Countless times I keep hearing potential clients in fitness assessments complain about the lack of energy.

Behind the goals of losing weight and trimming inches - lack of energy is a close 3rd.

To me it seems that the average man or woman in today’s society is more tired than ever before history of mankind.

Everyone complains about lack of sleep, too many chores, bringing work home with them, the kids have a busy lifestyle and wasted time in traffic.

Time is a major commodity nowadays.

What can I do about getting more time back but most importantly gaining my energy back?

Well the convenience stores and gas stations have you all figured out pretty well.

Just stop by for some gas on the way home from work and - presto, instant energy on the shelf.

5 hour energy, Red Bull, NRG gum, NRG bars, most gas stations even come affiliated with a full-service Tim Hortons.

Rationalization kicks in….”Hmmm, if I consume that dbl dbl Timmies I will be able to have a workout when I get home, or play with the kids, or get more work done”.

Sound familiar?

Now, I am no hippocrit. I too love my Tall Americano from Starbucks in the morning.

Just don’t fall into the trap of fake energy - cause you will crash and burn.

You will get your afternoon Timmies and then by the time you get home, sianara - you feel like you need another.

Exercise = Energy

The more your body burns calories correctly and safely, the more energy you will have.

This is why all the “GURU’s” say to perform more strength training as opposed to cardio.

The reason why more strength training is important is because of the long lasting effect it has on recruiting more muscle fibres to actively burn a greater amount of calories.

Think about it. Cardio works your leg muscles and heart and lungs.

Strength training works the heart and lungs plus the body parts you are training that day. Combine this with the knowledge that 1 lb of fat burns about 3 calories per hour v.s. 1 lb of muscle can burn up to 6 - 9 calories per hour - thus giving you much more ENERGY.

So there you have it. Strength train to gain more ENERGY.

From your Brampton Home Fitness Expert - Robert Foster, the #1 Personal Trainer.

Tereza, Thanks for leaving a comment. You should have left your b4 and after pic. It is very inspiring. This is what exercise, eating right and a little supplementation can do to help you get fit - Trainers On Site style.

I have her pic from another e-mail,

Robert Foster again,

After speaking on the Push-up - another body weight exercise, we are now going to cover the 3rd and final exercise of this series you can do in the comfort of your own home. All of my Franchisees agree that this final exercise is the finishing touch for getting that complete full body workout.

The Plank

is mostly used as a core exercise using primarily the rectus abdominal, the transverse abdominal and lastly the erector spinae. The secondary muscles being worked are the shoulders, chest and legs.

Start by placing your forearms and elbows on the ground in front of you - parallel with the body. The body should be parallel with ground completely tight and straight, flexing your core muscles tight down towards your knees. Keep the lower back up but not too high. You should be up on your toes.

The variations for this exercise are as follows;

-Reps/Duration, depending on your strength level try a duration time for 30 secs to 1 minute. Seeing how this is a hold movement, obviously repetitions will not be suitable for this exercise. Once fatigue sets in to your muscles and your form starts to sacrifice, you will want to try the low impact version.

-Tempo, none needed as discussed, because this is a hold movement.

-Plyometrics, for those who are advanced, try to jump your legs wide and narrow again.

-Surface/Plane, For a challenge, try raising 1 foot up in the air (obviously switch legs to even out the workload). To perform this exercise a little easier, let your knees drop to the ground. Keep 1 imaginary line from your knees to the back of your head.

More series of exercises will follow. New videos/pictures too.