No doubt you’ve heard a thousand times over that, if you want to lose weight, you have to be consistent. You have to have a routine and you’ve got to stick to it, no matter what.

While it’s true that consistency is King and commitment is Queen when it comes to getting fit, here is a little known exception to that rule: Deferring from your regular fitness routine can, in fact, be just the thing you need if you’ve hit a wall or your scale starts moving in the wrong direction.

The alternative most folks choose when they hit a plateau is to “take it up a notch” by working harder, longer, heavier, or faster, or, they move to near starvation in an effort to squeeze the body fat off. But here’s some good news. None of that is necessary if you know what you are doing. Here are 3 ways you can switch just a few things around and shift your results into high gear:

The Difference is in The Difference - The human body is one of the most adaptable machines on planet earth. How else do you explain the diverse environments in which we exist? With this in mind, it’s easy to understand why, once you become acclimated to something new, both your mind and body can become comfortable, or you might even say, complacent. When you have physically grown accustomed to a consistent amount of calories or a consistent exercise routine (this typically happens 5 to 7 weeks into a steady fitness regimen) your body will often kick into BTDT (“Been There Done That”) mode.  When this happens, you might be moving along at a nice, even clip, getting all of your workouts in and eating like a runway model and then, suddenly, without warning, the scale comes to a screeching halt.

A Different Drill – When your body gets to the point where it is no longer impressed with your flat bench press or the 12 sets of 50 squats you’ve been performing, rather than trying to pound it into submission with longer, harder workouts, try instead to switch exercises. If you’ve been using free weights, switch to machines for a while. If you’ve been doing nothing but circuit training at the gym, try moving to body-weight exercises like counter push-ups or stadiums. When you ask the body to move through a different plane of motion, no matter how slight the difference, it can cause the muscle to tap in on fibers that have not been called upon before. Simply changing to a different piece of equipment or exercise method, even at a lighter weight, can produce that nice feeling of fatigue and soreness you’ve been missing –  much easier than adding more weight or more reps.

A Different Diet – If your scale has all but stalled out, rather than eating less and less food, a better approach (and one that will yield much better return with a lot less pain) is to change either the timing, portions or combinations of foods you eat. If you tend to skip breakfast, eat very light all day and then eat your largest meal in the evening, try doing just the opposite. Eat your largest meal first thing in the morning, then consistently down size throughout the day. Ideally, of course, to get the best results from your nutrition plan, all of your meals should be about the same size (a little larger than your clinched fist,) contain an equal portion of protein and carbohydrates, and should be spread out evenly throughout the day (about every 2-1/2 to 3 hours.) But, again, if you have been doing this consistently and are no longer getting the results you want, it’s time to try something new.

A Different Dream – Using a goal picture or creating a vision board is one of the most powerful ways to wake up your focus and keep it there. Unfortunately, after a few weeks, if you are still looking at the same images, no matter how inspirational they once were, they won’t serve much purpose unless you continue to have a strong, positive, emotional response to them. If the vision of your dream has faded (and the excitement of changing has moved in the same direction) it’s time to find some new images or phrases that inspire you. Another way to wake up your inspiration is to begin carefully and methodically charting your progress on paper. Set new goals, make a calendar of daily and weekly achievements, and reward yourself by checking them off as you go along. While most people focus on the action part of fitness - sweat, work, pain, resistance, denial and deprivation - the true key to long-term success comes with changing your vision and your vocabulary. Get in the habit of talking about the DREAM as opposed to the struggle. Ultimately, it’s how you view your world and communicate with yourself that makes all the difference in the world.

About the Author:
Dianne Orwig is a success coach, motivational speaker, fitness trainer, and founder of LivingFit Online™, a fitness program that has helped thousands of men and women completely transform their bodies and live healthier, happier lives though her less-works-better approach.

For more information on how you can get better results in less time and with less effort than you ever thought possible, visit http://www.lovelivingfit.com. Send for your Free LivingFit Progress Tracker by emailing dianne@lovelivingfit.com and placing the words “STV Free Progress Tracker” in the subject line. You will receive the tracker and a free bonus as our gift to you!

(c) Copyright - Dianne Orwig. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

I can’t think of another instrument on earth with the power to shift your mood from hopeful to heartbroken as swiftly as the villainous, evil bathroom scale. In just two simple steps, first your left, then the right, you are instantly at its mercy and, of course, mercy is rarely what you get in return. So, whether you are a slave to the scale or a total scale scared-e-cat, here are a few ways to tame the beast and come out a winner.
 
