Do you pump up to tone up? If weight training isn’t already part of your exercise routine, you should definitely consider adding it. Why?

Lifting weights makes your body leaner… firmer… stronger! FatFighterTV caught up with Cedric Bryant, Ph.D. – Chief Exercise Physiologist for the American Council on Exercise – to find out more about the benefits of weight training.

“It’s going to not only help the muscles to become stronger, it’s going to help the ligaments and connective tissue become stronger so you become less likely to injure yourself,” explains Bryant.

These benefits help you perform better. And because muscle takes up less space than fat, you look better.

You’re going to look leaner, you’re going to fit in your clothing better even without experiencing significant amounts of weight loss which I think is the bottom line result that many people are looking for,” says Bryant.

You don’t have to go all out if this is something that’s new to you – just lifting weights for 20 minutes two days a week is a good start.

Bryant’s recommendation – find a weight that’s challenging but one you can lift eight to 12 times. Do six to eight different exercises that include your major muscle groups.

See the video here

Related posts

• Turkish Get Up
• News Nugget: Brisk walking trims belly fat
• How to drop the baby weight and feel good again
• Fitter After 40
• Fitness trends for 2008

As I continue to detox from all the calories I had over the holidays, I am getting back to my healthy eating routine which includes lots of fiber. It takes some effort to get enough, but it’s definitely worth it.

Fiber helps with digestion and adds bulk to your diet which can help control your weight. It can also help to prevent heart disease and some cancers, as well as help control diabetes.

Fiber fan, June Lehmann, is a believer. She switched to whole wheat bread, eats fiber at every meal, and has one more strategy.

“I try to eat nuts before a meal – before lunch and dinner – because they do say that will curb your appetite,” explains Lehmann.

Fiber may help you lose weight because you will feel fuller longer. The Institute of Medicine recommends you get between 21-38 grams a day, depending on your age and gender. Basically, you should have 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you have each day.

Here are 10 tips to help you boost your fiber intake:

• Eat lots of fruits and veggies
• Choose brown rice over white
• Eat whole grain pasta, bread, and cereal
• Sprinkle granola on yogurt
• Add beans to soups
• Top cereal with fruit or nuts
• Add bran or oatmeal to casseroles
• Use ground flaxseeds in baked goods
• Choose whole fruit more often than juice
• Substitute legumes for meat in chili and soups

If you really want to keep track of how much you’re getting, try writing down what you eat along with the fiber content. That’s always an eye opener for me. You may be surprised to find you need to add much more fiber to your diet. The average American only gets 15 grams a day.

See the video here

Related posts

• Whole wheat versus whole grain foods – Which is better?
• News Nugget: Healthy ice cream? Scientists give it a go
• New nutrition labels coming soon
• Chicken and Couscous Salad
• Barbecue Chicken

By now you’ve probably seen them: 100-calorie snack packs of Goldfish, Doritos, Hostess Cupcakes, Pringles potato chips, Pepperidge Farm cookies, Hershey’s Wafer Bars, and the list goes on and on…

I personally L-O-V-E them – they are just a little bit of junk, but just enough junk to satisfy my sweet tooth. My new favorite is the M&Ms.

FatFighterTV talked to mother of three, Melinda Williams who is also a big fan of the 100-calorie packs. She doesn’t want to deprive her kids, but she doesn’t want them to over-indulge either, so she treats them to the junior-size snacks.

“We’re all going to eat it [junk food], let’s face it. That’s part of life,” she says with a laugh. “if you can teach them how to do it in smaller quantities and be happy with that then I think you’re ahead of the game.”

The snacks are convenient – the calorie counting and portion control is done for you. And as the trend grows, so do the choices. More companies are re-packaging their products to keep up with the demand.

And speaking of more – I think that’s the trick – the pieces of whichever 100-calorie snack you choose are smaller, so you feel like you’re getting more. You’re not as tempted to eat way too many like you would if you had say, a big bag of chips right in front of you. Just make sure you only have one pack, and not the entire box of snacks!

See the video here

Give your abdominal muscles a workout when you go for a walk – Stand tall and really concentrate on pulling those abs in toward your spine.

We asked Angela Parsons – someone who walks on a regular basis – to step up her routine to help tone her tummy. She said the hardest thing about it was the mental factor.

“I get into the routine of walking and I’m just focused on where I’m going and keeping my heart rate up but I don’t think as much about my abs,” she explains. “If you just really focus on doing it continually, after awhile you can really feel it.”

Here’s how to get started: Hold your abs in tight for just five to ten seconds at a time, then work on holding them in for as long as you can.

Tightening your abs also takes the strain off your back so you don’t hurt yourself. And here’s another bonus – it helps you walk faster, which means you can burn more calories.

See the video here

Related posts

• Want to step up your workout? Add a pedometer to your routine
• News Nugget: Take 100 steps a minute to rev up your walking workout
• News Nugget: Brisk walking trims belly fat
• News Nugget: Are you a fair-weather exerciser?
• Many Americans don’t meet exercise goals – no matter which guidelines you use

Here’s a good way to slim down – write down everything you eat.

When Mike Wirsching tried food journaling, he was surprised by how much food he was actually eating.

“You sure shock yourself,” says Wirsching. “You see it and you see where your calories are coming from.”

Keeping track of calories keeps you accountable. Plus realizing when you eat and how you feel at the time can help you understand your eating habits.

Andrea Hill, Registered Dietitian, Washington Dietetic Association, explains, “By having to write all those things down, it causes people to think a little bit about why they’re making the food choices they’re making. Over time, they may find that ‘I realize I do eat emotionally and instead of eating, now I go do something that I enjoy and I’m eating less.’”

So, if eating less is your goal, try food journaling. Chances are, if you know you have to write it down… you might pass on a few things.

See the video here

More Change ONE Thing posts here

Related posts

• News Nugget: Calories count more than type of diet
• Big, Fat Lie: Snacking equals diet disaster
• Weight loss tips from the Duchess of York
• Top Ten Worst Foods of 2009
• October Resolutions (from Does This Blog Make Us Look Fat?)