If you're looking to get rid of stubborn pounds, the rule of the weight loss game is to increase the intensity of your workouts.
I say it all the time but I want you to be working out at 85 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR). However, you may have heard the "fat-burning zone" theory and working in that zone which encourages you to work out at just 60 to 65 percent of your MHR.
The outdated belief is that your body is drawing energy predominately from fat calories for energy - WRONG!
It's completely misleading and it's time to lay the "fat-burning zone" myth to rest.
During physical activity, your body has three possible sources of energy: carbs, fat, and protein. Protein is a last resort of energy, of the three energy sources, your body is the most reluctant to draw on your protein stores (muscles).
Whether your body takes energy from glucose, which it gets from the breakdown of carbs, or fat depends on the intensity of your workout.
Exercising at a high level of intensity forces your body to draw on carb calories for energy, they are a more efficient source of energy, and your body goes for its premium fuel when you're working hard. If you are working out at a low level of intensity, your body doesn't need to be as efficient, so it will draw on a higher percentage of fat calories for fuel.
This sounds like low-intensity exercise is way more effective when it comes to losing fat, right? WRONG!
These physiological facts are the ones that spawned the mistaken belief that low-intensity exercise is better than high-intensity exercise when it comes to burning fat and losing weight.
These days we know that even though the ratio of fat-to-carb calories might be higher during low-intensity exercise, fewer calories are used up overall. This is including post workout calorie burn or “what is know as after burn” the body using calories to recover and repair after exercise.
High-intensity exercise burns the biggest number of calories PERIOD!
Monday, 30 November 2009
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Healthy Recipe, Taco Salad.
Today I wanted to share I nice recipe with you.
Taco Salad. If you love Mexican or you have never tried it before this is sure to fill an empty stomach and taste just great.
Fast food taco salads are considered one of the highest fat, highest calorie choices at Mexican fast food restaurants. Ours is a wonderful alternative.
Grate the cheese and add to the salad. Warm the beans if you like and add a little ground chicken, turkey or crumbled tempeh. Even though the carbohydrate content of this salad seems high, it has a very low glycemic index. The beans are also a rich source of folic acid and contribute to the high fibre content.
Servings: 2
Here's what you need...
* 4 cups lettuce, torn into pieces
* 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped
* 1 cup pinto beans, drained of juice
* 2 oz baked tortilla chips, broken into pieces
* 1/4 cup salsa
1. In a salad bowl, mix together the vegetables, pinto beans and tortilla chips. Add the salsa and stir gently to blend.
Nutritional Information: One serving equals: 203 calories, 2g total fat (0 g sat), 40g carbohydrate, 11g fibre, and 11g protein.
Taco Salad. If you love Mexican or you have never tried it before this is sure to fill an empty stomach and taste just great.
Fast food taco salads are considered one of the highest fat, highest calorie choices at Mexican fast food restaurants. Ours is a wonderful alternative.
Grate the cheese and add to the salad. Warm the beans if you like and add a little ground chicken, turkey or crumbled tempeh. Even though the carbohydrate content of this salad seems high, it has a very low glycemic index. The beans are also a rich source of folic acid and contribute to the high fibre content.
Servings: 2
Here's what you need...
* 4 cups lettuce, torn into pieces
* 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped
* 1 cup pinto beans, drained of juice
* 2 oz baked tortilla chips, broken into pieces
* 1/4 cup salsa
1. In a salad bowl, mix together the vegetables, pinto beans and tortilla chips. Add the salsa and stir gently to blend.
Nutritional Information: One serving equals: 203 calories, 2g total fat (0 g sat), 40g carbohydrate, 11g fibre, and 11g protein.
Why fruits and veggies might just save your life!
We are told by our mums to eat our veggies and she would some how always sneak a piece of fruit into our lunch box for school. But was it all just a mum thing or was there more to it.
Having never really been a huge fan of the vegetable brothers and sisters I have been stuffing my face with them more than ever over the past couple of years after reading several articles that really changed my mind.
Today I want to shed some light on this.
Ever heard of antioxidants? Antioxidants are like rust protection for your body. If you put a metal bar outside within a few days it starts to rust this is oxidation. The same thing happens in your body day in day out cells die and with Pollution, sunlight, dehydration, chemical preservatives and sweeteners in food causing damage. I we do not protect against this it can cause multiple cell damage and even cause cancer.
So what does that have to do with fruits and veggies?
Well, the brightest and most colourful of the fruits and veggies we eat contain the best sources of these vitamins and minerals that are so great for us. Such as spinach, broccoli, peppers, kale, carrots, peas, sweet potato to name a few. However when it comes to fruits there are a couple of kings of antioxidants that you should always want to have pomegranate and blue berries are super fruits and contain more antioxidants than any other fruit.
Except one….
