You can see it just by walking down Main Street, USA: Americans are getting bigger and fatter. According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention, between 1994 and 2004 the average waist size increased from 96 cm (about 38 inches) to 100.4 cm (about 39.5 inches) in men, and from 89 cm (about 35 inches) to 94 cm (about 37 inches) in women. The rate of stomach-fat obesity also increased, from 29.5 percent to 42.4 percent among men and from 47.0 percent to 61.3 percent among women.
More than 50 percent of Americans have to lose their gut in order to improve their health. What’s the solution? Professor Steve Boucher, an Australian expert on interval training, says that "high intensity intermittent exercise may result in greater fat loss in the abdomen."
This is welcome news for all men and women who want to achieve a lean midsection. They can say goodbye to slow cardio or endless crunches.
If you are new to interval training, start conservatively. Begin by doing one-minute rounds at a slightly-harder-than-normal exercise pace. Then spend one minute at a slow pace as a recovery interval. Do up to six intervals per workout, going between the hard exercise and the easy exercise for a total of 12 minutes. Always include a four-minute warm up and four-minute cooldown in each 20-minute session.
As your fitness improves, you can increase your interval intensity. Perform this type of workout three times a week after your resistance-training workout.
[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Craig Ballantyne is the creator of the Turbulence Training for Fat Loss system. If you want a free online source of information, motivation, and social support to help you improve your health, lose weight, and get fit, sign up for ETR's free natural health e-letter.]
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