1. Don't skip breakfast.  Breakfast kickstarts your metabolism and fuels your morning.  Skipping breakfast is one of the easiest ways to get or stay fat. 
   
2. Try to eat every 3-4 hours.  Eating frequently trains the body to burn off the food you give it.  It helps decrease your chances of storing food as fat and increases your metabolism. 
   
3. Limit carbohydrate intake in the evenings and before periods of inactivity.  Carbohydrates are pure energy.  You either burn them or store them.  Consuming an abundance of carbs before bed or prior to sitting at a computer for 3 hours will most definitely lead to an expanding waistline. 
   
4. Sugar is your enemy.  Excess sugar will cause the pancreas to increase its production of insulin to clean the sugar out of the blood.  Chances are this excess sugar will be stored as fat.  Because the pancreas has to pump out so much insulin, it is forced to slow its production of glucagon.  Glucagon aids in your body's ability to release fat.  People who consume high sugar diets can temporarily limit their ability to release fat as energy. 
   
5. Limit or cut out all alcohol.  Alcohol not only has almost twice as many calories per gram as carbohydrates, but it can have devastating effects on your body.  Alcohol can further muscle breakdown potentially leading to muscle atrophy (loss of muscle).  It can also effect your nervous system for up to four days decreasing the effectiveness of your workout. 
   
6. Write down what you eat in a journal.  Studies show people who record their food intake in a journal are 50% more likely to be successful. 
   
7. Count your calories.  If you want to lose weight you have to take in fewer calories than you burn off.  To gain lean muscle you have to take in more calories than you burn off.  To maintain your weight you need to take in the same amount of calories you burn off.  How will you know if you are taking in the correct amount of calories if you don't track them?  If your food doesn't have a label use the website www.calorie-count.com and look it up!
   

Here is a great circuit weight training workout designed to burn fat and tone your body!  Start by performing each exercise for 30 seconds then move to the next exercise.  Try to complete all exercises with as little rest between exercises as possible.  When ready add another set or add 15-30 seconds to each exercise. 


STABILITY BALL PUSHUPS
An exercise ball can add a different element to traditional pushups, making them easier or harder, depending on where you position it. This version is shown with the feet propped on the ball, which is a more advanced pushup. You can make this move easier by moving the ball up (so that the shins or thighs are resting on the ball).

1. Kneel on the floor with the ball in front of you and roll forward on it, walking the hands out to where you can comfortably support your body with the abs in, shoulders retracted and the body in a straight line.
2. Place the hands a bit wider than shoulders and check to make sure you're not sagging in the middle. If you are, try rolling back a bit for more support.
3. Bend the elbows and lower down until your elbows are at about 90 degrees.
4. Press back to start.

Tips

• Don't lead with your chin. Keep your head down so that your neck is in alignment with the rest of your body throughout the movement.
• Reposition the ball as needed to give yourself more support. Keeping the ball under the hips or upper thighs will provide the most support for the body.
• Keep the body in a straight line. Don't sag in the middle, and don't let your shoulder blades ride up. Your upper back should be flat.

STABILITY BALL DUMBBELL PULLOVER
This exercise targets both the lats on either side of the back as well as the lower body and core, since you're holding yourself in a bridge position. The exercise is shown using an exercise ball but can be done on a bench or step for more stability.

1. Lie face up on the ball with the head and shoulders supported, weight resting over the chest.
2. Keep the glutes contracted to lift the body into a bridge position, making a straight line from knees to head.
3. Take the weight straight up over the chest, arms slightly bent. You can hold a dumbbell on either side or use a medicine ball.
4. Keeping the body tight and stable, slowly lower the weight behind you, keeping the elbows slightly bent.
5. Only lower the weight as far as your flexibility allows and try not to lower the weight below your head.
6. Contract the back muscles to pull the weight back up over the chest.
   