Mix And Match - When you start a new fitness regimen, you don’t eat just one type of food or use only one type of exercise. To keep things balanced, you need variety, not only in your food and exercise, but in the way you chart your progress as well. When it comes to getting the clearest picture of where you are headed, there are four ways to gauge your success – the scale, body fat calipers, tape measure, the camera and, last but not least, the good old pant-o-meter. Used in combination, they provide the most accurate picture of where you stand in your efforts to downsize.
 
The Scale - If you follow a consistent program of weight training, cardio and proper nutrition, you can expect to lose an average of 1 to 1.50 pounds of scale weight per week. Trust me when I tell you that these averages are hard to buck, so keep in mind that if you are lucky enough to see a three pound loss one week, you shouldn't expect to drop the same amount the following week, no matter how "good" you are.

Body Fat Calipers - The best way to calculate what's really happening on the scale is to compare it with what’s happening to your body fat. Of the many ways body fat can be measured, the three most common are: Hydrostatic (very expensive and time consuming,) Pinch Calipers (moderately priced, sometimes uncomfortable, and requires assistance) and Impedance Calipers (affordable, quick, and reliable.) No matter which you choose, it’s important to use the same method and equipment throughout your program and always test at the same time of day.
 
The Tape Measure - About every four weeks you should measure the circumference of five specific spots on your body. For consistency, I choose the widest area of the left thigh, hips, waist, chest, and left bicep. Once you have measured each site, total the inches and continue to compare this total with your initial stats. This will allow you to determine the total inches lost to-date. When you are losing the proper amount of body fat, you can expect to drop a full inch for ever pound you lose on the scale.

The Camera – Nothing reveals your results more accurately or more dramatically than comparing your “before” pictures with your “after” pictures. Aside from the obvious reasons for keeping a photographic history of your progress, there is another very important factor in taking those painful first shots. From a psychological standpoint, it says something very powerful when you take that snap shot in time. In the most resolute way, taking before pictures sends a proclamation to yourself and to the world, “Have one last look, because I’m never coming back here again.”

 
The Jean Test - The best measurement of all is the one that really counts. There's no better feeling in the world than to slide into a pair of denims you could barely zip the month before. When it comes to determining what direction your waistline is really going, nothing is more reliable or more gratifying than the good old Pant-O-Meter.

Dianne Orwig is a success coach, motivational speaker, fitness trainer, and founder of LivingFit Online™, a fitness program that has helped thousands of men and women completely transform their bodies and live healthier, happier lives though her less-works-better approach.
 
For more information on how you can get better results in less time and with less effort than you ever thought possible, visit http://www.lovelivingfit.com. While you are there, sign up to receive the most current and innovative weekly health and fitness tips in the industry by subscribing to our FREE newsletter!

(c) Copyright - Dianne Orwig. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

We all know we need to drink more water and most of us understand the logic behind it. Besides the fact that the majority of what you carry around in the way of blood and muscle is comprised of water, it is also directly linked to hundreds of neurological functions that continually misfire when you are dehydrated. While it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that H2O it is your best beverage of choice, the real question is, how much is enough and how do all the other things we drink factor into the equation?

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? - Whether you think you are getting enough water or not, the only way to be sure is to measure how much you actually consume. Low to moderately active people need 80 ounces of water per day (around five 16.9 ounce bottles.) Active people should try to drink 90 to 120 ounces a day (for all my international friends out there, 3 to 4 liters daily is a perfect amount.) If this seems like a lot, it’s likely you’re not getting enough.

WHAT ABOUT SODA AND COFFEE? – This is where I like to bring in The Four C's Rule – that is, when you drink something that contains either caffeine, carbonation, color or calories, you should follow that drink with a full 16 oz bottle of water. If you choose a drink that contains one or more of The Four C's, you need to add another 8 ounces of water to your day. This is because all these elements tend to dehydrate. In combination, the effects are doubled or tripled. The more C's you consume (diet cola has three of the four) the more water your body needs to counteract the effects.

IS WINE REALLY FINE ANYTIME? - Alcohol is a triple threat. First, it is high in calories and usually devoid of nutrients. Okay... an occasional glass of red wine is said to be beneficial, but hang with me here. Second, it lowers your metabolism. Third, if you eat and drink, alcohol all but guarantees that you will consume 30% more calories from food. Sure, one cocktail on occasion is fine… BUT, if you are trying to get the scale to move in the right direction, any alcohol, even in moderation, can bring things to a screeching halt.

