GET RID OF THE WEIGHT SCALE! It should only be used to weigh cargo. How much you weigh is not as important as how satisfied are you with your appearance? Use a mirror, it's you. Scales only tell you if you gain or loose weight. They don't tell you that the weight you have gained or lost is mostly water weight, fat or lean muscle mass. Body weight is not as important as body appearance. Muscle is denser than fat, therefore it weighs more. It is possible to gain weight and lose inches.

DIETS WORK ONLY IF YOU STAY ON THEM FOREVER! Most people who diet, lose weight, end the diet and regain the weight they lost plus add a little more. Once the diet is finished, the individual returns to his/her original eating habits. Diets mean changing eating habits and they do, while the person is still on the diet. Eat sensibly but not to excess.

ELIMINATE AS MUCH FAT FROM YOUR DIET AS POSSIBLE. Anything your body can digest is turned to fat. Fat is the energy supply for muscles. Whatever is not used is stored randomly in the body. Inactivity seems to increase the body's fat storage capabilities and causes muscles to deteriorate.

EXERCISE at 75% of your maximum heart rate for 20 minutes or longer. This is a fat burning rate and you will find that it is not a difficult pace to maintain. Check your heart rate periodically to insure your target heart rate is being achieved. The key is to maintain your target heart rate for the entire time.

CAUTIONARY NOTE TO ADULTS 21 AND OVER (Who do not exercise regularly):

If you have not seen a doctor for a stress test and want to begin an exercise program, it may be wise to begin by only adding 20 to 30 beats per minute to your resting heart rate. Do your exercises at this rate until a stress test can be performed. If you've passed a stress test, you can exercise at 60% of you maximum. One Testing Center uses your maximum heart rate calculated by the Karvonen formula, which is a little different than the generic one used below. If you do not wish to do all this calculation, follow the "Perceived Exertion" principle. Is my heart rate higher than at rest? Am I breathing heavier than normal? Am I beginning to perspire? If you are, that's good. Keep doing it for 20 minutes or longer.

220

-__ YOUR AGE

=__ MAXIMUM HEART RATE

-__ RESTING HEART RATE

=__

x__ INTENSITY OF THE WORKOUT

=__

+__ RESTING HEART RATE

=__ TARGET HEART RATE

The formula above is a spin off of the Generic heart rate formula for aerobic exercise. It is for those who are in condition and want a little more challenge. The resting heart rate in this formula is subtracted and then re-added because it is your body's idle speed. Your heart does not stop like the other formulas seem to indicate. This calculation appears to give a more accurate intensity of a workout.

Below are a few charts that can be seen in some fitness centers.