We often hear the term metabolism, and are told that we
need to speed it up so we can lose weight, but what does that really mean? The layman’s definition of metabolism is “the
chemical process that converts fuel from food into energy”. There are several factors that impact your
metabolism that you can’t control such as age, gender and genetics, however there
are some simple ways to boost your metabolism naturally that you can
control. Research has identified that
eating breakfast (which means breaking the fast) and eating regularly (about
every 3-4 hours) are great ways to speed up your metabolism. Various
foods and drinks can boost metabolism as well such as vegetables, lemon/lime,
peppers, nuts/seeds, beans and lean protein, coffee and green tea can boost
metabolism significantly daily in a natural, healthful way. No weight loss supplements needed!
Another way is to speed up metabolism is gaining more
muscle through strength training.
Strength training speeds up metabolism for 24 hours after performing
exercises. For every one pound of muscle
you gain your body burns approximately 50 calories per day.
Nutritional
Homework
I have asked Nikki to add a new metabolism boosting
food or beverage to her diet this week.
A simple homemade lemonade recipe:
8 oz. water, ½ lemon, stevia (squeeze lemon juice into
water and add stevia to taste – if sour – add more stevia) – add crushed ice
and lemon slice for garnish if desired – refreshing on a hot summer day!
Exercise
Homework
Nikki is still perfecting her kettle bell routine and I
have added a plié squat-n-upright row to her routine which targets her inner
thighs and shoulders. Nikki’s kettle
bell routine consists of 5 exercises that are performed quickly and
explosively, elevating her heart rate and intensity.
Nikki’s
Comments
Some things seem so obvious…until this week I never thought
about the word breakfast literally meaning ‘breaking the fast’ you’ve had
through the night (duh!). Before working with Jodi, I’d usually wait a few
hours before consuming anything in the morning (typically grabbing something quick
while running out the door). But Jodi has encouraged me to eat an earlier
breakfast to jump start my metabolism for the day. Then I have a mid-morning
snack to keep me from going too long between meals. That was another change – I
had thought if I wasn’t feeling hungry, I shouldn’t eat. Staying busy often
distracted me from eating or drinking for 5-6 hour stretches but then I’d become
so hungry, I’d overeat. I never realized that was a problem, in fact, I thought
it was better to eat 2-3 large meals than be snacking all day long. Neither extreme
are healthy approaches. My goal now is to eat lightly every 3-4 hours to
prevent that ‘must eat now’ sense of urgency leading to unhealthy food choices.
And I’m intentionally drinking more water throughout the day. It’s quality not just quantity that matters. For example instead of a pop tart, I’m
trying to incorporate oatmeal or scrambled eggs. It keeps me feeling full
longer and actually forces me to stop, sit and enjoy my meal. Wow there’s a
novel concept…hmm, these lessons seem so obvious but yet so foreign sometimes!
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