Muscle vs fat

©Melissa Gilbert

Professional dancer Richard Giorla has popularised a very Californian way to stay in shape: a combination of dance exercises to lengthen and supple muscles, along with weights to increase muscle mass. 

His clients: Carmen Electra, Jennifer Lopez, Jenny Garth and Melissa Gilbert.

His 3 top exercise tips
1. Weight training. To firm up and maintain a good musclet-to-fat ratio, pump iron for half an hour 2-3 times a week. 
2. Housework is a useful way of burning calories and toning up. 
3. Use any opportunity you get to exercise: walk to work, take the stairs (not the lift), etc etc. 

His top 3 nutritional tips
1. Drink more water, right from the moment you get up in the morning, to cleanse your body, suppress hunger and reduce the amount of calories you eat at your next meal. 
2. Eat less salt - it causes water retention. 
3. Eat less sugar. White sugar and food that contains it is full of calories, but contains very little else in the way of nutrients.

His tips for rapid weight loss: Exercise more, and don't stop exercising or you'll put the weight you lose back on. Get plenty of whole cereals and protein (low-fat dairy produce, ham, eggs etc) at breakfast, green veg, a small portion of carbs and lean protein at lunch and dinner, and snack on healthy almonds, raw carrots, apples etc throughout the day.