Vol. 4, No. 3
March. 22, 2007

Ways to Crank up Your Metabolism

You may have heard that after the age of 25 metabolism slows and the fat to lean ratio starts to reverse itself in an undesirable direction. What you may not realize is that you can do something about it. Yes, you can reverse or stop (or at least greatly slow down) the process. You only need to look at Jack LaLanne who, at 93 years old maintains a physique many 40-year olds envy.

Here's what you can do to hang on to your youthful metabolism and avoid that Jaba the Hut physique:

1. Build muscle by weight training. Muscle burns 50 to 60 calories per pound per day; fat burns only two.

2. Increase the afterburn effect by integrating interval training into your program, which keeps your metabolism stoked for hours after you've finished your workout

3. Keep your protein intake relatively high. No, not low-carb-diet high, but your body uses more energy to digest protein than it does fat or carbs, so include protein at each meal

4. Move as much as possible throughout the day – not just during gym time or exercise time. Stay active, fidget, walk around while talking on the phone and you'll burn more calories  

Tomorrow Never Comes: Do It Now

"Delay is the deadliest form of denial," says Peter McWilliam's in his book, "Do It! Let's Get Off Our Buts." If you're holding off on getting your diet in order (and by "diet" I mean a healthier diet, not necessarily a weight-loss diet), or vow that "someday" you'll get up an hour earlier and do that cardio workout, you're in the danger zone.

The danger lies in the word "later," which could mean tomorrow, next week or 10 years from now. No one can prove it false if confronted, "I said I'd do it later, but it's not later yet." (Same goes for the word "try.") We stockpile all the "laters" from the past, knowing we're probably never going back to that pile, no matter how much time has elapsed.

Here's how to stop doing procrastinating and start getting the results you seek: 1. Decide if it's going to get done: yes or no 2. If yes, set a deadline for getting it done 3. Follow through

You must decide on a specific date and time in order to get there. Otherwise, it's another grain on the sandpile of "laters" that could get you where you want to be. Do it now.  

Practice Self-Awareness to Meet Weight-Loss Goals

Picture this: You're sitting in a movie theater, popcorn and soda in hand, chatting with friends and waiting for the show to start. Finally, the lights go down and you reach for the popcorn and you realize you're scraping the bottom of the barrel.

That's right — you managed to eat the whole thing while you weren't paying attention. The good news is you're not alone. A new study of healthy-weight women revealed that even restrained eaters consumed significantly more calories when they were distracted than when they were alone without outside stimuli.

Researchers from Hospital Hotel-Dieu in Paris, France recruited 41 women, ages 26 to 55, to eat lunch once a week under four different conditions in a laboratory setting. They were alone without distraction, alone while listening to recorded instruction on how to focus on the taste of their food, and alone while listening to a tape of a detective story. And they ate lunch with three other women who were also participating in the study.

Despite reporting equal levels of hunger under all four conditions, they ate considerably more calories while listening to the detective story.

Researchers recommend that people who wish to maintain or lose weight avoid eating while watching TV, talking on the phone or listening to music, all activities capable of derailing even the best weight-loss efforts.

Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2001, 74, 197-200

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Thanks! LM