CoachMeFit Blog

I think we can safely say that spring has sprung! There has been some sunshine, some warm days, and….no more snow! Time to get outside and reap the benefits of all that Mother Nature has to offer.

There is some surprising research-backed news that says “green exercise” may be the best way to lose weight, feel great, and even get smarter. Breathe in some fresh air and chances are you will want to exercise. Being outside is more playful and fun, therefore making your workouts seem less like work!

Here are some more outdoor benefits:

1. Choosing a sunrise workout outside may help you fall asleep faster at night. Natural light resets circadian rhythms, so it may be easier to nod off, according to experts at the Lighting Research Center.

2. Just seeing the color green may make you feel better during your workout, due to its calming effect.

3. It is better and cheaper than therapy! After just five minutes of any outdoor exercise, you’re happier and more confident. This boost can last all day!

4. Creativity and ideas come to you faster. After an hour of nature-time, sans tech gadgets, research shows a 50% increase in creativity.

5. Nature is the new coffee! Just 20 active minutes outside can wake up your mind and body, making you feel more alive. And, it won’t cost you $4!

6. You can gain a sense of peace. Exercisers reported being less tense and tired, and calmer, during any activity done outside. Probably due to the fresh air that your body craves and the serene surroundings.

Ok, so now what? Great news–CoachMeFit is starting up a new running club! Club CMF is getting geared up to start in the next couple of weeks. Here are some details:

*a non-competitive way to get an extra cardio day

*a good reason to get outside with fellow runners

*guided warm-up provided

*map, easy conversation, multiple paces, and fun company provided

*guided stretching post-run

*variety of recovery drinks and snacks will be provided post-run

This group will be open to CMF clients and non-clients! We are hoping to have a good-sized group of people to keep each other motivated and accountable to your exercise plan. Also, the guided warm-up and post-run stretching will be useful for those who generally skip these very important steps. And the post-run snacks will educate those  who may have questions regarding calorie, protein, and sugar intake for  healthy muscle recovery. More information to come–please see our posting in the CoachMeFit studio!

See you in–and out of– the studio!

Baby, it’s cold outside!

Exercising In The Cold
The biggest concern for exercising in the cold is hypothermia, or too much heat loss. When you exercise in a cold environment you must consider one primary factor: how much heat will your body lose during exercise?

Heat loss is controlled in two ways:

1. Insulation, consisting of body fat plus clothing.
2. Environmental factors, including temperature, wind and whether you’re exercising in the air or in the water. Each of these factors plays a role in the body’s ability to maintain a comfortable temperature during exercise.

But we are having fun with our workouts inside at CoachMeFit. Check out our clients working hard this last week…

Whether we are working on cardio, strength-training, or balance, our clients are always having a great time reaching goals with their trainers!

I’m sure most of you are thinking, “What in the world is Tabata?” No, it’s not some crazy new fad diet. It’s an advanced way of getting an amazing cardiovascular workout.

I was introduced to Tabata by one of the trainers here, Ann Marie. I’ve seen her use it for her clients and they seem to really get an intense workout.  Here’s how it works:

“The Tabata Protocol: Supra-Aerobic Cardio

Never heard of the Tabata Protocol? Created by Izumi Tabata, the Tabata Protocol is simply the best supra-aerobic cardio workout every discovered.

“The rate of increase in V02max is one of the highest ever reported.” – Izumi Tabata, Japan

“Fat burn is greater when exercise intensity is high.” – Metabolism

With only 8 minutes (give or take) every 3 days, you can turn your body into a fat-burning super-engine.

When you create an Oxygen Debt (read: heavy panting) your body has burned off all of the blood sugar (glycogen) it has and needs to replace all of that energy. It does this by burning fat. You don’t want to try and burn fat WHILE you are exercising. You want to burn off CARBS as fuel when you are exercising.

Your body has 2 fuel systems, so to speak. There is Aerobic and Anaerobic.

Now, the Aerobic system uses oxygen to burn fuel, and the Anaerobic system doesn’t. But one does not replace the other! What happens is you start out by burning fuel with your Aerobic energy system, and once you go past the point where there is enough oxygen in your system to provide Aerobic energy to your muscles, your Anaerobic system kicks in. Think of this as your SUPRA-AEROBIC zone.

