You can exercise day in and day out and still not see the weight loss results you want. If it’s time to get more from your effort, looking into interval training makes a whole lot of sense. This precision workout can provide the calorie-burning push you’ve been lacking in your routine.
Understanding Interval Training
Interval training involves a precision workout that combines intense, but brief, bursts of activity with less intense physical measures. The idea is to blend an aerobic and anaerobic workout into a single training session to maximize caloric burn.
Let’s say a runner does great at 4 miles per hour on a treadmill, but starts to tire at 5 mph. An interval session might include a normal warm up period, several minutes of that runner working out at 4 mph and then a minute or two at 5 mph before the workout goes back down to the 4 mph range.
Essentially, an interval workout pushes the body farther, but not for extended periods of time. A short, but effective sprint in the case of the runner can maximize workout time and increase calorie burning.
Does It Work?
The simple reality is interval training does work and can produce a number of benefits. While that 4 mph run does burn calories and helps tone and trim the body, that burst of energy expended during the one-minute run can increase the overall effectiveness of the same amount of workout time without overextending the body in the process.
The benefits of interval training include:
• Decreased chance of injury – It’s okay to push the body to its limits or near them, but not for too long. Interval training sessions help reduce the chance of injury and undo wear and tear because the burst of energy in the extreme range is very short and occurs after a person is properly warmed up.
• More effective use of time – Where it might take 45 minutes to gain results running at a single pace, an interval training session can shave time off the routine. Basically, interval training makes for a more effective workout.
• Increases fat burning – Interval training sessions put the body to work in the fat-burning sense. Studies have shown that interval sessions improve efficiency of mitochondria. These are tiny cells that use oxygen to help create energy. This more efficient use of them can increase fat burning properties of a workout.
Interval training is a great way to get a bigger bang out of your workout time. Before starting a program, however, it’s a good idea to make sure you work with a personal trainer or check with the pro at your gym for assistance. This type of workout isn’t for everyone and you want to make sure you are working out appropriately for your fitness level and goals.

About the Author
Steve Gardiner is the owner of Golds Health & Fitness Rotorua’s premier fitness and fat loss center. If you’re ready to begin your body shaping and fat loss journey please call 073488998 right now to receive a complimentary nutrition and fitness Consultation valued at $97). Or call in to Golds Health & Fitness 100 Old Taupo Road Rotorua and make 2011 your year to get your body into its best shape ever.
Golds Health & Fitness
“CHANGE YOUR BODY CHANGE YOUR LIFE”

Eating healthy, balanced meals is a great way to support a weight loss effort. Unfortunately, it can be very costly to buy the right foods to assist the waistline. A trip to the grocery store will quickly reveal that buying fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat and other healthful choices is a costly venture.
So, how can you eat right and still keep your budget in check?
Fortunately, there are some great ways to make sure you buy healthy foods without having to take out a loan in the process. Try these tips to save money on the groceries you need to support weight loss and health:
• Find a produce stand – Just about every community has at least one produce stand or plays host to farmers’ markets on a regular basis. When possible, try to buy fresh fruits and vegetables from these places. Courtesy of their low overhead and fresh-from-the-farm products, the prices tend to be a whole lot lower than those found in the grocery store. While you’re likely to only get seasonal items by shopping this way, the savings can add up fast.
• Buy in bulk – For items you know you’ll use a lot of and that can be preserved, consider buying in bulk. Large bags of whole grain rice, for example, can be stored in smaller bags and they’ll cost a whole lot less.
• Shop sales and use coupons – There are great savings to be had even in traditional grocery stores. They key is learning how to scout out sales and where to go to find good coupons. When possible, for example, use sales to stock up on lean meats and fish. Freeze items if you must to preserve the food – and your savings.
• Learn to handle minor butchering work yourself – Buying a whole chicken and removing the skin, for example, is a lot cheaper than purchasing boneless, skinless breasts.
• Grow your own, when possible – While not everyone has a green thumb, some fruits and vegetables can easily be grown at home. Most people can handle small herb gardens and things like peppers tend to grow quite well for just about anyone.
• Plan ahead – Whenever possible, try to plan out meals a few days in advance. Use store sales and circulars to help with the planning. There is nothing more devastating to a budget than running to the store on a nightly basis to pick up ingredients.
It is possible to eat whole, healthy foods and keep a budget well in check. The trick lies in planning and learning how to stretch dollars. If you’re looking for other great ideas on meal planning for weight loss, ask the pros at your fitness center or check with your personal trainer for advice.
cheaper than purchasing boneless, skinless breasts.
• Grow your own, when possible – While not everyone has a green thumb, some fruits and vegetables can easily be grown at home. Most people can handle small herb gardens and things like peppers tend to grow quite well for just about anyone.
• Plan ahead – Whenever possible, try to plan out meals a few days in advance. Use store sales and circulars to help with the planning. There is nothing more devastating to a budget than running to the store on a nightly basis to pick up ingredients.
It is possible to eat whole, healthy foods and keep a budget well in check. The trick lies in planning and learning how to stretch dollars. If you’re looking for other great ideas on meal planning for weight loss, ask the pros at your fitness center or check with your personal trainer for advice.
cheaper than purchasing boneless, skinless breasts.
• Grow your own, when possible – While not everyone has a green thumb, some fruits and vegetables can easily be grown at home. Most people can handle small herb gardens and things like peppers tend to grow quite well for just about anyone.
• Plan ahead – Whenever possible, try to plan out meals a few days in advance. Use store sales and circulars to help with the planning. There is nothing more devastating to a budget than running to the store on a nightly basis to pick up ingredients.
It is possible to eat whole, healthy foods and keep a budget well in check. The trick lies in planning and learning how to stretch dollars. If you’re looking for other great ideas on meal planning for weight loss, ask the pros at your fitness center or check with your personal trainer for advice.

