JUST FOR THE HEALTH OF IT: Eliminate failure

Tim demonstrates the glute ham raise.

The easiest way to gain success in life is to stop letting yourself fail. The same goes for losing fat and getting fit. It might not be easy to get off the fat-loss roller coaster, but it’s time to finally end the cycle of workout destruction and rebirth once and for all. To do this effectively, set your fitness goals aside for the moment and ask yourself if you’re getting maximum results from your workout program.

Generically speaking, there are two main types of exercise: “Cardio” and resistance training. Both are beneficial, however, resistance training is one of the most powerful drivers of fat loss … not “cardio.”

Skeptical? Read on.

Many people believe that spending 30 minutes on a treadmill or elliptical is enough to transform their bodies. While it’s always good to stay active regardless of how you move your body, you could burn fat and build muscle in a much more efficient — and much less boring — way.

Your body burns calories all day, even when you are not exercising. Quite simply, if you work out every day for an hour, you’ll do seven hours of work. Not only is this a significant commitment that few people have time for, it’s also not recommended. The kicker? Working out for seven hours is still only about 4 percent of your week. Do you really think that you’ll make a difference with fat loss based on a 4 percent investment? No way!

The bulk of calories your body burns comes from your resting metabolic rate (RMR). If you can turn that number up, even slightly, then you’ll make a big difference in total fat loss. Even if you only increase your RMR by 25 calories per hour, every hour, that’s an additional 600 calories per day (or 4,200 calories burned per week). That should result in more than a pound of fat loss per week before calories burned during workout or caloric manipulation from diet are even factored in.

The most important thing to remember when trying to achieve fitness success is that it’s not about how many calories you burn during your workout, but rather how many calories you burn when you are not working out. Typical cardio routines burn calories in the moment. Resistance training burns calories long after the workout is over. It increases muscle tissue, which directly impacts metabolism and even helps improve posture and balance. Life is about making every moment count. The same should be applied to how you workout.

Tim owns Leverage Fitness Studio (900 Rutter Ave., Forty Fort). Find out more at LeverageFitnessStudio.com or e-mail thlivia@hotmail.com.