To get there, you need to get your heart rate up past what is typically referred to as the ‘Target Heart Rate Zone’ using common aerobics lingo. You should use a Heart Rate Monitor to measure yourself while doing this program.

You will need to build up your endurance gradually. Therefore, you will not start out doing the Tabata Protocol the way it is typically described.

The original Tabata Protocol requires the following:

• 5 minutes of warm-up
• 8 intervals of 20 seconds all-out intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest
• 2 minutes cool-down

You REALLY need to ease into this workout slowly, and perform it only on cardio equipment, not with weights.

You will find people doing a Tabata Workout with weights or kettle-balls or other types of resistance. Don’t do this.

Your Maximum Heart Rate is normally calculated as 220 Minus Your Age (e.g. if you are 30 yrs. old, your Max. HR would be 190 BPM – Beats Per Minute). If you do the Tabata Protocol like they did it in the above study, you may see your heart rate shoot up over 200 BPM!

You need gradually build your heart and lung capacity over time.

Here’s what you need to do when starting out:

*** Medical Dislaimer ***

See your physician before starting any kind of exercise routine

The entire beginner workout starts out at 7 minutes long. It breaks down to 3 minutes of warmup, 2 intervals of 30 seconds each. (1 minute of exercise) followed by a 2 minute cool-down.

1) Use a Recumbent or Stationary Bike, Versaclimber, Rowing Machine, Elliptical Trainer or other piece of cardio equipment that allows for gradually increasing resistance, speed, etc. and utilizes the large muscles of your legs.

Treadmills are a possibility, but because you have to rest for 10 seconds between bouts of exercise, the only option when on a treadmill is to step onto the sides and stop entirely, because the machine won’t respond quick enough to the required rapid changes in velocity during a Tabata Protocol interval.

2) Wear a Heart Rate Monitor. Record the Max. Heart Rate achieved during your entire workout, and your Recovery Heart Rate (see below)

3) Warm up for 3 minutes at a moderate pace. You can start out with a low resistance and low RPMs (like 60-65 RPMs on a bike) for the first minute, increase the tension on your equipment one notch for the second minute, then increase the RPMs to 70-75 RPMs and/or tension for the last minute, gradually raising your heart rate to a moderate level.

4) Start out by doing 2 intervals:

- First, increase the tension one notch above where your warmup ended at, or more if you find your feet are flying off the pedals

- Pedal (or go) FULL SPEED, as fast as you can, well above 85 RPMs (if on a bike) – even over 100 RPMs – for 20 seconds.

- Pedal slow for the next 10 seconds. If you did it right, you SHOULD see your Heart Rate go UP a little AFTER you stop pedaling so fast. This is because of the Oxygen Debt you created, and it signals your body to get more oxygen to your energy system. You will notice yourself panting – this is your body trying to get more oxygen to your lungs to fuel your energy system.

- Repeat 1 more time (20 seconds all out fast, 10 seconds slow). Notice your Heart Rate go up a little after you enter the slow part of the interval each time.

- After 2 intervals, decrease the tension to 0 (lowest setting) on your bike or other equipment and pedal slow for 2 minutes.

- After your 2 minute cool-down, stop pedaling COMPLETELY for 1 minute and just sit there.

- At the end of this 1 minute, check your Heart Rate. This is your Recovery Heart Rate – record it!

- Record the Maximum Heart Rate you achieved during your workout. This may have occurred during your 1st interval or your last (usually the last). It will PROBABLY be over the Max. Heart Rate calculated by 220 Minus Your Age. If it isn’t, that’s OK, especially when you are first starting out – don’t overdo it.

5) Do this workout 3 times per week – allow yourself at least one full day of recovery between workouts. Your body needs to heal itself, increase the strength of your heart and lungs, etc.

6) When you notice at the end of your next workout (or however many workouts it takes) that your Recovery Heart Rate went down, add another interval (bringing it to 3 intervals per workout).

7) The next time you notice your Recovery Heart Rate goes down after the workout from its previous number, increase the tension on your equipment to make it more intense.

8) Gradually build up your fitness level by first adding an interval, then increasing the tension, when you see your fitness level has improved from one workout to the next (by checking your Recovery Heart Rate).”

-Article from http://tabataprotocol.com/

Below are a couple more links that show specific Tabata exercise routines.

http://www.fitsugar.com/-Home-Tabata-Workout-22825569

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/tabata-workout/page/2

Try it!!

