Doesn't Hurt to be Beautiful: exercise

Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts

Sunday, January 24, 2010

How to Increase your Metabolism

If you're trying to lose weight, increasing your metabolism can enable you to lose more weight without cutting more calories. The first commercialism surrounding "metabolism-enhancing products" has made it difficult to separate fact from fiction (or advertising), but here you can find a few research-based suggestions.

1. Understand what metabolism is. In the simplest terms, metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories. Very few people have a fast metabolism, and overweight individuals generally have slow metabolisms because their fat cells are consuming energy. However, a faster metabolism will enable you to lose more weight than your friend, even if you both have the same activity level, diet, and weight.

2. Determine what is influencing your metabolism. There are some factors that you can change, and some factors that you can't.

Age - metabolism decreases five percent per decade after age 40
Sex - men generally burn calories more quickly than women because they have more muscle tissue
Heredity - you can inherit your metabolic rate from previous generations
Thyroid disorder - hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland) and hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland) can slow down or speed up metabolism, but only 3 and .3 percent of the population have hypo- and hyperthyroidism.

3. Calculate your resting metabolic rate (RMR). RMR is often used interchangeably with basal metabolic rate (BMR); although they are slightly different, estimating either is sufficient for the purpose of losing weight. To calculate your RMR, use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (which is more reliable than the Harris-Benedict equation). There are also calculators online that can do this for you:

RMR = 9.99w + 6.25s - 4.92a + 166g-161
w = weight in kilograms; if you know your weight in pounds, divide by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms
s = height in centimeters; if you know your height in inches, multiply by 2.54 to get your height in centimeters
a = age in years
g = gender = 1 for males, 0 for females

4. Adjust your diet accordingly. Your RMR will tell you how many calories you need to maintain your body at rest. Your daily consumption to maintain your weight should be:

RMR x 1.15
E.g. RMR = 2000, so the maintenance intake is 2000 x 1.15 = 2300
To lose weight safely, do not exceed your maintenance intake or have a caloric intake lower than your calculated RMR.
Count calories by recording what you eat and looking up how many calories each food item contains (either on the food packaging or in tables provided in books or online).

5. Eat small, frequent meals. Extending the time between meals makes your body go into "starvation mode," which decreases your metabolism as a means to conserve energy and prevent starvation. Skipping meals does not help you cut calories or lose weight; in fact, people generally eat less overall when they eat small, frequent meals. In addition to having four to six small meals per day eating healthy snacks will also increase metabolism.

6. Drink water. As with food, depriving your body of water can encourage it to "hoard" rather than "burn". More than ninety percent of the chemical reactions in your body occur in water, so make sure you drink an appropriate amount of water.

7.Boost metabolism temporarily with aerobic exercise. Different activities burn different quantities of calories, but the important thing is to raise your heart rate and sustain the activity for approximately thirty minutes.

8. Boost metabolism in the long run with weight training. Muscle burns more calories than fat does (73 more calories per kilogram per day, to be exact) so the more muscle you build, the higher your resting metabolic rate (RMR) will be. Every muscle cell that you gain is like a little factory that constantly burns calories for you, even while you sleep, and revs up when you exercise. This is the only way to increase RMR, which accounts for 60 to 70 percent of the calories you burn daily.

**Source: http://www.wikihow.com

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Sunday, December 20, 2009

How many calories do you burn shoveling snow?

Does shoveling snow count as cardio? I guess it depends on how long you are shoveling. I'd say YES!

Check out this link to calculate how many calories you burned this snow storm. I just burned the same amount as I'd burn on the elliptical machine!

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Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Diet Secret #3: The weak go hungry.

The less muscle you have, the fewer calories you can eat. That's because muscle burns calories around the clock, says Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D., author of Strong Women Stay Slim. So, someone who's strong will use up more calories just breathing than someone who's weak. And the more you burn up, the more you can eat without gaining - up to a point, of course.