Stressed? Try Changing Your Diet And Exercise Routine
Feeling strung out? Having trouble sleeping? Jealous of how relaxed a cat on a hot tin roof looks? It’s probably time to change your exercise and diet routine to combat the effects of stress.
While stress is a normal part of life and can actually be good for the body to an extent, too much stress over long periods of time can take a serious toll. The effects of cumulative stress are well documented and can include the development of such serious conditions as heart disease, which may lead to strokes or heart attacks.
If you’re ready to make a positive change and fight back, diet and exercise are good places to start. Working with a trainer or the fitness pros at your health club, you can develop a plan to attack stress before it attacks you. Diet and exercise both are important components for a variety of reasons.
Why Diet Matters
When the body is not properly fueled, it can become run down and lead to problems with the immune system. Improper diet can compound the effects of stress and give it a serious foothold for sidelining your life.
A well-balanced, healthy diet can give your body the fuel and nutrients it needs to take common daily stressors in stride. Certain foods can also help combat stress directly by assisting you in keeping heart and mental health in mind.
To get the most out of a stress-combating diet, discuss a meal plan with your trainer. In general, you will want to include low-fat, low-sodium foods. A diet that is rich in fresh vegetables, fruits, lean sources of protein and whole grains is typically useful. Also, try to moderate caffeine and sugar consumption.
Exercise Works Out The Stress
Exercise is one of the best ways to fight back against stress in daily life. The physical action required in cardiovascular and strength training routines can benefit the body and the immune system and help promote better sleeping habits. Exercise is also a great way to clear the mind and let go of pent up aggressions in a healthy manner.
If you haven’t exercised in a while, you will benefit from working with a trainer to develop a routine that’s healthy for you. Diving into a program blind can lead to injury, which may increase stress levels rather than reduce them.
Stress is a silent killer that can have short-term and long-term impacts on the mind and body. When changes are made to diet and exercise routines, a big difference in the effects can be felt almost immediately.

About the Author
Steve Gardiner is the owner of “Gold’s Health & Fitness Rotorua”, Rotorua’s premier fitness and fat loss center. If you’re ready to begin your fat loss journey please call
(07)3488998 right now to receive a complimentary nutrition and fitness Consultation (valued at $97).

