Keep Your Health Tips

Weight gain can be a very slow process. For most people, it is a matter of one pound here, one pound there, and the next thing you know you’re 10 pounds heavier. This is why almost everyone, at one point or another, will want to lose 10 pounds. To lose 10 pounds is very realistic for almost everyone, and is achievable though some small changes in diet and by exercising more. The vast majority of people, with their busy schedules, get little or no exercise, so even a small bit of regular exercise should be able to achieve noticeable results. If we don’t have time to exercise a great deal, though, we’re going to want to maximize the effectiveness of the exercise we do get, and a great way to do that is by exercising in the morning.

There are two main reasons why you can more easily lose 10 pounds by exercising in the morning. The first has to do with the fact that it is much easier to build into your daily routine. One of the keys to losing weight by exercise is to do it regularly, which many people find difficult: it’s always hard to find time. So a great reason for exercising in the morning is that you’ll have very little distraction. In many ways, you are literally “making time” for the exercise by starting your day earlier.

Now, in terms of your goal to lose 10 pounds, morning exercise will be more effective because you will be burning calories from fat already in your system. This principle is based, of course, on the idea that you don’t eat before you exercise. The way you’re going to lose 10 pounds is by burning fat, and when you exercise your body normally burns both fat and carbohydrates. Now it gets a little more complicated: your body’s main and preferred energy source is carbohydrates, so when you exercise you will (more or less) burn carbohydrates first, and then your body will dip into its fat reserves.

Carbohydrates come from your meals, so when you exercise at a normal time of the day your body will have plenty of carbohydrates to burn. In trying to lose 10 pounds, however, you’re hoping to burn fat. If you exercise in the morning on an empty stomach, you’re burning energy at a time when your body’s carbohydrate levels are the lowest, and therefore more fat will be burned with the same amount of exercise. There have been studies that suggest over 250% more fat is burned when you exercise in this state.

There is never any immediate way to lose 10 pounds - ultimately, losing weight requires smart dietary decisions and a well thought out routine of exercise. By exercising in the morning, however, you will be giving yourself a distinct advantage in that battle to lose 10 pounds - you will be privy to not only a physiological advantage, but also the practical one of conducting your exercise at the beginning of the day without distraction.

Ron Goodpaster is a freelance writer, an entrepreneur and a self-proclaimed health nut. He has written many health related and weight-loss articles. His website’s address: http://www.bestvitasource.com

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If all of your hard work at the gym is foiled by your snacking habits, then read on to discover how you can snack to stay slim, satisfied and healthy.
Firstly, ask yourself, why do I want this snack? There are several reasons why we snack;

Habit; if you see certain foods as a reward, or they make you feel better or you crave them if you feel unhappy, or you always have corn chips with a film; try to replace those foods with something else. If you are stressed have a warm bath by candlelight rather than a tub of Hagen Daas, treat yourself to a manicure rather than a take-away at the weekend, snack on a big bowl of berries in front of the TV, and boost your mood with exercise. Then compare the good feelings that these things give you with the less-good feelings that you feel when the spoon hits the bottom of the ice-cream carton. Try and use the good feelings as motivation to forge positive behaviour and habits.

Temptation; if you have a weakness for certain things, don’t keep them around. Do not by crisps and biscuits for your children if you end up eating them. Do not buy fattening or unhealthy foods in large amounts. Do not persuade yourself that you will only have one square of chocolate each night if you know full well you will eat the lot on day one (barely taking the time to breathe between mouthfuls). Spring clean your cupboards of unhealthy snacks. If the workplace is a problem, organize a health drive; suggest everyone buys fruit or smoothies in stead of cakes and biscuits, get a water cooler, or fill the fridge with mineral water.

Boredom or lack of stimulation may be interpreted as a desire for a snack, when actually a change of scene or task will revitalize the bored brain; walk around the garden and pull some weeds up, or if you are at work, take a quick break for a change of scene and to revitalize.

Hunger is often really thirst; each time you crave a snack, drink a large glass of water, this may be what you really need, and will help you stay hydrated.

Hunger pangs may be caused by uneven blood sugar levels. Snacking on simple carbohydrates (white bread, biscuits, cakes, sweets, crisps etc) sends your blood sugar levels rocketing, this sugar is removed from the blood by the body, lower blood sugar levels make you feel hungry again, and the cycle repeats. Snacking on complex carbohydrates will keep your blood sugar levels even, as the sugars are released slowly into the blood, keeping levels even and preventing hunger pangs. Try eating complex carbohydrates; oat cakes, brown rice cakes, pasta salad, brown rice salad (see next weeks healthy snack shopping list).

