his metabolism active.

Final Tips 

Kellon Lutz use fitness not just for the physical strength and beauty that comes from it, but the mental benefits as well. He tells 'Men's Health' whenever he gets frustrated he goes to the gym and let it off by working out. One great lesson you should learn from Kellon Lutz workout routine is to make fitness a part of your everyday lifestyle. Don't rely only on the gym to be physically active and workout.

You may also realize that Lutz strategy for maintaining his lean and muscular body is keeping an average amount of muscle mass and focusing heavy on losing body fat. A muscle building course that has the same focus is described right here.

A Workout Routine For A Beginner To Build Muscle

The type of workout routine you choose to use when you're a beginner building muscle for the first time will greatly determine how well you succeed in your attempt at building a muscular body.

Beginners should not try to train the same way like experience trainers. The beginner needs to take an approach that will maximize their genetic potential to build muscle rapidly and prevent physical and mental harm from over-training.



Beginners Should Set Their Goals Properly 

In order to make the right decision on which routine to employ you should come up with your precise goals. You'll need to decide what type of transformation you want to accomplish. How much muscle you want to put on, what do you want your body to look like, and in what period of time do you want to accomplish the transformation you're after? You need to take those factors into consideration when deciding on a routine.

A Recommended Workout Routine For Beginners 

If you're a beginner newly getting into bodybuilding, most likely you need advice as much as possible. Unless you're planning to compete in professional bodybuilding competitions the best approach for beginners is to aim for the lean and toned body type.

This look is the type that male models and Hollywood actors possess. You'll look muscular but not huge like a bodybuilder. This is the muscular body type for good looks and style, and you can get this look within months if you use the right workout routine.

Get The Program That'll Guide You To Build Muscle Fast And Properly

Megan Fox Workout And Diet Routine Plus Tips For Women To Get A Body Like Megan Fox

Before she became pregnant, Megan Fox focused her diet and workout routine on maintaining an ultra slim body. Even though the actress maintains a very slender figure she normally keep a bit of curve which is the look lots of women prefer to have instead of the extremely skinny body type. Megan once lost all her curves by going on a strict vegan diet which lead her to display a completely skinny frame. The star remained on the vegan diet for a few months then ditched it after losing too much weight. She said: "For a year and a half, until about four months ago, I followed a strict vegan diet based on raw fruits and vegetables, no bread, sugar and coffee. But I had lost too much weight". So below is Megan Fox's normal diet and workout routine for maintaining her captivating slim physique with a little curve, which hopefully she regains after making her baby.



Megan Fox Diet Plan 

Fox's personal trainer Harley Pasternak revealed that the actress followed his 5 Factor diet, which makes Megan eat five small meals a day and includes the five dietary factors including healthy fats, lean protein, fibre and a non-sugar drink. Harley added 'If Megan needs to snack between meals then she has our 5-Factor crisps which keeps her satiated between meals.'

Megan Fox Workout Routine 

Megan and Pasternak trained three times a week doing circuit training. Circuit training is short bursts of resistance exercise using moderate weights and frequent repetitions, followed quickly by another burst of exercise targeting a different muscle group. She got 25 minutes of exercise each day broken down into 5 sessions that last 5 minutes each. When it comes to maintaining her curves, Pasternak added: 'Megan wants her body to reflect who she is. She looks awesome. She’s natural, softly spoken and her personality shines through her fantastic shape. That's right, she does look great in pictures and movies. No denying that.

Women Do You Want A Slim Body With A Little Curve Like Megan Fox?

If you're a woman that want a look similar to Megan Fox's then your aim should be to get a slim and toned body with a little muscle mass in all the right places. If you look at the pictures of Megan Fox you'll notice she has a little muscle popping out on her thighs, her midsection is well defined and her upper body is nicely toned. Her personal trainer knew exactly what he was doing to give the actress the right look.

Fat But Want To Build Muscle? - The Best Advice For People That Have Fat To Lose And Want To Build Muscle

There are many people that want to build some muscle to increase their fitness level and improve their appearance but they have some much visible fat they need to lose as well. If you're in this situation, you may want to know the best steps to take to get lean and build quality muscle in the most effective way.



