I found a great post on a site called Lauren's Fitness, so I thought I would share it. It gives 11 tips on how to increase your metabolism. Why would you want to do this? It will increase the rate at which you turn food into energy, and also generally boost your energy levels and give you a sense a health and wellbeing.

1. Eat enough
It’s extremely common for people on diets to eat too little. You will lose weight to start, but your body is smarter than you. Way smarter. It will start thinking, “this crazy kid is simply not eating enough to survive, I’m going to drop his/her metabolism, so he/she doesn’t burn as much during the day and can survive off this ridiculously small amount he/she is eating”. Bottom line, starvation won’t work as a diet, your body will make sure you don’t burn too much and die. the amount of calorie you consume is different from the amount of food you eat. Eating a lot of lower-calorie foods means you can lose weight without starving.

2. Eat more frequently
Try to eat 5-6 small meals a day. Don’t let yourself get too hungry in between meals. By getting food into your body regularly, you keep your metabolism firing, and leave your body in a much better state to burn some energy for you. The best way to do this is to plan your meals a week or so in advance, until you are able to get into the habit of eating 5-6 times a day.

3. Eat Breakfast
This is a simple one, but is still not being done in a lot of cases. By getting something in early in the day, i.e. when you wake up, you are kick starting your body. You will burn more fuel if your metabolism is up and running early. Your body is most tolerant to glucose in the morning, so you can get a fair bit of carbs into you. In fact, get almost anything into you (OK not anything…), just eat something in the morning. You have been in starvation mode all night, and need some fuel in right away to get your body firing. Not only will this get your metabolism going, you will find that later in the day you aren’t as hungry and won’t make terrible food choices, or pig out as much.

A healthy breakfast... Wish my breakfast looked like this!

4. Eat more Protein
This has lots more benefits than just metabolism. Protein is a muscle builder, you need it to grow. Lean protein is even better for that, more good stuff for fewer calories. Your body takes a bit more work to burn this stuff too, which is called the thermogenic effect. So, if you don’t get enough protein in, start eating.

5. Eat more Fiber
Same principle as above. Fiber is harder for your body to process, and you will get a small increase in metabolism through this effect. It’s also wonderful for your digestive system and keeps you regular.

6. Weight Train
Weight training is the ultimate exercise for firing up your metabolism. The more intense your exercise and the more muscles you get involved, the better metabolism increase you will get. Weight training is intense, you are pushing weights around, and you will get a good post workout increase in metabolism and burn for much longer.

7. Build Muscles
The more muscle mass you have the higher your metabolism will be. I'm not saying you need to look like a bodybuilder - please don't go for this look! But a little resistance training will create the muscle mass you need to look good and burn more nutrients.

8. Work Your Legs
Leg Weights are important for overall muscle balance, and do need to be done for many reasons other than speeding up your metabolism. However, it’s just another added benefit. Legs are often neglected; it’s the biceps that are overworked. Your legs very large muscle mass, if you work this mass, you will burn more energy, and thus, increase your metabolism post workout. If you don’t care about how muscly your legs are, at least throw a few leg exercises in there to get your body working harder during your weights session.

9. Do more Higher Intensity Cardio
Getting on the treadmill for 30 mins at a slow pace is OK. But there are better options. Doing some intense work will burn more calories, and leave you with a better post work out metabolism boost than a long slow cardio session. A 10 minute bike interval session would be much more beneficial than a slow 30 minutes session. It’s the post workout boost that is the key, as with weight training, the more intense you work, the longer and stronger your increase will be and the more you will burn whilst you aren’t even active. Scan through this article from t-nation on which type exercise is best for energy burning and speeding up your metabolism.

10. Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol is bad for your metabolism. It acts against it and will slow it down. Avoid drinking it too regularly.

11. Increase Incidental Physical Activity
This is an important one. Physical activity will automatically give you a short term boost to your metabolism. Adding some extra things into the day that you hardly realize can add up. For example, make your bed in the morning, park your car a little further away than normal, take the stairs occasionally, get up from your desk frequently and walk about if possible. Just by simply being more active during the day, called incidental activity, you will get an increase in your metabolism.

Labels: metabolism

Volumetrics is based around the concept of fullness. Unlike diets, which deprive you of food and make you hungry, Volumetrics encourages you to eat as much food as you want. The idea is that we feel full because of the amount of food that we eat, not the number of calories. The key of Volumetrics is to allow to to fill up on the right types of food, namely, low-calorie food-types.

Volumetrics divides foods into two groups - High energy-density (high calorie) and low energy-density (low calorie). Here are some examples:

High energy-density foods

• Butter
• Oils
• Chocolate
• Sweets / Candy
• Nuts
• Biscuits
• Sugar

Low energy-density foods

• Skimmed /low fat milk
• Vegetable broth
• Non-starchy vegetables (like lettuce)
• Rice

How It Works

Volumetrics relies heavily on foods with a high water content - this includes many fruits, which are 80% to 90% water - since they will fill you up without adding many calories. It's important to note that simply drinking water will not work; it'll quench your thirst but not your hunger.