If you find you need to step up your water intake, make sure not to try and do it all at once. A great way to start getting more water is to have a full 16 oz bottle by your bedside and vow that each morning you will finish it before you hit the shower.

Also, don't try eliminating caffeine cold turkey or you may end up with flu-like symptoms for a few days - not fun. Taper off gradually, exchanging one caffeinated drink for a bottle of water until you're consuming the correct amount of each. Your kidneys will also need time to adjust to the extra water, so don't be too alarmed by the number of bathroom breaks you'll be making those first few days. Soon it will all be... water under the bridge.

Dianne Orwig is a international fitness expert, success coach, motivational speaker, and founder of LivingFit Online™, a fitness program that has helped thousands of men and women completely transform their bodies and live healthier, happier lives though her less-works-better approach.
 
For more information on how you can get better results in less time and with less effort than you ever thought possible, visit http://www.lovelivingfit.com. You can also catch Dianne’s show, Love Living Fit on Blog Talk Radio, every Sunday at 8pm ET by visiting www.blogtalkradio.com/love_livingfit.
 
(c) Copyright - Dianne Orwig. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Imagine that you are sitting on a park bench and someone comes over, sits down next to you, and begins to engage in a very heated phone conversation. Their tone is stern and judgmental and the biting words they use are a dead giveaway that they have little or no respect, admiration, or compassion for the person on the other end. 
 
"You are such a disappointment," they say...

"You are still so fat...”

“So what if you’ve lost 5 pounds…”

“You’ve still got a long way to go…”

“What is your problem anyway? It must be old age or something…”

“No wonder you can't get anywhere... I don't know why you even try…”

“You are the most uncooperative person I have ever dealt with…”

“Frankly, I’ve had it with you…"

Now, while this person next to you on the bench isn't speaking directly to you, it's likely your inclination is to find another bench. Who wants to be around that kind of negativity anyway?

Then, suddenly, you realize that there's no one sitting on the bench with you. Instead, you recognize that the conversation you are hearing is your own voice and the person on the other end of it is YOU. You’re the one telling yourself how disappointed you are that the scale hasn’t moved, that you still feel fat, that you’re sick and tired of trying so hard to reach your goals, and that there must be something wrong.
 
Let Your Mind Go and Your Body Will Follow - Now consider the reaction your body has when you make these statements. As the “person” on the receiving end, it’s likely your body has the same reaction that anyone would.  It’s possible that it’s saying in rebuttal, “Well, if that’s really what you think of me, then that’s what I will continue to be.” Is it possible that, through the thoughts and statements you make about yourself to yourself, you are leaving your body no choice but to keep giving you what you are focused on... failure, weakness and disappointment? 
 
"Watch Your Language Young Man" - The truth is when you continue to think, write and utter statements using low-energy words such as disappointed (one of the lowest of all low-energy words) or old, worn out, tired, depressed, overwhelmed, stressed, terrible, hormonal, sick, etc… these words have the power to lock your body in a holding pattern of disappointment, old age, weakness, fatigue, depression and, yes, even menopause.
 
In her book, Every Word Has Power: Switch On Your Language and Turn On Your Life, author Yvonne Oswald, explains that all words carry weight and their impact on us can actually be measured on a physical level. “There are only two types of words: those that empower and those that don’t.”
According to Oswald, your subconscious remembers all the great (and not so great) moments of your life and describes how just meditating on the word “good” can cause the brain to recall the good feelings behind those great moments – just as meditating on the word “bad” or “sad” can produce a matching and equal response.

The reason for this, Yvonne says, is that a key, high-energy word such as good (good happens to be one of the highest) has a measurable energy that transcends beyond the word itself into an emotion that impacts both our physical and metaphysical reality.

"Powerful high-energy words such as excitement, joy, success, or love, vibrate higher and faster, thus increasing your ‘I feel good’ feelings. Low-energy words, particularly words that have negative emotional associations such as sadness or guilt, resonate at a lower frequency. They make you feel less than great by literally lowering your energy levels. In fact, 20 percent of the words you use have strong emotional undertones, which cause you to react either negatively or positively.”

