Right now, you may be thinking, "But, I am already active.'" If that is true, then here you need to know that we are talking about your activity from an exercise science or weight management point of view. That is, possessing your own very highly tuned awareness of calorie balance, energy-out, and your personal threshold activation numbers. Yes, every human being has a number. For most, it's around 119 heart beats per minute. For some, it can be lower, and for others, much higher.  Nonetheless, you have to know these things in order to make positive changes occur in your shape, outlook, performance, and appearance.



On an expert level, your rules change for you, in regards to the above. And, this is due to a concept called "specificity." See the word "specific" hiding in there? This gives you a clue as to what needs to happen in order to effectively or efficiently lose body fat. Generally speaking, whatever action, activity, plan, method, or technique in which you engage... it has to be targeted or fine-tuned to cause a precise change in a particular area, or to achieve a unique or specialized goal.

Albeit, the solution remains clear... your greatest building block for fat loss success lies in an action oriented lifestyle. Therefore, engage in ongoing physical activity as part of your daily life (not just in the gym, fitness center, golf, sport, or racket club to which you might have a membership). Do it all throughout your day... as much and as often as possible. Find excuses and reasons to move. Additionally, alternate your eating habits or food choices.

When you have already become overweight, it still may seem that you are doing all you can to counteract the fat storage process. However, science proves that it's just not enough. Yet, you may feel cheerful in knowing that your body is also equipped to rise to almost any weight loss challenge... because these mechanisms are built right into your system.

For example, suppose you go to the gym three or four times per week, but your weight stays virtually the same as it was before you started participating in "structured" physical activity or exercise program-designed routines. This basically tells you one thing... the hour or two you spend each day at the gym is simply not enough to cause significant weight loss. That is, at least not with the "target rate" you're using right now.

If you really want to lose weight, here's what you absolutely should understand about "exercise"... it's only part of a "threesome" that shapes your metabolic health. You need to raise your resting metabolism, as well as eat low-saturated fat foods, PLUS, engage a minimum of 50 to 60 percent of your heart rate's reserve ability into your movement patterns. You  might know that people normally operate below this rate, or too far away from it, especially when it comes to being able to lose unwanted fat.

Engaging your body in "beneficial exercise" especially calls for you to meet the requirement of "knowing your numbers." Motion below your 50% or 60% activity level translates only into "activity, but not into "exercise." Why do think this is true? The above is true because your challenge is simply not great enough to promote positive "growth" or "progress" above your current comfort level of performance.