If you’re like me, you have indulged a little in all-things summer, particulary ice cream treats or frozen "adult refreshments" (My favorite is the Pina Colada!)
Even though these things are super delicious, they can derail your weight-loss goals or general health in a hurry. (1 Pina Colada = approx. 200-300 calories - Are you really just having one?)
There is no better time to get back in that healthy state of mind than right now. After a summer vacation of indulging in decadent desserts laden with fat and sugar, your metabolism is probably off a little bit, regardless of your exercise habits. Sweets give you an initial high, but once the sugar rush is over you may feel tired and sluggish. Ingesting large quantities of food or eating rich, sweet, salty or fatty items will require the digestive system to work overtime. This tired state is also known as the dreaded food coma. Since we have a limited amount of energy at a given time, the bodily function of digesting food takes precedence. Thus, you're left in a "comatose" state.
Allowing yourself to get get overly hungry sends your body into "starvation mode" and it actually begins to store fat and break down muscle tissue for fuel. Then of course, you're starved so eating a large meal is inevitable which leads back to the food coma situation. And we wonder why we're not getting results at the gym!
Think of the body's metabolism as a fuel-burning engine that needs to remain burning at a constant low-level to remain efficient and keep the engine (your body) running all day.
Maybe you’re asking; "how do I get my metabolism to fire on all cylinders"? Or, "I've been exercising for a while now and my results have stagnated".
The short answer is:
- Stoke your metabolism's fire by eating small meals throuhout the day,
- Get back to natural foods (fruits & veggies)
- Avoid high calorie snack foods or alcoholic drinks (ice cream or Pina Coladas). See Chef Jodi's post on satisfying your sweet-tooth with watermelon on Facebook:Eating Rehab http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Eating-Rehab-with-Chef-Jodi-Coach-Mark/12711732403798227117324037982
1. Eat Breakfast – everyday. Lean protein in the morning will help get metabolism started on the right foot. Egg whites are a great source of lean protein. They can help stabilize blood sugar, make you feel fuller and keep you from overeating throughout the day. Lean meats do not include bacon, sausage, or even ham. When picking among these 3 favorite breakfast meats; go for the ham. If available, Canadian Bacon is even better, but try to keep these traditional breakfast meats to a minimum.
2. Eat Less Food More Frequently: Do Not Overload your digestive system with large meals. Eat something balanced every 3 hours. Example: Breakfast (protein, veg, carb) - Snack - Lunch - Snack - Dinner.
3. Resist the Redundancy – Don't get stuck in a rut when training. If you continually do the same routine your body will adjust to make it easier and more efficient. You will then officially hit a plateau and you will not see any changes until you make some changes in routine (both eating habits and exercises).
- 1st: Switch Up the Resistance: If you use free-weights change to bands, stability ball, or just your own body weight. This will trigger your body to work in a way that it is not accustom.
- 2nd: Change the Order of Exercise/Rest Cycles: By making small changes, such as order or rest-time you will challenge yourself in a new way and make your body adjust to keep up.
- 3rd: Mix Up the Cardio Routine. If you typicallly hit the treadmill for an hour, try the stair climber or a stationary bike. OR, try 20 min treadmill, 20 min stair-climber, 20 min bike.
- If cardio machines aren't your bag, try plyometrics or a scheduled kickboxing or aerobics class.
- 4th: Avoid Boredom. Just as your body will gradually grow used to any routine (4-6 weeks), your mind will also grow accustom to it. This leads to boredom and ultimately, quitting you're exercise program all together. No need to beat yourself up ... Listen to your body and change it up!
4. Rest Up for your Health. You don’t have to make a back alley deal or surf the web to get Human Growth Hormone (one of the illegal performance enhancing drugs that have been in the headlines for the past few years). You have it naturally in your body. There is a catch, however. HGH is only produced during the hours of deep sleep. HGH works directly on cells to increase your metabolic rate by 15-20%, so make sure you get a good night’s sleep.
5. Combine Properly at Mealtime. Combing lean proteins (chicken, fish, etc) with complex carbohydrates (fruits & vegetables) will speed up the metabolism as food is transformed into nutrients that your body needs. You will build muscle and burn fat during the digestive process.
6. Stimulate Your System - naturally. Some studies have shown that hop peppers (jalepenos, cayenne pepper, red chili flakes), spices, green teas, and caffeine can give your metabolism a sudden jolt by stimulating the release of stress hormones. (Just be careful with the amount of caffeine as too much can have other side-effects that can be detrimental in the long run.)
There are key factors to keep the body's metabolism firing, but listening to your body and respecting your own needs is essential. The same workout does not work for every-body. And if you're not into it mentally you won't get what you need out of your workout physically.
Got Questions?
Email me: Remy4x6@gmail.com
~Coach Mark
