As the warmer weather approaches, many of you are wondering how to lose that winter weight. Losing weight isn't easy but if you know how much activity it takes to lose 1 lb, that information can start you down the path to lose the last 5lbs or even 10lbs. There’s a simple formula: burning more calories + eating fewer calories = weight loss. However, sometimes, it doesn’t seem so simple.

So how is it done? How much can you eat, and how much do you have to exercise? For every pound you want to lose, you need to eliminate, (not cut out altogether, just use up) 3,500 calories through eating less and working out; an even better plan would be a combination of the two. The good news though, is that your body burns energy every day just by running the systems it needs to stay alive, however, how many calories burned varies in each person. So really, cutting a few hundred calories through diet and exercise will be enough to put you in your summer clothes, bathing suit or smaller size.

If you think you are doing this, and you are not losing weight, you may be underestimating the number of calories you eat in a day. Start tracking your meals and calculate your calories burned working out using a pedometer or other fitness calorie tracking tool.

So what does this all mean? The recommendation is to cut your daily caloric intake to 1,500 calories per day--no less, since eating too little can throw off your metabolism and cause other problems. In order to lose sizes faster, increase your activity. You will burn more energy, in turn burning more calories. And, remember your weight training, muscle burns more calories than fat when at rest. Answer is Fitness is running a Fitcamp to help you lose your winter pounds. Call us for details.

Metabolism and Age - Are they related? Yes and no.

People think that because they age they automatically have a slower metabolism than when they were younger. Yes, your metabolism does slow as you get older, but not for the reasons most people believe. It does not just slow because you get older, but instead because you stop moving around as much.

Your metabolism works off two main things: genetics and lean muscle mass. If your parents were lethargic/athletic/ping-pong pros, you will be more disposed to lead that kind of life based upon your genetics. Not all people are that way though. The main reason metabolism slows with age is based upon your lean body mass. When you're younger you move more, and as people get older they move less. Therefore the lean body mass of an individual will decrease unless they continue exercising or begin to exercise even more. Also, if you have very little lean muscle mass then you will not burn as many calories in a day as someone who has lots of muscle mass.

In closing, if you want to make sure your metabolism doesn't slow as you begin to age then exercise and move to stay in shape, keeping that lean muscle mass in check.