The Metabolism Myth

How often have you heard the more muscle you’ve got the more fat you may burn? The long standing proverb out there announces if you build more muscle it will noticeably raise your metabolism, helping you to burn more fat and raise your weight reduction. This is the reason why doctors and trainers get one of the most well liked questions around : “If I am trying to shed pounds, should I do more cardiovascular or more weights?” To answer that question , let’s take a look at how much muscle helps your metabolism.

Here is the stone-cold fact : One pound of muscle increases your basic metabolic rate by only six calories each day. Now the genuine kicker is that realistically, every month you can only expect to gain as much as one to 2 pounds of muscle if you are male ; females can sum up to half a pound of muscle every month. This just permits you to know that gaining muscle takes just so long as weight reduction, and does not boost metabolism much at all, so it isn’t the fast answer to losing more weight. Does this mean you need to give up weight coaching all together and not fret about muscle mass at all when losing weight? Definitely not.

When you lose pounds and make a caloric deficit, your body does not discriminate between fat ( your fat stores ) and muscle ( your lean body mass ), so it just takes where it can. Training with weights helps to preserve your lean body mass when you make a caloric hole, leaving you robust and not shrunken.

Do you have your weight coaching schedule prepared for your weight reduction program? Talk to an individual tutor or take a circuit coaching class at your local gymnasium. This may eventually help you stay lean and lose pounds at the same time.

Source: Dr. Mark Dedomenico

Dieting and Fitness Snacks

Dieting and exercising to stay fit will make you hungry. Dieting usually means to reduce the intake of calories while exercising will increase your body’s desire for more fuel to burn. If you cut off the fuel intake on one side and increase the need for fuel on the other side, you are left starving.

Being a smart dieter you have many options. The list below will show you a lot of healthy snacks that a) taste great and b) carry only little calories with them. So, don’t be shy and give these suggestions a try.

Snacks with Almost No Calories

Celery sticks
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Green peppers
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Mushrooms

Snacks with approx. 25-30 Calories

1 small tangerine
1 small tomato
1/2 cup watermelon
1/4 cantaloupe
1 medium carrot
1 cup popcorn
12 pretzel sticks

Snacks with approx. 35-45 Calories

1 medium peach
1/2 small banana
1 medium nectarine
1/2 grapefruit
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt
3 saltine crackers

Snacks with approx. 50-60 Calories

4 small shrimp
1 small apple
15 grapes
12 cherries
1 cup strawberries
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1 small orange
As you can see this list provides you with a huge variety of snacks and you do not have to eat lots of calories at the same time. Combine snacks like Yoghurt and fruit and you have the perfect post workout snack with protein and vitamins and whatever else comes with it by default.

Eat to Run

If you consider yourself a dedicated runner, then you may want to take a second look at the amount of calories you consume per day. Serious runners need to eat…lots. The sad truth is that most runners simply don’t eat enough causing fatigue and serious physical problems.

While most people may be avoiding carbohydrates, as a runner you need to eat lots of complex carbohydrates. Why? As you run, you will use these carbohydrates as a form of energy. In addition, lean red meat; fish; poultry; dairy products; bananas; and sports drinks should all be a large part of your diet.
If you find yourself crashing during any kind of a workout, you are probably not eating enough food. Runners need to consume a large amount of calories per day in order to train properly. This means eating at least three meals a day and it can mean eating six to seven small meals per day.

Of course, it is also crucial to eat foods that are low in sugar, fat, and salt, so a bit of careful planning is necessary. Once you know how many calories per day you should consume (consult a BMI calculator), then you can start picking and choosing healthy meals to snack on.

As a runner, it is never a good idea to skip a meal. It is an even worse idea to replace a meal with a long run. While you may feel light on your feet at first, you can bet that lack of proper nutrients will cause you to stop your run short.

Taking the time to care for your body includes eating well. If you can master the types of foods that you should be eating early in the running game, then you will find that adding miles is easy to do. Your body needs lots of fuel to function efficient – make sure to feed that body properly!

How Much Water Do Runners Need?

While it’s no secret that athletes need to keep hydrated, make sure that you aren’t drinking too much water. Is it possible to drink too much water? In fact, it is. Overhydration can be just as serious as dehydration. In fact, too much water can be deadly.

Hyponatraemia is the direct cause of too much fluid in the system. When you consume too much water, your body simply cannot handle it. In fact, hyponatraemia was the precise cause of the only two deaths ever to occur during the Boston Marathon.

So, how much water should the average runner drink? Do you really need eight glasses of water per day? For some reason the magical number “eight” has seeped into our societal subconscious, while the truth is that this number is based upon very little factual information.

Instead, listen to your body. If you feel that you are thirsty, then go ahead and have some water. However, it isn’t wise to force your body into drinking too much water. Think logically – if the weather is hot and you are going to run a long distance, then make sure to bring water with you.

Also, many experts recommend drinks filled with electrolytes. These drinks contain a small amount of sodium, which can help prevent overhydration. Lastly, make sure to drink water after a workout. The largest amount of water that you will need during the day is most likely to come after your run.

Remember to push that eight glasses per day myth out of your head. Instead, simply pay attention to your body. The human body is intelligent, which means that it will tell you when you need to hydrate. Is it important to hydrate? Yes. Can you overhydrate? You bet. Stay on the safe side of things, and choose to drink the amount of water that is appropriate for your body.

Need a runner belt for water supply while running? Check out this runner belt then.

Dark Chocolate for Runners?

It’s every runner’s dream – a prescription for a healthy diet that includes dark chocolate. Far more than a simple dream, dark chocolate is actually great for a runner’s diet. While this sweet shouldn’t be consumed in excess, it does offer some amazing nutritional benefits.
 
Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants. These antioxidants can actually help lower blood pressure, and they may even help with some types of inflammation. But, before you get too excited, you should know that not all types of chocolate are created equal.

The kind of dark chocolate that will help your body is also the kind that is very low in sugar. You can determine a truly dark piece of chocolate by the amount of cocoa that is inside of it. Chocolate that contains a lot of cocoa is also chocolate that tends to be low on the sugary side of things.

If you can’t stomach truly dark chocolate, consider using this power food as a type of dipping sauce. You can melt dark chocolate quite easily (be careful not to burn it), and proceed to dip (hopefully healthy) items into it.

So, there you have it – chocolate is good for you. Well, kind of. Just remember to keep that chocolate dark; look at the cocoa content; and skip the chocolate that is high in sugar. While your favourite candy bar may not make the list of “acceptable chocolate,” you can probably come up with some great dark chocolate treats all on your own.

Keep those running bodies strong with foods that benefit your body. If you keep your chocolate intake to a minimum, then you can indulge in this sweet at least once per week. The next time you have a sweet tooth, skip those sugary snacks and head for that dark chocolate.

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