Seven Crucial Steps for Long Term Weight Loss - Part 2
4. Don't Skip Meals Ever heard that breakfast is the most important meal of theday? Well it's true. The one meal you should never skip isbreakfast. It is the meal that sets the tone for yourmetabolism. When you miss breakfast your metabolis...
...m responds byslowing down. Your body receives signals of famine from thebrain and switches to energy conservation mode. This meansrather than burning calories the body gets stingier with them. The other thing that happens, when missing breakfast is, by thetime lunch time comes around you feel starved and you almostalways end up overeating. And as a result of this added pressureon your digestive system, most of your energy gets used up asyour body works hard to digest and absorb all that food. Needlesto say, you won't feel very productive when you return to work,a feeling which may last for the next few hours.Another important benefit of not skipping meals is that yourblood sugar level is more stable, which keeps insulin in check -reducing unnecessary fat storage and ensuring that you haveadequate energy levels required to perform your daily tasks withless physical and psychological stress. 5. WaterIt was thought that drinking plenty of water throughout the daywas a crucial part of a good weight loss strategy; the theorywas that an adequate amount of water - 8 eight-ounce glasses perday - gives you a feeling of fullness which reduces periods ofhunger; and the less you feel hungry the less you are going tosnack - which translates to fewer calories. Recent studies havesuggested, however, that choosing foods with high water contentlike fruits and vegetables and blending water into meals likesoup has a greater effect on satiety, than simply just drinkingwater. And that it may result in a reduction of total dailycalories. In other words, including water rich foods like watermelon andother fruits and vegetables, fruit juice, and soups in yourdiet, is more effective with respect to satiety than relying onjust drinking water. As a result, you wouldn't need to drink 8glasses of water a day, if you were getting an adequate supplyfrom your diet. In fact, drinking 8 glasses of water per day isa misconception. This number was originally reported by theNational Academy of Sciences of the United States Food andNutrition Board. They also mentioned, however, in the samereport, that the majority of water people need comes from food.(4)The recommendation for a healthy individual is to drink one cupof water or juice with every meal. (ibid)It's also important to keep in mind that the human body is madeup of 60-70% water. All our organs consist of a lot of water.Blood is mainly composed of water. So it makes sense to ensurethat you're always getting an adequate supply. Here are somefunctions of water:- regulates your body temperature - transports nutrients to yourorgans - transports vital oxygen to your cells - removes wastefrom your body - protects all your organs and joints6. ExerciseAs you know, exercise participation is an important factor inweight loss and weight loss maintenance. In addition to weightreduction here are 20 important health benefits of physicalactivity.1. Increases thermogenesis (increase in body temperature to burncalories). 2. Raises basal metabolic rate increasing calorieexpenditure even during periods of rest or sleep. 3. Releasesnatural stimulants in the body helping to improve overallpsychological condition. In other words it may alter your moodto a more positive state. (5) 4. Relieves stress and reduces therisk of stress related chronic diseases. (ibid) 5. Improves sexfunction 6. Lowers High Blood pressure levels. 7. May increaselevels of good cholesterol (HDL) 8. Lowers elevated bloodcholesterol levels. 9. Improves blood circulation. 10. Increasesthe level of oxygen uptake (VO2 max) and improves endurance. Vo2max varies directly with the level of physical fitness. 11.Increases lean body mass (muscle) while reducing body fat -improving body composition and therefore improving physicalappearance. 12. Improves self esteem. 13. Causes a naturaltendency to be more conscious about eating healthier andtherefore may improve a person's diet. 14. Strengthens themusculoskeletal system protecting the body from unexpectedphysical shock. 15. Strengthens the body's immune system andtherefore slows down the aging process. 16. Strengthens bonesand fights against osteoporosis - especially important for post- menopausal women. (6) 17. Strengthens the body's immune systemand therefore slows down the aging process. 18. Helps to fightagainst chronic diseases including many forms of cancers andheart disease. (7) (8) 19. When combined with stretching it mayhelp to reduce lower back pain. 20. Improves physical conditionin pregnant women making it easier to cope with the trials ofchildbirth: It increases energy levels; helps to reduce backpain; improves circulation and reduces swelling and developmentof varicose veins; tones muscles making it easier for the bodyto return to pre-pregnancy condition. You should check with yourdoctor, however, before you begin exercising during pregnancy.