Site Search

7 Secrets you MUST know to Decrease Body Fat

By Neil Habgood

As a fitness professional and C.H.E.K Practitioner, the 2 most common questions I am asked are: "Can I still exercise even though I have back pain? I don't want to make my injury worse than it already is. I am afraid that the exercises I do in the gym may exacerbate my disc herniation or current injury." The second question is "What should I do to lose this unwanted body fat?" The answers are contained in the 7 Secrets You Must Know to Decrease Body Fat & Eliminate Low Back Pain!

  1. The first and likely most important step is for you to trade your stepper or treadmill for a set of dumbbells and a stability ball! Yes, I said it. I know that many of us have been lead to believe that cardiovascular exercise is the ideal exercise method to burn calories. The truth of the matter is that this is a big, fat MYTH!

    Studies indicate that your body's ability to burn fat increases for up to 4 hours after doing any type of cardiovascular exercise. However, by doing strength training (which includes core conditioning and total body strengthening) your metabolic rate will increase for up to 72 hours! This is one of the many reasons I often suggest strength training instead of cardio training for anybody looking to lose weight & increase lean muscle mass!

    So many people are doing vast amounts of cardiovascular exercise to try and lose body fat. However, if this was the answer to effective weight loss then wouldn't we have a society full of thin, fit, healthy people? Since muscles burn calories and unwanted fat, you should work on building as much of a "fat burning machine" as possible by strengthening your muscles!

  2. Eat a full breakfast and eat regularly throughout the day! This will provide you with both staying power and energy. People who eat a proper breakfast feel better and are more likely to be physically active and have more energy during the day. Eating snacks between meals is another tip to constantly reassure your body is getting the nutrition it needs to remain healthy, which results in an elevated metabolism. The body's metabolism is elevated by eating because the process of digestion, utilization and elimination of food is at work. Thus, you should always try to eat a small to medium sized meal every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolism active and stimulated!

  3. If you sit a lot in an office, be sure your desk is set up properly. Correcting your ergonomics will improve your posture and give you more energy throughout the day. Here is a checklist to help you get started:

    1. Many people talk on the phone, sometimes for long periods of time, by holding the phone to their head with their arm or shoulder. Prolonged exposure in this position will inevitably result in neck and shoulder pain. Using a telephone headset will eliminate these problems and promote good posture. Wireless and remote headsets are easy to find for those who need to move around frequently.
    2. If, while typing, your wrist muscles and/or tendons rest on the edge of a keyboard or desk, pain will often be the result. For optimal comfort and performance at your computer, a wrist support is recommended, which can be as easy as placing something that is the same width as the keyboard underneath your wrists. Alternatively, you can purchase a special ergonomic keyboard. I have personally used these for the past several years, and they have proven to be excellent investments!
    3. The placement of reference material is very important when creating a healthy, ergonomic work environment. Always position reference material as close to your horizontal gaze and video display unit as possible so that you can view the material and your monitor using only eye movement. Document holders that attach to the monitor are ideal.

      For a more detailed description of these ergonomic tips, feel free to call us at to request a FREE "10 Tips for Healthy Ergonomics" workbook!


  4. Choose free weights over fixed machines.

    The traditional approach to strength training would suggest using fixed machines such as the seat chest press and the butt blaster machine. However, before jumping onto the latest piece of gym equipment, here are some facts you need to know about fixed machine training.

    It is well known that 85% of Americans are suffering or will suffer from low back pain. One of the leading causes of this rising epidemic is the prevalence of the seated workplace job, which has become the #1 job in this country! The average American spends 6-8 hours a day behind a computer and another 3-4 hours in front of the television. So why do people go to a gym and choose to sit on fixed machines while training? I believe the answer is because people are not educated about the differences between machine training and functional training. The fact is that training on fixed machines is one of the leading causes of orthopedic injuries and poor postural alignment!

    Here are some facts about training on fixed machines:

    Research indicates that 19 out of 20 exercise-related injuries occur on fixed machines.

    Fixed machines limit the natural movement of the body, which does not allow your nervous system freedom to protect the working joints and relevant soft tissues from injury.

    Your abdominals do NOT activate while training on fixed machines (similar exercises done standing or with a stability ball WILL recruit these muscles effectively).

    Training on fixed machines makes the stabilizer muscles weaker and the prime mover muscles stronger, resulting in a significant muscle imbalance, which leads to low back, neck, and joint pain.

