Burn Belly Fat – Fast!
Calling all busy parents! Hectic schedules are no excuse to neglect your health. Join Mighty Mommy and Get-Fit Guy and for the new Mighty Mommy Belly Burn Project! Get effective fat burning strategies, live workshops, and advice. Click for more details.
Ben Greenfield
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Burn Belly Fat – Fast!
Welcome to a special Get-Fit Guy episode. Today, we have a guest joining us: Cheryl Butler, host of the Mighty Mommy podcast.
Busy parents everywhere struggle to stay in shape while in the throes of parenthood, and Mighty Mommy is no exception. She’s the mother to 8 (yes, that’s right, 8!) children, ages 6 to 18. So you can imagine that on any given day, it’s tough for Cheryl to find the time to exercise and take care of herself. Tough, but not impossible.
That’s why we’re launching the Mighty Mommy Belly Burn Project!
I’ve put together the best fat burning workouts and exercises to help Mighty Mommy drop the baby weight once and for all. Besides the workouts, the plan will include my best fat-burning diet and supplement advice, as well as insights and tips along the way. Mighty Mommy will personally begin the program in a live event on April 19th!
And here’s the good news: This isn’t going to be just for Cheryl! Mighty Mommy and Get-Fit Guy audiences are in for a real treat because I am going to make the same plan that she’ll personally be using available to the public, and I’m even going to do regular live webinars during the course of 2013 to provide you with strategies and answers to your questions about optimal workouts and exercises for stripping fat fast.
The first live webinar is this Friday, April 19, at 9am Pacific Time (that’s 11am Central and 12pm Eastern). You can attend for free by clicking here, and don’t worry – even if you can’t make it live to interact in real time and ask your questions, we’ll make the recording available for you at https://www.Facebook.com/GetFitGuy.
In preparation for this exciting Belly Burn venture, Mighty Mommy is joining us today to share some very helpful information about fitness for busy parents.
A Mighty Mommy Exclusive!
Mighty Mommy: Thanks for having me on, Ben! For busy parents, it can seem overwhelming to commit to an exercise regimen if we haven’t been following one consistently. What are some things we should keep in mind before getting started?
Get-Fit Guy: Great question, Cheryl. Here’s the deal: when you get a fitness book or a diet plan, there is often a ton of complexity. Many authors and personal trainers even feel that the more complex a fat loss program, the more impressive it is or the smarter it makes them look. But the best plan is often the simplest and the one that allows you to consistently do what works. Otherwise, you feel bad about not completing a workout, and you fall off the bandwagon! So keep things simple, and don’t feel bad if you even end up doing many of the same, reliable workouts or exercises during your plan – when you’re stressed out at the end of the day the last thing you want to do is figure out how to learn 10 brand new exercises.
Mighty Mommy: Two reasons why many busy parents don’t stay on track with keeping our health in check are our limited schedules and the one I hate to admit – that exercising isn’t always “fun.” How can we fit a realistic program into our chaotic lives and make it as fun and motivating as possible?
Get-Fit Guy: The key is to make your workouts accessible for you. Don’t feel like you need to go to the gym to exercise! A good fat loss plan should be something you can do in the living room while the kids are taking a nap, or in the backyard or park while the kids are playing outside. This means that you’ll want to include body weight exercises like push-ups and jumping jacks, elastic band exercises like curls or presses, and calisthenics that can be done in a small area, such as jumping jacks or even the dreaded burpee – all of which I guarantee you’re going to learn at some point during the Mighty Mommy Belly Burn Project!
Mighty Mommy: My problem area is my belly, and for others it might be their thighs, butts, or arms. Should we specifically target these areas or have a well-rounded approach to our workouts?
Get-Fit Guy: When you exercise a muscle, you certainly can make it more toned and shapely when you burn the fat off. But you can’t just take one specific body part and burn significant fat off that body part by exercising it over and over again. Instead, it’s better to do full body exercises that burn far more calories and strip lots of fat off your body all at once. Take the crunch, for example. Sure, it targets your abdominal muscles, but it doesn’t burn many calories. In contrast, picking a set of dumbbells off the ground and pressing it overhead still works your abs, but also works lots of other muscles and burns significantly more calories and fat, without creating as high a risk for overuse or injury.
Mighty Mommy: I’ve heard about the benefits of drinking lots of water while getting into shape in addition to taking a multivitamin and sometimes, even nutritional supplements. What are your recommendations, Ben?
Get-Fit Guy: Well, you’re going to perspire more as you exercise, since that’s one of the ways that your body stays cool. So you definitely need more water – although there is no significant magical fat burning effect of water, and just like anything else, you can have too much of it. It’s important to realize that you get water from fruits, vegetables, meats and yes, even coffee and tea. Nutrition Diva addressed this question in a popular episode called How Much Water Should I Drink? I recommend simply listening to your body and drinking when you get thirsty.
When it comes to nutritional supplements, it completely depends on you. Fat burning supplements, for example, might produce a very small effect on fat loss – much less than what most people are led to believe. But, let’s say that you’re getting joint pain, afternoon fatigue, brain fog, frequent colds, and experiencing other issues that are getting in the way of you consistently burning fat. In a case like that, it may make sense for you to perhaps use some fish oil, probiotics, and even look into something like a digestive or liver cleanse – but these are all things that need to be considered on a case-by-case basis and are certainly not a requirement for weight loss.
Mighty Mommy: After having my kids, I have 25 pounds to lose. What is the recommended time frame to lose this amount of weight in a healthy fashion?
Get-Fit Guy: I’ve found that safe, healthy, and long-lasting fat loss is typically accomplished at a slow and steady rate of 5-10 pounds per month. In many cases, it can happen faster, in which case you’ll be pleasantly surprised. But you shouldn’t try to speed things along with excessive calorie restriction and over-exercise – which is a recipe for burnout and injury.
Mighty Mommy: What would you say is the key ingredient to a successful body makeover? Also, what are some of the “markers” to look for along the way if the scale isn’t going down as quickly as we’d like so that we know that we’re on the right track?
Get-Fit Guy: Consistency is key. Every single day you must expose your body to physical movement and nourishing, healthy foods. It can’t be 5 days on, 3 days off, or one month on, followed by a week of junk food. You must use a fat loss program that works into your daily life no matter where you are or how busy life becomes. If you do begin to plateau, it can be due to a number of factors, including your body getting used to the exercises you’re doing, too much stress and not enough sleep, overtraining without enough food, and even nutrient, vitamin, or mineral deficiencies. Part of my job in this process is to ensure that none of that happens to you!
Mighty Mommy: I am definitely motivated and ready to get going! What’s the next step, Ben?
Get-Fit Guy: You’ve already got full access to the fat loss plan I’ve designed for you. It’s the same plan that I’ll be giving our listeners access to in our live webinar this Friday, April 19 at 9am, Pacific time (that’s 11am Central time and 12pm Eastern). The next step is to simply start into the first day of the plan, which is accessible via your phone, your computer or to print out – whatever is easiest for you!
I’ve got exercise videos, photos, and instructions, so there’s no
guesswork for you – just follow the roadmap to Belly Burning and I hope lots of Mighty Mommy and Get-Fit Guy fans will join you!
Remember, the first live webinar is this Friday, April 19, at 9am PST (11am Central and 12 noon Eastern). You can attend now for free by clicking here, and don’t worry – even if you can’t make it live to interact in real time and ask your questions, we’ll make the recording available for you at https://www.Facebook.com/GetFitGuy.
Busy Mom image from Shutterstock
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.