A study conducted at Tufts University in Boston found that sedentary women who replaced three pounds of fat with muscle by doing weight training two times a week for a year boosted their metabolism by about 15 percent, which translates into a nice 200 to 300 extra calories a day.

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Monday, November 23, 2009

How much protein do you need?

Many experts believe that most of us get more than enough protein daily. In fact, some experts believe the average sedentary American eats about 50% more than the recommended daily amount, which ranges from 40-70 grams each day depending on your gender, age and situation.

If you're an exerciser, however, your protein needs may increase since resistance training and endurance workouts can rapidly break down muscle protein. That means exercisers may need to increase protein intake.

What if you're trying to build more muscle? Shouldn't you eat even more protein? According to www.exercise.about.com, not necessarily. There's been evidence that bodybuilders, much like exercisers or athletes, do require more protein but that any more than double the recommended daily amount (RDA) won't necessarily help you build more muscle. In one study, experts studied three groups of weight lifters: A low protein group (0.86 g/kg), a moderate protein group (1.40 g/kg) and a high protein group (2.40 g/kg) and found that, "There were no effects of varying protein intake on indexes of lean body mass."

In essence, the more you exercise, the greater your protein needs will be. However, taking it too far, for example more than doubling your protein intake, won't necessarily help you build more muscle.

How to Calculate Your Protein Needs:

1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg
2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm.

Use a lower number if you are in good health and are sedentary (i.e., 0.8). Use a higher number (between 1 and 1.8) if you are under stress, are pregnant, are recovering from an illness, or if you are involved in consistent and intense weight or endurance training.

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Thursday, October 8, 2009

Does lifting weights make you "bulk up"?

Myth: Lifting weights is not good to do if you want to lose weight, because it will make you "bulk up."

Fact: According to Women's Health, Lifting weights or doing strengthening activities like push-ups and crunches on a regular basis can actually help you maintain or lose weight. These activities can help you build muscle, and muscle burns more calories than body fat. So if you have more muscle, you burn more calories—even sitting still. Doing strengthening activities 2 or 3 days a week will not "bulk you up." Only intense strength training, combined with a certain genetic background, can build very large muscles.

Tip: In addition to doing at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (like walking 2 miles in 30 minutes) on most days of the week, try to do strengthening activities 2 to 3 days a week.

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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

How accurate are elliptical machine calorie counters?

"They can be anywhere from right on the money to 50 percent off," says John Porcari, Ph.D., a cardio-machine researcher and professor in the department of exercise and sports science at the University of Wisconsin. Machines that require you to enter your body weight tend to be more accurate than those that don't, Porcari says. But even that feature does not ensure accuracy.

Treadmills are typically the most accurate of the cardio machines, says Porcari: They have been around the longest, so the equations used to estimate calorie burn at various speeds and inclines have been tested on more subjects. Ellipticals, a more-recent addition to the machine category, tend to offer less-precise calorie estimates. "Ellipticals can be off 20-30 percent, and tend to be off on the high side," Porcari says.

Most women burn 500-650 calories after one hour of exercise on cardio machines, says Porcari.

Source: Health Articles

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Monday, September 21, 2009

Natural Ways to Prevent Breasts from Sagging

Forget about surgery. In order to help prevent sagging there is a list of things you can do. Start early!

Moisturize
Massage your breasts once in a while with moisturizing cream to help them maintain it's elasticity and good posture. Exfoliate and keep the
skin healthy.

Exercise
Tone your pectoral muscles by doing exercises that are meant for this particular area. Exercise using dumbbells because they will tone your breasts and arms, and do chest press exercises. You don't have to over do it, you don't want to build muscle mass, you just want to tone so don't push yourself too hard.

Posture
Keep a good posture of your body. Don't arch your back by keeping your shoulders forward because your breast will look like they are sagging even if they aren't. Keep

your back and shoulders straight to make them look more firm.

Diet & Heath
Watch your weight because as you gain weight your breasts become larger and if you gain weight too quickly your skin could stretch beyond it's stretching capacity causing stretch marks. Also gaining and losing weight regularly could cause sagging breasts because the skin could lose it's elasticity due to constant stretching and shrinking.

