Great news! Contrary to popular belief, cardio is not the answer to weight loss. It is a piece to the whole fat-loss/weight-loss puzzle, but it is by no means the biggest piece of the puzzle. Unfortunately, and you will continue to see me write it here in my blog, the majority of the fitness and medical professionals have it backwards. The popular belief is that more cardio and calorie restriction is the answer to weight loss. This will work initially but eventually this is too much for most people to tolerate. Excess cardio creates a caloric depravation and if you are already depriving yourself of calories in your diet, you are going to get very hungry and want to eat alot, and usually not the right foods. Cardio also, when not performed at strategic times, uses muscle for energy. Muscle, my friends, is the key to your permanent fat-loss and weight-loss success. Lean muscle tissue, when activated through resistance training and good nutrition, burns calories at rest, more specifically body fat, 24/7. So A-Fib, you most certainly can lose weight and body fat even if your cardio is restricted. You need to start a gentle resistance training program. Learning to eat to boost your metabolism (which consists of eating small meals every 3-4 hours) and combining the right portions of lean proteins, good carbohydrates and fibrous veggies will help sky rocket your metabolism like you've never seen before. Eating this way will also help control your diabetes. Check out Liz Edgerton's testimonial on this website. She is a client of mine who has insulin-dependent diabetes and has lost 35lbs and significantly decreased her insulin by incorporating resistance training and eating small meals throughout the day into her lifestyle. Also, I don't care if you are 25, 45, 65 or 95! Age is no excuse! The majority of our clients here at Mind & Body Fitness are over 45. My oldest is 91. And guess what? She does light resistance training and feels the best she's felt in a long time. A-Fib, I encourage you to come to my next seminar on Saturday, September 6 here at MBF. It is never too late to start on the path to being the best you can be!

Be strong,

John Henry