We all get bored with our workout routine once in awhile.  A lot of people don’t switch it up because they aren’t sure what other options they have.  Listed below is a way to “Flip the switch on routine boredom”.

“I have to honest with you, there are days when I’m getting ready for the gym and I’m just not feeling it at all.  This happened the other day, and not a single cell in my body wanted to be surrounded by the same old cardio machines and weights.  So I asked myself, “what would make me happy?”  I love Zumba.  So instead of dragging myself halfheartedly through my regular workout, I popped in a Zumba DVD and danced my heart out.  Not only did I have a blast, but I was dripping with sweat afterwards and burned almost 600 calories!

All too often, we get caught up in the same old routine.  When our excitement for a workout goes down, so does the intensity- that’s when results come to a screeching halt.  For a well-rounded physique and to keep things fresh, incorporate what makes you happy into your workout.”

If you always:

1. Run 5K on the Treadmill:

Hit the park or pavement for some outdoor interval training.  Use landmarks such as streetlights, trees or hills as markers for your sprints.

2. Strength train, then do cardio:

Combine the two with a heart-pounding plyometric routine!  You don’t need anything but an open space and a lot of energy to do burpees, pop squats, mountain climbers or jumping jacks.

3.  Kill an hour on the bike:

Take a spin class!  The intervals and motivating instructor will help you burn way more calories – no distracting TVs!

4.  Do the same ol’ weight routine:

Make a circuit using your favorite moves to elevate your heart rate and save tons of time.

Article by: Miryah Scott-Oxygen Magazine

This message stood out to me this week because I’ve been having a pity party about not looking the way I want to look.  I don’t WANT to eat right and I don’t WANT to stay on a regular exercise routine. Basically, I’m saying I don’t want to EARN this body.  How pathetic and lazy!

So often we focus on the things we don’t like, or even hate, about our body and wish we could change them. Guess what?!?!  We can.  It takes work, but we can achieve what we focus on.  If you need help, seek it out and stop sitting around having a pity party.  Earn your body and health.  It is worth it and it will make you proud!!

A lot of my clients, and other people in general, complain about stiff muscles.  My first question to them is, “are you stretching”. The answer is typically no.  Most people, myself included, think of stretching as chore. I’m not sure why!  I know the benefits of sticking to a regular stretching routine outweigh the negative effects of not stretching.  We all just need to make it a part of our daily routine.

You can stretch anytime, anywhere. Just follow these tips to do it safely and effectively.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Stretching may take a back seat to your exercise routine. You may think that stretching your hamstrings and calves is just something to be done if you have a few extra minutes before or after pounding out some miles on the treadmill. The main concern is exercising, not stretching, right?

Not so fast. Although studies about the benefits of stretching are mixed, stretching may help you improve your flexibility, which in turn may improve your athletic performance and decrease your risk of injury. Understand why stretching can help — and how to stretch correctly.

Benefits of stretching

Studies about the benefits of stretching have had mixed results. Some show that stretching helps, while others show that stretching has little if any benefit. The main benefits of stretching are thought to be:

• Improving athletic performance
• Decreasing the risk of activity-based injuries

Stretching can help improve flexibility. And better flexibility may improve your performance in physical activities or decrease your risk of injuries by helping your joints move through their full range of motion. For instance, say your Achilles tendon is tight and lacks flexibility. If you do a lot of hill walking, your foot may not move through its full range of motion. Over time, this can increase your risk of tendinitis or tendinopathy in your Achilles tendon. Stretching your Achilles tendon, though, may improve the range of motion in your ankle. This, in turn, can decrease the risk of microtrauma to your tendon that can lead to overload and injury.

Stretching also increases blood flow to the muscle. And you may come to enjoy the ritual of stretching before — or better yet, after — hitting the trail, ballet floor or soccer field.

Stretching essentials

Before you plunge into stretching, make sure you do it safely and effectively. While you can stretch anytime, anywhere — in your home, at work, in a hotel room or at the park — you want to be sure to use proper technique. Stretching incorrectly can actually do more harm than good.