The question of 'the best approach to use when you're fat but want to build muscle'? is very much asked on practically every fitness website and forum online that you visit. Yet, it seems like there is no straight forward answer to this question at all.

Some people believe the best thing to do is lose all your fat before attempting to put on muscle, and many others contend that it's best to start building muscle while you still have all your fat on your body. There is apparently no concrete scientific rule that states the right step to take in this situation neither.

Therefore, I've decided to research on a number of people who were fat at the time they made the decision to start building muscle, and after taking note of the approach they used and the results they got, along with including my own knowledge in the analysis, this is my best advice below.

Building muscle and losing fat are two different propositions as far as the body is concerned. To build muscle your body needs enough calories for building up muscle tissues (anabolism), whereas to lose fat your body needs fewer calories in order to lose stored energy (catabolism).

However, there is no one specific approach that works equally for everyone when it comes to building muscle and losing fat.

People's body react differently to diet and exercise, influenced by factors such as genetics, age and training history. Whatever approach people take, whether it's cutting fat first, building muscle first or doing both together they get different results according to their individual body type and circumstances.

However, when you have a lot of fat on your body and want to get ripped, and more precisely end up with a lean and muscular physique, it's not a good idea to start building muscle without doing anything about the fat.

You should aim to reduce body fat from the beginning of your fitness program, but that doesn't mean you should put building muscle on hold. The idea is to start your muscle building workout routine like normal, but also make provisions for fat loss by working with the right diet plan and cardio program.

Doing this will allow you to minimize further fat gain while gaining muscle and shed pounds of fat according to the way your body responds.

According to the results you're getting after a certain amount of time working with this you can accurately decide whether to make appropriate adjustments to boost your fat burning capacity in order to start getting results you're satisfied with.

Essentially, your best approach will be using a workout routine that incorporates both muscle building and fat burning efforts, then adjusting your program if you need to as you go along to get the results you really want.

This is another top reason why I recommend Visual Impact Muscle Building to use as a guide when attempting to build muscle and your aim is to look as lean as possible at the same time.

Rusty, the creator, pays attention to the fact that everyone's situation is different and will need to take different approaches. As a result, he shows users how to adjust the program to suit the specific condition of their body so they can get the right results.

You'll also like the fact that Visual Impact Muscle Building includes a well designed fat loss program to make you combat the fat very effectively while sculpting a stunning muscular physique.

The program works with 3 phases, each phase affects fat loss and muscle building in a slightly different way, so you can switch to whichever phase that's best for the specific condition of your body to get the precise results you're after.

The program is also optimized for you to achieve maximum sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (significant increase in muscle size) from your training without overloading or bulking up with calories which is the best approach for someone that have much fat to lose and want to build muscle.

How To Lose Belly Fat To Cut Down The Size Of A Big Belly

It's not good having an oversize belly filled with fat. This is not only bad for your appearance but your health is in danger as well.

Health experts have confirmed that excess belly fat increases your risk of heart disease and other life threatening medical conditions. You will however lose unhealthy stomach fat if you make a commitment to use the right diet and exercise plan.



What Causes Excess Belly Fat?

No matter where you store it, excess body fat is always caused by over-consumption of the wrong type of foods. Whenever you eat a lot of foods high in calories, especially fat and sugar, and don't do enough physical activity to burn it off the body will store the excess calories for later usage.

Most people will find that they have more fat stored on the belly than other areas of their body. The reason for this is the body find it easier to store fat in the abdominal area because it doesn't require much energy to carry it around.

A lot of people do not have a problem with the overall size of their body, they are disturbed mainly with the fatty appearance of their abdominal area. For  that reason they are focused specifically on cutting down their belly size.

The Right Way To Lose Belly Fat

There is no magic method that targets fat around the belly and burn it off with little or no effort. Forget about drinking a slim fast product that'll work on burning away fat from your stomach while you just sit around and continue eating like normal.

