Everyone's metabolism naturally slows down with age. At 40, you could be burning 100 to 300 fewer calories a day than you did at 30. That can equate into a 10-25 pound weight gain in a year. But you can counteract that slowdown and boost your body's fat-burning capabilities by making just a few changes in your daily routine. Here are some ideas.
Breakfast
Numerous studies have found that regular breakfast eaters are often leaner than breakfast skippers. Jump-start your metabolism in the morning by eating breakfast. In addition, it's a good idea to make breakfast or lunch your largest meal because (for some people) both your activity level and metabolism decrease later in the day.
Consume good grains
Whole grains such as brown rice, wheat germ, whole-grain cereal, oatmeal and bran leave you feeling full because they take longer to digest than simple carbohydrates. In a study from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School evaluated the dietary intake of more than 74,000 women for 12 years. Overall, women who regularly ate the most whole-grain foods — about 1.5 servings a day — gained less weight than women who ate the least.
Strength train
Muscle burns more calories than fat does, and decreased muscle mass can be one of the main reasons metabolism slows. Disuse can cause women to drop as much as 10 pounds of muscle between the ages of 30 and 50. Losing that much muscle means you'll burn 350 to 500 fewer calories a day. To build and maintain muscle mass, aim for two to three strength-training workouts a week. If you don't belong to a gym, try push-ups, squats, abdominal crunches and tricep dips off of a chair. You can also hire a fitness trainer to show you the proper form so the exercise is effective and injury is avoided.
Increase your intensity
You love to walk, but if that usually means strolling along at a snail's pace, your waistline will pay little attention. Instead, put intensity into your step. Pick up your pace so you're walking one mile per 15 minutes. A pedometer is an applicable tool here. Once you build up your cardiovascular fitness level, you can even alternate between walking and jogging. The key is to get your heart rate up and keep your workouts challenging.
Add yogurt to your daily intake
In a recent study from the International Journal of Obesity, women who ate three daily servings of low-fat yogurt lost 60 percent more fat than women who didn't. In another study, participants who ate three daily servings of dairy lost more than twice as much fat as those who ate less than that. Calcium-rich diets reduce fat-producing enzymes and increase enzymes that break down fat. Eat three servings of low-fat dairy a day, like milk, yogurt and hard cheeses such as Swiss.
Eat, digest and then get active
Your body's metabolic rate increases 10 percent after eating, and just a few minutes of activity could double that boost for up to three hours. Within 15 to 30 minutes of eating a snack or meal, do five or ten minutes of light activity. Take the dog for a walk, climb stairs in your house or do some basic strength exercises. Or take the time to do 20-30 minutes of a heart pumping cardio workout.
Green tea
Green tea provides a healthy dose of disease-fighting compounds and you'll also cut body fat. In a study from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who drank a bottle of tea fortified with green tea extract every day for three months lost more body fat than people who drank black tea. Researchers at a health care lab in Tokyo believe disease-fighting antioxidants called catechins in green tea may help decrease body fat.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Good Fats, Bad Fats
The general consensus is to avoid fats when trying to change your body composition, however, your body needs fat to function optimally. Fat not only provides fuel as a secondary source of energy, it is important in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, insulation and the protection of vital organs. 25% of your daily diet should be consumed as healthy fats.
We should consume the right kinds of fat and practice moderation. Some fats are actually good for you, while others should be completely avoided. Mono-saturated fats and poly-unsaturated fats are healthy fats and saturated fats should be consumed in moderation. Trans fat should not be consumed.
So what are some examples?
Mono-Unsaturated fat: Good sources are olive and canola oils, most nuts and avocados.
Poly-Unsaturated fat: There are two types of poly-unsaturated fat, omega-6 and omega-3 fats. Omega-6 fats are found in vegetable/soybean oil and omega-3 fats are found in fish such as salmon or tuna, flaxseed and walnuts.
Saturated fat: Red meat, fatty meats such as salami, dairy such as cream and butter and thicker vegetable oils such as palm, coconut, and kernel oil.
Trans fat: This is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil, which will extend the shelf life of packaged goods. Trans fat are generally in processed foods, including cakes, cookies and crackers. If it tastes really good, sweet and fattening . . then it probably has trans fat!
The percentage of daily intake is found in the nutrition facts on your food packages. Pay attention to them.
Remember, your body needs healthy fats for optimal functioning. Consume saturated fats in moderation and avoid trans fats altogether.
We should consume the right kinds of fat and practice moderation. Some fats are actually good for you, while others should be completely avoided. Mono-saturated fats and poly-unsaturated fats are healthy fats and saturated fats should be consumed in moderation. Trans fat should not be consumed.
So what are some examples?
Mono-Unsaturated fat: Good sources are olive and canola oils, most nuts and avocados.
Poly-Unsaturated fat: There are two types of poly-unsaturated fat, omega-6 and omega-3 fats. Omega-6 fats are found in vegetable/soybean oil and omega-3 fats are found in fish such as salmon or tuna, flaxseed and walnuts.
Saturated fat: Red meat, fatty meats such as salami, dairy such as cream and butter and thicker vegetable oils such as palm, coconut, and kernel oil.
