Think about it: 10 minutes three times a day. Studies have shown that cardio done in 10-minute increments is as effective at increasing overall calorie-burning as long-duration cardio. So for those who say “I do not have the time,” give this a shot:

1. Get up a whopping 15 minutes early. Put on your shoes and sweats and head out the door. First 10 minutes… done.

2. Cut your lunch hour 20 minutes short. Again, not much of a sacrifice to make. Take five minutes to change into walking clothes, 10 minutes for the walk around your office building, and five minutes to change back into your work clothes.

3. 10 minutes at night? After the kiddos go to bed, just hook it out the door.

That’s it. You now have 30 minutes of brisk cardio under your belt.

[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Jon Benson just released his in-home fitness plan, The 7 Minute Muscle Body System. It requires only bands, a rubber ball, and your bodyweight to tone your body and help you burn fat. Try it for yourself

For effective strategies for burning fat, getting fit, and feeling better than ever, sign up for ETR's FREE natural health newsletter right here.]

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If you are not strong enough to do regular push-ups, start with knee push-ups. Just balance your body on your knees rather than on your toes, and work your way up to three sets of 20 reps.

When you can do three sets of 20 reps, switch to your toes. Work your way up to three sets of 20 reps.

When you can do that, get a chair and elevate your toes so your body is at an angle leaning toward the ground. That way, you are working more of your upper chest.

Once you can do a few sets of 20 of those, try what I call the 20-second push-up: Lower yourself to the ground in perfect form for a count of 10 (about 10 seconds). Then explode halfway up – but only halfway. Then count another 10 seconds to raise the rest of the way up.

Odds are you will only be able to do a few of these the first time you try. But once you work your way up to sets of 10, you will have wonderful upper-chest development to show for it.

[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Jon Benson just released his in-home fitness plan, The 7 Minute Muscle Body System. It requires only bands, a rubber ball, and your bodyweight to tone your body and help you burn fat. Try it for yourself.

For effective strategies for burning fat, getting fit, and feeling better than ever, sign up for ETR's FREE natural health newsletter right here.]

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Or is it?

In the 2008 Physician’s Health Study, researchers tracked 21,094 male doctors for two decades. They found that even those who were only modestly overweight had a higher risk for heart disease, and the risk grew along with the amount of extra weight.

The average age of the men at the outset of the study was 53. During the study, 1,109 of them developed heart failure. Overall, the risk of heart failure increased by an average of 180 percent in those who met the definition of obesity as measured by body mass index (with a BMI of 30 or higher), and by an average of 49 percent in those who met the definition of overweight (with a BMI of 25 to 30).

And what about “all those hours” needed for exercise?

Yet another myth busted by the study: “As far as vigorous physical activity is concerned, even if somebody said they exercised one to three times per month – which is a very low level of exercise – they had an 18 percent reduction in the risk of heart failure after accounting for all other established risk factors,” said head researcher Dr. Satish Kenchaiah.

It’s time to get serious about losing that little bit of flab. Long-term studies like this one show how beneficial it can be.

[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Jon Benson's 7 Minute Muscle program is by far the shortest workout you can do to reap the greatest rewards. Try it for yourself risk-free for 60 days right here.

For effective strategies for burning fat, getting fit, and feeling better than ever, sign up for ETR's FREE natural health newsletter right here]

The answer: You don’t have to go to a gym. You can work out in your home – with little to no equipment – and make very good progress. Here’s how…

1. Get yourself a really good plan. Having a plan is crucial. If you try to “catch a workout,” you will probably end up being inconsistent.

You can find thousands of systems that may work for you on the Internet or in books. Just pick one and USE it. Don’t try to wing it.

2. Make a commitment to stick to that plan. Results for in-gym training tend to be better (on average) than in-home training. One big reason: When you pay for it, you’re likely to take it more seriously. (This is not always the case, of course. Some people waste their money on a gym membership.) But if you have a good system and you commit to it, you can do well.

3. Include lots of variety in your workouts. Home workouts are not nearly as exciting as going to a gym and being around other fit-minded folks – not to mention all that equipment. It’s up to you to keep it interesting by making sure your system includes plenty of variety.

4. One more thing: Keep track of your progress. Making progress is key, in the gym or at home. So no matter which workout environment you choose, keep a written record of what you’re doing. And every time you perform a particular exercise, add a rep or two here and there or some extra resistance. Perhaps less rest between sets.

Always try to do a little more. Some days you will, others you may not – but maintaining a mental attitude of progress is essential.

The bottom line is this: If you can make the commitment and get yourself a good, solid, in-home plan, you can make in-home workouts work for you.

[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Jon Benson just released his in-home fitnesss plan, The 7 Minute Muscle Body System. It requires only bands, a rubber ball, and your bodyweight to tone your body and help you burn fat. Try it for yourself.

For effective strategies for burning fat, getting fit, and feeling better than ever, sign up for ETR's FREE natural health newsletter right here.]

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In all honesty, I’ve had great workouts where I literally could not walk up a flight of stairs afterward. Had to sleep in the car once.

Is this necessary for muscle growth?

No. Soreness is an indicator that you have done damage to the muscle fibers. That’s okay – in fact, it’s the purpose of weight training. But excessive sorenessmeans you’ve done too much damage. That kind of damage can take too long to repair – and that gets you out of your workout rhythm.

The ideal soreness is felt 1-2 days after a workout, where you are a bit tender but not in pain. The longer you train, the less of this soreness you may feel… and that, too, is okay.

