I'm going to rant for a moment...

Ok...I'm feeling frustrated and I'd like to share some thoughts. It is no secret that the key to weight management is diet. This is true whether you want to lose fat weight, or gain muscle weight. You need to eat right. Exercise is crucial, but secondary to diet when it comes to weight loss.

Exercise has so very many benefits; heart health, cancer avoidance, increased bone density, enhanced energy levels, enhanced self-esteem, enhanced body image, and myriad more. But exercise is only one small component to weight-control.

I'll illustrate my point: An hour of vigorous cardiovascular exercise may burn between 750 and 1000 calories. The equivalent of a starbucks mocha-whatever, and a blueberry muffin - which I'm sure you can scarf down in about 10 minutes. So you just worked SUPER hard for an hour, only to end up with a zero calorie deficit, because you just ate it all back.

Putting it another way: If you work out for 1 hour every day, you're still NOT working out for 23 hours every day. That's roughly 4% of your day exercising, and 96% of your day not exercising. Simple percentages easily demonstrates that your lifestyle and diet are the predominant factors here.

Again, I stress exercise is CRUCIAL. Weight training builds muscle, which in turn generates a faster metabolism. This leads to more calories burned through a process called "muscle maintenance". Your body actually burns calories just maintaining all that muscle. But without a proper diet, you just won't find success.

While proper diet will help you lose the fat-weight, it's the weight-training and cardio-training that sculpts your body, shapes your muscles, and gives the desired "toned" look.

I had this discussion with a friend, and colleague, the other night. Every trainer recognizes that to put on muscle (IE: "Get Big") you need to eat right. You need to eat more calories, more protein, all from the proper food sources. But, and I decided to test this theory, I doubted whether every trainer recognized that diet was the key to weight loss as well. So, I conducted my own informal poll.

I talked to a number of trainers and "fitness professionals". I asked them their opinion of which was more important diet or exercise, when it came to losing fat-weight. A resounding majority said exercise. My astonishment turned to disappointment, my disappointment turned to frustration.

I found an article in Time magazine you my like to read: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html --

Yet another illustration of the need to choose your fitness professional carefully. Ask questions that you know the answer to...below you'll find a list, with answers.

1. Which is more important for weight loss, diet or exercise? Diet

2. Will weight-training or cardio-training assist my weight loss the most? Weight training, because of the "muscle maintenance" we talked about above, and the "muscle repair" process (which continues to burn calories for up to 24 hours after a workout).

3. For the average person, is it better to train one muscle-group per day, or perform full-body workouts,? Full-Body workouts, or an upper/lower split, is best. Body part per day workouts are antiquated, and really only benefit a body-builder.

4. Should I perform cardio before or after my weight-training? Ideally, perform them on separate days. If necessary, perform cardio after weight training. But of course, something is better than nothing - so if you must, cardio before weight training is OK, but you'll only tire yourself out - risking injury.

So, I was a little angry, a little frustrated, and I had to get the word out.

There you have it folks...4 simple questions. I have plenty more, if you'd like more email me at BA@Fit2YouFitness.com

Remember, if you've got it flaunt it, if you don't...get it with us. Fit2You Fitness, Philadelphia In-Home, Corporate, and Residential Personal Training.