So, what’s a person to do when, say, they are, in fact, still fat… or getting old… or really tired… or legitimately sick? Are we supposed to deny reality? One option may be to simply switch or exchange low energy words with higher energy words. Here are a few examples Oswald offers:

Instead of:                              Try This:
No problem                               I’d be happy to
No trouble at all                         My pleasure
This is too hard                         This is not that easy
I’m so mad                                I’m not happy
I’m sick                                    I’m not feeling well
I’m thankful I’m not sick               I'm glad I am well

In the case of switching from a statement like, “I still feel so fat,” you might instead say, “I’m looking forward to a time when I am leaner.”

The key, Oswald suggests, is to start by becoming aware of the low energy words you habitually use and see if you can begin replacing them with a few better alternatives. It’s very possible, if you do, your life and your waistline will thank you!

Dianne Orwig is a international fitness expert, success coach, motivational speaker, and founder of LivingFit Online™, a fitness program that has helped thousands of men and women completely transform their bodies and live healthier, happier lives though her less-works-better approach.
 
For more information on how you can get better results in less time and with less effort than you ever thought possible, visit http://www.lovelivingfit.com. You can also catch Dianne’s show, Love Living Fit on Blog Talk Radio, every Sunday at 8pm ET by visiting www.blogtalkradio.com/love_livingfit.
 
(c) Copyright - Dianne Orwig. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

What do you consider your most difficult challenge when it comes to getting fit? Is it staying motivated and focused, finding the time to exercise, cleaning up your eating habits? Perhaps you can’t decide which diet to follow, or maybe you thought you were eating right, but your waistline just won’t seem to budge. Maybe you don’t have an exercise routine you can stick with or you have physical obstacles to overcome, or maybe everyone in your family is heavy and you feel like you’re serving a life sentence in gene pool prison. It’s complicated, right?

If any of this sounds familiar, I want to let you in on a little secret (one that most my clients find very hard to believe when they first come to me for help.) Getting fit is not as hard or complicated as you’ve been led to believe. The truth is, I’ve spent the last 11 years proving that it’s actually pretty simple. So simple, in fact, a caveman could do it...

So, what does a caveman know about fitness?

Graze Don’t Gorge – Despite any evolutionary changes that have taken place in the past 6 millennium or so, the human body still runs best on small, incremental meals that are delivered in intervals of between 90 and 120 minutes. This is the approximate time it takes for a fist size portion of food to digest and become fuel for the body. The caveman is always on the go, foraging for food, looking for shelter, and building huts and stuff. There’s really no time (or resources) to be spending long, leisurely hours languishing over heavy, complicated meals. Grazing is the most efficient and effective means of feeding the body. In caveman land, a meal is a meal is a meal. One isn’t bigger or smaller than another, and ideally, they are consumed about every 2 hours or so.

Gorge On Occasion – Every so often, the caveman makes a lucky shot and spears a really slow rhino or a wooly mammoth. Party time! These are rare opportunities, every 2 weeks or so, when Mr. Caveman gets to let loose and “pig out.” Doing this not only helps to replenish vitamins and nutrients that are often missing from the whole grazing routine, it also reassures the body that starvation is no longer imminent. On those occasional big feast days (something we refer to in the 21st century as “cheat day” or “free day”), the benefits of consuming more calories than usual are significant, both from a psychological and physiological standpoint.

Sprint Don’t Run – Have you ever known a distance runner who, despite running hours on end, has the propensity of holding onto pockets of fat that seem in stark contrast to the amount of work being done? What’s up with that? Well, one explanation might be that all that running somehow alerts the body into believing that there’s something wrong. The caveman typically chooses to run long distances only when lost or being chased by a big cat. This biological response to stress and/or danger is referred to as “fight-or-flight.” Now, among other things, it is believed that this response may trigger the body to lay down an extra reserve of fat, by way of a stress hormone known as Cortisol. This often resistant layer of fat is there to provide the body with some insurance against starvation and death, in case it happens to get really lost or finds itself stuck up a tree for an extended period of time.

The caveman just naturally chooses shorter bursts of speed or intensity, followed by periods of rest (what we modern-day folks call interval training.) This kind of activity may prove to be more effective in keeping the body in prime shape and is much more in keeping with the caveman’s usual activity, especially as it relates to hunting. The skilled hunter sneaks up on his prey and waits quietly until just the right time to burst out of the bushes and attempt the kill. In other words, it’s not likely that a caveman would consider running after its food for more than a few minutes. So, distance means trouble and trouble means fat in caveman land.

With all this in mind, I hope if you have been feeling a bit overwhelmed and confused about all your contemporary choices, you will consider the caveman way.

