METABOLIC TRIGGERS

A Unique Exercise To Help Flatten Your Stomach While Driving

2013-01-01T11:43:00.001-08:00

Here's a unique exercise to help flatten your stomach while driving

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

If you're already a reader of my Truth about Six Pack Abs manual, then you may already know this unique trick... it's basically a simple exercise that you can do anytime, anywhere to help get a flat stomach over time.

Now I will say that this exercise does NOT increase fat burning, but it CAN help to flatten your stomach by strengthening your deeper transversus abdominis muscles and hence "pulling in" a lazy stomach (aka beer belly or "pooch belly").

It involves doing an exercise called "ab vacuums".
I find it a good time to get in the habit of doing daily ab vacuums while driving on your daily commute or another time that would get you in the habit of doing them regularly.

(please make sure this doesn't distract you from driving safely... I find that it doesn't distract me at all...it's certainly much safer than driving while on the cell phone!)

Of course, ab vacuums can be done anywhere and don't have to be just for driving, but I've found that it helps me to remember to do them if I do them at a specific time when driving regularly.... this could be while driving home from the gym every time, or perhaps during your daily commute to work.

Ab vacuums are simple:

You can do ab vacuums pretty much anywhere, at any time.
You can do them standing, seated (such as in a car), kneeling in a four-point position, or even lying flat on the floor.

The movement is as simple as pulling your belly button in as far as you can by imagining you're trying to touch your belly button to your spine and holding for 10-20 seconds at a time.

Start by inhaling deeply. Then, as you exhale, start pulling the belly button in towards the spine and hold it there for 10-20 seconds while just taking short breaths. Repeat for several holds.

Get in the habit of doing this at least 4-5 days per week while driving somewhere and you may find that this helps to flatten your stomach more by strengthening the transversus abdominis muscle (the deep abdominal muscles) if you previously had a "lazy belly".

Like I said, this exercise doesn't increase fat burning... it only helps to flatten a round stomach that has lazy deep ab muscles.

If you want a true "six pack abs" appearance, you obviously still need to burn off the body fat that covers your abs... and that calls for a fully encompassing workout program (not just ab exercises), a strategic nutrition program, and the right mindset for success.

This idea of "ab vacuums" while driving is just one of the dozens of tips and tricks found inside my Truth about Six Pack Abs manual. If you don't already have a copy, see what other readers are saying about Truth about Abs here
Or if you have questions whether the Truth about Abs program is right for you, go here
If you liked today's idea in this newsletter, feel free to email this link (or post this link to twitter or facebook) to any friends or family that may want to try these "ab vacuums" to get a flatter stomach.

6 Dangerous Dieting Myths

2012-06-24T06:11:00.002-07:00

Spices are great for keeping hunger at bay. They are known to significantly reduce cravings, so add some heat to your food! If spicy main courses are not really palatable to you, go for a spicy appetizer instead. Sprinkle your soup with some red pepper for a fiery start to your lunch!

6 Terrible Dieting Tips - By Cory Couillard

Let's learn to take the die out of dieting.

Diet and nutritional advice is one of the most common questions that we see in clinical practice. It is apparent that people get continuously misled when it comes to advice to lose weight, restore health and prevent disease.

The usual culprit of the misinformation is the media, internet, health professionals and most commonly, your neighbor.

Health, wellness, disease prevention and treatment techniques should not be too different. A great example includes weight loss advice.

In many instances one is given advice to lose weight at all cost, even sacrificing one's health to achieve weight loss. Losing weight should not be the objective; it's restoring healthy food and activity to help heal the body.

If you lose weight and forget about the health of the body, you die lighter.

The principles of health and healing always work when you focus on how your body is designed to be healthy. The objective of this article is to expose the terrible advice that is commonly repeated and replace it with a solid foundation of application.

"Carbohydrates are Bad for You"
When people hear "carbohydrates" they think of bread, pasta and rice. These items have a lot of carbohydrates but that is not the culprit that produces disease.

How these products are made and processed is the common culprit. It is true that one should limit the consumption of these products in efforts to reduce diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Vegetables have carbohydrates, though, too. The myth that "carbs are bad" is not true. The difference is that vegetables do not get processed like a loaf of bread.

The recommendation is to reduce and completely eliminate processed carbohydrates such as breads and pastas and replace them with "better" carbohydrates that were originally designed to be consumed.

No one gets fat from eating too many vegetables, just too much junk food.

