Valentine's Day is 2 weeks away. Some of you may say  "so?" But there are people out there who are trying to get in the best shape they can before their little love fest on the big day. Let me assure you that there are no quick fixes but I can provide some tips that will definitly help you.

First of all IF YOU STARVE YOURSELF YOU WILL ONLY GAIN WEIGHT. Do I make myself clear? If you stop eating in hopes of losing weight fast you will ruin your metabolism and have weight problems the rest of your life. You should eat within 2 hours of waking up and carry healthy snacks with you when you are hungry throughout the day.And DO NOT TAKE DIET PILLS.  If you decide to go that route to lose weight you must consult your doctor. Diet pills can be unsafe and you will not see results in the time you are looking for.

For your cardio: running, swimming and spinning (not that crappy bike in the cardio room where you can leisurely read a book while you pedal) are all great for burning a lot of calories and work your whole body. If you already do them, add 10 more minutes of time during these 2 weeks.

Add another weight training session to your workout week during these next 2 weeks. Strength training burns a lot of calories, tones your muscle and stimulates your metabolism.

Do watch what you eat. For the next 2 weeks, try to avoid over indulging in fats and sugary treats. Notice I said over indulge. Do not completely cut out all sweets , just try to have a bite or 2 here and there. More importantly replace refined sugar carbs

with unrefuned sugar carbs (whole grains). Remember carbs are the most important food  group as they provide you with energy. Do not cut them out!

Spend the next 2 weeks hitting the gym one more day than you normally go. If you usually go 3 days a week and then suddenly step it up to 6 - that is too much for your body to handle and you may injure yourself due to muscle exhaustion. Just add one day per week and an extra 10 minutes to each cardio session. Please do not over do it, just use that looming date as a little push to step it up.

I will follow up this blog with a low fat recipe. More tips tomorrow!