Losing belly fat requires the same approach that's used for losing fat in the whole body, which is attained through proper control of your diet and doing enough exercise. However, you can use a diet and exercise program that'll have maximum effect on burning away belly fat, which is oftentimes the hardest area to lose fat in the body.

What Should A Diet For Losing Belly Fat Be Like?

The best diet plan to help you lose belly fat is one that controls calorie-intake and includes the right type of foods. You'll need to eliminate bad fat and sugar foods that causes fat storage due to the high amount of calories they contain and lack of healthy nutritional properties.

You should make sure you don't completely cut out all carbohydrates and fats from your meals though.

There are good carbs and fats that should be included in your diet because they'll help alter natural hormone levels in the body to help reduce body fat.

Exercises To Break Down A Big Belly

For the best results, your exercise program for losing belly fat should include a combination of strength training, cardio exercises and abs training. These exercises, when combined, will not only create a big impact on burning belly fat, they'll tone your body to make you look more attractive as well.

Strength training will build muscle tissues which is good for boosting your metabolism and toning your body. Your metabolism is responsible for burning fat in the body. The higher your metabolism rate is the more calories you'll burn even when you're sleeping.

People that eat lots of food yet never show a big belly, naturally have a very fast metabolic rate. A slow metabolism will cause you to gain fat easily but you can boost your metabolism with the right strength training exercises. 2-3 strength training exercise sessions a week is recommended.

Cardio exercise will use up energy and burn calories that's stored in your body. The best form of cardio workout is Interval Training. It incorporates alternating between high and low intensities. This will make your exercise sessions much more effective for fat loss.

It's recommended to perform cardio 5 days a week when trying to lose belly fat.

Direct abs exercise would not really make you lose belly fat but it's important to include them in your program to help tone and firm your stomach. Such exercises include Bicycle, Ball Crunch, Long Arm Crunch, Reverse Crunch and Plank.

If You Want To get Lean And Ripped, have A Look At these Top Guides For Men And Women

How Can A Woman Get A Slim Body?

If you're a woman that's aiming to get a slim body, welcome to the article that'll guide you properly to achieve this goal. Most guys aim is to have a lean and muscular physique. On the other hand, while there are many women that enjoy building muscle, the majority of women will be content with just losing fat and maintaining a slim figure.

Slimming down and getting into better shape is a dream that lots of women consistently wish to turn into a reality, but they're oftentimes set back by lack of the right knowledge to make this happen or they just do not have the motivation to take action and stick to it.



Basically, there is only one thing between you and getting the slim and well trimmed body of your everyday dreams.

This unwelcome possession is no other than excess body fat. Therefore, another way to refer to 'getting a slim body' is 'losing excess body fat'. You'll learn in this article how to lose your surplus of fat and reveal the slim physique that is covered up underneath. When you successfully reach this point there is no doubt your confidence will be boosted and you'll be able to do things that you couldn't have done before.

Why You Have Excess Body Fat?

It'll be unwise to try tackling a problem without first learning why you're there in the first place. People accumulate excess fat from overeating. That doesn't necessary mean that you rammed more food in your stomach during meals after being filled.

Overeating simply means you ate more food than was needed for your level of physical activity at least on some days. You see, food is needed for giving your body energy to function daily. The unit of measurement for this energy is called calories.

Each and every movement your body makes uses up calories. Of course, the more energy required by the activity the more calories you'll burn. When you consume foods high in calories and don't burn all of it through physical activities, guess what.....you gain fat, causing you to drift further and further away from a slim body.

What Needs To Be Done To Lose The Excess Fat?


This is where it gets tricky. Mainly, fat loss includes diet - eating in a special way to control calorie intake, and exercise - making the body move to burn off stored calories. However, losing body fat is a very popular and also very controversial topic.

There are many approaches to losing fat that are considered to be unsafe, and other approaches that are not really unsafe but may be ineffective. My aim in this article is to fill you in on the safe and effective way of getting a slim body.

