Only ONE Silver Bullet

SIGH! Being a Jazzercise instructor for the last 11 years, I have seen many diets and exercise fads come and go...think The Atkins Diet and Tae Bo. It seems as Americans, we are all are looking for the silver bullet to lose weight and get healthy. No one wants to sweat to exercise, everyone wants to take a pill VOILA...they look like Jennifer Aniston on the cover of In Style magazine. What we all forget is that it is Jennifer Aniston's JOB too look beautiful. She has a trainer and a full staff that help her look good everyday. Don't get me wrong...I HEART Jennifer, she is beautiful and heck while I prefer to date men, I might make an exception for her.

As a fitness professional, I find it very frustrating to witness the media and movie stars convince the general public that the latest diet is going to help them get fit. Programs like Weight Watchers are great ways to help women (and men) ensure they are eating a healthy diet and may help some lose SOME weight. But in all the years I have been doing Jazzercise (over 16), I have found ONE silver bullet that will help everyone lose weight and get healthy. EAT LESS, EXERCISE MORE. That's it.

And when you exercise more, ladies, you need to break a sweat!! Yoga and Pilates are great programs (and I might add are NOT fads, as they have been around for AGES). However, they should be considered a compliment to your cardio workouts, whatever they are, Jazzercise, biking, swimming, etc. I would recommend both pilates and yoga, as everyone could use more stretching and core work.

In my Jazzercise classes, I get these type of questions all the time...how do I make my stomach smaller? how do I get rid of my back fat? The only answer is cardio and strength training. You can do 1000 sit ups a day but without cardio exercise, you are not going to reduce the fat in the abdominal area enough to allow everyone to see the muscles underneath.

BTW, I know MANY students that have successfully lost weight combining Jazzercise and Weight Watchers. One of my students lost 130 pounds and she looks amazing...way to go SUE!

So, as I step off my soap box today, keep this in mind, if you are ready to get fit and lose weight, choose a program that includes cardio, strength training and stretching....HMMM, I wonder, where you can get it?

Jazzercise, Cardio, Strength, Stretch! And plus you get to dance in class. I wonder wonder why I teach Jazzercise...could it be that after 16 years, I still get an amazing workout every time? I would love to see you in my class soon.

Cheers and CIAO BELLAS!