So, you’ve been going to the gym for months. You took a spinning class, ran on a
treadmill, got really sore from an hour of aerobics and had lots of fun
kick-boxing. You’ve sweated, worked really hard but have little to show for it.
Meanwhile, you’ve been staring at some fit women lifting weights with trainers. “It’s not for me,” you say. “I don’t want to bulk up, I just want to lose a few pounds and tone my
body.”

It’s something bodybuilders have known for years: those who only do cardio will
never achieve the results they want. Make sure to incorporate weight training as a regular part of your exercise routine. It’s interesting to see what happens to your body when you lift weights: it increases your lean body mass. Low calorie diets and aerobic training without weight lifting can actually make you lose muscle, and make you fatter! If you lose lean mass, your metabolism slows down, slowing down weight loss and
increasing fat stores. If you increase your lean body mass, you increase your
metabolic rate. And the faster your metabolism is, the more fat you’ll burn all
day long – even while you’re sleeping! It makes sense now, why bodybuilders
with high muscle to fat ratios stay lean year round without much aerobic
activity.

Here are a few tips:

- Ignore the scale! Not all body weight measurements are equal. The problem is
that most women look at a scale as an indicator of how fit they are. They do
not seem to understand that weight training builds muscle and that muscle weighs more than fat. Body weight is not a good indicator of your progress. You can lose fat around your belly and your clothes will feel and fit looser, but you might actually weigh more because you are building muscle and burning fat.

- Take pictures to monitor progress! Use a digital camera to take photos of
yourself and see the progress with your own eyes. Also, take body fat measurements and make sure a knowledgeable trainer evaluates where you are at.

- Lift weights! The more weight training you do, the more muscle you’ll gain – the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism and fat loss will be. Did you know that muscle burns fat even when you sit at your computer? Far too many people use their scale as an indicator of progress when in fact they have no idea if it’s fat, water or muscle they
are losing.

- Don’t forget about nutrition! Lifting weights without the right nutrition won’t
make you lean and won’t give you the muscle definition you want. Increase the
amount of fresh veggies and whole grains, avoid any processed foods and sugar,
and eat only lean protein.

Just remember, if you want a lean toned body, stop sweating in the aerobics studio
and pick up some dumbbells.  Fort Lauderdale Personal Trainer Joe
Kozma is a former national bodybuilding champion and college football player.
Joe’s fitness and weight loss service provides extreme body makeovers, strength gain, and more. See his clients at his Fort Lauderdale Fitness website at http://www.joekozma.com or contact Joe here.