Acai Berry! Is possibly the most powerful super food now and has 33% more antioxidants than blueberries.
Still why am I banging on about these fruits and veggies saving your life?
Recent studies in the US have found that that you are 60% less at risk of chronic diseases and even cancer by taking in at least your 5 a day AT LEASTE! They revealed that taking in a good source of antioxidants and omega 3 could even promote longer life. Just look at the Japanese, they have the longest life span of any country and their diet consists of mainly oily fish and veggies so there has got to be something in that surely?
Here is a list of great antioxidants to get your hands on and live longer and healthier:
• Acai Berry
• Grape Seed Extract
• Green Tea Extract
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Selenium
• Coenzyme Q10
Having never really been a huge fan of the vegetable brothers and sisters I have been stuffing my face with them more than ever over the past couple of years after reading several articles that really changed my mind.
Today I want to shed some light on this.
Ever heard of antioxidants? Antioxidants are like rust protection for your body. If you put a metal bar outside within a few days it starts to rust this is oxidation. The same thing happens in your body day in day out cells die and with Pollution, sunlight, dehydration, chemical preservatives and sweeteners in food causing damage. I we do not protect against this it can cause multiple cell damage and even cause cancer.
So what does that have to do with fruits and veggies?
Well, the brightest and most colourful of the fruits and veggies we eat contain the best sources of these vitamins and minerals that are so great for us. Such as spinach, broccoli, peppers, kale, carrots, peas, sweet potato to name a few. However when it comes to fruits there are a couple of kings of antioxidants that you should always want to have pomegranate and blue berries are super fruits and contain more antioxidants than any other fruit.
Except one….
Acai Berry! Is possibly the most powerful super food now and has 33% more antioxidants than blueberries.
Still why am I banging on about these fruits and veggies saving your life?
Recent studies in the US have found that that you are 60% less at risk of chronic diseases and even cancer by taking in at least your 5 a day AT LEASTE! They revealed that taking in a good source of antioxidants and omega 3 could even promote longer life. Just look at the Japanese, they have the longest life span of any country and their diet consists of mainly oily fish and veggies so there has got to be something in that surely?
Here is a list of great antioxidants to get your hands on and live longer and healthier:
• Acai Berry
• Grape Seed Extract
• Green Tea Extract
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Selenium
• Coenzyme Q10
The Secret of Brown Fat!
Brown Fat???
It would appear everyone is aware that too much fat makes you fat right?
Researchers have now discovered that to much "brown fat" is good for weight loss, found in babies specialists say it helps keep babies warm after birth but was believed to disappear when growing up.
The job of brown fat is to generate heat and warm the body in time of cold. It does this by boosting your metabolism and start using up that nasty white fat which sits on our stomachs and butt.
Research at the University of Goteborg in Sweden has show this health brown fat is still present in adults, Doctors at the University believe that the reason some of us have naturally less body fat than others my be a result in a lager amount of brown fat store on the body.
Continued research is being carried out on this and may even help lead to weight loss drugs in the future. However I feel that combining a healthy eating program and good exercise will always triumph over any weight loss drugs invented.
It was shown in the studies that taking body temperature down could help you burn as much as 400-500 more calories per day.
If you want to try some cold fat burning theories then her are a couple I would recommend and a couple that make me laugh.
1. Drink 1-1.5 Litres of ice-cold water per day to promote this type of thremogenesis
2. Take a cold shower or plunge pool bath for 5mins with 1min intervals in and out
3. Sit with your feet in cold water for 10minutes.
4. Turn off your central heating in the house or exercise outside in your vest and pants
These last to make me laugh especially.
Ian
It would appear everyone is aware that too much fat makes you fat right?
Researchers have now discovered that to much "brown fat" is good for weight loss, found in babies specialists say it helps keep babies warm after birth but was believed to disappear when growing up.
The job of brown fat is to generate heat and warm the body in time of cold. It does this by boosting your metabolism and start using up that nasty white fat which sits on our stomachs and butt.
Research at the University of Goteborg in Sweden has show this health brown fat is still present in adults, Doctors at the University believe that the reason some of us have naturally less body fat than others my be a result in a lager amount of brown fat store on the body.
Continued research is being carried out on this and may even help lead to weight loss drugs in the future. However I feel that combining a healthy eating program and good exercise will always triumph over any weight loss drugs invented.
It was shown in the studies that taking body temperature down could help you burn as much as 400-500 more calories per day.
If you want to try some cold fat burning theories then her are a couple I would recommend and a couple that make me laugh.
1. Drink 1-1.5 Litres of ice-cold water per day to promote this type of thremogenesis
2. Take a cold shower or plunge pool bath for 5mins with 1min intervals in and out
3. Sit with your feet in cold water for 10minutes.
4. Turn off your central heating in the house or exercise outside in your vest and pants
These last to make me laugh especially.
Ian
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