I'll explain the appropriate things to do under both diet and exercise that'll allow you to burn your excess body fat and finally get the body that'll have you smiling whenever you look in the mirror.


Diet - Eating To Get A Slim Body 

As said, eating too much calories and not burning all of it off is what leads to weight gain. Therefore, controlling your eating habits is certainly necessary for burning fat. Basically, you'll need to control the quantity of food you're eating as well as the type of foods included in your diet to get a lean and healthy body.

You'll need to eat less food in general, but you do not have to starve yourself. The idea is to reduce your intake of foods that'll quickly lead to fat storage in your body, specifically sugary and fat foods.

Some type of foods you most definitely need to avoid are cakes, sweet drinks, sodas, chocolate, ice-cream margarine, butter, oil and fast-foods. A once in a while approach to eating some of these foods in moderation won't prevent you from getting slim, but you must stick to controlling yourself.

Celebrities such as Jordin Sparks and Jennifer Hudson who've drastically slimmed down said this was the technique they used to successfully achieve their weight loss.

Exercise - Working Out To Get A Slim Body 

If you want a slim body fast, you'll need to take a strategic approach to exercising for fat loss. This will largely involve the types of exercises that you perform. But, other factors such as the number of hours and days spent exercising also matters.

The best approach is to use a balanced program that combines the use of cardio activity and strength training for the most effective and fastest fat loss results.

You can simply do walking and jogging as your type of cardio. 30-45 minutes of walking 5 days a week will have great effect.

If you have access to a gym or have your own exercise equipments, you have an advantage to mix up various exercises for increased effectiveness.

It's recommended to use a balanced program that combines the use of cardio activity and strength training for the most effective and fastest results.

Why perform a combination of the two? Here's why...

Cardio exercise such as running on a treadmill, riding an exercise bike and climbing on a stair simulator or elliptical machine, both at a moderate and high intensity level, increases heart rate and burns calories.

Strength training exercises such as free weights, machine weights and pushups builds muscle tissues, and  muscles also help burn fat. Therefore, you'll be increasing the pace at which you get a slim body when your exercise program includes performing both types of exercise.

How To Start Your Journey To Getting A Slim

Once you begin making changes to your diet and increase your level of physical activity you'll soon start seeing the weight going down. Start off by reducing the consumption of fat and sugary foods in your diet.

Make a schedule to start walking and jogging or join a gym to do exercise daily. I think one of the biggest factors that prevent women from starting a diet and exercise plan to lose weight is fear of failure. They believe they would not be able to keep up with their routine and see results.

Honestly, it's not as hard as you think. You can use a flexible program that's suitable for your specific situation and individual goals. You may want to focus more on diet over exercise or focus on exercise more.

This can also work well once you do it properly. I recommend using a program that's professionally designed to guide you properly according to the approach you want to use.

8 Benefits Of Building Muscle Apart From Good Looks

Most people focus on how building muscle can improve their appearance when aiming for this goal, such as make their body look fuller and more toned. However, there are numerous health benefits that are gained from building muscle which many people may not be aware of. If you're not concerned about looks like most people do, you'll be happy to know that you can gain the following other benefits when you get into muscle building.



1. Added Power And Strength

By building muscle you will become physically stronger and more powerful which will make any physical tasks easier to accomplish like lifting and carrying heavy things.  

2. Increases Bone Strength

Building muscle and working out increases your bone strength. This helps a lot especially as you get older and require stronger bones. Having strong bones also reduces your chance of getting any bone related illnesses or issues.

3. More Energy  

Another great benefit of building muscle is the increase in energy you will gain. You don't get tired as easily and your stamina lasts longer. In today's society of hustle and bustle, more energy is a wonderful thing.

4. Better Ability To Play Sports 

Most sports require lots of energy, strength, resistance and power which are results you'll get from building muscle. So you will perform better when playing sports and also do other intense exercise easily like running and lifting heavier weights.

5. Stronger Immunity Against Disease 

Building up your muscles enhances your overall health which will greatly reduce your chances of getting many health problems and diseases. This is extremely beneficial since good health is paramount of possessions in life for everyone.