"All Calories are the Same--Calories in Equals Calories Out"
A lot of healthcare professionals and popular fitness gurus talk about calories in equals calories out. What are they trying to say?

Regardless of the type of food that you consume, your body will utilize it exactly the same. If you desire to remain the same weight, the amount of calories that you eat should be the amount of calories burned by your body.

If you want to lose weight, cut down on what you eat and exercise more.

The problem with this concept is that all nutrition is not the same and everyone's body does not burn and utilize the nutrients the same.

Hormones in the body and the negative impact of lifestyle, stress and medications play a significant role in efficiency of burning calories.

The advice is to eliminate all processed food choices and eat as fresh, raw and organic as possible.

These food choices have been created for consumption and will aid in fueling your body with the right nutrients to balance hormones, reduce chemical food stress and encourage healing in your body.

All exercise is not created equal. High intensity, short duration exercise has been found to be the most efficient form of exercise to encourage healing, build muscle, burn fat and balance hormones.

Low intensity, long duration exercise such as running and aerobics do not have similar healing properties.

"Don't Eat Fats"
The "eat low-fat" campaigns have created fatter people worldwide. The truth is that fat is a very good and efficient fuel source for your body to operate efficiently.

The problem lies with the type of fat you consume. Processed fats and specifically cooking oils are "bad fats" and they make you fat.

Fats such as coconut, olive and avocado oils have been found to have amazing healing and weight loss properties.

Trans-fat and saturated fats that are in processed foods have been found to be the culprit in high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. You may enjoy these food items, but start saving money now and schedule a visit with your doctor and hospital to treat the conditions associated with consumption.

"Fruit is Good for You, Eat All You Want"
Fruits have a high density of sugar which can throw havoc on your hormones and weight loss goals.

Many people that try to lose weight attempt to eat fruit exclusively; unfortunately they fail. Implement a balanced diet that is composed of natural carbohydrates (vegetables), fats and protein.

The best fruits to consume are ones that have lower sugar content. These fruits include all berries and granny smith apples. The highest sugar content can be found in bananas and melons and should be avoided.

"Eat Multiples Times Per Day to Lose Weight"
Yes, this can re-activate your metabolism, but many people do not apply this principle correctly. It is common for an individual to overeat and abuse portion control.

The most important meal of the day is breakfast; do not skip it. This does not mean eat a full breakfast and eat a full chicken for lunch. A serving size of meat is usually the size of your fist.

If you only eat one meal per day, it is common to have weight related issues as well. Your body's hormones and metabolism will store fat to utilize during the times of not eating.

The most efficient way to lose weight and be healthy is exercise exceptional portion control for three meals per day and eat a snack in between.

"You Can Get into Shape with Diet Alone"
Yes, you can lose weight without exercise but you will become frailer, have a depressed immune system, and become weak and scrawny without exercising.

Losing weight does not mean you're in good shape. The way the world commonly views health is based on your weight. If you are skinny, you think you are healthy.

How many skinny people are sitting back, doing nothing for their health and waiting for a health disaster to happen?

If you focus on artificial weight loss, you sacrifice your health. If you focus on healthier choices and overall lifestyle factors you will lose weight naturally. Starving yourself is a short lived diet.

The most important part of any nutrition, exercise and chiropractic program is consistency. Everyone is different and there is no black or white when it comes to health.

The shades of gray will sometimes become confusing and your health suffers. Find a Maximized Living healthcare professional that will support, encourage and provide an easy to follow action plan for you and your family's healthcare goals.

About the Author:

Cory Couillard has owned two private practices and has been the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Brand Officer for the largest privately owned clinic. He is active in professional development, mass education programs and implementation of healthcare delivery systems.
Cory is currently a professional healthcare speaker and writer for newspapers, magazines, websites and other publications. He is also involved with the development of two international television health programs.

Visit http://www.maximizedliving.com and "Like" the Facebook page: Maximized Living

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*** Healthy Recipe: Braised Kidney Beans & Sweet Potato ***
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The combination of spices makes this hearty and nutritious vegetarian meal or side dish unusual. It is an excellent source of vitamins A and C and molybdenum. It is also very easy to prepare and needs minimal attention while cooking. Enjoy!

To read the full recipe, go here.

Simple Weight Loss Tips: 7 Tips for Slimming Your Sloppy Butt!

2012-04-04T09:50:00.003-07:00

Do you have extra weight you're carrying around? Are you tired of avoiding the mirror and bathing suits? Are you ready to feel better and take control over your fat?