Rewarding Yourself In A Positive Way
You’ve been dieting, exercising and following your trainer’s recommendations to the letter. You’ve already hit your first milestone goal for weight loss and the second is fast approaching. Now is the time to celebrate your efforts and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
Before you go overboard and pull out all the stops, take a step back and consider positive ways to reward yourself for sticking with the program. Rewards are great motivational tools, and they are well deserved if you have reached certain goals. You don’t, however, want to undo your accomplishments by choosing poorly and even tempting yourself to get back into old habits you’ve been trying to rid yourself of.
Rather than break with the program and splurge on a large pizza or decadent dessert that may leave you wanting for more, consider healthier, wiser alternatives. While you don’t necessarily have to say goodbye to occasional treats forever, now is probably not the best time to give in to temptation. When you have reached your ideal weight and have made healthier eating and exercise habits, then you might consider being “bad” once in a while.
For now, consider doing these things to reward yourself:
• Pick milestone markers – If you don’t have a milestone list for your weight loss or body toning program in place, create one. You might count five or 10 pound losses as your markers as you strive to reach your ideal weight. Should you simply be trying to tone your body and strengthen your muscles, set milestones based on what you are able to do in the gym.
• Set rewards for each marker achieved – Rewards given at milestones can give you something to look forward to and motivate you on those days when eating right and heading to the gym to work with a trainer are especially difficult. Considering an escalating scale of rewards by starting out small at your first milestone and working your way up to something you really want.
• Brainstorm rewards that are meaningful to you – If at all possible, you don’t want your rewards to be food related or break your exercise routine. Remember, to lose weight and keep it off, you want to make these lifestyle changes habit. With this in mind, food is not really a good reward to consider. Instead, brainstorm for healthy ideas that reward on a personal level. Consider small splurge purchases, massages, a day at a salon or even a chance to sleep in an extra hour on a lazy day off. For the final reward, plan to do something big. Maybe take a short vacation, buy a special outfit or go out for a night on the town. Whatever your choice, make it the carrot you dangle before yourself as you reach for each milestone goal.
Rewarding yourself for losing weight and getting into shape is a great way to keep going when the going gets tough. Just remember to select rewards that don’t undermine the positive strides you have made.

About the Author
Steve Gardiner is the owner of “Gold’s Health & Fitness Rotorua”, Rotorua’s premier fitness and fat loss center. If you’re ready to begin your fat loss journey please call (07)3488998 right now to receive a complimentary nutrition and fitness Consultation (valued at $97).

Set Realistic Weight Loss Goals For Real Success
It looks so easy on television. Flip on shows like “The Biggest Loser” and you literally see people shed pounds right before your eyes. They make it look so easy that getting into shape and losing weight is now in style. While this is a great trend, don’t let the cameras, lights and action fool you. Dropping pounds and keeping them off requires work and a big dose of good, old-fashion realism.
If you truly want to get rid of the fat and produce a new, healthier you, your goals have to be rooted firmly in reality. Losing weight is a process that can take time, effort and patience. Although fad diets and insane workout programs might produce some results initially, they tend to do more harm than good in the long run.
The fact is many crash diets and hardcore exercise routines are just not sustainable. This means the weight lost often comes back and that doesn’t do you or your body any good at all!
So, how can you enjoy the results you want and make sure your efforts will continue to pay off?
The first thing you need to do is set realistic weight loss goals. Trying to drop 20 pounds in a week is not realistic. Shooting for a pound or two, however, is. Doctors recommend only aiming for a few pounds a week to ensure weight loss is healthy and doesn’t shock the body along the way or deprive it of necessary nutrients.
While more than two pounds a week is possible at the start of a healthy program, keep an average of a pound or two in mind to guide your efforts and prove to yourself they are working.
With a healthy weekly, monthly and long-term goal in mind, follow these tips to put your plan into action:
• Trust your trainer – Work with your trainer or your health club’s staff to develop a program that will work for you. Every individual is unique. Current health status, habits and goals need to be taken into consideration when formulating a plan. Trainers and health club pros are there to assist. They can put you on the right track and encourage you along the way.
• Eat better – While it’s easy to eat only healthy foods in the presence of a trainer, keep the program going on your own, too. Try to resist the temptations and strive for a well-balanced, low-fat, low-calorie diet most of the time. If you’re not sure what to eat, talk to your trainer for personalized advice.
• Exercise regularly – Your trainer can help you create a detailed program that fits your health status, weight loss goals and even personal tastes. A trainer can even help you select workouts that you find personally enjoyable. Once a program is set, stick with it. Cardiovascular and strength training exercises are simply vital for long-term, sustainable weight loss.
When you set realistic goals, work closely with a trainer and take one step at a time in the right direction, you can become the biggest loser while making sure your health status remains priority one. Beat that Hollywood!

About the Author
Steve Gardiner is the owner of “Gold’s Health & Fitness”, Rotorua’s premier fitness and fat loss center. If you’re ready to begin your fat loss journey please call (07)3488998 right now to receive a complimentary nutrition and fitness Consultation (valued at $97).

