Q: How much exercise should I do?

A: Experts recommend 30-60 minutes of exercise per day. The 60-minute suggestion is based on the National Academy of Science's ideal recommendation for people who are trying to lose weight. But you'll get real health benefits (and burn lots of calories) even if you don't work out that much -- especially if you haven't been exercising at all up to now.

While 30 minutes of physical activity is considered enough to lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, even 10 minutes a day will do you good. Remember that you don't have to do all your exercise in one session: A 30-minute aerobics workout in the morning, a 20-minute walk after work, and 10 minutes of mopping the floor after dinner can do the trick. (Don't forget to include some strength training and stretching in your workouts, too.)

Q: Do You Have Trainers at this Facility?

A: Yes, We Do

Q: What types of exercise are better for weight loss?

A: Choose endurance activities for weight loss such as jogging, aerobics, bicycling, rowing, or swimming.

Exercise at a moderately intense level. You should be able to talk without running out of breath during the activity.

Exercise for more than 40 minutes.

During the first 20 minutes, your body taps into your sugar reserves (carbohydrates stored as blood glucose and muscle glycogen). Between 20 to 40 minutes of exercise, the body continues to use up your sugar reserves and starts to tap into your body fat.

After 40 minutes the body starts to burn even more fat.

Choose aquatic workouts or exercise in the cold. This causes the body to burn more energy and melt fat more quickly. The body draws on its fat reserves to stay warm.

Q: What is BMI and why is it useful?

A: The body mass index (BMI) is a simple way for men and women to estimate body fat based on their height and weight. From the BMI, it is possible to determine your healthy weight range.

For the majority of Americans, the BMI is the most up-to-date and scientifically sound method available for determining healthy weight. One of the limitations of BMI is that it can over-predict overweight or obesity in people who are lean and muscular.

It is important to know that people who are classified as overweight or obese can still be healthy as long as they are fit. In one well-known study, fit people with BMIs that classified them as overweight or obese were healthier and lived longer than unfit people who were at normal weight.

Q: Why has my weight loss plateaued?

A: There are several reasons why your weight can hit a plateau, including:

Losing weight too quickly. When this happens, your metabolism (the rate at which your body burns calories) can slow down because your body senses it is starving.

Losing muscle. When you lose weight, up to 25% can come from muscle tissue. And since muscle is the engine in your body that burns calories and helps maintain your metabolism, losing it can hinder weight loss.

Reaching your body's particular set point -- the weight and metabolic rate your body is genetically programmed to be . Once you reach that point, it's much harder to lose weight and even if you do, you're likely to regain it.

Decreasing your physical activity and/or increasing your caloric intake.

Other health factors, including thyroid or adrenal gland problems; medications like antidepressants; quitting smoking; menopause; and pregnancy.

Even with any of the above factors, the bottom line to losing weight is eating fewer calories than you burn. Studies show that people almost always underestimate how many calories they're eating. So if you're struggling with weight loss, you're still exercising, and you've ruled out any of the above reasons for weight plateaus, look at your calorie intake or change your fitness routine.