Use these tips to keep stretching safe:

• Don’t consider stretching a warm-up. You may hurt yourself if you stretch cold muscles. So before stretching, warm up with light walking, jogging or biking at low intensity for five to 10 minutes. Or better yet, stretch after you exercise when your muscles are warmed up. Also, consider holding off on stretching before an intense activity, such as sprinting or track and field activities. Some research suggests that pre-event stretching before these types of events may actually decrease performance.
• Focus on major muscle groups. When you’re stretching, focus on your calves, thighs, hips, lower back, neck and shoulders. Also stretch muscles and joints that you routinely use at work or play. And make sure that you stretch both sides. For instance, if you stretch your left hamstring, be sure to stretch your right hamstring, too.
• Don’t bounce. Bouncing as you stretch can cause small tears in the muscle. These tears leave scar tissue as the muscle heals, which tightens the muscle even further, making you less flexible and more prone to pain. So, hold each stretch for about 30 seconds. Repeat each stretch three or four times.
• Don’t aim for pain. Expect to feel tension while you’re stretching, not pain. If it hurts, you’ve pushed too far. Back off to the point where you don’t feel any pain, then hold the stretch.
• Make stretches sport specific. Some evidence suggests that it’s helpful to do stretches tailored for your sport or activity. If you play soccer, for instance, you’re more vulnerable to hamstring strains. So opt for stretches that help your hamstrings.
• Keep up with your stretching. Stretching can be time-consuming. But you can achieve the best benefits by stretching regularly, at least two to three times a week. If you don’t stretch regularly, you risk losing any benefits that stretching offered. For instance, if stretching helped you increase your range of motion, and you stop stretching, your range of motion may decrease again.
• Bring movement into your stretching. Gentle movement can help you be more flexible in specific movements. The gentle movements of tai chi, for instance, may be a good way to stretch. And if you’re going to perform a specific activity, such as a front kick in martial arts, do the move slowly and at low intensity at first to get your muscles used to it. Then speed up gradually as your muscles become accustomed to the motion.

Know when to exercise caution

In some cases, you may need to approach stretching with caution. If you have a chronic condition or an injury, you may need to adjust your stretching techniques. For example, if you already have a strained muscle, stretching it may cause further harm.

Also, don’t think that because you stretch you can’t get injured. Stretching, for instance, won’t prevent an overuse injury. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist about the best way to stretch if you have any health concerns.

Many of my clients struggle to lose weight, especially those who are middle aged and older.  This week I want to focus on metabolism.  If you’ve never tried to boost your metabolism, I challenge you to do so by making some changes to your diet, exercise routine and overall lifestyle.  It’s amazing how good you will feel when your metabolism changes.

Your metabolism is responsible for converting food and drink into energy, according to the National Institutes of Health. Your age, gender and body size all contribute to your unique basal metabolic rate ( BMR). Your BMR is the minimum number of calories your body needs to sustain life while it’s in a resting state. This rate accounts for well over 50 percent of the calories you burn each day. A few alterations in diet and lifestyle may help boost your metabolism.

Aerobic Exercise

You can give your metabolism a boost by performing physical activity for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. Aerobic exercise such as jogging, brisk walking and swimming can increase the number of calories your burn and help to prevent weight gain

Keep Moving

Adopting active hobbies and habits can also contribute to a speedier metabolism. Activities such as gardening, climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator, standing up while using the phone and parking farther away from the entrances to buildings are simple changes you can make throughout your day to enhance your metabolism.

Lift Weights

Resistance training is another good way to jump start a sluggish metabolism. Using free weights or a weight machine two to four times a week for 20 minutes can increase your resting metabolic rate for several hours after your workout. Keep in mind that muscles burn more calories than fat while at rest.

Say Yes To Breakfast

Eating breakfast helps enhance your metabolism at the start of each new day. Your metabolic rate slows overnight after being deprived of food for several hours. Your cells need to be replenished with nutrients or they will adapt to surviving on less by storing fat in anticipation of future deprivation.

Don’t Starve Yourself

Breakfast isn’t the only meal that is important for a healthy metabolism. Your metabolism works best when you eat several small meals each day. Eating small amounts every two to four hours throughout the day helps regulate your blood and encourage your metabolism to work at a higher rate. When you skip meals, your metabolic thermostat stops working in order to conserve its remaining energy.

Eat Healthy Foods

Eating a nutritious diet that includes plenty of fiber and limited amounts of sugar can help improve your metabolism. Good food choices include whole grains, fish, dark green leafy vegetables, blueberries and tomatoes.

Say No to Sugar

When you eat sugar, you throw your metabolic switch into fat storage mode. High blood sugar levels then lead to increased levels of insulin, our body’s signal to store unused energy as fat.

