Mike Geary: What Busy Moms Need To Know To Get Fit

I was at a conference for fitness professionals a few months ago in Florida & I had the pleasure of meeting a fitness pro named Holly Rigsby. Holly is a busy mom who also manages to keep herself in spectacular shape... so she actually does practice what she preaches.

I asked Holly to contribute an article to the blog so we could give some special attention to the busy moms.


**Fitness Faux Pas; What NOT to do**
By Holly Rigsby, CPT

Author - http://FitYummyMom.com


Listen up Ladies– Just like the popular fashion show on TLC " What NOT  to Wear'" you are about to get a large dose of "What NOT to Do" if  your goal is to boost your metabolism, shed fat and achieve results in
the shortest time possible.

Is this you? Get ready, because I am about to call you out on the Top 3 Mistakes you are making that can destroy your metabolism, zap your energy and keep your body soft and flabby.

Hours of Cardio?
Cardio is not the end-all be-all solution to fat loss. Working longer and harder will not help you lose fat – in fact it can make you store more fat! We have gotten hung up on the notion of "calories burned". This causes us to obsessively look for ways to increase calorie burn in the hopes that we are also burning more fat. Unfortunately you are only risking the loss of muscle and receive little to no increase in your metabolism once you stop.

Besides, why would you want to torture yourself with the unnerving thoughts of minutes needed to burn fat. What if you miss a day or eat too much? My buddy Craig Ballantyne refers to this punishment as the
"Cardio Confessional". We've all done it, but what results has this habit rendered?

It's not how many calories you can burn per exercise, but how many calories you burn 24-7. You already possess the most powerful fat burner – your muscle! So why punish yourself and risk the loss of your
fat burning potential? Toss the notion of long hours of cardio out the window. INTENSITY is the KEY to getting the most out of your cardio in the least amount of time. So revamp your cardio program with new,
energizing short burst intervals!

Target the Trouble Spots?

Jennifer Garner's toned arms and Fergie's fab abs are not created by some "magic:" exercise that mysteriously melts fat off a particular area of the body. It is time to banish the "Spot Reduction Myth" once and for all.

There simply is no "one" exercise that acts like a "magic eraser" to rid your body parts of unsightly fat. That's not how the body works. If you want to loose fat, you instead need to challenge all of the muscles in your body to boost your metabolism, so you lose fat all over.

When it comes to fat loss, isolated, shaping exercises are a waste of your time. Just because you "feel the burn" does not mean you ARE burning the fat. One of the most effective ways in which to maximize
your fat-burning potential is through full body, short burst resistance training. By working several muscle groups at once, short burst resistance training saves time, skyrockets your energy levels and incinerates fat and calories.

Resistant to Resistance Training?

"I don't want to bulk up, I just want to get toned"

Let's think about what you are saying here. Toned, simply means you have shed the fat that once covered your muscles – so we can see your muscle definition. Muscle gives your body a lean, tight shape.

No, you will not bulk up like a man. Women simply do not have enough testosterone to get "bulky" nor, typically do they spend enough time with weights to look anything other than lean, toned and firm. The
only reason some women feel like they look bulky is because they have excess body fat while building muscle, but are not eating in a way that supports fat loss.

Plus, muscle takes up less space than fat. The quickest way to drop a jean size is to incorporate short burst resistance training into your fitness routine.

If muscle makes you cringe, then you need to get used to a thin, soft, flabby body. For lean, toned, fit bodies have low body fat and a lot of lean muscle.

Instead of working hours on end month after month for little if any results, try eliminating these fitness faux pas from your program and start letting your body work for you to achieve your fat loss goals.

Thanks for that article Holly!

You can check out Holly's system for shaping up busy moms at:

http://FitYummyMom.com

I'll be back in a few days with more Lean-Body Secrets.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com