Perhaps weight loss used to be pretty easy. Then around age 40 to
45, suddenly there seems to be a problem. It's like your body has
shifted into reverse: clothes are getting tighter, and old reliable
weight-loss methods no longer work. Actually, this shift starts in our
20s, when our metabolic rate-the total number of calories we burn every
day-drops 2% to 4% each decade. So, every decade we lose between five
and seven pounds of muscle, which is replaced by fat! Not only does this
continue and even accelerate as we age, but fat burns at only 3
calories an hour while muscle burns at 14. The good news is that with a
few important adjustments to diet and exercise, we can get our
metabolism humming like it did when we were much younger.
Our metabolism plays a key role in our weight loss or gain. Our basal or resting metabolic rate makes up between 60% and 75% of our calorie use through normal activities like breathing, pumping blood, and maintaining body temperature. Digesting food uses another 10%, while the remaining 15% to 30% is spent in whatever movement activities we do. In order to increase the number of calories we burn in each area, we will need to eat and exercise smarter. While eating and exercising can be done in isolation, they work far better together. Every person is different, so it will be necessary to choose what suits your own lifestyle, physical condition, and athletic abilities.
First let's talk about exercise. There are two types of exercise: aerobic (the kind that makes you "out of breath") and anaerobic (does not get you out of breath). Because you breathe deeper with aerobics, working your lungs and speeding up your heart, it is generally better at burning fat. These would be activities like walking, swimming, jogging, and cycling. Anaerobic exercise would include activities like weightlifting. While anaerobic exercise does not burn fat as fast as aerobic does, it is more effective at speeding up your metabolism and has the added benefit of burning more calories even when you are at rest.
To build muscles rather than simply losing fat, weight lifting would be an appropriate exercise. To lose fat, walking, running, and swimming should be sufficient. If you are not accustomed to exercising regularly, try not to do too much too soon in order to avoid injuries, then gradually increase the amount. Create opportunities to add exercise. Park your car further away or get off the bus or train a stop or two early and walk. Choose the stairs over the elevator or get off early and walk up a flight or so. Replace a snack break with some sort of exercise-it doesn't need to be strenuous, just needs to keep you moving.
Food choice is important, too. Avoid skipping meals, which can cause you to binge later on. Having three small meals and two snacks a day works for a lot of people. Skipping meals frequently causes your body to go into a preservation mode, which makes it more likely to store calories as fat than to burn them. By eating more small meals, you can spread the same number of calories out while supplying your body with a steady stream of nutrients. This helps to avoid dips and spikes in insulin and blood sugar levels, which can cause you to become drowsy or ravenous.
What are good food choices? Lean meats (turkey, chicken, steak) in three or four ounce portions, eggs, roasted or raw vegetables, and snacks like apple slices with peanut butter or a little hummus with cucumber slices are good options. Avoid processed foods, which tend to stay in the digestive tract longer and cause more fat storage. Many raw vegetables like carrots, asparagus, cauliflower, lettuce, green beans, and so forth, require more calories to process than they contain, thus being negative calorie foods. Chewing your food longer gives your stomach time to register that it is satisfied and help prevent overeating. This also helps with digestion. Also drink plenty of water; staying well hydrated is an important part of maintaining your health. Coffee and tea are OK, but stay away from sugar-laden, high calorie drinks.
With these tips, you can set yourself on a path to increased health while trimming the fat and increasing the muscles in your body. As always, it is wise to check with your doctor before embarking on a new exercise or eating routine.
Our metabolism plays a key role in our weight loss or gain. Our basal or resting metabolic rate makes up between 60% and 75% of our calorie use through normal activities like breathing, pumping blood, and maintaining body temperature. Digesting food uses another 10%, while the remaining 15% to 30% is spent in whatever movement activities we do. In order to increase the number of calories we burn in each area, we will need to eat and exercise smarter. While eating and exercising can be done in isolation, they work far better together. Every person is different, so it will be necessary to choose what suits your own lifestyle, physical condition, and athletic abilities.
First let's talk about exercise. There are two types of exercise: aerobic (the kind that makes you "out of breath") and anaerobic (does not get you out of breath). Because you breathe deeper with aerobics, working your lungs and speeding up your heart, it is generally better at burning fat. These would be activities like walking, swimming, jogging, and cycling. Anaerobic exercise would include activities like weightlifting. While anaerobic exercise does not burn fat as fast as aerobic does, it is more effective at speeding up your metabolism and has the added benefit of burning more calories even when you are at rest.
To build muscles rather than simply losing fat, weight lifting would be an appropriate exercise. To lose fat, walking, running, and swimming should be sufficient. If you are not accustomed to exercising regularly, try not to do too much too soon in order to avoid injuries, then gradually increase the amount. Create opportunities to add exercise. Park your car further away or get off the bus or train a stop or two early and walk. Choose the stairs over the elevator or get off early and walk up a flight or so. Replace a snack break with some sort of exercise-it doesn't need to be strenuous, just needs to keep you moving.
Food choice is important, too. Avoid skipping meals, which can cause you to binge later on. Having three small meals and two snacks a day works for a lot of people. Skipping meals frequently causes your body to go into a preservation mode, which makes it more likely to store calories as fat than to burn them. By eating more small meals, you can spread the same number of calories out while supplying your body with a steady stream of nutrients. This helps to avoid dips and spikes in insulin and blood sugar levels, which can cause you to become drowsy or ravenous.
What are good food choices? Lean meats (turkey, chicken, steak) in three or four ounce portions, eggs, roasted or raw vegetables, and snacks like apple slices with peanut butter or a little hummus with cucumber slices are good options. Avoid processed foods, which tend to stay in the digestive tract longer and cause more fat storage. Many raw vegetables like carrots, asparagus, cauliflower, lettuce, green beans, and so forth, require more calories to process than they contain, thus being negative calorie foods. Chewing your food longer gives your stomach time to register that it is satisfied and help prevent overeating. This also helps with digestion. Also drink plenty of water; staying well hydrated is an important part of maintaining your health. Coffee and tea are OK, but stay away from sugar-laden, high calorie drinks.
With these tips, you can set yourself on a path to increased health while trimming the fat and increasing the muscles in your body. As always, it is wise to check with your doctor before embarking on a new exercise or eating routine.
I hope that you enjoyed this article. If you would like to learn
more about foods and cooking to lose weight and gain muscle, please go
to http://www.eat4muscle.net
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