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George Louris (49)
George Louris
GetFit Inc.

Burn Fat, get that six pack! Intervals is the way to go!

Posted Friday, July 13, 2007 (2 years 134 days ago.) Viewed 386 times.

Who isn’t looking to lose fat, lose a couple of inches off their waistline, go down a couple of sizes and start working towards those "six pack abs"? Rhetorical question, I know. Of course, most of us have heard that for the best results, eating “right", taking the right supplements and combining resistance and cardio training into your routine is key, and of course, that’s great advice. But what many don’t realize is that the key to effective cardio training ( read: fat burning) is interval training. Forget about the slow and steady approach, it’s time to start the fat burning engine!

What is interval training?

Interval training is best defined as short, high intensity periods of exercise alternated with low intensity periods. Interval training is an effective technique that will help you burn more calories for several hours after your workout, thus making it a highly effective fat burning technique.

Most people spend their workout time only performing continuous training exercises (exercises where the intensity level is basically constant throughout).

Why interval training?

There are many benefits to interval training. Not only can it help you burn more calories longer, it can help you improve cardiovascular fitness, increase speed, improve overall aerobic power, help you break-through a plateau, expand your workout options and increase your overall workout threshold.

What should I do?

Interval training could be performed with any cardio machine (elliptical, treadmill, stationary bike, etc) or with no equipment at all. If interval training is new to you, I would recommend you start with a 20 minute interval workout and work your way up to 30 minutes by adding 2 additional minutes every week. Skip the predefined “interval" option on your machine and try this simple workout instead by selecting the “manual" option.

  • Warmup at a low intensity for approximately 4-5 minutes
  • Perform 1 minute at a moderate to high or high intensity
  • Perform 1 minute at a low intensity
  • Repeat this 6 to 8 times
  • Cooldown at a low intensity for approximately 4-5 minutes


    • This is just one simple variation of an interval workout. Once you get the concept, it’s not too difficult to apply it to different exercises or to increase the duration. Try interval training 3 days a week (on the days you aren’t doing resistance training) and you’ll be shedding those pounds before you know it!

    For more health and fitness related information, feel free to visit us at Get Fit Today! and sign up for our free newsletter.


            Comments (0)

    Love Chinese Food? Think twice before you order!

    Posted Friday, June 29, 2007 (2 years 148 days ago.) Viewed 138 times.

    Love eating Chinese food? Most of us do, but don't get fooled into thinking that anything and everything on the Chinese food menu is good for you. In fact, most people look to Chinese cuisine as a healthy alternative to fast food, but the truth is that there are a bunch of pitfalls on the menu, including high sodium and fat contents across several different foods across the typical Chinese menu…

    • Rice: Almost everyone loves having rice as part of their Chinese menu. The problem is that many people confuse “fried rice" with the much healthier brown rice. “Fried rice" is really white rice that’s brown via soy sauce and oil. It’s also high in fat and sodium. Stay away from the fried rice!
    • Noodles: Never, ever, ever a good choice! Did I mention that they’re not a good choice? The amounts of oil used to cook this stuff is almost enough for your next oil change!
    • Sauces: Regardless of where or what you’re eating, you should ALWAYS order your sauce on the side. Restaurants almost always pour on much more than you typically would and ordering on the side lets you control your portions. These sauces are also typically high in fat and sodium. Soy sauce for example, a staple of Chinese cuisine, has up to FOUR times the recommended daily allowance of salt in just ONE tablespoon!!!
    • Meat: If you can’t recognize what’s on your plate it probably means you should skip it. You’re always better off ordering steamed entrees. That way you not only could recognize what you’re eating, but you'll be skipping the digestion of meat that’s covered in fat-soaked breading (think General Tso’s chicken!!!).


    Your best bet is to really take advantage of ALL the healthy options and order a little of everything, focusing mostly on vegetables and steamed dishes. You could still enjoy your Chinese food, but don’t derail all you hard work by making the wrong choices.

    For more information on general health and nutrition, feel free to sign up for our free newsletter: www.getfitnesstoday.net


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