Ok, let's just be real...
We've all fallen prey, or let ourselves be fooled into thinking that the latest greatest thing to hit the news was THE "magic pill" we've all been waiting for!
I remember back in the day when the "Hollywood Diet", that yummy citrusy juice you could buy at the corner store came out... you better believe I tried that out... multiple times! Sure it worked... while I was drinking it only to gain it all back as soon as the juice was gone. Who wouldn't lose weight only drinking juice for 48 hours!?!
Hmmm... I would be curious now to look & see what was actually in (or not in) it for that matter!
Well, what I have come to accept now is that the ONLY "magic pill"
(& we're talking when it comes to health & fitness here, lets keep it clean people)
...is SWEAT & COMMITMENT!!!
I know! I know!... I can hear you deep sighing all the way through the computer here.
It's highly disappointing!
There is good news though!
There are things we CAN do to sort of shortcut (if you will) or ensure maximum results when we're putting in the SWEAT & COMMITMENT!
Here are 4 tips to help you boost your metabolism... 4 "magic pills" if you!
1. Use resistence training...
"A long-distance run burns plenty of calories and can give you an edge on Sir Bitey when that inevitable zombie apocalypse occurs and it's time to flee for your life. But, you'll want to add resistance training to your workout, too.
A 2012 study published in the Journal of Translation Medicine found that, compared to a traditional resistance training workout, using high-intensity interval resistance training (this is when you train with heavy weights for a short duration of time) increased their resting metabolic rate in the 24 hours following the workout.
"People who only do cardio are training their muscles for endurance and burning calories, but they're not building muscle mass," Dr. Stoler says. "In terms of increasing your resting metabolic rate, you need more resistance, weight-bearing exercise."
Muscle burns more calories than fat, so putting on more muscle equates to a higher resting metabolic rate.
Keep in mind that you don't need to become an Olympic power lifter. Many cardio-based workouts, including INSANITY® or anything plyometric, contain a resistance aspect to them. Still, it's a good idea to get some good old-fashioned weight work into your program every now and then."
2. Eat! Eat! Eat!
...and keep eating! Five to six small meals a day in fact! This is where so many of us go wrong.
"Fasting is the wrong way to go about jump-starting your metabolism. In fact, leaving your tank on empty for too many hours has an adverse effect since your body needs food to operate. According to Dr. Stoler, eating small, healthy meals more often revs up your metabolism by keeping your digestive system working.
"Having a healthy diet when you're eating more often keeps the furnace going without letting your energy levels deplete," she says. "It's like your furnace; it's better to run it at a steady rate instead of turning it off and then coming home and cranking it up."
3. Get your zzz's...
Darnit this is a hard one for me! I am such a nite owl! Some of my most creative & productive hours happen to fall in the hours when I should be snoozing!
"The later you stay up, the worse your diet gets. No, we're not stalking you; a two-week sleep study from the University of Pennsylvania found that night owls tended to feast on fattier foods, with men gaining more weight than women, and black people gaining more weight than white people.2 (Wait, when did science become so discriminatory?)
A smaller 2011 study revealed why sleep and weight gain might be connected. Researchers found that when you're sleep deprived your prefrontal cortex—the portion of your brain responsible for cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functions—is also sluggish. This impedes your willpower to resist fatty foods, which makes the gelatinous blob of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) that's disguised as dessert look far more appetizing than it would have had you hit the sack at a decent hour."
4. Drink up buttercup!
"Water, you lushes! Not only can dehydration trick you into thinking you're hungry & decrease your mental & physical abilities, studies have found that drinking as little as 16 ounces of water led to an increase in energy expenditure. You should be downing more water than that. How much, exactly? We're so glad you asked. Take your bodyweight & divide it in half, & then add the word "ounces" to the answer. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you'd aim for 75 ounces of agua per day."
Be creative & mix things up a bit to keep yourself from getting water-logged or tempted with those sugary drinks, "cold brew" your water with your favorite fresh fruits, herbs (mint is sooo yummy). & dont forget about sparkling water! I LOVE Le Croix sparkling water but there are so many you can choose from. Just make sure you're picking ones with no calories or sugars added! They sure do make for a nice break from regular old h2O!
So see... It's not ALL bad news!
We can EAT, DRINK &... be SLEEPY while utilizing a little badass resistence training. I guess I can deal with that especially when I remind myself that those 4 things will kick my metabolism into high gear making the most out of those fat burning after workout hours!
xo,
michelle
No comments:
Post a Comment