 
Caveman Way #1 – Everyday, do a little work that is interval in nature – think walk, run, walk run. 20 minutes or so is all it takes.

Caveman Way #2 - Eat meals that are just slightly smaller than your two clinched fists held together, and eat often - about every 3 hours.

Caveman Way #3 – Give yourself a break every 7 to 14 days by taking one day to have anything and everything your little stone age heart desires.

Simple or not, the most important thing to remember when it comes to reshaping the body is that getting fit takes patience, persistence and, above all, time – evolution can’t be rushed.

Dianne Orwig is a international fitness expert, success coach, motivational speaker, and founder of LivingFit Online™, a fitness program that has helped thousands of men and women completely transform their bodies and live healthier, happier lives though her less-works-better approach.
 
For more information on how you can get better results in less time and with less effort than you ever thought possible, visit http://www.lovelivingfit.com.
 
(c) Copyright - Dianne Orwig. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

You fly out the door in the morning, bagel in one hand and planner in the other. In the car your mind zips through the central points of the day. First you’ll burn through the emails in your inbox, dowse out a few fires, and then bolt out the door to that important lunch meeting...

Then, right in the thick of things, a random thought flies by. It feels important, but then it’s gone in a flash. “Oh well,” you reason, “no time for idle thought anyway… I’ve got a soccer game to get to.” No time to think about it right now… you’ll get to it later… that is, if you can remember.

If this sounds familiar, I want to share with you two simple but very powerful secrets that I learned many years ago from a retired publisher friend of mine named Robert. Robert was one of those guys who could get more done in a day than most people could all week – and made it look like a cakewalk in the process. Admittedly, when he first introduced me to these two secrets, they seemed so ridiculously simple I almost ignored his suggestions. Looking back, however, I can happy admit that they have categorically changed my life.

Secret #1 – The seemingly random thoughts that flash in and out of the chaos are important, very important. It doesn’t matter if it’s a flickering idea that comes to you in the shower or you suddenly remember that you need to pick up a gallon of milk on your way home. According to my friend Robert, being prepared to get your thoughts down in black and white, in one central location, is one of the most overlooked, but essential keys to success. “Plain and simple,” he explained, “you are in possession of a veritable treasure chest of path-driven ideas that will often fly right by, never to be seen again, unless you position yourself at all times to capture them on paper, no matter how fleeting they might seem.” In our rush to get to all of the things that appear so much more important, it’s easy to miss the significance of all those mental fly-bys – especially the ones that seem to materialize out of nowhere.

Secret #2 – Always carry a pen and paper with you to jot things down as soon as they come your way - and avoid going high-tech on this one. Palm Pilots and voice recorders are fine, but my friend always insisted that nothing beats a good old steno pad and Papermate. Use it as a place to download ideas, jot down phone numbers, grab a good quote, or create a reminder of errands to run and things to buy. Then, at the end of the day, take a few minutes to move all these random scribblings to your PDA, your “To Do” list, your contact list or wherever you organize tasks, projects, and ideas.

Over the years I have moved back and forth with this habit and, as much as I love my techie gadgets, each time I try to replace this Power-of-Pen-to-Paper method of organizing all the craziness that clutters my brain, I realize that Robert was right – there is no substitute.

I personally like the Mead Cambridge Zippered Flip-top Steno Padfolio  http://www.shopext.com/i34BO--Mead-Cambridge-City-Zippered-Flip-top-Steno-Padfolio.html and have carried one around for years. It set me back a whole $10, but has moved me light years ahead in my goals.

Whenever I take the time to write down a thought or reminder, (many of which have led me directly to a dream or goal I would have otherwise missed,) I thank Robert for these two little gems of wisdom. It’s a habit that, if you are not yet practicing, I would highly recommend. Try it for a few weeks and maybe one day, you’ll be thanking me!

Dianne Orwig is a international fitness expert, success coach, motivational speaker, and founder of LivingFit Online™, a fitness program that has helped thousands of men and women completely transform their bodies and live healthier, happier lives though her less-works-better approach.
 
For more information on how you can get better results in less time and with less effort than you ever thought possible, visit http://www.lovelivingfit.com.
 
(c) Copyright - Dianne Orwig. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

I live in the Gator Nation of Gainesville, Florida, so it’s something of a requirement that I start my story with the big news swirling around town (and around the nation if you are a fan of college football) namely that Urban Meyer, one of the most successful and well respected coaches in the industry, announced that he is stepping down as Head Football Coach for the University of Florida due to health concerns.

