1. HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE!!
I'm not talking about slamming another soda or downing that cool refreshing lemonade. Get back to the basics and drink your water! If you want to jazz it up, try throwing in a fresh slice of lemon or lime. Your metabolism is boosted in a hydrated state. This is the EASIEST thing out there to do. All you have to do is fill up your glass or water bottle and you are set! Recent studies have shown that consuming 16 oz of water before a meal will decease your overall calorie consumption and result in better weight loss success!
2. Be active multiple times a day.
If your goal is weight loss, it is better to be active multiple times a day than all at once. Did you know that after each bout of exercise your body stays at a higher metabolic rate for 40-60 minutes?? This means that after dinner if you walk Fido for 15-20 minutes you continue to burn calories at a higher rate for a good hour after you get home. Fido will love it, YOU will love it! So get your workout in and don't forget to do additional active things like taking the stairs at work, going for a quick walk a lunch, or going for an after dinner stroll or bike ride. What ever your pleasure, just get MOVING!!
3. Avoid high-glycemic or sugary foods.
To break the cycle of sugar highs, crashes, and hunger waves try to maintain a more even blood glucose level by staying away from foods with a high-glycemic index or sugar content. This pretty much includes any white foods such as white bread, white rice, table sugar added, or dessert type foods. Some fruits and veggies such as bananas and carrots are considered to have a higher glycemic index that other fruits and veggies. These aren't high glycemic foods they are just higher then other foods in their respective food groups. High glycemic foods aren't inherently bad, they just shouldn't make up the majority of your diet. If you want to get nerdy about it this is the why behind the food index...When something has a high glycemic index it spikes your blood sugar up quickly due to the simple single carbon bonds of the sugar molecule. Complex carbohydrate foods have double bonds in the carbon chain that take more energy and time to digest and thus keep our blood sugar levels more even and our hunger at bay for a longer amount of time. We are looking for whole grain foods, nuts, eggs, dairy, most fruits and veggies, brown rice, and others that can help you maintain a more even blood glucose level. Here's a quick link to a glycemic index for over 100 foods.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htm
4. Limit alcoholic beverages.
Aside from the OBVIOUS calories that alcoholic drinks contain which you are trying to avoid...alcohol is a depressant. Not just a psychological depressant...a SYSTEMIC depressant as well. This means it SLOWS your metabolism. It SLOWS the process of mobilizing fat cells for break down for energy, it SLOWS down the bodies ability to heal. If you are using the excuse, "Well it's high in anti-oxidants if I have a glass of red wine...", you are right it does...but so does a handful of blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries! I don't know about you but I rather eat my calories!
Of course everything is in moderation. I'm not suggesting to avoid all foods with a high-glycemic index or NEVER have a glass of wine again, but I am hoping to educate you so you know why your body feels the way it does and how to help you achieve your health and wellness goals.
As always HAPPY TRAINING!
Kari
