Liz Neporent is a diet and fitness expert and author of 12 fitness bestsellers. She regularly appears on national TV programs and is the president of Wellness 360, a New-York based wellness provider.

It's so frustrating when you make an effort to lose weight -- an honest-to-goodness, try-your-heart-out effort -- and it goes nowhere. (Of course, who doesn't feel a smidge of impatience right from the get-go? There's always a little part of you that expects to be transformed after just one workout.) My clients often cite lack of results as one of the top reasons for giving up on an exercise. So, for those who have ever felt like they've been left at the starting gate when trying to lose weight by exercising, here are a few tips that may help.

Work Harder. When you first begin an exercise program, even a leisurely stroll can leave you sucking wind. After a few weeks, you'll notice that the same amount of exercise won't leave you quite as breathless, and your heart won't thump quite as loudly. That's a sure sign of progress, but it's also a sure sign you need to kick into a higher gear. In fact, there's some scientific evidence to suggest that doing one or two hard-hitting workout sessions a week can rev up weight loss; when you push yourself, you burn a greater number of calories per hour and can pump up your resting calorie burn rate for several hours -- or even several days -- afterwards. For stalled weight-loss efforts, add one to two weekly "interval training" workouts (that's where you mix speedy, high-intensity intervals lasting one to five minutes with slower recovery intervals lasting an equal amount of time).

Now I have something else to blame my uninspired biceps on. Turns out, my haphazard gym schedule isn't the only thing keeping my arms from being Michelle Obama-tastic.

According to a new study, oral contraception may be limiting my lean muscle mass.

We all know Courteney Cox Arquette is beautiful. She's a former model and once landed on the cover of People magazine's Most Beautiful People issue. But what might surprise you is that even a stunner like Cox Arquette is feeling the effects of time marching on. So what does she do to fight Father Time? She exercises.

Cox Arquette isn't unrealistic about her looks. She said, "People who read a magazine can look at the picture and go, 'She looks great for over 40!' But guess what? That's not what I look like. Lighting is everything. When you're in your car and you look in the mirror and the sun's beaming in, you're like, 'Wow, times are getting tough.'" Personally, I think it's refreshing to hear celebs state the problems we all have. I certainly don't have make-up artists and professional photographers snapping shots of me -- but I know I've had days when things looked pretty good in my bathroom mirror, but then all the age lines and pores showed up in the light of day.

Cox Arquette fights back against the natural signs of age with cardio and weight-training five times a week. She enjoys running, hiking, and doing total-body exercises.

Source