The real indicator of a good workout is what you do in the NEXT workout. Do you

progress? Do you feel stronger? Do you get a good pump in your muscles?

If so, you’re on the right track – sore or not.

[Ed. Note: Jon Benson is a 3-time bestselling fitness author. He offers a free 7-day Fat Loss Course and complimentary e-book, "The Radical Fat Loss Blueprint," on his website. Get it here .

For easy-to-follow exercises you can do at home - plus dozens of strategies for getting fit and living longer - sign up for ETR's natural health newsletter ]

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Just a bit longer. Say… 30 minutes.

When you are slightly hungry, you are burning fat. When you are “starving,” you are beyond that point and burning muscle. It’s a fine line you can walk that really accelerates the fat-burning process… big time.

When I’m working on shedding fat, I practice staying hungry. I fast for several hours before I exercise. It works as long as I take a bit of cream in my coffee and plenty of amino acids.

The sensation of hunger tricks the body into using more of its fat for fuel if you time it just right.

Give it a shot.

[Ed. Note: Start eating better today with help from ETR's natural health newsletter. You'll find dozens of healthy eating strategies plus delicious recipes for meals that can help you feel better and live longer. And that's not all... (read on here).

If you want to build more muscle in less time while you burn body fat, pick up nutrition and fitness counselor Jon Benson's book, 7 Minute Muscle. It's a complete system for dropping fat and building muscle that's guaranteed to work for you. Try it for 60 days and prove it to yourself.]

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Do 10 reps, then switch legs. Do 10 more.

Work your way up to five minutes or so of this exercise and you’ll have a nicer booty in no time at all.

[Ed. Note: If you want to build more muscle in less time while you burn body fat, pick up nutrition and fitness counselor Jon Benson's book, 7 Minute Muscle. It's a complete system for dropping fat and building muscle that's guaranteed to work for you. Try it for 60 days and prove it to yourself. .

For more easy-to-follow exercises you can do at home - plus dozens of strategies for getting fit and living longer - sign up for ETR's natural health newsletter ]

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A recent issue of The Journal of Physiology and Behavior cited numerous studies on several spices that increase thermogenesis, including these findings:

1. Capsaicin, the compound that gives red chili pepper its heat, increases energy via heat expenditure by up to 23 percent after being ingested at breakfast.

2. Black pepper increases body heat (thermogenesis) by bonding to TRPV1 receptors in the brain.

3. Turmeric has both anti-cancer and pro-thermogenic support.

Combine these three spices – red chili pepper, black pepper, and turmeric – and use them liberally (as much as your taste buds can handle). Just be careful not to overdo – or you’ll end up with more heartburn than fat burn.

[Ed. Note: Start eating better today with help from ETR's natural health newsletter. You'll find dozens of healthy eating strategies plus delicious recipes for meals that can help you feel better and live longer. And that's not all... (read on here)

If you want to build more muscle in less time while you burn body fat, pick up nutrition and fitness counselor Jon Benson's book, 7 Minute Muscle. It's a complete system for dropping fat and building muscle that's guaranteed to work for you. Try it for 60 days and prove it to yourself.]

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A good example of the “heavy/light” technique is the workout I did today: Chest and Biceps. Since I can press much heavier dumbbells than I can curl (and this is true for everyone), I use a lighter weight for my chest movements, getting 12-20 repetitions. I follow that immediately with seated curls. I use the same dumbbells, but now their weight allows me to do only 4-6 repetitions.

This is a great way to mix up your rep schemes without hogging the dumbbells or

having to change weights mid-exercise. Give it a shot.

[Ed. Note: If you want to build more muscle in less time while you burn body fat, pick up nutrition and fitness counselor Jon Benson's book, 7 Minute Muscle. It's a complete system for dropping fat and building muscle that's guaranteed to work for you. Try it for 60 days and prove it to yourself.

For more easy-to-follow exercises you can do at home - plus dozens of strategies for getting fit and living longer - sign up for ETR's natural health newsletter.]

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For example, it requires more body energy to process calories from protein. You burn about 25 percent of the protein calories you consume just on digestion and biochemical processing. That’s one of the many reasons a high-protein diet burns more body fat.

The other side of the coin is processed foods – white flour, cheap breads, sugar, and so on. It’s not just their calories, which tend to be very high, it’s the fact that these foods rob the body of nutrients that are vital to health.

Many of the natural substances that trigger the brain to recognize that the body has eaten enough are removed from processed foods. That’s the main reason you tend to eat a lot more of these high-calorie foods without feeling full. Some manufacturers even add chemicals to trick the body into believing it is not full so you will eat more!

Talk about a double-whammy!

The best way, by far, to become leaner and healthier is to get 75-80 percent of your food from whole, unprocessed sources. Grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and eggs, lots of fresh organically grown veggies, low-sugar fruits, and a few whole grains.

There’s no reason to deny yourself your favorite foods and try to be “perfect.” I’ve proven you do not have to do that in order to be lean and healthy.

But just remember that when you eat processed foods, you’re getting a double-whammy: more calories, and the food itself makes you want to eat more than you should.

Think about it.

[Ed. Note: Start eating better today with help from ETR's natural health newsletter. You'll find dozens of healthy eating strategies plus delicious recipes for meals that can help you feel better and live longer. And that's not all... (read on here).

If you want to lose weight while enjoying your favorite foods, get your copy of nutrition and fitness counselor Jon Benson's Every Other Day Diet System. Try it for 60 days and prove to yourself that it works.]

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