    Machines burn significantly FEWER calories than exercises done standing or with the use of a Swiss ball. The reason for this is simple; when you are training on a machine, you are only using one muscle. When standing or on a Swiss ball, ALL of your muscles are working! The more muscles you have on the job at any given time, the more calories you will burn!

    In order to minimize the risk of injury, enhance the function of the body and burn unwanted body fat, you must begin to think in terms of function rather than just muscles! Functional exercises are those in which your body is free to move, and will resemble activities of daily living such as squatting, lunging, bending, twisting, pushing, and pulling. The goal of your exercise program should be to perform each of these movement patterns WITHOUT pain or discomfort.

    For anyone with a current injury (back, neck, knee, hip, ankle or shoulder), one of the most effective methods of correction is the proper use and implementation of the Stability ball (also called balance, swiss, or physio balls). Stability ball training forces you to work in an unstable environment. The more unstable your training environment, the more activation you get from your stabilizer muscles. By improving these qualities, you improve joint stability, which allows more of the prime mover muscles ( i.e. arms, chest, back and legs) to be recruited. Improved ability to stabilize in this environment has assisted many of my back pain clients in improving their functional strength as well as reducing, and in many cases eliminating, painful joints and tissue inflammation.

    Many of my female clients have been amazed after just a few weeks on a Stability ball training program! Training the abdominals, glutes, and inner thighs by properly using a Stability ball can completely change the appearance in a woman's aesthetics! The great news here is that the exercises that will facilitate the rehabilitation of low back pain are the very same exercises that will help you burn calories and eliminate your unwanted body fat!

  5. Drink half of your body weight in ounces of water per day. A 140 pound woman should be drinking 70 ounces of water each day. In addition to this suggestion, I also recommend adding a pinch of Celtic sea salt to all drinking water. I've found that many people that have a hard time drinking adequate amounts of water find it easier to drink after adding a pinch of this high quality sea salt.

  6. Avoid all soy products as well as all processed foods. If the food you are considering putting in your mouth was NOT here 10,000 years ago, do not eat it! There really isn't much more to say about this one. Simply choose whole, organic foods whenever possible and you will be amazed at the differences in your energy and vitality!

  7. Consider hiring a skilled fitness professional. The fact is that all top athletes and top performers of any kind have coaches. Even Michael Jordan had a coach. When considering hiring a qualified personal trainer, here are a few basic questions that will help you identify his/her professional competency:

    How long have you been a Certified Personal Trainer?

    How long have you been actively taking care of your own body and your own health?

    What are your credentials?

    How many years or hours did it take you to acquire these credentials? This is an important one! Many personal trainers are now able to become certified in a weekend course or by an online questionnaire. Having experience in managing a team of 15 personal trainers at one of the largest health clubs in Pinellas County, I was very disappointed to learn how low the standards have become in the fitness industry. Going to a trainer today is like going to an orthopedic surgeon who just graduated from school over the weekend…it can be ridiculous! How would you feel about having someone who just graduated from a weekend course perform brain surgery on your parent or child? Fitness professionals put more resistance on the human body than ANY other health care professional including doctors, physical therapists, etc., yet the fitness industry has the lowest standard of any industry! Thus, be sure to go out of your way to find out who you are allowing to make decisions about how much weight you should be lifting and what kinds of exercises are right for your body. Ensure your trainer has at least several advanced degrees or some level of higher education that demonstrates they are well trained and competent to keep you healthy, fit, and injury free.

    For an overview of the 5.5 year certification program that each of the Real Health trainers are enrolled in, click here.

  8. What does your assessment entail? Ninety-five percent of all fitness professionals perform a basic 30-45 minute assessment, which is what trainers are taught by every major personal training certification in the industry. Many of these protocols can be passed by taking an online questionnaire.

    The assessment protocol at Real Health includes a full 3-hour assessment, which involves measuring every major muscle and joint as well as a full consideration of all previous injuries and medical history. Not only does Real Health consider these findings, but we are trained and qualified to CORRECT these problems. For examples, read our most up to date testimonials by clicking here. This is done via a comprehensive understanding of the body as well as having over 12 years experience in the fields of rehabilitation, exercise programming, nutrition, and corrective exercise.

About the Author:

Neil Habgood is a Certified Personal Trainer in St. Petersburg, FL. He is a featured writer for many health & fitness related publications world wide and is the owner and head trainer of Real Health Inc. Visit Neil online!