Archive for February, 2011
Can Losing Weight Be This Easy?
Written by success on Thursday, February 24, 2011 | No Comments
Categories: Burn Fat, Health, Metabolism, Weight Loss
I saw an article the other day that may give future hope for those that are struggling with fat loss. The February 3rd issue of Cell Metabolism has stated that researchers may have found a way to trick your body into burning more energy. The researchers believe that their finding is so significant that they have called the discovery the “energy master switch.” We don’t know if it works in humans but they have had some success in mice. When mice were given a chemical that blocked an enzyme called Fyn kinase (weird name) then they began burning more fat. It sounds like the next hyped up fat loss pill is on its way.
The mice not only became leaner but they also became more insulin sensitive. This would also help less fat to be stored. I am probably just a naysayer but I am always amazed at the lengths that we will go to in order to burn more calories and lose weight. I believe everyone should focus on getting leaner and healthier but you have that ability right now without a magic pill. It simply takes discipline and work on your part. For some reason we always gravitate to the solution that requires little or no work on our part.
When these new fat loss drugs come to market we really have no idea what harm they may do to our bodies. You can lose weight in a healthy way now that requires effort on our part. But some are willing to risk their health to lose weight without effort.
Maybe we should just spend more time focusing on healthy eating and consistent exercise. But maybe this is just me ranting. I guess I am a little opposed to putting stuff in my body that I am unsure what the effects are going to be.
Lower Blood Pressure
Written by success on Sunday, February 20, 2011 | No Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
1. Go for power walks
Hypertensive patients who walked at a brisk pace lowered pressure by almost 8 mmhg over 6 mmhg. Exercise helps the heart use oxygen more efficiently, so it doesn’t work as hard to pump blood. Get a vigorous cardio workout of at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. Try increasing speed or distance so you keep challenging your ticker.
2. Pick potassium-rich produce
Loading up on potassium-rich fruits and vegetables is an important part of any blood pressure–lowering program, says Linda Van Horn, PhD, RD, professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medical. Aim for potassium levels of 2,000 to 4,000 mg a day, she says. Top sources of potassium-rich produce include sweet potatoes, tomatoes, orange juice, potatoes, bananas, kidney beans, peas, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and dried fruits such as prunes and raisins.
3. Take a supplement
In a review of 12 studies, researchers found that coenzyme Q10 reduced blood pressure by up to 17 mmhg over 10 mmhg. The antioxidant, required for energy production, dilates blood vessels. Ask your doctor about taking a 60 to 100 mg supplement up to 3 times a day.
4. Go decaf
Scientists have long debated the effects of caffeine on blood pressure. Some studies have shown no effect, but one from Duke University Medical Center found that caffeine consumption of 500 mg—roughly three 8-ounce cups of coffee—increased blood pressure by 4 mmhg, and that effect lasted until bedtime. For reference, 8 ounces of drip coffee contain 100 to 125 mg; the same amount of tea, 50 mg; an equal quantity of cola, about 40 mg.
Caffeine can raise blood pressure by tightening blood vessels and by magnifying the effects of stress, says Jim Lane, PhD, associate research professor at Duke and the lead author of the study. “When you’re under stress, your heart starts pumping a lot more blood, boosting blood pressure,” he says. “And caffeine exaggerates that effect.” If you drink a lot of joe, pour more decaf to protect your ticker.
Fix Your Fat Burning Furnace
Written by success on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 | No Comments
If you are like many people you may have a broken fat burning and calorie burning furnace. Over the years you have gone on diets, gone off of diets, restricted calories and binged. You weight has gone down and you weight has gone up like a yo-yo. In the process you have busted your calories burning machine.
So what needs to happen is that you need to make a few repairs in order for your body to burn fat like it should. One of the ways to help stoke your fat burning furnace is to eat foods that provide a “thermal effect.” In other words, they help burn calories.
What is the best fat burning class of nutrients? The competition is not even close. Protein wins hands down. Let me explain. When you consume food a certain percentage of the calories will be used just to process and digest the food. For fat that number is around 5% on average and for carbohydrates it is about 10%. However, for protein the percentage of calories burned to enable your body to process the food is nearly 30%. So let’s put that it terms of something that might make more practical sense. For every 1000 calories of fat that you consume you body will only use about 50 calories to digest and carbohydrates will use about 100 calories to process. Protein, on the other hand, will make your body work hard to process the food and will burn up to 300 calories. That is an incredible leg up when you are trying to lose weight and need to find little tricks to burn fat. It is almost like getting free calories that don’t count against you. I like the sound of that.
Now I am not suggesting that you no longer eat carbs and fats or that you need to build a chicken coop in your back yard to raise your own source of protein. But is you are like the average individual you eat way too many carbohydrates and not enough quality protein.
The trick is to blend good sources of protein in with some slow absorbing carbs (like high fiber foods) and a mixture of healthy fats (nuts, seeds, avocado, etc). This will begin to crank up your metabolism and stoke up the furnace of your fat burning machine.
The neat thing about all of this is that you don’t have to punish yourself and eat bland, boring and tasteless food. You can eat some great food and even food that you would have thought would be taboo. If you want to learn more about foods that help your burn fat and about how to prepare them to give you the biggest bang for your buck then check out the 7 Day Belly Blast Diet.