Hydrate
Drink a lot of water, approximately 8 glasses of water a day to keep your skin and body hydrated. Water is as important for your organism as well as for your skin because it will maintain skins elasticity.

Support
Wear a bra when you are running so they won't bounce and stretch the skin to much. It will give you the support you need and allow you to be more comfortable while you exercise as well.

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Sunday, September 20, 2009

Myth: Doing Ab Exercises Gets Rid of Abdominal Fat

Unfortunately, spot reduction doesn't work, either for the abs or for any other body part. The fallacy of spot reduction assumes that, if you have fat over your abs then exercising the ab muscles will make that fat go away. While exercising the muscle may increase endurance or strength, it won't burn off the fat in that area.

The only way to burn fat from your belly is to reduce overall body fat by creating a calorie deficit. The healthiest way to do that is with (cardio, strength and flexibility workouts) and a healthy,consistent exercise low-calorie diet.

Source: http://exercise.about.com

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Thursday, September 17, 2009

Walking for Exercize

Now that it's back to school, fitting in time at the gym is getting harder. No worries, try walking. Walking is a low-impact exercise with numerous health benefits. Walking is a gentle, low-impact exercise that can ease you into a higher level of fitness and health. It's safe, simple, doesn't require practice, and the health benefits are many.

Walking, like other exercise, can help you achieve a number of important health benefits. Walking can help you:

Lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol)
Raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol)
Lower your blood pressure
Reduce your risk of or manage type 2 diabetes Manage your weight
Improve your mood
Stay strong and fit

How many calories can you burn?
You can calculate the calories burned based on your weight, speed, and distance.

Source: http://walking.about.com/

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Thursday, September 3, 2009

Burn 300 Calories in 30 Minutes

Great Article from http://exercise.about.com
---------------------------------------

If you're trying to burn calories and lose weight using cardio machines, I have a challenge for you: Put down the magazine, turn off the television and (gasp) stop looking at your watch. Okay, you can keep the walkman, but everything else has to go. Why the drastic measures? If you aren't paying attention, you may not be working as hard as you think.

Cardio Workouts at the Gym

The following workouts should give you some ideas on how to spice up your workouts and burn more calories by raising and lowering the intensity. Modify each workout according to your fitness level and feel free to increase or decrease speed, incline and/or workout time to fit your needs.

For each exercise, warm up with 5-10 minutes of light cardio and keep track of your Perceived Exertion or monitor your heart rate. Use this calorie calculator to determine how many calories you're burning. End with a cool down and stretch.

Treadmill

Start with incline at zero and speed at a comfortable pace (walking or jogging). Perceived Exertion (PE)=Level 5 (see Perceived Exertion Scale).
1 Minute: Raise incline one or more percent every 15 seconds. PE=5-6
1 Minute: Reduce the incline one percent every fifteen seconds. PE=6-7
3 Minutes: Walk or jog at a steady pace. PE=5
Repeat entire cycle for 30 or more minutes
Approximate calories burned: 320(based on 140 lb person)

Elliptical Trainer

Using manual program, enter workout time as 30 minutes and choose appropriate level
6 Minutes: Set ramps (if option) and resistance levels at medium level. PE=5
2 Minutes: Set ramps at highest level and increase resistance every 30 seconds. PE=6-8
2 Minutes: Lower ramps and resistance to comfortable level. PE=5
6 minutes: Set ramps and resistance to medium and go backwards. PE=5-6
Repeat entire cycle for remaining time
Calories Burned: 250-300 (based on 140 lb person)

Bike

Using the manual program, enter your workout time as 30 minutes and choose appropriate level
5 Minutes: Cycle at a comfortable pace. PE=5.
5 Minutes: Raise level several increments and decrease a level every 30 seconds. PE=6-8.
5 Minutes: Cycle at comfortable pace. PE=5.
5 Minutes: Raise level higher than before and decrease a level every 30 seconds. PE=6-8
5 Minutes: Cycle at comfortable pace. PE=5.
5 Minutes: At current level, increase a level each minute. PE=7-8.
Calories Burned: 245 (based on 140 lb person)

Hit the Road

Instead of spending 40 minutes inside a sweaty gym, head outside for a walk/run.

