Pump up your metabolism
Yesterday I offered some fitness ideas. Today we’ll focus on ways to pump up your metabolism. I used to work with a gal who was a fitness competitor and she told me that what we put in our mouths accounts for 80% of our success. That is a huge number so throwing out some bad habits could make a huge difference.
The one that always trips me up with people is pop. I will never understand the need to consume pop. Diet or otherwise, the stuff is SO BAD FOR YOU. Seriously, there is not one redeeming thing about pop. How many studies must be funded that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that pop has no redeeming qualities before people will stop drinking this miserable excuse for liquid? It’s not even thirst-quenching. It dehydrates the body.
Which leads me to another thing; dehydration plays a large factor in weight loss. The more dehydrated we are, the more we highjack our body’s ability to burn fat. A well hydrated body has a faster metabolism thereby burning more calories just sitting around doing nothing than someone who’s dehydrated because they’re not consuming liquids or consuming the wrong kind.
Food is your friend. Eat. I know people who are terrified of food. They think if they skip breakfast, eat a salad for lunch and a Lean Cuisine for dinner, they’re golden. These same people have been dieting for decades. What part of this diet plan could possibly be working if they’ve been unsuccessfully attempting it this long? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day not because what we eat has some magical effect but because…well, wait a minute, yes it does. Your last meal, we’ll say, was at 6-7pm. It’s now 5:45-7:45am. You’ve gone 12+ hours with no food. When our bodies have no food to digest, they go into self-preservation mode also known as storing what we have. We want our bodies to be fat-burning machines and the only way for that to happen is to feed them good protein, complex carbs and good fats throughout the day on a regular basis.
This segues into another helpful hint. The best time to exercise is whenever you will do it. Barring that, if you have options and you’re really looking for the most effective time for fat-burning, it’d in the morning before you eat breakfast. The previous paragraph should explain well why that is. It tends to be the longest amount of time since your last meal so you are burning the most fat possible. I’ve worked with people who will eat lunch and then go for a brisk walk. Oh, dear, that’s horrible. It’s great that they’re getting out and moving but for the best results, it’s counterproductive. At best, they’re burning off the carbohydrates they just ate. They are not burning off fat. Now, if you’re trying to bulk up there’s all kinds of other ideas like eating a protein shake before a hard core weight work out. But for the majority of us, so long as you don’t have major medical issues, aerobic activity before consuming our first meal of the day will amp up our body’s fat-burning abilities most effectively.
So, cross pop (diet or otherwise) off your list forever, drink lots of water, eat good quality food throughout the day (I’ll offer some suggestions tomorrow) and exercise first thing in the morning, if possible.
Disclaimer: I am not a Dr. nor do I claim to be. The above suggestions are offered based on years of my own research and successful application. Consult a physician for specific questions/concerns.
Viki
I am a Clark County native. I am Level 2 WSET (wine and spirit education trust)-certified and enjoy pairing wine with my passion for travel and fondness of food. My most prized possessions are the memories of places I've been with my husband, the chance encounters we've been blessed to have along the way and my carry-on bag. I can often be seen around town and in tasting rooms with our two beautiful, double-Merle Australian shepherds, Challenge and Baby Girl.