Answers from Expert: Michelle Cederberg

If you have a question for any of our experts, please visit our Just Ask page. It sounds like you're on the right track to making come fitness gains but let me ask you a few questions. How long have you been regularly active? How much, if any, weight have you lost so far? When was the last time you tried something different in your workout routine? You mention that your frequency of exercise is at least three times a week but you didn't mention the type of exercise you do or how long you workout each time. Hopefully you do a combination of resistance training and cardio each week. Cardiovascular exercise will ensure that you're exercising your heart and lungs (and burning those calories), and the resistance training will also burn calories but it will also give you muscle mass, which will increase your metabolism (or how much energy your body burns during the day). The length of your workout will depend on your available time of course, but ideally you should commit about an hour to each workout so you can be effective in both your cardio and your resistance routines. Change your program -- even just a bit -- every 6-8 weeks, by trying a different piece of cardio equipment or a different class, by trying new exercises in the weight room or even by doing something outside the gym like a dance class or indoor climbing. If you have been doing the same routine for some time without change your body has likely adapted to the challenge and it's become more efficient. That means you'll burn less calories now than when you first began working out. Finally, take a long hard look at your nutrition. If you've never invested in the services of a nutritionist or a registered dietician, now is the time. You may think you're eating healthy foods in the right quantities, but what if you're wrong? It's possible that you're eating too few calories and you may need to add additional snacks and meals into your day. It's possible that you don't have the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in your food plan! You may find that small changes in your food intake could make a big difference on the scale. Good luck! Michelle Cederberg, MKin, PFLC www.liveoutloud.ca