FitSugar

Don't Take It Sitting Down

FitSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:00:00 PDT

We all know that being sedentary doesn't burn up the calories like going for a run, but sitting down all day may be worse for you than you think. New research on the simple act of sitting indicates that our fat burning enzymes actually turn off if we are seated for extended periods of time. Long bouts of sitting can also slow down your metabolism and lower your beneficial HDL cholesterol. It seems like we just weren't meant to sit at a desk all day long.

These three reasons alone should be enough motivation to help you move about throughout your day. Here are a few ideas for getting up and out of your chair. Try to walk at lunch or for your coffee breaks. Don't send an e-mail, get up and talk to your co-worker face to face. Stand while you talk on the phone, or pace and talk if you're able. Why not throw in a few exercises while you're at your desk? Here are ways you can work it, while at work too.

Source

The Top Fat-Burning Foods

Health — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:10:08 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

By Paige Greenfield

It's true: certain foods have a very high thermogenic effect, so you literally scorch calories as you chew. Other eats contain nutrients and compounds that stoke your metabolic fire. Feed your metabolism with these.

Whole Grains
Your body burns twice as many calories breaking down whole foods (especially those rich in fiber such as oatmeal and brown rice) than processed foods.

Health.com: Best Superfoods For Weight Loss

Lean Meats
Protein has a high thermogenic effect: you burn about 30 percent of the calories the food contains during digestion (so a 300-calorie chicken breast requires about 90 calories to break it down).

Low-Fat Dairy Products
Rich in calcium and vitamin D, these help preserve and build muscle mass - essential for maintaining a robust metabolism.

Health.com: Ditch Five Pounds Without Trying

Green Tea
Drinking four cups of green tea a day helped people shed more than six pounds in eight weeks, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports. Credit EGCG, a compound in the brew that temporarily speeds metabolism after sipping it. To up your intake, keep a jug of iced tea in the fridge.

Keep reading to see other foods that burn fat!

Old Dog, New Tricks: 8 Tips on Caring For Aging Pets

Sara Yoo — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:00:00 PST

As the parent of a 12-year-old Parson Russell Terrier, I've been fortunate to watch Lily age gracefully into her twilight years while maintaining much of her spunk and agility. But each day I encounter clear signals that she's achieved senior citizen status: the onset of cataracts makes her timid around now-blurry strangers, and bathroom breaks are a frequent necessity (or so our carpet has learned the hard way). We remember fondly the tiny creatures we welcomed into our homes years ago, but the reality is that their bodies and minds are changing, and so too must their lifestyles. Here are a few tips to help ensure that your geriatric animal pals stay healthy and happy.

Sit and be fit. You may notice that your furry friend is less active these days. Understand that - just like grandpa - your pet is feeling his age, but this development does not excuse him from exercise. For dogs, daily walks relieve stiffness and limber up arthritic joints, but be prepared to turn for home when he exhibits signs of fatigue. Keep his reflexes sharp with a game of fetch or catch-the-laser-pointer, but tailor sessions to his mobility and energy limits.

Read on for more tips.

How to Get Your Metabolism Moving

Health — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:03:06 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

Does your metabolism grind to a halt after 35? Can certain foods rev it up? Answers ahead — and they're good.
By Paige Greenfield

Here's something to feel good about: your body is a calorie-burning machine. You'll even torch a few while reading this article. The point is, every single thing you do — from breathing to eating to sleeping — uses energy. The number of calories it would take just to lie in bed all day is called your resting metabolic rate. And just like your curly hair or warm personality, yours is unique.

"There are so many factors that determine your metabolic rate," says Janet Rankin, PhD, professor of human nutrition, foods, and exercise at Virginia Tech. Among them: your height and weight (bigger people burn more calories), your gender (women have slower metabolisms than men), your age (your metabolic rate declines as you get older), how much muscle or fat you have (muscle burns more calories than fat does), and your DNA.

Health.com: Little Ways to Lose Big Pounds

Although you can't rewire your double helix or switch back the clock, there's still plenty you can do to be a fast burner, Rankin says. All you need to do is remember these four research-backed truths.

Cardio Revs Your Metabolism For Hours Afterward
Resistance training often hogs the metab-boosting spotlight. It's no wonder, since a pound of muscle at rest fries three times as many calories as a pound of fat. However, cardio is every bit as crucial for keeping your metabolism humming.

New research explains why: In a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, people pedaled a stationary bike as hard as they could for 47 minutes.
The finding: They slashed 190 calories above their resting metabolic rate for 14 hours after their workout. Add that to the 519 calories, on average, the cyclists scorched from the workout itself, and that's one heck of a sweat session.

"If you do just two to three vigorous bouts of exercise per week for 45 minutes, you could lose a pound of fat every two weeks from the combination of calories expended during exercise plus what you burn afterward," says study author David Nieman, PhD, a professor of exercise science at Appalachian State University.

So how can you tell if you're pushing hard enough? Any sweat-inducing activity you can sustain for 45 minutes will do the trick.

More useful tips after the break.

Feeling Stuffed vs. Growling Stomach? How to Find the Right Balance

Leta Shy — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 04:25:07 PST

Like being overly stuffed, skipping meals can be the worst thing you can do for your waistline. Being too hungry signals your metabolism to slow down (and being overly hungry can make you want to eat anything and everything in sight). But here are a few things to remember when it comes to those stomach grumbles.

