The more and more I learn about how my body ideally reacts to exercise, and what I mean by that is how my body reshapes itself, re-energizes and also tones up and begins to have a better sense of endurance, the more I realize that changing up my routine and doing many different types of activities that continuously and progressively challenge me in different ways, is the quickest and best way to create a slimmer physique.

I have been recording several shows on Fit TV in an effort to really change up my routine, avoid boredom, and create muscle confusion, which is one of the best ways to get your muscles to sculpt faster, and get those hard to shape and reduce areas pared down in no time. The harder something is for you, the more it changes (forces) your body to change and reduce in size, as well as change it’s shape.

That’s why things like circuit and interval training are so successful at toning you and reducing weight, because they are harder on the body, and burn more calories in less time.

For women, more so than men, it is quite a challenge to get our arms summer-ready and buffed out. Many women store their extra fat in their upper arms, it’s just a fact of life actually. This is why so many women battle the “lunch lady arms” syndrome where their triceps sort of hang like bat wings (another affectionate term for this effect of flabby arms), and fight so hard to get rid of their bat wings. They’re just about equally stubborn as the thigh fat that is affectionately called saddle bags, and that’s why they are one of the most sought after body parts to get fit, especially by women.

I’ve taken to a rather strange habit of jogging quick sprints around the house, on the nice padded carpets that don’t do damage to my fragile joints since there is very little impact when you’re running on something so soft (that and trying better shoes is another option lol). Since my job entails sitting for hours at a computer, what I will do is get up periodically, say every hour or so and run a few quick sprints around the house, totaling no more than 3-4 minutes of quick activity.

Well, we’ve made it on to the second level of Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred DVD, and let me tell you, this thing is a KILLER workout video, and if you don’t see results with this, then I just don’t know what you will see results with. First of all, I talked about the first level of this DVD, which is hard, but you can definitely build up to it, and it seemed a lot easier, though not unchallenging, after we had done it for ten days. However, this second level, which we just did for the first time yesterday, is absolutely one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

So, I’ve been recording a few of the Gilad Total Body Sculpt half hour workout shows on Fit TV for the past few weeks, and didn’t have the opportunity to actually do one of them until recently. I did one that was advertised in the preview on he DVR as being targeted toward the abs, thighs and butt, and boy was that true. The only thing I don’t like about doing these exercise programs off the DVR (digital video recorder), is that it’s annoying when they go to commercial and you have to continue what you’re doing, it sort of ruins your focus a little.

While we know that exercise has immense benefits when it comes to our overall health and mental well being, and many have even said it increases brain functions like concentration and emotional stability, there is new evidence out there showing that it may even increase the size of a critical center of our brain, which controls vital functions related to things like navigation and memory.

Unfortunately, when it comes to getting a flat belly, there is no magic potion, or one thing you can do to get this desirable shape to your midsection. Heck, men and women alike have been trying to figure out a magic bullet to get leaner abs for years, and the only conclusion that we’ve come to is that diet or exercise alone will not fully address the problem of the “pooch” as it’s called so fondly, especially by some trainers when they’re trying to get your riled up to lose that weight, flatten the abs, and burn excess fat and calories.

It’s been noticed that the nations with less of an obesity problem, and certainly nowhere near the “obesity epidemic” that Americans still seem to be suffering from, use different forms of transit than individual vehicles and instead use either mass transit like buses and trains, or they bike and walk to most places they have to go. We might be seeing a little more of a comeback of biking and walking here in the US as well, especially with the current economic situation that’s happening right now and the expense of cars.