Lean and Hard

Is it ever advisable to take a break from my regular workout routine? Will I lose all my gains if I miss a day? How do I know if I need a break? And how long should a break be?

These are all great questions. I've actually taken short breaks by necessity rather than by choice, and I've found that they can actually be advantageous. But what do the experts say?

While exercising consistently is important for building endurance, conditioning your body and losing weight, you may reach a point where you're tired, bored and desperately need a break. Taking a break may be just what you need to rest, recover and rejuvenate, but how long before you start losing your fitness?

You may be surprised to learn that taking a few days or a full week off from training won't necessarily hurt the gains you've made. In fact, many serious exercisers and athletes regularly schedule a week off every 8-12.

So if you're serious about fitness you can be certain that breaks are not only not a bad thing, they're actually important for your long-term fitness goals.

Today's awesome workout song...



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File this under "Tell me something I don't already know."

Studies are confirming what advertisers have long since figured out and you already suspect. Looking at photos of unhealthy foods like sweets and fatty treats makes it harder to resist indulging. This article tells us that...

Looking at pictures of hamburgers, cupcakes and other high-calorie edibles can trigger cravings for fattening foods, especially if you're drinking something sweet at the time, according to a new study.

What would happen if you didn't know those things existed? What if you had no mental image of that food whatsoever to lure you into its slobbering maw? What if you had no memory of its smell or taste? Could it still entice you? I guess there's no unringing the bell on that score, but at least we can avoid adding to our mental library of bad foods.

So friends, flip the channel when that commercial comes on! And don't look at your friends Pinterest collection of chocolatey treats, either.

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