Volumetrics is all about setting modest goals. This isn't a diet that will help you lose 10 pounds in a week. Instead, you should aim for something reasonable and sustainable. A reasonable goal is shedding from 1 pound to 2 pounds each week. When combined with an exercise regime however, the potential speed of weight loss becomes much greater.

Some of the key parts of the Volumetrics diet are:

• Eating foods with low energy density. For most people, counting calories is pretty difficult. Instead, learn what kinds of foods are high and low in calories so you can make better choices. A recent book, "The Volumetrics Eating Plan", provides three weeks of complete eating plans for every meal and snack.
• Keeping records of the foods you eat and the amount of physical activity you get. Doing this is important for your long-term success. You start by recording your food and exercise on an average week so you get a baseline. This will let you see where you need to make improvements. Log your weight once a week to track your progress.
• Increasing your physical activity. You need to start slow, but eventually you should aim to exercise for about 30-60 minutes on most days. Any activity that you enjoy is fine, but what you can do depends on your fitness level. Walking is a great approach for many people, and recommends using a pedometer. As you lose more weight, increase the intensity of your exercise, and eventually incorporate some resistance training into your exercise regime.
• Learning how to calculate energy density in foods so that you can eat (and shop) more wisely. The previously-mentioned book also has loads of charts at the end, which give you the energy density and calories of various foods by weight.

My opinion on Volumetrics

At first glance, Volumetrics seems like an overly-fancy name for something that isn't too fancy in itself. But remember that all the best training regimes and diets are simple. To stick to something, it has to be easy to apply, understand and maintain, for the everyday, busy person.

If we apply the principles of Volumetrics, we can eat our fill - indeed, eat more - of lower calorie foods and still lose weight. This is all good stuff. However, if you really want to improve your overall health and wellbeing, in addition to losing weight, there is no substitute for regular exercise. Combine this with Volumetrics' principles and you are off to a flyer.

Studio cycling or ‘spinning’ is a high-energy, studio-based fitness session. It involves loud music and hard work, and improves fitness whilst burning hundreds of calories from your body. Here's a guide to what spinning exercise involves and how it could benefit your own training.


Spinning is essentially a room full of specialised bikes encircling one leader bike. This is reserved for the instructor who will bark commands at you while you all listen to very upbeat music to help maintain a good pace throughout. The idea has been around since the 80’s and is an excellent way to get the old heart beating and significantly improve your fitness.

What spinning exercise involves:
In a group, people work out together for around 45 minutes. The instructor and the people surrounding you motivate you to such extremes that you find yourselves taking your fellow ‘spinners’ on in a sprint or hill climb. You have a resistance dial that you increase and decrease, making the class as hard, or as easy, as you wish. During the class you vary your pace - sometimes pedaling as fast as you can, other times cranking up the tension and pedaling slowly from a standing position. This helps you to focus inwardly and work on your mind as well as your body.

A general good level of fitness is required for these classes. There are often beginners, intermediate and advanced classes in each programme so check when booking that you have the right class for you. It is suggested that you attend a few beginners’ classes first as spinning bikes do take some getting used to.

Why is it so popular?
Spinning burns serious calories (about 450 in 45 minutes) and offers an awesome aerobic workout that makes your heart pump fast. It also tones your quadriceps (front thigh muscles) and outer thigh muscles like nobody's business! Because you stay in one place with the same basic movement throughout, Spinning doesn't involve a lot of coordination; it's easier to concentrate on your form than in other types of aerobic classes. And although you follow the general instructions of the spinning teacher, you are in control when it comes to your pace. You can finish a spin class, regardless of your fitness level, simply by adjusting your pace or the tension knob on the bike.

What should you expect from the Instructor?
The instructor’s role should primarily be motivational and make what is quite a gruelling workout fun! They should also be aware of all the members of the class and be able to spot anyone struggling. Anyone struggling should be instructed to slow down and peddle at a lower level to recover and then join back in again. Whilst it is difficult for the instructor to give each student individual attention they should be aware of everyone and not just go through the motions of the class on autopilot. If you feel that the instructor is not giving the best class find out if there are other classes run by a different instructor.

Hot Tip
Arrive five minutes early for your first class so your instructor can answer any questions and help you with bike adjustments. Make sure you let her know about any injuries that you have so she can help you modify some of the moves. During class, be sure to let your instructor know if you are having trouble with the resistance knob or the general technique. If the class is too intense, just pedal more slowly or take the tension down.

Check your heart rate
Strictly speaking everyone in the class should have a heart rate monitor as the whole idea of spinning is a workout that is based around your very own heart rate which makes it much more personalised.