Tips

• If you've never done this exercise, practice on the floor or a bench before trying it on the ball.
• Begin with a light weight to practice good form and control.
• If you have any shoulder problems, skip this exercise.
• It's normal also to feel this move in the triceps and chest as well as the back.

OVERHEAD SHOULDER PRESS
The overhead press is often a standard move in most routines because it hits every part of the shoulder with an emphasis on the front and middle part of the deltoid. This is also a tough exercise because you're pressing a weight over your head, so you may not be able to lift as much weight for this move as you do for other exercises. If you're using a heavy weight, you might want to sit on a chair or bench that has back support.

1. Using a medium-heavy barbell, hold bar with hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Start by bringing the bar up to forehead level, elbows bent.
3. Slowly press the weight overhead without arching the back--keep the abs in tight and don't lock the elbows at the top of the movement.
4. Exhale and lower back to start.

Tip

SQUATS

Squats are a great exercise for the glutes, hips and thighs and adding a ball to the move can add great support for the back while allowing you to get into perfect squat position to protect the knees. How to do it:

1. Stand with about hip or shoulder-width apart and place an exercise ball behind your lower back and against a sturdy wall for support.
2. If you choose to hold weights, you can keep them at your sides, hold them just over the shoulders or prop them on the upper thighs.
3. Bend the knees and lower into a squat, keeping the knees in line with the toes.
4. Lower down as far as you can (but no lower than 90 degrees) and push into the heels to go back to starting position.

Tips:

• Keep your knees in line with your toes.
• Press through the heel of your foot as you push up from the squat.
• Avoid letting the knee bend over the toe.

1. Stand in a split stance, with feet about 3 feet apart. You want both knees to be at about 90-degree angles at the bottom of the movement, so adjust accordingly.
2. Hold weights in each hand (or place a barbell behind the neck) for added intensity.
3. Bend the knees and lower the back knee toward the floor, keeping the front heel down and the knee directly over the center of the foot.
4. Keep the torso straight and abs in as you push through the front heel and back to starting position.
5. Don't lock the knees at the top of the movement.

1. Stand with feet about hip-distance apart and hold weights in front of thighs.
2. Keeping the shoulders back, abs in and the back straight, tip from the hips and lower the weights towards the floor.
3. Lower as far as your flexibility allows. You can bend the knees slightly if you need to.
4. Push into the heel to go back to starting position.

Tips:

• Don't round the shoulders forward. To keep your back flat, look up as you lower down.
• Don't bend the knees as you lower down. This is not a squat, but a move that comes from the hips. Keep your knee at the same angle throughout the movement.
• Use light weights until you get the hang of it.

BICYCLE CRUNCH
The Bicycle exercise is the best move to target the rectus abdominis (i.e., the 'six pack') and the obliques (the waist), according to a study done by the American Council on Exercise. To do this exercise correctly:

1. Lie face up on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head.
2. Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the ground without    pulling on the neck.
3. Straighten the left leg out while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee.
4. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee.
5. Continue alternating sides in a 'pedaling' motion.

REVERSE CRUNCH
It may seem like the reverse crunch is for the lower abs but, remember, the rectus abdominis is one long muscle, so you can't separate upper from lower. To do this move right:

1. Lie on the floor and place hands on the floor or behind the head.
2. Bring the knees in towards the chest until they're bent to 90 degrees, with feet together or crossed.
3. Contract the abs to curl the hips off the floor, reaching the legs up towards the ceiling.
4. Lower and repeat.
5. It's a very small movement, so try to use your abs to lift your hips rather than swinging your legs and creating momentum.

• Note that caloric expenditure will vary on non-workout days or days where you only perform weight training or just cardio. You need to adjust your intake accordingly. 
  
• To lose 1 pound per week you need to take in 500 calories/day less than you burn.
• To lose 2 pounds per week you need to take in 1000 calories/day less than you burn.
• To add 1 pound of lean muscle per week you need to take in 500 calories more than you burn.
• To maintain your body composition you need to take in the same amount of calories you burn.