Marketing; it wouldn’t exist if we didn’t fall for it. Millions are spent on researching where to place snacks to make you pick them up, and persuade you that you want them. Writing a shopping list will help fight against impulse buys; if it isn’t written down, ignore it. Do not to be swayed by special offers and 2 for 1s on snack foods. Make a decision that you will not buy things from the cash desk. Don’t go shopping on an empty stomach!

When you have assessed what factors influence your snacking habits, you can start to change your behaviour, and snack to your advantage. Regular snacking is good for you, but snacks must be the right foods in small amounts. Eat small regular meals of slow-release complex carbohydrates, quality protein and fresh fruit and vegetables. Regular eating lets the ‘prehistoric’ brain relax in the knowledge that food is plentiful. (One of the effects of strict dieting and irregular meals is that the brain thinks it is experiencing famine; metabolism slows and body fat is conserved and stored). Plan for 3 small meals and 2-3 small snacks each day, this will keep the metabolism running smoothly and efficiently. Energy often dips mid-morning and mid-afternoon, so plan ahead to make sure that you have healthy snacks sourced for these times. You may find it helpful to draw up a chart and record your meals and snacks; helping establish the habit.

To subscribe to Vikki’s free weekly newsletter or to read more articles about snacking, and health and fitness; log onto http://www.getfitter.net

Vikki Scovell BA(hons) PG DIP is a fully qualified Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach. She is a qualified Nutrition Adviser and runs successful Community Exercise classes. Vikki is a consultant in Healthy Eating and Exercise initiatives to schools in the independent sector and publishes School and General Healthy Living newsletters.

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FACT: Obesity accounts for 300,000 deaths a year in the U.S. alone.

Research into how junk food and fast food restaurants affect obesity, have found that there may be a relationship between the number of people per fast food restaurant and how many square miles there are between fast food restaurants located within your local area and obesity rates.

The way in which we eat, and what we eat, is of vital importance to our state of health. The convenience and habitual nature of the problem mean that fast food consumption is so in-grained, that healthy eating is near impossible.

There are no easy ways to fix junk food habits and make them into healthy habits, but I do have 7 quick strategies that you can easily put into place to start into motion your new lifestyle without junk food. I recommend implementing these one at a time, to ensure that you don’t overload and burn yourself out.

1. Do your shopping every week. Make it a regular habit to do your groceries every single week on the same day.

2. Make a shopping list on the computer with all the regular foods that you buy, to ensure that you aren’t going to run out of food at the end of the week, tempting you to reach for the fast food pamphlet, running out for take-away or buying unnecessary food items.

3. Don’t starve yourself !!!!!!! Eat 6 small meals instead of 3 large ones, snacking on healthy foods such as a fat burning apple, protein packed, metabolism raising light salad with boiled eggs and flaxseed oil dressing.

4. Make food your hobby. Join a cookery class. There are often many community classes that you can enrol in inexpensively to learn how to prepare interesting food.

5. Unplug the TV at the point. You will be less likely to sit there and watch it aimlessly if you have to make a conscious effort to turn it on. Particularly around 6-8 pm, the junk food restaurants will advertise, watch a DVD during these times. A recent review of childhood obesity research, has, not surprisingly found that the amount of time you spend watching TV has a direct affect on being overweight.

6. Try this recipe when you are feeling peckish to curb your need to buy junk food, or feeling the urge to have a smoke.

2 eggs beaten
1 Chopped lean bacon rasher - no fat.
1 chopped canned tomato
1/4 cup soy milk/low fat milk
1 finely chopped leaf spinach/frozen spinach
Sprinkling of low fat cheese

Mix ingredients together in mixing bowl. Transfer into a microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 2 minutes or until eggs have solidified. Eat with a low GI bread. You’ll find that depending on the quantity eaten, it can be a filling snack or light dinner.

7. When eating out. Avoid the restaurants with the all-you-can-eat option. These restaurants unfortunately encourage people to eat until they are bloated. Researchers found that 20% of weight gain among freshman University students could be attributed to their eating in the all-you-can-eat student dining halls.

References:

Caroli M, Argentieri L, Cardone M, Masi A. Role of television in childhood obesity prevention. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Nov;28 Suppl 3:S104-8.

Levitsky DA, Halbmaier CA, Mrdjenovic G. The freshman weight gain: a model for the study of the epidemic of obesity. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Nov;28(11):1435-42.

Maddock J. The relationship between obesity and the prevalence of fast food restaurants: state-level analysis. Am J Health Promot. 2004 Nov-Dec;19(2):137-43.

Copyright © 2004 Jenny Mathers. All Rights Reserved.

Jenny Mathers writes for Savvy Fat Burning Foods and has created a research resource to educate and inform about what REALLY is fat burning food.

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