Cross Training for Fitness and Fatloss

Your weighing scales don't tell you if you are fit or fat - just how heavy you are. The composition of your body tissue is much more important. If a woman's fatty tissue is more than 20-22% or a man's 14-15%, she or he is overweight. Actually the proper term is 'overfat'.

Fat is need to protect the internal organs and for general insulation of the skin but only a small amount is needed. Many common illnesses today such as diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, gallbladder problems and gout are due to excess fat in our bodies. There are actually only a small number of 'very fat' people - this is because the less fat you have, the longer you will live.

There is a problem in resolving this - people are always weighing themselves to achieve a lower weight which is positive but they should be concentrating on getting the body fat down which will lead to the pounds falling off.

Think of your body as an engine that works on the basic principles of energy physics - the calorie balance should be your calorie intake less your total calorie use.

Calories are broken down as follows - some are used for your basic metabolism (as you get older your basic calorie intake reduces), some are excreted as waste and some are used against physical activity as your energy expenditure.

Therefore you eat more calories than are needed by these three functions then you will have a caloric excess - this excess is not destroyed but is changed into fat. Actually, each additional 3,500 calories is changed into a single pound of fat. In the reverse, if you want to lose a pound you will need to burn up 3,500 calories.

Winning the War Against Fat

The reason most of us are unable to lose the weight we need to is because we assume that we need to spend hours working hard down the gym. Half of us give up at the thought it and the other half a couple of weeks later, either through exhaustion or boredom.

This is because when people work harder on their bodies than their bodies are able to cope with it becomes tired. So we give up on our fitness plan and gradually go back to our original lifestyle and intake all the bad calories again. If you are able to carry on with your fitness plan, unless you enlist the expertise of an expert you tend to get bored with your routine and gradually not bother going to the gym.

Studies have proven that one possible answer is 'cross training'.

One way to break the boredom aspect is to have a cross training program. Health experts came up with the idea and carried out a number of studies which proved that cross training is effective.

The term cross training simply means adding variation into a person's exercise routine using diverse movements. This way there is less chance of damaging muscles by over working them and there is less chance of the routine being scrapped because of boredom.

The most well known cross training activities that people undertake are running, cycling and swimming.

Once you have mastered the cross training routine, the best way to improve your condition is simply to increase the distance you train.

Measure the distance you swim and run. Running tracks are normally 400metres or roughly a quarter of a mile and match your cycling to the same distance.

Cross training is excellent to build strength, fitness and fatloss giving you multiple benefits for the activity as a whole. It also builds up the strength and endurance of your heart, lungs and blood vessels. Cross training also of course burns calories and you will then obviously lose weight - probably without realising!

Cross training has three basic components:

1. Cross training programs are generally endurance exercises to condition the heart, lungs, and blood vessels and to induce relaxation. Always start slowly with walking before running or jogging and keep the distances short, depending on your fitness level. It can always be increased the next training day.

2. Cross training exercises strengthen the muscles, particularly those important to good posture. It is particularly popular with people who are bored with their current exercise routines and crave a selection of different activities.

3. Cross training exercises can assist with the relief of aches and pains and sometimes help with joint mobility. This is a simple way for you to lose some body fat with a series of simple still stretching positions which are safe and sufficient for most of us to use.

Exercising using the same routine week in week out is a sure way for you to give up. A good way to lose weight with an exercise routine that you will enjoy is by having a cross training routine - you can change our routine around or simply add distance to increase your level of fitness and of course weight loss. Cross training is never boring - you will definitely have fun!