Great Fitness Resource

Here's a great online resource I just found designed to help you 'transform your physique': Dr. Hussman's Fitness Page. It includes this succinct overview of what you need to include in your fitness program:

The bottom line: Here are all the components of an effective fitness program that works with your body.

Aerobics

• Interval training ("wind sprints"). You should be winded, but never gasping.
• Cross-training. Use a variety of exercises so you keep your body "surprised."

Weight training

• Focus on contracting the muscle, not on lifting the weight. Slow on the eccentric. On your last rep, hold the weight in mid-air until you thoroughly exhaust the muscle.
• Every day, and before every workout, ask yourself "What is my goal here?"
• For every exercise, in every workout, make one set a new "personal best."

Diet

• Eat regularly (about every 2 1/2 to 3 hours), to maintain the nutrient stream, stabilize your blood sugar, and keep your metabolism up.
• Focus on the total weekly caloric deficit.
• Unleash the secret weapon. Write down your exact meal plan in advance on a 3 x 5 card, then track everything you actually eat.
• Watch your portions carefully, but don't go dramatically below your BMR.
• Emphasize protein and low-glycemic carbs. You can include high-glycemic carbs in the post-workout meal.
• Include fruits and vegetables as much as possible in your food choices.
• Drink lots of water and take Vitamin C.
• A gram of L-Leucine after workouts can also assist muscle growth.

Write down specific goals that excite you. Put a date on it. Visualize your success. Create a different mental image of yourself - "I am an athlete", "I am lean, strong, and energetic", and then live into that self-image. As Schwarzenegger said, "I made a picture in my mind of who I wanted to be, and then I lived into that picture." AND DON'T GIVE UP! Everybody's body starts out a little different.

Learn much more...