Hot Tips Corner

THERMOGENESIS is the production of body heat through a) the oxidation of foods, b) physical means and c) biochemical means. There are many ways to induce a calorie burning thermogenic response in your body such that your fat-loss efforts will be far more effective. Consider the following: sauna, certain thermogenic herbs, exercise and small frequent meals.

RESISTANCE EXERCISE maintains or increases your lean body weight. As you increase your lean weight your metabolism also increases, both during exercise and at rest. This is why dieting alone is not an effective means to losing fat. Even diet with aerobics only is not the answer. You must do strength training in order to increase lean body weight.

YOU CANNOT DECREASE THE NUMBER OF FAT CELLS YOU WERE BORN WITH. Research shows us that “dieting” does not reduce the number of fat cells you have but it can reduce the size of these cells. It is believed that the number of fat cells is somewhat genetic and can only be increased during early childhood.

DON’T STARVE YOURSELF. A problem many people face is their willingness to starve themselves in order to lose fat. By starving yourself, your fat cells “learn” to conserve energy (fat) more efficiently. Therefore, it gets more difficult to lose fat each time you diet.

YOU MUST EAT TO LOSE FAT. If you lower your calorie intake too much, your metabolism will slow down and you will be defeating your sole purpose of “dieting”. It will become much more difficult to lose fat even if you are exercising.

KNOW WHEN TO EAT. Although how much you eat is important, it is just as important to know what to eat and when to eat it. An integrated approach is crucial to long-term success.

EATING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF A FAT REDUCTION PROGRAM. In fact some experts say that good nutrition accounts for up to 80 percent of the physique developing process. Therefore if you want to reduce body fat you should direct most of your efforts toward your eating habits.

POOR AND/OR INCONSISTENT NUTRITIONAL HABITS are the reason many people fail to achieve their body fat reduction goals.

FEEDING YOUR BODY essential nutrients at regular intervals throughout the day are a key to burning body fat.

To create an effective nutritional program, you must determine three things:

1. The main purpose of each of the three macronutrients, protein, carbohydrates and fats

2. The number of calories you need to consume in order to meet your specific physique enhancement goals

3. The percentage of calories that should come from protein, carbohydrates and fats

“10 tips to Boost Your Metabolism”

Eat protein at every meal.

Keep carbs to a minimum but don’t cut them out entirely.

Eat often but never to the point where you feel full.

Eliminate all simple sugars, (This is a tough one, but sugar is the main culprit toward a sluggish metabolism.)

Learn to recognize hidden sugar. High glycemic foods such as rice cakes, potatoes, fruit juices and cereals can affect the body in a similar fashion to plain table sugar.

Never skip a meal or allow yourself to go too hungry. Not only does this practice slow down the metabolism, but it also increases the desire to binge.

Include a good amount of unsaturated fats in your diet. The body needs fat in order to burn fat. Olive oil is an excellent choice. Pour it on!

Drink plenty of water. Besides the obvious benefits, being in a dehydrated state is extremely catabolic (meaning you will burn you precious muscle for energy thereby slowing down your metabolism).

Take in adequate fiber. (Especially important when cutting carbs!)

Supplement with additional vitamins and minerals to guard against nutritional deficiencies.

PLAN AHEAD, ORGANIZE YOUR MEALS AND WORKOUTS. If you don’t have a plan you don’t stand a chance. If you don’t plan on a day-to-day basis, what inevitably happens is that the day takes an unexpected turn, and you blow off a meal, eat the wrong thing for convenience, or skip a workout.

YOU HAVE NO EXCUSES to not eat five or six meals each day. The only way you will make 100 percent progress on your program is by eating all those meals. As long as you can afford to buy the food (food meals, shakes and bars), nothing should keep you away from your meals. You must become consistent, disciplined eating machine. If you work away from home or travel, buy several sealable plastic containers, fix and pack all your meals and take them with you. Use a small cooler to keep the food from spoiling.

You must set up an environment for keeping yourself on track. If you think you can wing it at restaurants along the way, you will be setting yourself up for failure.

“Drink water to help you achieve a dynamic body”.

As I have said many times before, eating clean foods is essential to your progress. There is one element of nutrition, however, that is often neglected or overlooked. That element is water (or fluid intake). It is one thing that is easy to do. This simple task of drinking water if neglected, will derail your fitness goals.

FAT BURNING TIPS