Trans fat: This is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil, which will extend the shelf life of packaged goods. Trans fat are generally in processed foods, including cakes, cookies and crackers. If it tastes really good, sweet and fattening . . then it probably has trans fat!
The percentage of daily intake is found in the nutrition facts on your food packages. Pay attention to them.
Remember, your body needs healthy fats for optimal functioning. Consume saturated fats in moderation and avoid trans fats altogether.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Why You Should Strength Train
If you have not heard, Oprah fell off the wagon last year and she is not alone. Many people echo her words year after year and some add, they fell off and the wagon backed up and ran over them. As a trainer, I can provide my theories and suggestions as to why one needs to exercise and strength train, but when Oprah gave her confessional on national television last week, she spoke and related to many people.
Oprah stated, "What I've actually started to enjoy is resistance training. Yes, working with weights." Her explanations continued by stating that as you get older, you lose more muscle which needs maintenance. For her, resistance training has been fascinating because she can see that even though the weight is not dropping as quickly as she would like, she can see her shape changing. She is firmer and her clothes are looser.
If you refer to my entry entitled Dieting Truths, dated 7/1/2008, I also talk about these same principles. During strength training it is possible to get smaller and not lose much weight at the same time. Muscle is a much denser tissue than fat. A pound of muscle is very solid, while a pound of fat is like a big fluffy bunch of feathers. The fat takes up more space in your body so when you strength train you are losing inches first instead of pounds and your clothes start to feel different. Always rely on how your feel and look because the scale can be misleading and discourage you when you are doing a great job.
When I talk about this topic, I often ask people to think about how their bodies have changed and how subtle the weight gain may have been, especially in their 30's and 40's. At this point, if you have not been exercising regularly your muscle development has peaked and is actually headed in the other direction. In short, if you do not strengthen your muscles, you lose them. When you have more lean muscle in your body, you burn calories even at rest and weight gain is minimal or non-existent. It definitely assists a weight loss goal.
So carve out some time, at minimum 30 minutes twice a week to strength train. Work on all muscle groups; chest, triceps, back, biceps, shoulders, legs and core abdominals.
If you need to lose weight and know you could be healthier physically and emotionally, remember strength training is a necessary part of an overall fitness regimen. This goes along with cardiovascular exercises and smarter food choices. Even if you do not need to lose weight, strength training and exercise are always a part of a healthy lifestyle. Live Well!
Oprah stated, "What I've actually started to enjoy is resistance training. Yes, working with weights." Her explanations continued by stating that as you get older, you lose more muscle which needs maintenance. For her, resistance training has been fascinating because she can see that even though the weight is not dropping as quickly as she would like, she can see her shape changing. She is firmer and her clothes are looser.
If you refer to my entry entitled Dieting Truths, dated 7/1/2008, I also talk about these same principles. During strength training it is possible to get smaller and not lose much weight at the same time. Muscle is a much denser tissue than fat. A pound of muscle is very solid, while a pound of fat is like a big fluffy bunch of feathers. The fat takes up more space in your body so when you strength train you are losing inches first instead of pounds and your clothes start to feel different. Always rely on how your feel and look because the scale can be misleading and discourage you when you are doing a great job.
When I talk about this topic, I often ask people to think about how their bodies have changed and how subtle the weight gain may have been, especially in their 30's and 40's. At this point, if you have not been exercising regularly your muscle development has peaked and is actually headed in the other direction. In short, if you do not strengthen your muscles, you lose them. When you have more lean muscle in your body, you burn calories even at rest and weight gain is minimal or non-existent. It definitely assists a weight loss goal.
So carve out some time, at minimum 30 minutes twice a week to strength train. Work on all muscle groups; chest, triceps, back, biceps, shoulders, legs and core abdominals.
If you need to lose weight and know you could be healthier physically and emotionally, remember strength training is a necessary part of an overall fitness regimen. This goes along with cardiovascular exercises and smarter food choices. Even if you do not need to lose weight, strength training and exercise are always a part of a healthy lifestyle. Live Well!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Stages of Change
We all know that losing weight and improving overall fitness are things that don’t happen overnight. But, did you know that in order to be truly successful important mental steps need to be taken before you even start a diet or exercise program? The first thing you should do is identify where you fall on the behavioral change spectrum. There are five distinct stages of behavioral change based on the Transtheoretical Model (TTM). Do you know what stage you currently fall under?
In my last entry dated 12/30/08, I stated that change is not easy and you really have to make a commitment to yourself that you are starting a journey for the long haul. Knowing what stage you are in will help you to create a road map to the subsequent stages and ultimately help you to be successful in your fitness goals. Below are the five major phases:
Precontemplation: This is the point where you don’t feel that any change in your lifestyle is necessary. You may think exercise takes too much time or fast food is too convenient to even consider giving up. Starting a fitness or diet program during this stage could probably result in failure. The best thing you can do during this stage is to educate yourself further about health, diseases and risks.
Contemplation: During this stage you may start to think change is necessary. So, you consider cutting back to eating fast food three times a week is not so bad and you might be able to at least take a walk once in awhile. This is a good time to learn more about the benefits of healthy eating and regular exercise.