Urban and his wife, Shelley, and their kids live right down the street from me. Of course their house takes up a lot more space than mine. Urban is a pretty young guy – 45 – and compared to a lot of head coaches, he appears to be in decent physical condition. He has to be considering the intense physical, mental and emotional stress that comes with running the kind of high caliber program he’s put together this past four years – recruiting and coaching the likes of Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and taking the Gators to two National Championships, just to name a few accomplishments.

In his announcement on Saturday, however, Meyer admitted that his body is telling him that something has to give - that it’s time to stop and regroup. And, while the news came as quite a shock to everyone, for me, the most surprising news of all was that Urban actually chose to LISTEN and not ignore what his body is saying.

As an 11-year veteran of the fitness industry, I can tell you first hand that the majority of people wait way too long to listen, especially when armed with dozens of “justifiable” reasons NOT to pay attention. Right now I can’t imagine anyone with a longer list of those reasons than Urban – a list he could have easily used as his excuse to ignore the warnings and keep going.

The fact is that, too often, we treat the body as a side line to the rest of our lives – as a dumb annoyance that, if left to its own design, would happily run us off the road in our rush to get from point “A” to point “B.” We treat it as a thing to be forced and manipulated. We deprive it of sleep, work it too hard, feed it too much of the wrong stuff and drown it in a sea of caffeine, constant worry and stress. Then, one day, it starts to talk back, often in a voice that’s hard to ignore.

The truth is, the body is a big fat know-it-all and, if you insist on ignoring that voice for too long, the body will, in an attempt to grab your undivided attention, respond by handing you what often becomes the biggest challenge of your life. It’s all a product of what I call “living too deeply in any one of the four life corners.”

Here’s how I explain it in my soon-to-be-released book, In The Box: Forget about thinking outside the box. Imagine instead that you live In The Box. In each of the four corners of this box lie the areas that are most important to your existence. Your four corners might look something like this:

Love: Family, friends, leisure time, writing, reading, meditating, playing, cooking, painting, creating things that connect you to the world and the people you care for.

Body: Health, fitness, nutrition, grooming, exercise, sleep, water, or anything pertaining to physical energy or the physical experience.

Work: Job, education, vocation, volunteer work, any regular activity that defines your purpose or provides you with financial means and/or the means to live a meaningful life.

Home: Home, housing, shelter, transportation, car, personal and material possessions. While some believe that living in a balance of all four corners is the key to happiness, the truth is, many people live very happy lives spending a larger block of time in one corner over another.

For instance, a good number of people spend a huge block of their lives in the work corner. Until retirement and even after retirement, the work corner often “defines” who we are. Most of us make the mistake of thinking that we must pay equal attention to all four corners in order to strike true balance and harmony, but this is not necessarily true.  The real problems begin, not when we choose one corner more often than the others, but when our attention is so locked in one corner that we totally and completely ignore the others and, ultimately, become disconnected from them.

The end result is often an abrupt shift of attention away from the dominate corner - as in the case of a sudden heart attack or the imminent threat of losing a loved one - when we are left with no choice but to focus all of our attention on the body corner or on the love and home corner.

The bottom line is - the body is always the Know-It-All indicator that something has finally tipped off kilter. It will tattle on you every time by way of sleepless nights, excess weight gain, dizziness, chest pains, and every other range of health issue imaginable. My hat’s off to Urban.

Personally, I will miss him, but I am thankful that he had the courage to LISTEN. As a man who has always led by example, this may be the best play he’s ever called. Thanks coach.

Dianne Orwig is a international fitness expert, success coach, motivational speaker, and founder of LivingFit Online™, a fitness program that has helped thousands of men and women completely transform their bodies and live healthier, happier lives though her less-works-better approach.
 
For more information on how you can get better results in less time and with less effort than you ever thought possible, visit http://www.lovelivingfit.com.
 
(c) Copyright - Dianne Orwig. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

“How can I speed up my results and get this belly fat off?” is a question I hear more than any other and, today, I am going to hand you the answer on a silver platter.

 
Of course, when most people inquire about how to speed things up, they usually start with the obvious questions…

“Should I do more cardio?”

“What about using higher reps and lower weights or do heavier weights and less reps work better?”

“How about working my abs every day?”

Unfortunately, all of these questions miss the mark because they are pointed toward the wrong issue. As hard as it is to believe, reshaping the body has surprisingly little to do with what happens in the gym.