Here is the big deal; losing weight is mainly based the following factor:

Total Calories Consumed vs. Total Calories Burned

Now the core formula for losing extra weight is:

** Weight Loss = Calories Burned (Exercise) - Calories Consumed

You can try and trick this formula with fad diets; however those schemes have almost no chance of working on a long term basis.

Here are 7 proven tips for you to start winning the battle against your fat right now.

Tip # 1 - CAN THE SODA!
Each (12 oz.) soda has around 140 calories.

In a year, 365 sodas = 365 x 140 = 51,100 calories

That comes to 14.6 pounds per year!

Do not forget that the 14.6 pounds we are dealing with here only concerns 12 ounce servings of soda, which is considered a "small" with today's mega-sized sodas of 16, 24, 32, and 44 ounces!

Tip # 2 - WATER, WATER, WATER!
Drinking water daily is critical for weight loss. No matter how much you do in an effort to lose weight, if you are not drinking enough water you are not losing as much weight as you can.

In the best case scenario you should drink 8 glasses of water a day. At the very least start drinking water with all of your meals.

The real benefit of drinking water as it pertains to weight loss is that it is excellent for flushing the burnt fat/calories out of your body. Without drinking the right amount of water much of the fat you burn will stay in your body and will cause you to not lose as much weight as you can.

Also, when you drink less water, your body begins storing the water you do drink for emergency purposes. Conversely, when you start drinking more water on a regular basis your body gets out of "emergency" mode and releases the excess water, allowing you to lose weight.

Tip # 3 - VEGETABLES ARE YOUR FRIENDS!
Although eating vegetables with every meal is preferable, I understand the difficultly in doing so and recommend that you make two mealtime trades as often as possible:

A) Trade fried side dishes for any cooked vegetable with very little butter or salt.

B) Trade your lunch snack for raw vegetables with a very little amount of low-fat dip or dressing.

You should also eat a small salad with very little dressing before your main dinner. By doing this your appetite will reduce and you will not overeat during your main course. Above all, vegetables are very low in calories and are also a good source of vitamins, minerals and fiber, which will help keep you healthy along with assisting you to lose weight.

Tip # 4 - DO NOT STAY HUNGRY OR STARVE YOURSELF!
Staying hungry and starving yourself will only make you eat that much more when you do eventually sit down for a meal. The best way to go is to eat frequently in small portions.

Skipping meals affects your metabolism and will actually slow down your weight loss! Start your day by making breakfast your biggest and healthiest meal followed by a small lunch with a slightly bigger dinner. Use meal replacement shakes midday or late-evening in rotation with veggies and salads.

Tip # 5 - FAST FOOD = FAT YOU!
Fast food is a convenient, tasty and cost effective reality, but it makes you fat every single time!

You can at least minimize the disastrous effects of fatty fast food on your body when you find yourself at the drive thru on that very rare occasion.

When you place an order at a fast food restaurant, here are some phrases that will help you to minimize your fat intake. "No Mayo," "No Cheese," "No Soda," "No Fries," "No Dessert."

When you say "No Mayo" for your chicken sandwich, you are saving around 30 grams of fat, or about 270 calories per sandwich.

Basically, if you can't avoid eating fast foods on occasion you can avoid all the fatty fast extras that are included with them.

Tip # 6 - BOOZE MAKES YOU FATTER THAN YOU THINK!
- One 12 oz. can of beer has around 140 calories
- One 4 oz. glass of wine has between 80 and 200 calories
- One 1 oz shot of whiskey has between 65 to 85 calories

Skipping one 12 ounce can of beer on a daily average can save you over 14 pounds of extra weight a year (the same as giving up one 12 oz. can of soda a day). Alcohol is highly concentrated in calories with almost no nutritional value.

Tip # 7 - THERE IS NO EASY WAY TO BEAT THE FAT!
With all the fad diets out there, it may seem like there are easy and sacrifice-free ways to beat the fat off your body.

Sadly, losing weight will always be as simple as burning more calories than you consume. Do not be taken in with the hype and the easy path of a slimmer you. It simply is not a reality that lasts.

Now that you know the 7 tips, it is time for you to start burning some calories. Visit your local gym, fitness center, health office, or doctor so they can recommend an easy, low-impact and equipment free (if necessary) program that is perfect for you to lose the extra weight once and for all!

