Fitness Newsletter                                              April 2007

In this issue:

• 9 Ways To Rev Up Your Metabolism
• Get a Handle on Emotional Eating
• Concentrate On Your Core
• Health Briefs
• Health Quiz
• Recipe: Red Hot Fusilli

9 Ways To Rev Up Your Metabolism

1. Lift weights. Muscle is the key to a higher metabolism. Building lean muscles increases your calorie-burning. Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) accounts for 60 to 70 percent of your daily calorie expenditure, and it's closely linked to the amount of muscle you have. Muscle burns more calories than fat -- even while you sleep!
2. Get moving with cardio exercise. When you perform cardio, enzymes are produced that break down fat and enable the body to use it as an energy resource. For fat to be burned as energy, oxygen needs to be produced. People with a high cardio capacity are able to burn fat very easily because their bodies are efficient at delivering oxygen to muscle cells.
3. Try interval training. Your body has an amazing ability to adjust to routine. If you don't change things up, you can get stuck in a rut. Try interval training (bursts of high-intensity moves) to boost your metabolism. Studies show that people who do interval training twice a week, in addition to cardio, lose twice as much weight as those who do just a regular cardio workout. Just insert a 30-second sprint into your jog every 5 minutes or add a 1-minute incline walk to your treadmill routine.
4. Don't overdo calorie-cutting. If you ingest too many calories, you gain weight, but if you restrict your calorie intake too much, you won't lose weight either. That may sound strange, but what your body is doing is entering survival mode. If you suddenly drop a bunch of calories from your diet, your resting metabolic rate will slow down, because your body makes the assumption that you are starving. Unless you're less than 5 feet tall, don't let your daily calories dip below 1,200. Research shows that women who consume less than this amount see their resting metabolic rate plummet by as much as 45 percent!
5. Eat breakfast. Breakfast may just be the most important meal of the day. Your metabolism slows when you're asleep, and it doesn't rev back up until you eat again. If you skip breakfast, it could possibly be 16-20 hours since your last meal! That's a recipe for disaster. Start the day with a solid 300-to-400-calorie meal, preferably one high in fiber.
6. Space your meals wisely. If you find that you get frequent snack attacks, kick-start your metabolism and curb your appetite by dividing your meals into 5 to 6 small, nutritious meals a day instead of 3 squares. Eat a 200-400 calorie mini-meal every 3 to 4 hours. Your body will expend more energy to digest the food and your metabolic rate will increase. If this is too much to handle, revert back to the 3 meals, but make them slightly smaller and add a couple snacks strategically placed mid-morning and afternoon.
7. Sleep. According to studies, sleep loss may increase hunger and affect the body's metabolism, which may make it more difficult to lose weight. People who lose sleep may continue to feel hungry despite adequate food intake because sleep loss has been shown to affect the secretion of cortisol, a hormone that regulates appetite. Make sure you get in your 8 hours or more of sleep every night.
8. Drink water. Researchers have found that drinking water may increase the rate at which you burn calories. The energy-burning process of your metabolism needs water to work effectively. Water also fills you up, curbs your appetite, flushes out your system and rids the body of bloat and toxins. Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses per day, even more if you're active.
9. Skip the alcohol. Several studies show that having a drink before a meal causes people to eat around 200 more calories. Drinking with dinner isn't such a good idea either -- Another study has found that the body burns alcohol first, meaning that the calories in the rest of the meal are more likely to be stored as fat. If you do have a cocktail craving, stick to wine, which packs only 80 calories per glass, or minimize the calories by drinking a white-wine spritzer (two ounces of wine mixed with two ounces of seltzer).
   
   

Get a Handle on Emotional Eating

People often eat to relieve stress or to get something off their minds. The kicker is that stress, and the insulin jump that goes with it, may actually cause you to crave high sugar, high carbohydrate foods - foods that go straight to your waistline and cause you even more stress.

Rather than munching, it's better to develop new skills for dealing with boredom, self-esteem issues and stress. Try to pinpoint the major reasons for your stress or unpleasant emotions, and see how you can turn the tide. Here are a few suggestions to combat your emotions:

• Keep a reminder of your goal handy.
• Keep a journal that includes your best personal accomplishments.
• Get the junk food out of the house.
• Track your eating patterns, including when and why you pick up food.
• Talk to a friend.
• Surround yourself with positive re-enforcers, like pictures and people.
• Do deep breathing and relaxation exercises.
• Go for a walk or jog. Physical activity relieves stress.

If you still seem to come back to food when your emotions get the best of you, you can at least be prepared. Eating large amounts of snacks is not a good thing. But if you eat low calorie foods, it's not so bad. So stock the fridge with healthy alternatives, foods that have good nutritious value, are smaller in size, and will not pack on too many calories. Here are a few food suggestions to keep within arms' reach:

• Apple or orange slices
• Carrot sticks
• Banana
• Broccoli
• Whole wheat toast
• Bran muffin
• Fruit smoothie
• Applesauce

Concentrate On Your Core: Exercise Your Body from the Inside-Out

by The American Institute of Cancer Research

Whenever you walk or run, your core muscles are active, keeping you upright, balancing your body as your weight shifts, and absorbing the impact as your feet hit the ground. Your body's core forms the foundation of all your movement. If your core is weak, you are susceptible to poor posture and injury. Lower back pain is also more likely to occur.

Your core muscles lie deep within your torso and pelvis. They are layered, overlapping and connected to each other.

Unlike weight lifting, a core-strengthening program exercises your whole system at once. You also don't need any equipment. The strength you use in holding a position, as well as the gravitational pull of your own weight, work out the core muscles. You'll be surprised at how great an effect a simple routine can have on your daily living activities.

The major core muscle is called the transversus abdominis. It is deep in your abdomen and circles your torso. To feel it contract, pull your belly button toward your spine. Hold the contraction for 10 seconds, then release. Repeat several times. You can do this exercise anytime, anywhere.

Breathing is important while you do core exercises. Practice breathing deeply from your diaphragm before starting core exercises. Sit or stand with your back straight and shoulders relaxed. Exhale through your mouth for 6 seconds, expelling as much air from your lungs as you can. Then inhale for 6 counts, feeling your belly and chest expand as your lungs fill with air. Repeat 3 times, then breathe at a more normal pace throughout your exercises.

• Boot Camp Core Exercises - the plank, side plank, superman, bridge, abdominial crunches, and MORE!
  
  

Health Quiz

Test your health and fitness knowledge. True or False.

        - Your body will continue to burn even more calories after an intense exercise session.

The longer and more intensely you exercise, the greater the number of calories your body will consume in recovery. In fact, you can burn additional calories for many hours after a long, intense workout. (True)

Recipe: Red Hot Fusilli

This lively low-saturated fat pasta dish contains lots of tomatoes and herbs and very little oil.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup freshly minced parsley
• 4 cups ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon oregano leaves, crushed or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• ground red pepper or cayenne pepper to taste
• 8 oz. uncooked fusilli pasta (4 cups cooked)
• 1/2 lb. cooked (or 3/4 lb. raw) chicken breasts, diced into 1/2-inch pieces (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Sauté garlic and parsley until golden.
2. Add tomatoes and spices. Cook uncovered over low heat 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Add chicken and continue cooking for 15 minutes until chicken is heated through and sauce is thick.
3. Cook pasta in unsalted water. Drain.
4. To serve, spoon sauce over pasta and sprinkle with coarsely chopped parsley. Serve hot as a main dish and cold for the next day's lunch.

Nutritional Info :

• Serves 4
• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Fat: 6.3 g
• Carbohydrates: 30.2 g
• Protein: 33.3 g
• Calories: 311.7