Work smart and hard.

"Work smarter, not harder" is a phrase thrown around by those who think they found shortcuts to the things the rest of us struggle to achieve. In some areas this valid advice. I believe however that the two aren't mutually exclusive as far as fitness and weight loss are concerned. To achieve your goals, you'll have to work smart and hard with consistency. There aren't any shortcuts despite what you've been led to believe by the infomercial hucksters. A defined program that challenges you to improve your physical performance will yield far greater results than a routine that is well inside your "comfort zone". However that doesn't mean that you should work yourself to exhaustion with every workout. Varying the volume, duration and type of workout, along with having planned days of recuperation is the best way to stay mentally and physically "fresh" and to insure that you will reap the rewards on your efforts.