About the Author:

SelfGrowth's Sales & Affiliate Director Joe DePalma is a positive thought writer, musician, and speaker who is collecting the very best positive thinking tools for RISING to the top at his website http://www.ReadySetRise.com!

Joe is the President of the #1 Positive Success Website http://www.ReadySetRise.com which features the best free Positive Thoughts anywhere!

Metabolic Triggers - Metabolic Weight Loss

2012-01-30T10:11:00.003-08:00

If you’re reading this, chances are pretty good that you don’t have a metabolism that lets you eat as much as you want without ever gaining an ounce. Maybe (like me) you’re even at the other extreme, where it seems like all you have to do is smell the foods you love to start packing on the pounds.

Does this mean you’re doomed to a lifetime of munching on carrot sticks with fat-free dressing, while watching your hollow-legged friends enjoy their pasta Alfredo and chocolate cheesecake? Not at all.

There are lots of things you can do to turn your body into an efficient fat-burning machine, and they don't include depriving yourself of foods you love, resorting to unhealthy gimmicks, or taking expensive “fat-melting” supplements that fail to deliver what they promise.

We can help!

All you have to do is avoid a few common mistakes, and include some simple ways to boost your daily calorie burn.

Metabolism DON'TS

Don’t reduce your calorie intake too low
The fact that you gain weight easily is proof that your body likes to shift into fat-storage mode at the drop of a hat, and going too low on calories is one of the easiest ways to trigger that reaction (often referred to as starvation mode).

Don’t fall for the mistaken idea that the less you eat, the more you’ll lose—that’s just not how your body works. Staying within your recommended calorie range will keep your internal furnace stoked so that you have more capacity to burn stored fat.

Don’t skip meals
Going too long between meals affects your body chemistry in ways that can make weight loss more difficult.
Most people can manage their hunger and avoid cravings and overeating by spreading out their calories into four to five small, well-balanced meals or snacks during the day. Try not to go more than four to five hours without eating something.

Discover how to control your metabolism.

Don’t short yourself on shut eye
More research is showing that chronic sleep deprivation plays a significant role in weight gain. Your body needs plenty of “downtime” for the internal housekeeping that keeps your metabolism in good working order.

The occasional late night won’t hurt you, but consistently sleeping just one hour less than you need may slow down your weight loss considerably.

Metabolism DO'S

Build muscle!
This is the most important action you can take to maintain a high metabolic rate while trying to lose weight. Strength training prevents you from losing a lot of muscle along with the fat you lose when dieting. If you don’t strength train regularly, up to 30% of the weight you lose could be muscle tissue.

Considering that a pound of muscle burns about 3 times more calories per day than a pound of fat even when you’re sitting still (and up to 15-20 times more calories per minute when you're physically active), you can see the problems this can cause.

We can help!

If you lose 20 pounds of weight (and 30% of that weight loss is muscle—seven pounds), you’ll be slowing your metabolism and your fat burning capacity down by a significant amount.

A simple strength training program twice a week can limit your muscle loss to almost zero, and keep your metabolism running high.

Stay as active as possible

The more you use your muscles, the more calories you will burn. Moderate exercise like walking can burn three to six times more calories per minute than sitting still, and high intensity exercise like interval training can burn more than 12 times as much.

Likewise, the more you vary your daily activity and exercise, the more you Ratchet Up Your Metabolism.

Don’t just sit there
If you’re watching TV or sitting at your desk, get up frequently to do a few exercises. Keep those resistance bands and dumbbells nearby at all times. You can fit a complete strength training workout into the commercial breaks of a one-hour TV show.

Ditch your chair and sit on a stability ball (or a stationary bike) instead—even fidgeting can help!

Exercise in the morning or in frequent bouts
Both strength and cardio exercises boost metabolism by increasing your calorie burn even AFTER your session is done. You can get the most out of this perk by starting your day with a workout or by incorporating multiple exercise sessions into your day.

Longer or intense workouts have a greater "after burn” but even a 15-minute walk will make a difference.

Try interval training
The harder you work, the more calories you will burn both during and after exercise—plus your fitness level will really improve. Studies show that exercising as intensely as you can, for at least 10 minutes per day, produces the best results.

Interval training is an effective way to increase the intensity and duration of your workouts without running yourself into the ground or risking injury.

Include mental exercises
One of the most important (but least recognized) factors in keeping your metabolic fires well stoked is managing stress effectively. Chronic stress disrupts the hormones that regulate everything from appetite to fat storage, and can defeat even the best exercise and eating plans.

