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Greetings ! How goes the Journey? I can't tell you how great it feels to hear from the folks at QVC.com, who tell me: They're clicking on your Blog! Cool! I love reading the responses. It's obvious that you have a desire to share your stories while on this Fitness Journey. Keep 'em coming!

Today's topic is a touchy one: Men vs. Women (let the hate mail begin!). Look, the fact is, women have the upper hand on us guys in ways too numerous to count. You're smarter, nicer, more nurturing as parents, and you always seem to know where that missing sock is hidden. Guys don't stand a chance! Unless, of course you choose to start a fitness/ weight loss program with your husband. What happens? After two weeks, when you feel like you're just getting in the groove, Charlie walks out of the closet and says "Honey, look, I'm putting my belt on the third loop instead of the second!!" You smile, and congratulate his success. But secretly, you want to kill him. It's not fair!

If you've read the articles about men losing fat quicker than women, you're not alone. Some studies are suggesting that men and women may process, store, and use fat differently, both while exercising and while at rest. So the first lesson is: Don't compare you're success to his! Although you're going on this journey with others, and having a partner has proven to be helpful, this is Your Journey. And your body is unique to you.

By the way, how does this work? Some facts: Fat storage takes place when there is a surplus of energy supplied to the body; more than what's required to meet present needs. These excess calories will be stored in the form of a triglyceride molecule, which consists of three fatty acids held together by a glycerol molecule acting as a backbone. These triglycerides will usually be stored in the body fat cells, called adipocytes, however, a small amount can also be stored within the actual skeletal muscle, forming intramuscular triglycerides. The muscular storage form, however, is vastly smaller than what's stored in the rest of the body, typically about 2000 calories worth of fat in the muscles in comparison to 50,000 or more calories stored in the body fat cells.

When fat is needed for energy by the body, the stored triglycerides in the body fat cells will be broken down during a process called lipolysis and then used to fuel the muscles in need.

It is important to note that men and women typically carry fat differently on their bodies; females carrying a greater portion of it in the hip and thigh area, while males tend to focus their fat in the abdominal region. Additionally, females do have a higher essential body fat requirement due to the fact that their bodies must be capable of giving birth and their reproduction system will require more body fat stores.

A healthy body fat level for women is the 20-25% range, while males can bring their body fat down to 10-15% and still be considered healthy. In order to effectively decrease body fat stores, you are going to have to mobilize the fat, which is the process of releasing the fat from the storage site.

The bottom line? A combination of cardiovascular fitness and resistance training that's right... for you, not him. If you really want to fire up the metabolism, do them both at once. How? like The Firm! It works. It's done in the privacy of your own home, and the women on the DVD are "real people", with real results. You can even do it with Charlie! (Or your husband, you choose).

All the best,

Rick