Abs Are Made In The Kitchen - When it comes to getting the fastest results possible, here’s the bottom line: of the key components needed to reshape your body (blubbery thighs, giggly abs, soft biceps and all,) exercise is actually at the bottom of the list. That’s not to say that it isn’t important or that you should knock it out all together, but when it comes to your overall return-on-investment, exercise is not the main ingredient in moving your mid-section from flabby to flat. Food is where it’s at.

Shake vs. Bake – Think about the ingredients that go into baking the perfect cake. There are the main ingredients (flour, milk and eggs) and then there are the more subtle ingredients (like baking powder.) Adding too much or too little of this very critical ingredient can spell the difference between success and failure. That is exactly what exercise is to flattening your abs – it’s like the baking powder of fitness. It only takes a little, or more accurately, just the right amount, and more does not make it better. Do it--forget it--and point the majority of your energy and focus on the main ingredients to flatter abs… getting a handle on what’s landing in your stomach on a regular basis.

The Silver Platter of Success – Now that we’ve established that exercise, while it is an important component of your overall results, will not remove the fat from around your belly, I want to hand you the formula for achieving swift, certain results - the kind you can feel in your clothes and see in the mirror. Having trained, coached, and closely measured the progress of over 4000 individuals over the past 11 years, I can tell you with absolute assurance that 80-90% of the visible results achieved from any fitness program is a product of the following recipe:

Ingredient #1 – Toe the line on your meal portions. Make sure you are eating just enough food at each meal to last you about 2-3 hours. Your natural hunger mechanism should kick in just around the end of the second hour after you’ve eaten. Otherwise you are probably eating meals that are too big. Make it a rule that you plate should never contains more than the visual equivalent of your two clinched fists put together.

Ingredient #2 – Make the majority of your meals about fuel, not entertainment. That doesn’t mean that your food has to be boring. It's really a simple matter of looking at each meal and asking these three questions, “Where’s my protein, where’s my carbohydrate, and are they of equal portion?” (For an easy guide to creating the best protein, carb and veggie meals, write me at lovelivingfit@gmail.com and request your free copy of my LivingFit Optimum Food List!)

Ingredient #3 – Drink water like you’re going for a record. Make water your main beverage. When you choose a beverage other than plain water, especially if it contains any of the “Four C’s” (caffeine, color, calories or carbonation) follow it with 16 ounces of plain water. Easy enough. Another great rule is to start your day with 16 ounces of water and make your last drink of the day another 16 ounces of water.

Ingredient #4 – Take an optional food break at least one day a week. Having full autonomy one day a week to let loose and have whatever you want is a great way to stay on track. It’s much easier to avoid the cookies in the lunch room when you know you can put one in a zip-lock bag and have it on your opt day!

And, there you have it - the true recipe for flatter abs. So, the next time you find yourself grabbing the stuff around your waist, asking what you can do to get it off, you have your answer. Trying to shed fat by working it off is the slow and painful way to nowhere. Whenever you find yourself pointing your focus toward forcing the fat off with exercise, remember that it takes hours and hours of work to duplicate the same benefits of simply watching your portions, timing and meal combinations.

The best way to put it is this. You can work out like a CRAZY person, but if your food isn't spot-on, you will NEVER see much in the way of visible results. On the other hand, if your food is spot-on and you happen to miss a workout here or there, you are still likely to experience great results.

Dianne Orwig is a success coach, motivational speaker, fitness trainer, and founder of LivingFit Online™, a fitness program that has helped thousands of men and women completely transform their bodies and live healthier, happier lives though her less-works-better approach.
For more information on how you can get better results in less time and with less effort than you ever thought possible, visit http://www.lovelivingfit.com.

(c) Copyright - Dianne Orwig. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Turkey day is just around the corner and that means if you’re like most people, no matter how health conscious you are, you are probably going to eat a few extra calories this week. Food experts estimate that the average Thanksgiving dinner tops out at around 2500 calories! That’s more than a lot of people eat all day long.

With that in mind, it’s probably a good idea to plan on doing a little extra cardio this week to balance things out. Yeah… right…

Okay… well, let’s say you somehow find some time between basting the turkey and taste-testing the sweet potato casserole to take a walk or hop on the treadmill. Let me offer you two things that are guaranteed to help maximize the calories you burn, no matter what kind of cardio you choose to do:

Do The Run/Walk Routine – It’s no accident that when you first start out doing cardiovascular work, your inclination is to go fast, then slow, fast, then slow. This is how your body actually wants to be worked (in waves of highs and lows.) Unfortunately, most of us think we need to progress to a more consistent “run the whole time” routine. That’s where we get caught in the whole “harder, faster, longer is better" trap and I am here to tell you, when it comes to removing body fat, strengthening the heart and improving overall health, same-pace cardio is not better.