We can help!

The more effort you put into recognizing and handling stress, the better off you’ll be. Include some time in your schedule every day for relaxation exercises, yoga, journaling, and other stress management activities.

Make exercise and healthy eating FUN!
Experiment frequently with new exercises and recipes, or anything that keeps you interested and adds some spice to your program.

Well, don’t stop there. The more variety you can put in your diet and your exercise routine, the more stimulating it will be. That makes it easy to put your best efforts forward, and get a major metabolic return on your investment.

What Is My Metabolism?

2011-12-28T08:13:00.005-08:00

Find out now if your metabolism is sabotaging your body and what you can do about it.

Your metabolism is the whole range of chemical reactions in your body's cells that turn the food you eat into living tissue, energy, and waste products. Your metabolism is a combination of two processes:

catabolism, when food is broken down into simpler components. This is accompanied by the release of energy that heats the body, enables the body to move and provides fuel for anabolism;
anabolism, when the body uses the energy released as a result of catabolism to make new cells, maintain body tissues and store energy for future use.

Your daily calorie burn is affected by how much you exercise, the amount of fat and muscle in your body and your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

These two complementary metabolic processes are controlled by systems of hormones which switch your body from anabolic to catabolic mode and vice versa.

LEARN MORE!!

One result of this metabolic switching system is that your body gains or loses weight.

Your BMR is the speed at which your body burns up energy (calories) while at rest. This can determine your tendency to gain or lose weight.

What Factors Influence My BMR?

2011-12-28T08:12:00.003-08:00

Many factors affect your BMR:

Genetics: Some of us are born with a faster metabolism and some with a slower metabolism.
Gender: Men have a greater muscle mass and a lower body fat percentage so they generally have a higher BMR.
Age: Younger people have more actively dividing body cells. Cell division consumes a lot of energy and that is why their metabolism is very fast. Your BMR declines approximately by 2% every 10 years after you turn 20.
Height: The taller a person is, the higher their BMR because their body surface area is larger and so heat loss is greater.
Body composition: It requires more energy to sustain muscle mass than fat. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your BMR.
Glands: Thyroxin (produced by the thyroid gland) is a key BMR-regulator, which regulates the metabolic activity of the body. The more thyroxin produced, the higher your BMR. Adrenaline also increases your BMR but to a lesser extent.
Hormones: Some surveys have found that a woman's metabolism dips just before ovulation and again at menstruation. BMR then starts to rise when the body temperature climbs. Menopause causes the metabolism to slow down.
Stress: Stress hormones can raise your BMR.
Exercise: This not only burns calories, it also helps raise your BMR by building extra muscle.
Diet: Excessive calorie restriction, or starvation, can dramatically reduce your BMR.
Stimulants: Your metabolic rate rises temporarily after ingesting caffeine and nicotine. This also raises your heart rate.
Temperature: A low external temperature causes an increase in BMR. This creates the extra heat needed to maintain the body's internal temperature.

Can I Control My Metabolism?

2011-12-28T08:11:00.003-08:00

Good news – yes, you can! Here are five practical and safe ways to boost your metabolism.

Exercise

It takes more calories to maintain muscle than fat. This is why the most effective way to boost your metabolism is to increase your muscle mass through exercise. Your metabolic rate rises temporarily during a workout and for up to an hour afterwards, in addition to the longer term rise due to increased muscle bulk.

Eat enough

A common mistake is taking in too few calories. This, as a rule, has an adverse effect. When you deprive yourself of calories, your body thinks it is in starvation mode and your metabolism will slow down to conserve energy reserves.

Eat breakfast

If you skip breakfast, this is a message to your body that you are starving because you haven't had food for at least 12 hours.

As a protective mechanism, your metabolism slows down and the body starts storing fat.

By having breakfast, you are telling your body that there is no danger of famine. Your metabolism is boosted which helps to burn excess calories.

Eat smaller, more frequent meals

Eating one or two huge meals each day will slow your metabolism and tend to make you gain weight.

The reason is that your body doesn't get enough energy to function properly through the hungry periods.

When you do eat your large meal your body is then primed to store some of the energy as fat. It is better to snack frequently on fruits, vegetables and grains.

Drink water

The recommended amount is eight glasses per day. Your metabolism needs plenty of water to function properly. Carry a bottle of water with you and drink frequently throughout the day.