6. Burns Body Fat

Building muscle increases your metabolism - so essentially this means your body burns more calories which will contribute to a lean healthy body.

7. Diminishes Signs Of Aging 

Another good benefit of building muscle is that it makes you look and feel younger. The reason it does this is because it slows down the aging process. You will look younger next to people who are the same age like you.

8. Reduce Stress And Promotes Well Being 

Working out is a great hobby you can use to release yourself from stress as well as calm tension and anger. Building muscle will also make you more motivated in your daily life, as a result you will be more productive and optimistic.

So there you see the number of other benefits you can gain from building muscle apart from just looking attractive. Therefore, if you are not interested in getting into muscle building for the sake of improving your appearance, considering the number of other great benefits you can gain, there must be a worthwhile reason to make you finally start a muscle building regime.

Tyson Beckford Workout And Diet Approach For Building And Maintaining His Body

Former male model Tyson Beckford's stunning lean and muscular physique didn't come by accident or chance. According to statements made by Beckford, who is also an actor, about his diet and workout routine it's clear that his approach is focused on maintaining the right lean and muscular look.



Tyson was skinny when he started out building muscle. He said his successful body development was due to hitting the gym hard and eating right.

Of course, when you're skinny you must make a strong commitment to follow your workout regime properly so you can see muscle grow. And remember, when you're working out to build muscle for the first time it's a great opportunity to gain muscle rapidly. You just need to use the right diet and workout plan to guide you along the right path.

Where did Tyson Beckford Get Guidance

If you're reading articles online to increase your knowledge about building muscle you're doing the same thing Tyson Beckford did to help guide him to build his body. Tyson said that, reading information on fitness websites and magazines gave him ideas for his routine.

He didn't use a personal trainer like most celebrities to achieve his transformation. He did it all on his own by using written muscle building information as his guide.

Tyson Beckford Approach For Staying Lean 

Tyson maintains a very lean physique by performing enough cardio in every workout session and ensuring his diet consists of the right foods in the right amount so that body fat is kept well under control.

This approach has allowed Beckford to own a well defined body that has undeniably played a major role in his career both as a model and an actor.

The Best Muscle Building Program For The Lean Male Model And Hollywood Physique...

How To Turn Your Toned Abs Into Shredded Abs

Getting toned abs is really about getting your body fat level down to a low percentage. Getting down to a low body fat level doesn't involve special tricks at all. There are different methods to achieve this that work. To be honest, for a person to get toned abs they just basically need to be self-disciplined. Let us go through the basics.



Here's A Proven Strategy to Getting Toned Abs

The more body fat you have to lose to get down to a low body fat level, the easier it'll be to drop body fat. Take for instance, if a person needs to lose let's say 100 lbs of fat, it'll be a breeze burning off their first 20 lbs, if a person needs to lose just 25 lbs to get lean, they will have a much harder time dropping 20 lbs.

The closer you come to getting lean the harder you are going to have to work to reach that goal. For that reason you'll need to increase the intensity level of your exercise to continue making progress. The closer you get to your goal the more intense your exercise should get.

Amazing Tip on How to Go From Toned Abs to Shredded Abs

I have never heard anyone talk about this. In order to get really shredded abs, you basically need to keep your body fat low for a long period of time.

This is because it takes a while for your loose skin to tighten up and "fill in the grooves" in your abs. If you work on maintaining a reasonably low body fat percentage for over one year, I will guarantee you that you will love the way your abs look.

The Problem With "Bulking Up"

Lots of trainers recommend to people that they should eat excess calories during the winter and lift heavy to gain muscle. Then in the summer it is recommended that you hit cardio hard and burn off all that fat to get ripped.

The problem with this approach is that your skin never has the time to really tighten up around your muscles.

If you stay lean year round, you will eventually have better muscle definition than just about everyone in your gym. The nice thing about staying lean year round is that you look good all year, not just part of the time.

