myfitnesshut

Remember, metabolism is basically the rate at which your body burns calories. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories you’d burn if you did nothing all day (or the amount of calories your body needs to maintain itself).

The starting point for determining your daily caloric needs starts with your BMR. It is critical for you to know your BMR if you are attempting to burn fat and lose weight. If you maintain a caloric surplus (consuming more calories than you burn), you will gain weight and fat no matter how fast your metabolism hums.

Follow this example:

Your BMR is 1800 and you use another 800 calories through exercise and daily activity (a total of 2600 calories). If you consume 2200 calories during the day, you would have a caloric deficit of 400. This will cause you to lose weight for the day. If you continue this pattern, you will lose weight every day. It is important not to starve your body or you will get the opposite effect of what you want. Starvation will cause your body to conserve energy and store fat. For instance, if you consumed 1700 calories, you would not even meet your BMR needs. This amount (900 deficit) is unhealthy and will cause fat storage and a host of other health problems if continued. This type of deprivation can also lead to loss of lean muscle mass.

The type of nutrition you consume and timing of nutrition is also very important for your metabolism. Your body needs adequate amounts of the macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats) to function properly.

Massage therapy is not just for athletes! If you are serious about your strength and conditioning program, massage therapy should be a part of your routine. Find a massage therapist suitable for your tastes and needs.

You can perform self massage every day using self myofascial release with foam rolls. You can increase the elasticity in your muscles by improving your flexibility. The foam roller is one of the most effective techniques for releasing tension while improving mobility. Foam rolling exercises will release and organize your muscles, as well as release and align your skeletal system. Muscle injuries such as strains and tears and broken bones can be avoided with proper flexibility and skeletal alignment. You’ll immediately feel the effectiveness of SMFR.

Benefits of massage therapy include improved flexibility, improved circulation, relief of muscle tension and soreness (relaxation) and decreased fatigue/improved recovery. Massage therapy between workouts will definitely shorten your recovery time and improve exercise performance.

If you treat your soft tissues (muscles, skin, tendons, etc.) better, you will find that your workouts will be more efficient. You will also be less susceptible to injuries. A tight, rigid and fatigued body is a precursor to certain injury.

You should not do hard exercise after a massage. Wait until the following day to do cardio and weight lifting sessions. In part 2 of this series, I will discuss some the the massage therapies that are good for serious exercisers.

There is tons of information out there about metabolism and fat loss. In this article series, I will guide you through the tricky waters of metabolism facts and fiction. Metabolism is basically the rate at which your body burns calories. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories you’d burn if you did nothing all day (or the amount of calories your body needs to maintain itself).

The starting point for determining your daily caloric needs starts with your BMR. It is critical for you to know your BMR if you are attempting to burn fat and lose weight. If you maintain a caloric surplus (consuming more calories than you burn), you will gain weight and fat no matter how fast your metabolism hums . For example, my BMR is about 2000 calories, so I would need to consume at least this amount of calories just to maintain my weight. I will talk more about BMR and the energy equation in part 2 of this series.

Here are a few facts about metabolism:

Fact #1 A slow or sluggish metabolism is not the major cause of weight gain.

A caloric imbalance is the cause of weight gain (consuming more calories than you burn in a day). If you have a slow or sluggish metabolism? A brisk 30 minute walk each day would get you started in the right direction to speed it up.

Fact #2 Lifting weights (or other resistance exercises) and cardio exercise will give you a higher metabolic rate.

Specifically, a combination of circuit weight training and high intensity interval cardio will get your metabolism “revved up.”

Fact #3 Sweating is not a gauge of how many calories you are burning.

This may be bad news for sauna and steam room lovers! Weight loss or gain is a product of calories consumed or burned. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight and vice-versa.

Fact #4 The best time to exercise is whenever you have the most energy.

Working out at any time of the day will increase metabolism for several hours, depending on intensity.

Fact #5 Your metabolism doesn’t necessarily have to slow down as you get older.

In general, your metabolism slows down at a rate of 5% per decade after age 40 (source: WebMD.com). The easiest way to keep a healthy metabolic rate for life is to engage in consistent weight training and interval cardio. This way, you will maintain important muscle mass and burn fat. So, how many daily calories are burned by one pound of muscle? And the answer is—35 to 50 calories!

So, what determines the rate at which your body burns calories? Some factors include age, heredity, gender and lean muscle mass. Men tend to have faster metabolisms than women. Thyroid problems may also cause your metabolism to slow down.

In part 2 of this series, we’ll take a glance at the energy equation as it relates to fat loss and weight loss.

It is definitely the dreaded monster of the thighs, stomach and butt—CELLULITE! Exactly what is cellulite (commonly called cottage cheese)? Cellulite is actually collections of fat just underneath (subcutaneous fat) the skin which causes it to dimple, pucker up or lump up.

There are many factors that determine whether you have cellulite—your genes, gender, skin thickness and amount of body fat all play a part. What you need to know is that there are no quick fixes for cellulite (despite what some commercials promote)! Some treatments such as liposuction and mesotherapy may give you some TEMPORARY relief from your cellulite. Liposuction is actually meant to remove deep fat tissue (visceral fat) and not cellulite.

So, what should you do if you have cellulite? Since health should be your main concern, REDUCE YOUR OVERALL BODY FAT! This will, in turn, help to reduce your subcutaneous and visceral fat. The best way to burn body fat is interval cardio exercise and weight training. It’s the same true story—exercise for health and fitness and you will also look your best!

You are an emotional eater if you use food to change your mood. This habit can become second nature to you and your unconscious way of dealing with problems.
If sugary foods such as candy, cookies and sodas are favorites of yours, you might find yourself loading up on more of these foods when your mood is down. And you may do this without noticing. Here are some practical ways to deal with emotional eating patterns and stay on your fat loss program:

1) Plan your meals and snacks and stick with your plan (especially if you are feeling emotionally down). Also, don’t “graze” during the day. Eat with a purpose.

2) Exercise to lift your mood. Exercise has a proven “feel good” effect after your workout. Exercise will also speed up your metabolism.

3) If you happen to binge eat on your favorite emotional foods, don’t give up. Just try the ideas listed in numbers 1 and 2 the next time you are tempted to binge eat. They will work every time.

Remember, food is just a tool to give you the energy you need during the day. And, like any other tool, you have to use it the right way to get the results you want.