The trick to FAT-BURNING!!

We all have a choice when it comes to our meals and snacks; we can have something healthy, as in a grilled chicken sandwich on whole wheat, or not healthy, as in the double-meat, double cheese burger and large order of fries; we can choose an apple with some peanut butter, or six oreos. In fact, in doesn't even have to be the large order or several cookies, it can be a small amount - it's really the kind of food.
Your body stores the foods you eat (in the form of glucose) in your muscles, liver and fat tissue. When you eat foods of low nutritional value, as in white bread, potatoes, and cookies, your body releases a hormone called insulin; a high amount of insulin in your body prevents these foods from being metabolized properly, and instead of being able to use this food in the form of glucose for energy, it stores all this as fat. Carbohydrates are the first thing your body uses for energy, but it has to be the right kind - complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables. These enter your bloodstream slowly, so doesn't allow for this big release of insulin, thereby allowing your food to be used as energy and not stored as fat. When these complex carbohydrates are combined with protein and/or good fats, it limits the release of insulin even more, further putting your body in fat-burning mode. Not only do things like white bread and cookies prevent fat-loss, but they also result in you feeling fatigued and sluggish - AND they make you feel hungry again right away. Making the right choices results in a steady, even stream of energy into your muscles, and a steady decrease in what you see on your scale! Have a good week - Melissa

I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!

But, before you do that...ideally, you don't let yourself get that hungry. Three meals and three snacks, each 2-3 hours apart spaced evenly throughout the day, will keep your blood sugar stable, your energy up, and your resolutions intact. When you let yourself get too hungry, as we all know, we eat the fastest, easiest thing we can lay our hands on, and it's not always the best choice. Your snacks can be as simple as an apple and string cheese, a half of a peanut butter sandwich, a small bowl of cereal, or an energy bar; your meals can be a larger portion of any of the above if it has to be quick; the point is, keep healthy foods around you for when you have to "grab and go". By doing this, your food choices help you to reach your goals instead of getting in the way of getting there. Keep snacks in your car, your purse, your briefcase and your desk - you be in charge of what you want to eat instead of your growling stomach! It's hump day - hope you're having a good week! Melissa

Do you REALLY want to drink that??

Our eyes are trained to look at food, and our bodies are trained to digest it; our minds may decide which foods are more desirable to eat, but they also decide whether we are satisified with what we ate, and if we have had enough. All of this is harder to do if we are drinking our calories rather than chewing them. A piece of fruit is much more appealing than a glass of juice; a juicy steak hits a spot that no protein shake will ever come close to, and do you REALLY want to pass up that gorgeous salad for some vegetable juice??? Your mind and body both recieve a much greater pleasure in the process of eating food - the expectation, tasting, chewing and digesting provide feedback that you are eating. When you drink a meal (as in a protein shake) or substitute juice for a piece of fruit or a vegetable, you miss out on valuable nutrients (vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants) that are lost in processing foods into juices, and any fiber, which is so important for our digestive systems to work properly. Your stomach does not get the same satisfaction from drinking, so it doesn't send the proper signals to your mind that it is being fed. It takes time to disgest food, but it takes very little time for liquids to pass through your body; this leaves you feeling hungry, or feeling hungry sooner, and you'll just end up consuming more calories in the long run. Take that extra time to peel an orange - all of your parts will be happier for it! Melissa

It's Not Only the Physical Exercise

Whether your goal is to get stronger physically, feel (and look) better, and/or lose weight, you can't just go to the gym - you also have to exercise restraint with regards to your eating habits. It's the combination of improving your diet and increasing the intensity and time that you work out that will give you the results you want. The only way to increase your metabolism is to eat or work out, and the only way you will lose weight is to burn more than you eat; working out builds muscle, which requires fuel (food) for energy - the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn AND THEN the weight starts to fall off. You feel better because you are stronger, you have more energy, and you look better because your arms and legs are more toned; your stomach is flatter (it helps to hold it in...), and you're leaner because that fat has turned to muscle. Over the next few days, keep a record of what you put in your mouth - you will see where the trouble lies, and each little adjustment will help you reach your goal. Enjoy your day! Melissa

Day Two...

So you made it through your first day, and now you're a little sore - but in good way. You didn't work out so hard yesterday that you can't move, but more of a feeling that you used some muscles that haven't been used in awhile, or used that way. You knew you needed to start exercising, and this proves it!! So, what to do today?
Well, something different; for example, a brisk walk and some light weights - introduce yourself to the gym floor, and if you don't remember how to use the equipment, or if, in fact, they DID get new equipment during your layoff, find a staff member to show you around. Make sure you let them know this is your first time back, and you need to remember this also - you aren't going to be able to pick up where you left off. The good news is that it won't take long to get back in shape; give yourself a couple of weeks to warm everything up, stretch it out, and get your heart rate up. Don't get down in the dumps or frustrated because you have to start from the beginning, or mad because you let so much time go by - it's too late for that. Be happy that you made the decision to get going again - it's never too late for that!

Happy New Year!

Yes, it was more like a few months, but I'm back!! What motivated me to begin today was my sister (one of them...); she's starting back to her gym TODAY after a long layoff, but where should she start? Well, for sure, making it through the front door is the first step, but from there, start with the bikes. Ask a trainer to show you how to set up a beginner's workout for you - if you've been gone awhile, the equipment has (hopefully) changed, and you want to make sure you are taking advantage of all the bells and whistles. Keep your workout short and light for your first day back - you want to be able to get out of bed tomorrow and do it again! I suggest the bike because, if you are easily intimidated by other gym rats, you won't fall off or push something that has your legs moving faster than the rest of your body until you pass out. Those rats would notice that...anyway, start with a 20 minute spin on your bike, and then head to weight room and do a few bench push-ups. A trainer can help you with your form here, but the idea is to strengthen your arms and upper body so that you can do a traditional pushup in the near future. A bench pushup basically involves lowering your body in an incline position to the height of the bench, with only a slight bend in your elbows. Focus on using your arms and upper body to push you back up, as though you were pushing up from your armpits. Try to do ten of these. Follow this with some stretching on a mat or swim laps in the pool to stretch out your arms and legs. Tomorrow you will want to begin with an easy stretch to loosen up your muscles for the workout that follows. Enough for today - enjoy your workout!