Warm up with a brisk walk/slow jog for 5-10 minutes.
Jog/walk briskly for 3 minutes
Sprint or speed walk for 30 seconds
Repeat this cycle 6 for the remaining time, keeping PE between 5-8.

As you can see, it's easy to spice up your workouts by playing around with your speed, incline and resistance and alternating high intensity intervals with recovery periods. This not only keeps you from getting bored, it also helps burn more calories and increases your endurance very quickly. Use this technique with any cardio activity to keep things interesting!

Source: www.exercise.about.com

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Monday, June 29, 2009

The Elliptical vs. Treadmill Controversy

I read this article and it seems to have pretty accurate information on the elliptical vs. treadmill controversy.

Source: WomenFitness.net

Reported February 27, 2009
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex Hutchinson draws on the latest research to answer your fitness and workout questions in this biweekly column on the science of sport.

The question:

Do I get the same workout from the elliptical machine that I get from running?

The answer:

More than 23 million Americans used elliptical trainers in 2007, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association - triple the number that used them in 2000. Canadians have also eagerly adopted the low-impact, pseudo-jogging machine.

Despite this popularity, there's still some haziness about the benefits of elliptical use - even among researchers. The biomechanics of the low-impact elliptical motion are still poorly understood, though studies now suggest it could help ward off several common running injuries. And there's no consensus about how hard your body has to work compared to other exercises.

A 2005 University of Scranton, Pennsylvania, study found that at a self-chosen "hard" level of exercise, subjects consumed more oxygen and had higher heart rates on the treadmill than the elliptical. In contrast, a University of Idaho study in the same year found that the elliptical felt easier than either the treadmill or recumbent bike, despite producing the same oxygen consumption and heart rate.

Subsequent studies have added little clarity, which suggests that any differences are too small to matter. An Irish study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness appears to be the only one to tackle what really matters to most people: fitness and weight loss. A group of 24 women performed a 12-week fitness program using either an elliptical, treadmill or stair-climbing machine. Cardiovascular fitness increased and body fat percentage decreased to the same degree in all three groups.

There are other differences, though. A forthcoming study by Western Washington University exercise scientist Kathleen Knutzen used elliptical machines with force plates on the pedals to determine that, even at a fast stride, the forces on the lower legs were comparable to walking, and two or three times less than running.

"That's a real benefit if you're prone to repetitive stress injuries," Dr. Knutzen said.

More generally, the constrained elliptical stride calls on muscles in a different way than running freely would, much like the differences between lifting free weights and using a weight machine. That means that the elliptical will never be a perfect substitute for running - but it can be ideal for those with injuries such as patellofemoral pain syndrome, often called "runner's knee." The injury is sometime

s caused by an imbalance between two parts of the quadriceps muscle, which pulls the kneecap off-centre during each stride

The elliptical also allows you to pump the arm handles to get your upper body involved in the workout. Studies by Constance Mier and her colleagues at Barry University in Florida found that using the arm handles made little difference to oxygen consumption, heart rate or perceived effort. However, the two actions are sufficiently different that alternating between them might allow you to last longer - and thus get a better workout - when using the elliptical, Dr. Mier suggested.

Ultimately, the elliptical is a perfectly good way to get fit. But unless your goal is to master the art of moving your feet in little ellipses, it makes sense to add in other, more functional activities such as walking, running or biking.

"Mix it up," Dr. Knutzen advises. "Don't do the same thing every day."

Alex Hutchinson is a former member of Canada's long-distance running team, and has a PhD in physics.

**to read the original article visit: http://www.womenfitness.net/news/sports_medicine/ca_is_the_elliptical_as_good_as_running.htm

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