To Sum It Up - Work Your Way to A Low Body Fat Level and Keep it Low for 12 Months or More. This Is Your Ticket To Shredded Abs.

Article by R. Moore - an avid fitness trainer who have perfected the right methods to help people get high quality results when building muscle and losing fat. His popular fitness programs are VI For Men, VI For Women and VI Cardio.

C'est La Vie...

I was lucky enough to travel to France in July for work...

1st stop was Paris then onto Nice followed by a road trip, stopping in Monaco, Cannes, St. Tropez, Montpellier, Biarritz and Hossegor. 

Such amazing places, can't wait to go back!

Bonjour Paris!

Saturday in Paris...

View from room...

La Plage in Monaco

Fields of sunflowers...

Sunset in Cannes...

Heading to St. Tropez...

La Plage - St. Tropez

Heading into Biarritz...

Hossegor...

How To Get Rid Of Stubborn Body Fat With Interval Training

Burn Body Fat With The "Steady State Cardio" Method  

There are different ways to burn body fat, however some methods are more effective than others. The most popular method is what I call "Steady State Cardio". Basically, this means performing cardio at a moderate pace for an extended period of time. The aim is to increase your heart rate up to about 60 - 80 percent your maximum heart rate. It has been shown that this is an optimum zone to use fat as energy while you work out. Providing you carryout this for a long period of time, you will burn off the body fat. This is the most used form of cardio and it works very well.



The "Interval Training" Method to Lose Body Fat

Interval Training isn't as popular as Steady State Cardio, but I believe it is much more effective at burning off stubborn body fat. Interval Training basically means alternating high and low intensities throughout your cardio workout. A typical HIIT workout might be getting on a treadmill and walking for one minute followed by running for one minute. You would repeat this pattern until your cardio session was complete.

Intervals: Proven Superior in Several University Studies

In the early to mid 90's several university studies were conducted which showed how Interval Training allowed people to burn off fat at faster rates than any other method of cardio. This method was proven years ago to be the superior method to burn body fat, yet people are still stuck in the past doing the same old steady state cardio. I believe that Interval Training isn't understood by most people and that is why it isn't as popular as the traditional Steady State Cardio method. If you want to get really lean, then you need to understand how Interval Training works!

Interval Training Will Burn Body Fat Hours After Your Workout is Finished

Steady State Cardio is very effective at burning body fat the 30 to 60 minutes you are working out. Interval Training is very effective at burning body fat for up to 24 hours after you complete the workout! Without getting too technical, Interval Training will increase the natural occurring level of HGH in your body. HGH is a hormone in your body that will burn off body fat like crazy. If you can find a way to increase the natural levels of HGH in your body, you will get as lean as you desire! Interval Training is the way to do exactly that. It has been shown that Interval Training can burn up to six times as much fat as traditional cardio. The HGH response is one of the reasons behind this.

Interval Training Creates a Large Calorie Deficit

This is tough work which burns more total calories than traditional cardio. A very basic approach to losing weight is to burn more calories than what you consume in a day. An intense session of Intervals will raise your metabolism for a few hours after the workout. The total calories burned will be much greater than if a more moderate form of cardio was used.

A Cardio Workout That Works Very Well

I have used several variations of this workout for 6 years and it keeps me at 6 to 8 percent body fat year round.

1) Hop on a treadmill, exercise bike, or elliptical machine

2) Walk or ride at a Steady State Cardio Pace for 1.5 minutes

3) Jog or peddle fast for 30 seconds (set the resistance higher)

4) Go back to the same Steady State Cardio Pace for 1.5 minutes

5) Jog or peddle fast for 30 seconds (higher speed/resistance than the first time)

6) Repeat this for 20-30 minutes

Note: Start off the 30 seconds sprints at a moderate pace and go a bit faster for each of the remaining sprints. The last 30 second sprint should be your toughest. It is a good sign if you are short of breath, your skin is hot, and you are sweating. This is what will cause an increase of HGH in your body. Some people call this the "HGH flush"...this is what you are aiming for. Interval Training is tough, but you will love the results!