// Finally Lose Weight

They’re a favorite subject of mass media- fashion spreads and fitness magazines, infomercials, billboard advertisements, action flicks, even soap operas. I’m talking about people with gorgeous six pack abs and they’re the envy of millions everywhere.

Watching movies that star Brad Pitt, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hugh Jackman, it’s easy to get the impression that lean and muscular individuals are a dime a dozen in the U.S. Strolling on American beaches during summertime however, one realizes that it’s quite the opposite.

Recent data gathered by Center for Disease Control and Prevention brings disturbing news. As much as sixty-six percent of American adults are overweight and almost half of that number already obese. The hectic schedules and unhealthy lifestyles most people have been forced to adopt are mostly to blame. Working overtime in these lean financial times leaves not much room for regular exercise and healthy, well-balanced meals.

The market is chock-full of seemingly innocent munchies packed with flavor and loaded with calories. Ours has turned into a culture of fast-food and the surplus calories are showing-up on potbellies and lovehandles across the Western world.

You know what? We aren’t at all helpless. It may seem impossible but getting lean enough to get a well-defined six pack on our midsections is just a matter of finding the right workout that fits with a tight schedule.

Exercises that increase total body strength build muscle mass of course, but did you know that muscle-building exercises also lead to a higher Basal Metabolic Rate? Our BMR dictates how much calories our body uses up while maintaining basic body functions like breathing, heartbeat and other organ and muscle functions.

Creating a calorie deficit will become that much easier by increasing our BMR through intense exercises. Cardio exercises are known to be the best method for burning calories from body fat, but experts have discovered that intense anaerobic exercise (resistance training with little rest) can be effective for burning loads of calories in less short time.

The increased muscle tissue we gain from resistance training improves our metabolism and already increases our body’s ability to burn calories. Increasing the intensity of weight-training by shortening the rest periods between sets will result in even more calories burned because of EPOC (excessive post-workout oxygen consumption). This will let us shorten our workout sessions effectively and get us out of the gym faster. Always remember that moderation in eating means moderation in working-out.