Preparation: At this point you are getting more serious about taking action. You’ve penciled in a walk with a friend for next week and are planning to grocery shop to cook healthier meals at home. You may want to research exercise equipment, gyms, personal trainers, diet programs and online media to learn more about what you can do (with the help of a professional and/or equipment) to get in better shape.
Action: Here’s where you actually take the first step. The first step may be as simple as taking a daily walk, reducing your fast food visits to twice a month or just cutting back on high sugar drinks. You also could hire a personal trainer to assist with motivation or join a gym. During this stage it is very important to learn coping mechanisms that will help you to avoid re-lapse into your old behaviors. One way to avoid being a part of the high exercise dropout statistics is to start slowly with a new program and make permanent lifestyle changes versus temporary ones.
Maintenance: This is, of course, the phase that everyone should strive to be at. This means that you have been doing a regular fitness program consistently for quite some time and that you continue your new lifestyle. It’s important throughout this stage (which should last a lifetime) that you include a variety of workouts that change frequently. You should also seek social support of family and friends.
So what stage are you in? You may find that you are in the contemplation stage for nutritional habits but that you are in preparation stage for exercises. That’s okay. It is not critical for you to force both areas into the same stage. You can work on changing your nutritional and exercise habits separately.
The key to success is first identifying your stage and then take steps to advance to the next level (unless you are already at the Maintenance stage). Use the suggestions mentioned above in each stage to help you move to the next phase.
For example, if you are in the precontemplation stage, research and read as much as you can on the subject of health risks and how they relate to an individual’s lifestyle. From there you will probably want to learn more about the consequences and benefits of specific lifestyles. Education is a powerful thing. The more you fully understand and can relate directly to the causes and effects of your action, the more inclined you will be to change.
It is also important to tune-in to your fears, past struggles and expectations. Making nutritional and exercise changes is challenging and should be approached slowly. Remember to make small changes. Avoid jumping from a completely sedentary life to an hour a day of continual exercise in just a few weeks. Build up to increments starting with just 10 minutes at a time 3 times in a day for 30 minutes a day. Lastly, be sure to inform your family and friends of your plans and enlist their support. Support is extremely important for your success.
In my last entry dated 12/30/08, I stated that change is not easy and you really have to make a commitment to yourself that you are starting a journey for the long haul. Knowing what stage you are in will help you to create a road map to the subsequent stages and ultimately help you to be successful in your fitness goals. Below are the five major phases:
Precontemplation: This is the point where you don’t feel that any change in your lifestyle is necessary. You may think exercise takes too much time or fast food is too convenient to even consider giving up. Starting a fitness or diet program during this stage could probably result in failure. The best thing you can do during this stage is to educate yourself further about health, diseases and risks.
Contemplation: During this stage you may start to think change is necessary. So, you consider cutting back to eating fast food three times a week is not so bad and you might be able to at least take a walk once in awhile. This is a good time to learn more about the benefits of healthy eating and regular exercise.
Preparation: At this point you are getting more serious about taking action. You’ve penciled in a walk with a friend for next week and are planning to grocery shop to cook healthier meals at home. You may want to research exercise equipment, gyms, personal trainers, diet programs and online media to learn more about what you can do (with the help of a professional and/or equipment) to get in better shape.
Action: Here’s where you actually take the first step. The first step may be as simple as taking a daily walk, reducing your fast food visits to twice a month or just cutting back on high sugar drinks. You also could hire a personal trainer to assist with motivation or join a gym. During this stage it is very important to learn coping mechanisms that will help you to avoid re-lapse into your old behaviors. One way to avoid being a part of the high exercise dropout statistics is to start slowly with a new program and make permanent lifestyle changes versus temporary ones.
Maintenance: This is, of course, the phase that everyone should strive to be at. This means that you have been doing a regular fitness program consistently for quite some time and that you continue your new lifestyle. It’s important throughout this stage (which should last a lifetime) that you include a variety of workouts that change frequently. You should also seek social support of family and friends.
So what stage are you in? You may find that you are in the contemplation stage for nutritional habits but that you are in preparation stage for exercises. That’s okay. It is not critical for you to force both areas into the same stage. You can work on changing your nutritional and exercise habits separately.
The key to success is first identifying your stage and then take steps to advance to the next level (unless you are already at the Maintenance stage). Use the suggestions mentioned above in each stage to help you move to the next phase.
For example, if you are in the precontemplation stage, research and read as much as you can on the subject of health risks and how they relate to an individual’s lifestyle. From there you will probably want to learn more about the consequences and benefits of specific lifestyles. Education is a powerful thing. The more you fully understand and can relate directly to the causes and effects of your action, the more inclined you will be to change.
It is also important to tune-in to your fears, past struggles and expectations. Making nutritional and exercise changes is challenging and should be approached slowly. Remember to make small changes. Avoid jumping from a completely sedentary life to an hour a day of continual exercise in just a few weeks. Build up to increments starting with just 10 minutes at a time 3 times in a day for 30 minutes a day. Lastly, be sure to inform your family and friends of your plans and enlist their support. Support is extremely important for your success.
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