A little hunger can be good: Missing meals is a bad idea, but those slight hunger pangs are just a sign that it's time to refuel. It means that your metabolism is working, so don't think that a few stomach grumbles are bad. If you find that you're never really hungry while you eat, think about when and how you're eating instead of always sticking to a schedule. Read more tips on how to use a little hunger to your advantage here.

Double-check your motivation: Is it hunger, or are you just bored? Emotional eating can sabotage any healthy diet plans we have. Cravings that cause you to dig into that whole bag of chips can be a sign that you may be emotionally eating instead of actually being hungry. Read our tips for how to distinguish between mind hunger from actual hunger here.

The Burning Question: Is Doing a Detox a Good Idea?

Health — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:12:46 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

Cleanses have become a "celeb trend", but are they really safe?
By Health.com

NO: It's risky — and you don't need it.
Glenn Braunstein, MD, professor and chairman, department of medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles

Our bodies have built-in detoxifiers.
The liver, the kidneys, and the colon are naturally designed to remove toxins and eliminate them through our waste, so there's no need for additional help.

A (Safe!) Jump-Start Cleanse

It's potentially harmful.
Many extreme programs, like fasting, juice diets, and the Master Cleanse, can leave the body weak and devoid of vital nutrients, like protein and essential vitamins, even if you do them for a short time. Colonics — which flush the colon with warm water to remove a supposed buildup of waste there — carry the risk of dehydration, infection, and even perforation of the colon wall.

Diet Tricks the Pros Tell Their Friends

Detoxes can create more toxins.
Plans that severely restrict food can cause the body to burn fat for fuel. Burning large amounts of fat releases chemicals called ketones into the blood — and a buildup of these can cause bad breath, loss of appetite, nausea, and in rare cases, coma or death.

Keep reading to hear the argument for detox cleanses.

4 Don'ts For Your Next Breakfast

Leta Shy — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:16:35 PST

When it comes to meals, breakfast is the champ. Instead of grabbing a muffin at the coffee shop to fuel your day, give the mealtime the attention it deserves. Here are four don'ts for the most important meal of the day.

Don't skip it: Eating breakfast helps jump-start your metabolism after it slows down during your sleep. Not only that, but eating breakfast is an important tool in maintaining weight loss. So don't wait until lunch to nosh; eat a filling, healthy meal early in the day to keep your energy up, brain on, and weight loss goals in check.

Don't delay: The best time to eat breakfast is within an hour of waking up, so don't delay! Unless, of course, you are working out first, in which case you should make sure you fuel up with a pre-workout snack before you go (read our tips for choosing a pre-workout snack here). Afterward, be sure to eat a protein- and carbohydrate-filled breakfast 30 minutes to two hours after a workout in order to fuel your body the right way.

Read on for more breakfast don'ts.

Top 3 Myths That Mess With Your Workout Results

Prevention — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:39:34 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

You put in the time - and the sweat! So don't let these common misconceptions get you off track.
By The Editors of Prevention

Can you really blast more fat by working out on an empty stomach? Do you burn the same number of calories walking a mile rather than running? We asked fitness pros to weigh in on 5 of the most common exercise myths and tell us the real deal — so you can get the best results out of each and every workout.

Myth: You burn more fat if you exercise on an empty stomach

Reality: Don't expect any fat-melting miracles. When you exercise, your body burns both fat and carbohydrate calories. Recent studies show that working out on an empty stomach might burn a few more fat calories than when you work out an hour or two after eating — but total calorie burn is about the same.

And, based on research so far, that's what really counts when it comes to fitting into a smaller size. What scientists don't yet know is whether an increase in fat burn alone could help you lose weight faster or shed more pounds over time. So the choice about when to eat is yours.

More Misconceptions About Your Workout

There are two more myths, so keep on reading.

3 Ways Breakfast Can Help You Lose Weight

Jenny Sugar — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 02:21:09 PDT

Some people think skipping breakfast is a great weight-loss tactic. The logic being that they're cutting calories out of their daily intake; unfortunately, it doesn't work out that way. Most people will make up for the calories later on in the day. Eating a meal in the morning can actually help you reach your weight-loss goal, and here are three reasons why.

Breakfast jump-starts your metabolism: If you skip the first meal of the day, your metabolism actually slows down to conserve energy. Studies show that those who eat breakfast regularly lose weight, keep it off, and are less likely to be overweight. Breakfast eaters also more likely to exercise regularly. So be sure you eat breakfast, and enjoy it within an hour after waking up.

Keep reading to hear the other two reasons eating breakfast helps you lose weight.

Are Sore Muscles a Sign of a Good Workout?

Shape — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 04:29:57 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

If your New Year's resolution to get in shape stalled out fast, you might be panicking right about now since bikini season is right around the bend. Making up for lost time with an aggressive workout routine will likely leave you sore, but begging for more once you see your thighs trim down and take form.

That burn you feel 24 to 48 hours after an intense workout is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and it's enough to make you want to put down the Kettlebell and pick up a cocktail. But press on! We talked to fitness and nutrition expert Harley Pasternak, M.Sc., author of The 5-Factor World Diet, and trainer to celebrities like Lady Gaga, Megan Fox, and Halle Berry, about why (some) pain is good.

"The idea behind resistance training is that you're basically tearing something and creating a micro trauma in the muscle," Pasternak says. "When the muscle recovers, it's going to recover stronger and denser than it was before." So that soreness you feel the day after an upper-body workout-when you're hauling groceries into your car and you can hardly lift your arms-is good.

See Harley's tips for reducing DOMS after the break!