This week, whether you choose to take a walk outside, jump on the treadmill or hit the elliptical, try varying your speed between easy and hard work. You might go for 2 minutes at a moderate speed, then really fast for one minute, and then alternate back and forth; two minutes easy and one minute hard, for a total 20 minutes. That’s it - that’s all it takes - then you’re done. This is known as interval cardio or what I call WAVE cardio. When done to the proper intensity, WAVE cardio has been proven to burn more calories in less time than traditional straight-line cardio. As an added bonus, WAVE cardio can create what’s known as an after-burn of calories for up to an hour after you’ve finished your workout.

Pump Up The Volume – Another thing you can do to burn more calories is to add some fired up music to your routine. It’s estimated that people who listen to rhythmic music burn up to 30% more calories than people who just watched TV or read or chat during their workouts.

So, if you can find a way this week to do 20 short minutes of WAVE cardio everyday between now and Thursday, that Thanksgiving meal won’t mean a thing!

Have a happy, healthy, Thanksgiving!

Dianne Orwig is a success coach, motivational speaker, fitness trainer, and founder of LivingFit Online™, a fitness program that has helped thousands of men and women completely transform their bodies and live healthier, happier lives though her less-works-better approach.
For more information on how you can get better results in less time and with less effort than you ever thought possible, visit http://www.lovelivingfit.com.

(c) Copyright - Dianne Orwig. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

If you’re concerned about packing on that infamous 3 to 8 extra pounds most people add to the scale this time of year, you should be. For every pound of body fat you gain now, it will take at least a week to get it off – so a gain of 8 pounds will take two full months to shed! A much better choice, of course, is to find a way to reduce your gain or, at least, break even on the scale come January 1st.

One simple way to do this is to pay close attention to what you are DRINKING.  Too often, people put all their focus on what they are eating and they completely miss how many extra calories they’re getting from the things they drink.

And, we’re not just talking about alcohol here. All those iced coffee lattes’ and energy drinks and yummy smoothies--even some of those supposedly healthy meal replacement shakes like Muscle Milk, are typically loaded with tons of calories and fat. Throw in a few cups of egg nog and things can really start to add up!

So, let’s look at alcohol for a minute because, when you drink alcohol, it’s not just the calories you have to worry about. Whether you drink lite or regular beer, wine or champagne, tequila shots, mixed drinks… whatever it is, alcohol is a triple threat to your waistline:

1)    Alcohol slows down your metabolism, so you are much more likely to store not only the calories from the alcohol itself, but you’ll also store a lot more of the food calories you’re eating as well.

2)    When you consume alcohol while you are eating, you’re all but guaranteed to eat 30% more food than you would if you weren’t drinking.

3)    Alcohol increases your appetite, not just while you’re drinking, but up to 24 hours after you’ve had your last drink.

Now, one great way to reduce the amount of calories you drink when they are out with friends or at a party is to use what I call the every-other-drink rule. This simply means that, before you order your first drink, you make a promise to yourself to consume a large calorie-free drink like a large unsweetened ice-tea, diet soda or maybe plain water with lemon. From there you get to have whatever you like to drink - just make sure to alternate every alcoholic or caloric drink with another big glass of water, ice tea or diet soda – you get the picture.

For many of my clients, this simple rule can save them between 300-1000 calories in one evening!  Best of all, this gives them the ability to enjoy the party and celebrate along with everyone else without feeling completely deprived - not a bad deal at all! 

So, through all your holiday celebrations, watch what you drink, especially when it comes to alcohol, and try your best to alternate anything containing calories with an equal portion of water.

Best wishes to you and have a happy, healthy holiday!

(Yes, you really can do both!)

Dianne Orwig is a success coach, motivational speaker, fitness trainer, and founder of LivingFit Online™, a fitness program that has helped thousands of men and women completely transform their bodies and live healthier, happier lives though her less-works-better approach. 

For more information on how you can get better results in less time and with less effort than you ever thought possible, visit http://www.lovelivingfit.com

(c) Copyright - Dianne Orwig. All Rights Reserved Worldwide