That's Fit

Many people living in cold-climate regions of the country look to the warmer months as the perfect time to make a great escape from the gym. No longer must they stare at a television, unable to hear it over the whirring sound of a fleet of treadmills, hoping to dear God that someone will at least put on the ball game. Instead, they can take in the scenery and relaxing sounds of nature as they make their way through the great outdoors.

Aesthetics and mood-enhancing soundscapes aside, the greatest benefit of all may be the extra fat-burning boost you get from working out outside. A study published in the journal Obesity showed that men who exercised in direct sunlight lost 20 percent more body fat than indoor warriors. While several factors play a role in this fat-burning disparity, researchers posit that one reason in particular is the increase of appetite-suppressing leptin that is produced during a sun run.

Take extra caution when exercising outdoors, however. Be sure to apply sunscreen before heading out and stick to a familiar route when hiking trails.

Love getting that runner's high? If so, why not try a runner's low ... followed by a runner's high ... and then another runner's low, etc.? Alternating between bursts of high-intensity and low-intensity activity -- commonly known as interval training -- is a proven way to quickly shed body fat and improve cardiovascular function.

In fact, numerous studies have revealed that interval training is more effective than working out at a constant, moderate pace. Not only does it challenge your body to train at a higher level of intensity than it is used to, but it also allows short periods of recovery, thereby allowing you to muster up the energy to blast through your workout without faltering toward the end.

Interval training can be applied to just about any form of cardio workout. Runners can try a 30-second sprint for every 3 to 5 minutes of lower-intensity jogging. Swimmers can try something similar; for every one lap (or half lap, depending upon your fitness level) at high-intensity, complete a few laps at a more measured pace. Whatever your exercise of choice happens to be, you can modify it so that it incorporates intervals.

If you're looking for a way to help you look ooooh so good this summer, try adding a daily cup of oolong tea -- fortified with green tea -- to your diet.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who drank this green tea/oolong tea mixture lost an average of 2.4 more pounds over a three month period than people who drank regular oolong tea. Catechins, an antioxidant found in green tea, have been shown to stimulate the body to burn fat.

Another option, of course, is to drink green tea on its own, which has also been shown to have a fat-burning effect. My guess is the reason for the green tea/oolong mix is that some people don't care for the taste of green tea by itself (myself included). But, if you can stomach it, go for it. Or, you can also try different flavored green teas, such as Celestial Seasoning's Blueberry Green Tea, of which I am quite a fan.

If you're busting your tail in the gym, but the pounds keep sticking around, you're probably wondering why. If you're eating as healthy as you can, but your bulging waistline serves as no indication of your effort, you're probably wondering why. And if you're doing both of these things and more, you're probably ready to punch a hole in the wall and scream at the top of your lungs: "Why am I not losing any freakin' weight?!!!"

Okay ... calm down. Everything is going to be just fine, I promise. Tell you what, why don't you take a second to let your blood at least reduce from a boil to a simmer and then we'll start to deconstruct your approach and, as best, we can come up with a solution. To help us in this endeavor, we'll refer to a recent article published in the current issue of Maximum Fitness magazine, which is aptly titled 6 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight.

For the next six days, I'll offer one of the tips in the order that they appear in the Maximum Fitness magazine article. So, you can either wait to read them day by day or, if you don't have that kind of patience, you can run out to the bookstore and pick up a copy of the magazine. Your call. Either way, we're going to get to the bottom of all this and find out what's keeping the numbers on your scale from getting any lower.

Possible Reason #6: Your Exercise Program is Imbalanced. To maximize results from your weight loss and fitness efforts, it's best to follow a program that covers all the bases. Resistance training is a great way to build lean muscle and reduce fat, but it may not be enough by itself to produce the results you're looking for. Therefore, be sure to also include regular cardio sessions and spend some time stretching as well. The same logic applies for doing cardio by itself; you will drop pounds, but not as fast as you would if you also weight train. The solution? Take a moment to reevaluate your workout. Be sure to include both resistance training and cardio sessions throughout the week. And, if you opt to do them both in the same day, perform your weight training first and then finish with your cardio.

Well, that concludes this six-post series. I hope it was some help. For more diet and fitness tips to help you kick-start your weight loss, join us for AOL Body's America Takes It Off!

Whenever I write about abs, or getting a six-pack, or just about anything related to toning up your midsection, I always feel the need to mention fat loss. I use it as a kind of disclaimer, really; without dropping body fat, a person will never have a defined stomach. Do as many ab exercises as you want; the fact is, if you don't drop some of the blubber, you're abs will never pop.

There, I feel better. Now I feel as though I can speak freely about two lesser-known ab exercises that will help tone and firm those muscles in and around your stomach.

First up is the Barbell Roll-Out. Start by kneeling on the ground while holding a barbell out in front of you (also on the ground, not in the air). From there, roll out until your chest just about touches the floor. Next, pull yourself back using your core muscles.

I've come across research suggesting that water has a thermogenic affect on fat. I've also come across research suggesting that research suggesting that water has a thermogenic affect on fat is unsubstantiated and untrue. As this scientific tennis match continues, new research gives the advantage to those who believe the former.

Based on a study conducted in Germany, water can cause a rise in metabolism and contribute to the burning of fat. In said study, researchers found that drinking a 16 ounce glass of cold water increased the metabolism of volunteers by as much as 24 percent over their normal metabolic rate, with this increase lasting as long as 90 minutes.

What caused this increase? Researchers posit that it has to do with the energy generated by the body as it warms the water during digestion. This could very well be the case, as there was no mention of the volunteers drinking warm water or any subsequent effects.