Show Us Your Life: Weight Loss Tips, Diets, Workout Ideas

I recently got certifed as a NETA group exercise instructor and instead of sharing things like: You need to work out 5 times a week to lose weight and eat at least 1,500 calories a day to keep your metabolism up while dieting, or random tips like: It's best to eat eggs for breakfast - I thought I would share some information I have learned recently through my certification.

• 100 extra calories a day = 10 lbs a year! That should make you think twice!
•  You want to burn calories, right?  Then work out at 60% - 70% of your target heart rate. People will kill themselves with super strenuous workouts and cannot figure out why they aren't dropping the lbs. It's because your working too hard! Who'd a thunk it?!?! For most women, 60% might be a step aerobics or body-pump class. If you want the specifics and how to calculate your targert heart rate, go HERE.
• My pet peeve is when women say they don't lift weights because they don't want to bulk up. Women literally do not have enough testosterone in their body to ever get bulky. Ever. Men even struggle bulking up - Why do you think they take a ton of "supplements"? So go lift some weights. NOW! Don't know what to do? Download the "BodyFitness" iPhone app. It's free and very simple, so you have no excuses!
• You burn 3x as many calories when you lift weights. Here's how: you burn calories while actually lifting weights. Then, you burn them all the next day and a half while your body is repairing the muscles you broke down. I am sitting at my desk right now burning calories because my biceps and quads are super sore. I love being sore. Love it. Cardio is over-rated.
• It cracks me up, but the new thing is that the old Jane Fonda leg excercises shown here are tried and true! They REALLY work your hips and glutes. So get to doing them while watching TV. Be sure to wear an awesome leotard, tights and leg warmers.

Since we all how to do cruches 100+ ways, I thought I would show you my new favorite ab exercise. This targets your LOVE-HANDLES, and you WILL be sore.

Start out in a side plank position, with elbow on the ground:

Twist at the torso and touch your free elbow to ground. Return to the above position and repeat.

Do these until it hurts. Then do 5 more. And then switch sides.

In the spirit of honesty and healthy weigh loss credibility, I feel like I should tell you that over the last 5 years or so I have lost about 25 pounds and a lot of inches. If you don't believe me, let me just say that I carried it well! I am 5'8 and weigh 145 today. My BMI is 22.0 and that means I am smack dab in the middle of normal weight. Check out your Body Mass Index to see where you fall.