Adjust your saddle height
Once the class is all there and have been allotted their bikes (don’t hide at the back thinking you won’t be seen as the instructor is trained to watch everyone) you should begin with setting your bike’s saddle up at the correct height for you. This is measured so that when you are sitting on it your leg should be outstretched for the lowest peddle with a slight bend in the knee. If the bend is too much raise the saddle, if your knee is locked straight then lower the saddle. A warm up should follow this which should involve some stretching and limbering up. Next should follow the start of the program which should always commence with a not too intense cycle in a seated position. After about 5 minutes, the class should really kick off.

Increase the resistance
During the class the instructor will inform you of what intensity you should be feeling. They will ask you to increase the resistance on your bike, which you do by turning a dial or knob on the front of the bike, they will also ask you to stand up on the peddles to cycle and change your hand positions. All of these commands help replicate real outdoor cycling where the ground is not always flat and increase the intensity of the workout.

…and finally: cool down and stretch
The classes can last anywhere between 30 minutes to 1 hour and should always include a cool down and a stretch at the end. However if this does not happen it is your responsibility to do so. It is very intense so don’t expect too much from yourself in the first few attempts. Keep persevering though because it can be worth it.

The Benefits
This class is specifically designed for your heart and lungs. It is a cardiovascular workout that is focused on the biggest muscle group in the body and therefore can have some of the biggest gains for weight loss and fitness. It is an intense workout where you have someone in control of what you are doing and it is for this reason that you will get more benefits from this than using one of the regular gym bikes by yourself. Motivation is one of the biggest problems in training but you will have no problems with that in this class.

Drawbacks
Spinning does not work all leg muscles equally, so if you spin without doing some cross training activities, you may develop muscle imbalances. Spinning every day can also be too much of a good thing -- real spin enthusiasts have to watch out for overuse injuries in their knees, hips and lower backs. If Spinning is your main source of exercise, we recommend doing some resistance training workouts that include hamstring (back of thigh), buttock and inner thigh exercises.

Equipment Needed:Other than the bike, here's what you need for a safe, comfortable ride:

• A stiff-soled shoe with good ventilation. (Running and aerobic, which are soft-soled, may leave your feet numb by the end of the class.)
  
  
• Two towels, one for wiping away sweat and one for draping over the handlebars so your hands won't slide out of position.
  
  
• A full water bottle, because you're definitely going to sweat. Most spinning bikes are equipped with a water bottle cage so you can place your H2O within easy reach.

And a Warning… Spinning is a very intense workout and whilst it can be adapted for a range of people if you are new to exercise or have a high heart rate then do not start with this. Get your level of fitness up in the gym first and then build up to a Spinning class. You should definitely have a blood pressure reading of less than 140/90 before you even consider this. I would also avoid this class if you have a heart condition, or any knee or hip injuries. Also give it a miss if you suffer from a bad back. If you are still determined to take it up then please check with your doctor before commencing any new exercise routine, especially one as intense as this and remember to buy and use a heart rate monitor.

Labels: fat loss, fitness, spinning

 

A recent study showed that women who chewed each mouthful of pasta between 20 and 30 times ended up consuming 70 per cent fewer calories than when they ate at their normal rate.

From a purely practical point of view, you can see how this may happen because the longer you take to eat a certain quantity of food, the more aware you are likely to be of what and how much you are eating, which in itself is likely to put the brakes on overconsumption.

From a physiological perspective, it is possible that chewing more helps us to eat less because, it seems, the act of chewing stimulates nerve centres in your brain that register a sense of fullness. Chewing may also trigger the release of hormones that tell you it is time to stop eating, and so, in theory at least, the more you chew, the more likely it is that these hormonal signals swing into action.

Whether or not the amount of chewing you do improves digestion depends on the type of food. Yoghurt and fromage frais clearly need no more than a second or two in your mouth because they do not need to be physically broken down before swallowing, and digestive juices can tackle them easily in your intestines. An apple, on the other hand, needs a good chomp to get it into a manageable size to swallow and the chewing helps to break down cell walls, which makes the nutrients inside more easily accessed by enzymes in your intestines.

How long it takes to break down foods efficiently in your mouth depends on things such as the size of your jaw, the strength it can exert in its crunches and the amount of saliva you produce. As scientists from the University of California, Berkeley point out, while one person can take only nine chews to swallow a piece of carrot, another can require 65 chews to get it to an acceptable state for swallowing.

And so finally, in answer to the question, yes, it is probably a good idea to take your time over chewing. You may find that you gradually lose a few pounds doing so and will probably get more nutrients from the foods you do eat. I'm going to have a go myself.

Eating slowly: how it helps

Chewing and eating slowly mean that you are likely to swallow less air than when gulping food down and are less likely to feel bloated as a result.

British researchers found that people chewing sugar-free gum three times a day after surgery had a speedier return of normal colon functioning than non-gum-chewers and left hospital on average a day earlier. Gum chewing may “fool” the digestive system back into action by stimulating production of saliva and gut hormones.

Chewing releases flavours that pass up to centres in your brain that register pleasure and satisfaction. If nothing else, chewing may well help you to enjoy your meal more.

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Adapted from a Times Online article

Labels: weight loss