Spice Things Up

Certain spicy foods, like chili, may raise your metabolic rate. You might want to consider adding a few hot peppers or jalapenos to your meals.

Drink Water

Drinking at least eight, eight-ounce glasses of water every day can contribute to a higher metabolism. Prevention.com says cool water works best because your body burns more calories by working to warm the water to your body temperature.

Get Enough Sleep

When you don’t get enough sleep, you may feel hungry even when you’re full. Sleep deprivation can lead to overeating, which compromises your body’s ability to sufficiently metabolize carbohydrates. This can result in weight gain and make weight loss more challenging. Most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep every night, according to True Star Health.com.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/104922-boost-metabolism/#ixzz1lvxvpojJ  

You will not regret making these changes.  Your body is a wonderful masterpiece and having control over changing it, is one of the most powerful gifts you will ever receive.

I am angry, angry at sugar! 

Due to an injury, I have been very limited in my workouts for about 11 weeks now.  Being a trainer, I know that when something like this happens, it is imperative that my diet be as flawless as possible (which is extremely hard for a girl who loves to eat).  This is where my hatred of sugar comes into play.

I dislike yogurt, but I thought I would give it another shot (for about the 50th time).  I found a few flavors that looked like they may taste ok.  First one was great.  Second one was great as well.  I started thinking something must be wrong with this yogurt if I actually like it.  For some reason, I didn’t bother to turn this little yummy of cup of goodness around to view the nutrition facts, which I typically do before I purchase any food.  It’s low fat = great. It’s low calorie = great.  Then I see it and mid bite I throw the half eaten yogurt in the trash.  Out of the 25 grams of Carbohydrates 22 grams of them are SUGAR!  WHAT?!?!  I could not believe it.  Well, actually, I could have believed it if I would have been thinking straight.  I blame it on the lack of exercise  

This led me to start thinking about all my clients who are struggling with their diet and weight loss.  Low fat and low calorie does not mean the product is good for you.  I found a great article that explains what sugar does in the body and why it causes people to gain weight. 

“Isn’t she sweet?” “Rose are Red, Violets are Blue, Sugar is sweet and so are You.” “Visions of sugar plums danced in their head.” “Come on over here, Sugar.” It is everywhere. Sugar, which used to be a rare treat, is in almost every home today. It has woven its way into the fabric of our society. Grandma’s cookies, birthday cakes, Christmas candy, Valentine’s chocolates, the pies and pastries at every celebration feast. Sugar is everywhere.

So, if it is that prominent it can’t be that bad can it? Well, look at the rise in popularity, and availability, of sugar and you will see a similar rise in obesity rates. The research is still out on the different types of naturally occurring sugars and all of the sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners, so we will focus on refined sugar. This includes white, cane sugar and brown sugar.

First, let’s take a look at what sugar does. Glucose is used by the body for energy. The muscles and organs use it to supply the energy they need to perform their regular functions. In order for the glucose to get to the cells that need it there needs to be a transporter. This is where insulin comes in. It transports the glucose to the cells with the open receptors. Once all receptor sites in the brain, other organs, and muscles are closed the insulin then takes the glucose to storage sites (fat stores.) Most foods can be broken down into glucose for energy but it takes time through the digestive process.

Refined sugar is rapidly converted to glucose in the body. That is why you get a buzz or sugar “high” right after you eat sugar. The problem is that because there is so much sugar in the system after a sugary snack the body cannot utilize all of the glucose so the body releases more insulin to rapidly get the glucose out of the system. The easiest way for the body to do that is to shuffle the excess into fat stores quickly. Then you crash. The body now wants the extra energy, but the energy has been stored away so your energy levels drop to the floor.

So, as you can see the influx of sugar causes the body to quickly take all of the excess energy flowing through the blood stream and put it in fat stores. Not a positive situation for a dieter. Since they are trying to lose fat, not gain it.

So, it’s easy then, just don’t add sugar to my foods and drinks, right? That is only a small piece of it. While this will help, it is not the complete solution. Sugar is hidden in many of our foods. One place people are surprised to find so much sugar is in the low-fat and no-fat foods. To make up for the taste lost by eliminating the fat, food manufacturers dump in extra sugar. A fat free cake may have almost twice as much sugar as the regular alternative. Drinks are another area of concern. Look at soft drinks, they are almost completely sugar, with almost 65 grams of sugar in a bottle.

