Keep Your New Year's Resolution to Lose Weight

If you were like most Americans, on January 1st, you made some New Year's Resolutions. One of them probably was to either lose weight or start working out more. So, how are you doing now on the 5th of January? Are you still working on it, or have you already "fallen off the wagon" and given up? I hope you haven't and are still doing it, but for those of you who have, this article from MSN Fitness might be the jolt you need to get back on track.

Scott Quill from Men's Health magazine offers up a five-week program to help you rebuild your body. Some key points from his program are:

1. Adopt a 3-day Standard - In a recent survey, the National Center for Health Statistics found that only 19 percent of Americans do three or more intense workouts a week. Given these hard numbers, it's unrealistic to expect that you'll suddenly start exercising for six or seven days straight. Fortunately, that level of commitment isn't necessary. "You'll see most of the benefits of exercise by working out hard just three times a week," says Mejia. "And that's especially true if you're out of shape." Use these strategies to make sure you stick to the plan.
2. Go Hard, Not Long - Cap your exercise sessions at 30 minutes. YMCA researchers found that men were twice as likely to stick to an exercise program when they did shorter workouts—30 minutes or less—as when they did longer sessions. "They also gained more muscle and lost more fat, because they worked at a higher intensity, instead of just going through the motions of a long workout," says Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., coauthor of the study.
3. Keep it Simple - Forget about target heart rates and three-digit lifting tempos. "Working out isn't rocket science," says Mejia. "You just need to challenge your body a little bit more each session."

For details about each step, visit MSN's Health Channel.

Follow Scott's steps and in no time, you'll not only be honoring your New Year's Resolution, but you'll be looking and feeling great.

Good Luck and make it a great day!