(9)How Much exercise is Necessary for Weight Loss?It depends on your goals and your body condition. Here are somequestions you should ask yourself:- How much weight do you want to lose? - What's Your Age - Howmuch do you weigh? - What is your physical condition? - What isyour daily caloric intake? - Will you combine exercise withcaloric restriction?If you're overweight, by more than 20 pounds, you need toparticipate in a program that includes diet restriction (reducetotal daily calories by 500 cal.) and regular exercise (6-7 daysa week). You should exercise for at least 30 continuous minutes- for best results increase the duration (up to 60 minutes).Your target intensity should be between 65-75% of your maximumheart rate - in other words, a comfortably vigorous level ofintensity. The American College of Sports Medicine recommendsthat a good weight loss program should consist of daily caloricexpenditure of 300-500 calories from exercise. (10) How do you calculate your heart rate? An easy formula forfiguring out your maximum heart rate works by simply subtractingyour age from 220. If you're 40 years old, for example, yourmaximum heart rate is 180 beats per minute (220-40). To train at70% of your maximum heart rate, simply multiply 180 by 70 anddivide by 100, which equals 126 beats per minute. Therefore inorder to train at an intensity level of 70% of maximum heartrate your training heart rate should be 126 beats per minute.How do you calculate your heart rate during exercise? Simplytake your pulse by counting the number of beats over a 10 secondperiod. Multiply that figure by 6 and you have the number ofbeats for a 1 minute period - that's your training heart rate.Before you begin exercising, however, get clearance from yourdoctor, especially if you're a beginner.7. Exercise for Weight Loss MaintenanceOnce you reach a desirable body weight, you can switch yourexercise routine to weight loss maintenance mode. That means youcan reduce the frequency of your workouts to 3-4 times a week.The duration and the intensity should remain the same - 60minutes at a comfortably vigorous level. You will notice as youreach higher levels of fitness, exercise intensity must beturned up a notch to keep the workout challenging and also toburn more calories.What types of activities should you participate in? There aremany forms of exercise that are efficient in producing adequateweight loss and fitness. Some of them include aerobics, step orboxing aerobics, cycling, spinning, step-climbing, training onelliptical machines, cross country skiing (real or machineversion), in line skating, ice skating, swimming, jogging, skateboarding, and sports like basketball, hockey, and soccer. Thereare many more. The important thing is to choose one that you'llreally enjoy. This way, your chances of sticking with it in thelong run will be much higher. Have fun, get in shape, lose those extra pounds and keep themoff!References: 1. http://www.sciencedaily.com, "Healthy diets need fat,according to new study", retrieved 22 June 2005 fromhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/04/980424031929.htm2. http://www.ajcn.org, "Cereals, legumes, and chronic diseaserisk reduction: evidence from epidemiologic studies", retrieved15 August 2005 fromhttp://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/70/3/451S3. http://www.jacn.org, "Contribution of Meals and Snacks toNutrient Intake of Male and Female Elite Figure Skaters DuringPeak Competitive Season", retrieved 19 May 2004 fromhttp://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/21/2/1144. http://www.drmirkin.com, "HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU NEED?",retrieved 30 August 2005 fromhttp://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/9942.html5. http://www.issponline.org/documents/physactstatement.pdf,"Physical Activity and Psychological Benefits - an ISSP PositionStand", retrieved 22 August 2005 fromhttp://www.issponline.org/documents/physactstatement.pdf6. http://www.osteoporosis.ca, "Physical Activity: An ImportantFactor in Preventing Osteoporosis", retrieved 22 August 2005fromhttp://www.osteoporosis.ca/english/About%20Osteoporosis/Physical%20Activity/default.asp?s=17. http://www.americanheart.org, "Physical Activity", retrieved25 August 2005 fromhttp://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=45638. http://www.cancer.gov, "Questions and Answers: PhysicalActivity and Cancer", retrieved 25 August 2005 fromhttp://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/PhysicalActivity9. http://health.discovery.com, "The Benefits of PregnancyExercise", retrieved 26 August 2005 fromhttp://health.discovery.com/centers/pregnancy/americanbaby/exercisebenefits.html10. http://www.findarticles.com, "Exercise, the cornerstone toweight loss - Tech Brief", retrieved 27 August 2005 fromhttp://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0675/is_5_20/ai_92840206#continue
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