Sugar can quickly sabotage fat loss efforts, but it may not be as simple as throwing out the sugar bowl. Reading labels is important. Food companies seldom list “sugar” in the ingredients. It will usually be sucrose, dextrose, or some other “-ose” item. Looking at the nutrient breakdown will be a good indicator. Under carbohydrates, companies now have to show sugar and fiber content. If a food has 15 grams of carbohydrates per serving and 12 of those are sugar you might want to find another choice. Don’t let these little white granules destroy your diet. Read labels carefully, avoid extra sugar, and eat a mix of nutrients during your meals for a more even blood sugar level.

article By Jennifer Olsen

My advice: READ LABELS…..always!!

Kelly Kalbfleisch, NPTI Certified Personal Trainer

Manager of CoachMeFit Ann Arbor

What do you eat for breakfast and lunch?  Are you eating on the fly or feel you have no time for lunch?  I’m a firm believer, and I do this myself, in preparing meals for breakfast and lunch on one particular day during the week.  This way, I have everything in the fridge ready for me to grab to take to work.  I’ve fallen victim to the “I didn’t have time to eat” or “I have to eat whatever is fast” excuses.  I am now prepared and even if I only have 10 minutes to eat, I have healthy food instead of take-out.  I found this article that has really good tips to help you get focused and prepared.

“You wouldn’t start your day, go on vacation, or show up to a job interview without a plan, right? So think of meal prep and packing your cooler as your plan for a healthy body.  Your biggest obstacle is going to be managing your time so that getting fit and healthy doesn’t compete with the rest of your commitments.  Prioritizing and planning ahead will actually make life easier and help facilitate your success in the long term.  While it may seem trivial and even stressful at times, preparedness is one of the most important elements of a healthy lifestyle.  Having everything packed and ready to go will be less stressful than leaving your meal choices up to chance and heading to whatever take-out joint is nearby at mealtime.

Try these tips:

1.       Schedule some prep time: A lot of people (including myself) use Sundays as our shop and prep day.  Pick a day when you have a few free hours to buy and prepare your food for the week.

2.       Pack Cook-Free Snacks: Toss these items into your bag for effortless re energizing:

Raw almonds

Protein Powder

Low-fat String Cheese

Chopped Veggies

Fruit

Ezekiel Bread

Hummus

3.       Get yourself a cooler: Invest in a good, manageable-sized cooler (12-can size or larger) for storing your meals and snacks.  Pack it the night before and store in the fridge so you can grab it and go.

4.       Don’t forget your Gym Bag: Being prepared doesn’t stop with meals.  Pack your gym clothes and sneakers the night before, not as you’re flying out the door.”

-Oxygen Magazine

Engrave this word into your brain:  PREPARE

If you need more tips on what foods to prepare and/or pack, ask your trainer!

Fall is fast approaching.  If you’ve had a little too much enjoyment in terms of BBQ and beverages this summer you may need a kick start for the fall.  Here are a few tips to get you back on track.  Set some goals and burn some of that unwanted and unhealthy fat!!

Not literally, of course, but by using a pedometer and recording how many steps you take each day. According to The Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research, 10,000 steps a day will get you started on the path to fat loss and cardiovascular health. Some good ways to add to your count? Take the stairs; ditch the email and walk over to the person sitting down the hall instead; or walk with a buddy at lunch.

You’ve heard it before and we’ll say it again: plan to eat six small meals throughout your day to control your caloric intake. You’ll give your body more fuel to tackle those 10,000 steps!

Ok, cut out on the late night talk-show circuit tonight and hit the sack! Studies reveal that two hormones are responsible for your need to feed: ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin tells your body it’s hungry, while leptin tells your body it’s full. When you don’t sleep, ghrelin thrives and so will your appetite, so tonight be sure to get your vitamin “zzzz.”

The healthier your muscles are the more they will aid in your showdown against fat. Weight training boosts your metabolism and that, in turn, will melt fat and keep your body incinerating all day.

This twosome helps cut cravings by keeping you satisfied longer by breaking down food at a slower rate in your body. Before the day is through, whip up a protein shake, steam some leafy green veggies or pack dried fruit for your afternoon snack. Whatever it is, just make a point of doing it!

 Article from Oxygenmag.com