How To Get Through The Holidays
Cookies, cakes, pies and Mom’s gravy soaked roast beef. The holidays can be a nightmare when you’re trying to lose weight. Avoid these foods and you’ll make your trainer happy. Refuse to eat and the feelings of your family and friends might be hurt.
How can you enjoy the holidays without going insane or destroying your weight loss efforts?
There are some tips and tricks you can follow to help you enjoy the festivities without adding extra pounds to your waistline. To get through the holidays without coming out on the flip side 10 pounds heavier, you may want to:
• Strategize with your trainer – Talk to your trainer and get ideas for bending your program to accommodate a little extra eating, if possible. You may want to, for example, increase daily exercise or decrease calorie consumption at other meals during the day. Unless your weight loss program has been set in place for medical reasons like combating the effects of diabetes, a little give and take is probably perfectly okay.
• Avoid skipping meals – Holiday time does last over the course of several weeks. This is not the time to try skipping meals and planned snacks to “save up calories” for holiday splurges. Instead, eat normal portions at all meals leading up to big holidays feasts so you’ll keep your metabolism primed. This will also help you avoid overeating at big dinners.
• Learn to politely say no – If you’re on a strict diet or you just can’t eat another bite, learn to say no politely. Explain to family and friends that you’d love a piece of pie, but it eating it is not part of your meal plan for a new, healthy you. There are fun and polite ways of declining foods that are not in alignment with your goals.
• Keep portions under control – During the holidays, moderation is key. If your trainer gives you the green light to eat a slice of pie, don’t take a giant piece. You may even want to consider going for a bite-sized slice so you can sample a bit of another dish, too. Just resist the urge to overeat and keep portion size in mind.
• Have alternative exercises ready to go – It can be especially difficult to make it to the gym during the holidays. Between family obligations and work-related affairs, the calendar can become full fast. Don’t use this as an excuse to skip exercising all together. Instead, talk with your trainer about options you can employ if you’re away from home or just can’t fit in a trip to the gym.
• Watch alcohol consumption – While spirits might be high during the holidays, you will want to watch just how many toasts you take part in. Alcohol quickly turns to sugar in the body and it can add a ton of calories to the diet fast. An occasional drink is probably okay, but choose alternatives most of the time to keep diet plans on track.
Getting through the holidays without gaining a ton of weight can be an exercise in persistence. When a game plan is put into place before the festivities start, you can enjoy yourself without going off track.

About the Author
Steve Gardiner is the owner of “Gold’s Health & Fitness”, Rotorua’s premier fitness and fat loss center. If you’re ready to begin your fat loss journey please call (07)3488998 right now to receive a complimentary nutrition and fitness Consultation (valued at $97).

“Since joining Gold’s Health and Fitness” we have

lost a combined weight over 30kgs, a feat made

that much easier with the help and support of

Steve and the Gold’s team.

Gold’s is a great environment to meet new

people too- and training with a friend, family

member or partner is an excellent way to stay

motivated, learn about exercise and nutrition and

push yourself that much harder to achieve your

goals.

The 12 week challenge was both satisfying and harrowingly hard.

My personal battle has been both physically and mentally challenging, but thanks to Steve and his training crew, I really enjoyed my 12 week journey.

Best wishes to all others who were on the challenge, I was honoured to meet and workout alongside you.

I would really like to thank our trainers, Tania,Oksana & Kat for doing such a wonderful job, there encouragement and professionalism was fantastic..

I am proud of my efforts, I did the best I could and there is still alot of work to reach my goals.

It has never been in my spirit to give up ever.

So God bless you all and thanks again.

On the 8th February I started the 12 week challenge with Golds Gym with the expectation of losing weight and winning some money. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could win and look so great.  I was on the verge of diabetes and my health was failing badly.  I weighed in at 84.85kg.
After my first circuit class I thought I was going to die and I wasnt going to go back,with such  determinded and positive trainers I persevered and carried on.
After 4 weeks our first weigh in came about and I had lost 6 kilos and I realised then that exercise was going to be a part of my life.  We were given a personal training schedule which was grueling at first but I soon adapted and the weight kept coming off.  My eating habits had also changed and diabetes was no longer an issue.
 
At week 8 I found that I had hit a plateau but after discussing my issues with the trainers I had discoverd that now and again the body needs a change and so I received a second training schedule with different equipment at the gym and the weight continued to come off.  Week 10 I decided to go on Oksana’s 2 week diet plan consisting of fruit,veges,green tea (yuk) and spirulina.  They were the most testing 2 weeks of my life but sticking to the diet helped me achieve my final weigh in. 
 
My final weight was 68.15kg and I had lost 64cm & 9.4% body fat.
 
I could not have achieved any of this without the help of Oksana,Kat and the staff at golds gym.  I have learned that with determination and willpower you can achieve anything in life and I thank everyone for their support throughout the competition.