We all know how important metabolism is when on the quest to lose weight. While changing what, how much, and when you eat is vital to losing weight there is a right way and a wrong way to make these changes. However, all too often the measures taken are metabolism mistakes.
- Restricting Calories – Cutting down on the amount of calories taken in is the cornerstone of weight loss. It is vital to restrict calories; however, restricting too much is counterproductive to the metabolism. When calories are restricted too severely the body believes that it is being starved and slows the metabolism down in order to preserve energy stores. This causes your body to stop burning fat and to even try to store more energy as fat.
- Widening Focus – Metabolism is a very complex aspect of and weight loss. A few of the different variables which factor into metabolism are nutrition, fitness, sleep, stress management, and general health. It is important to focus on all aspects of metabolism and not just the nutritional aspect.
- Diet Pills – Possibly the most dangerous mistake when it comes to metabolism. Diet pills can help to boost the metabolism in the short term but the true danger comes after you start taking them. Often times the metabolism is ruined and cannot find a balance after taking diet pills.
Kettlebells are becoming very popular in North America. They look like big weights with a handle on top to grip. Kettlebells can range from light weights all the way up to and including 150lbs. When you watch people swinging them around and breathing funny it may be slightly intimidating, but they are great for strength, speed, and cardiovascular work. They are a fun way to change up the monotony in your workout routine.
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As we speak I am on a plane back to Europe, I have been home in Canada now for just over a month in which time I have done Nationals, BC Superweek, and some nice time with family, friends, and the Sushi bar. After the my early season in Europe a nice trip home to see friends and restock on my favourite RIVALUS products is very welcomed, living in Spain is a wonderful experience but once in awhile there are a couple things you tend to miss from back home, for me that’s Sushi.
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We all live busy lives and yet we still want to be healthy and look good. Sometimes we look at others who seem to have incredibly hectic schedules and wonder how they do it all. Here are a few of their secrets to living a healthy life.
- Make specific goals. Specific goals help you to achieve what you desire much more effectively than general goals.
- Don’t underestimate volunteering. Many volunteer opportunities are active. This is a great way to get two things accomplished at one time.
- Make over your kitchen. Exchange the unhealthy foods you have in your house for healthier options. If the junk isn’t there then you can’t eat it.
- Healthy snacking. Plan on healthy snacks throughout the day to help keep you feeling full and satisfied. Combine protein and carbohydrates in your snacks to help keep energy levels up.
- Sneak in exercise. You can sneak in exercise at the office or the grocery store and most people will not even realize it. Change out your office chair for a stability ball at work for a full body all day workout. Use a basket instead of a cart at the grocery store for a quick boost of strength training.
- Schedule exercise. You schedule everything else into your day so why not make a dedicated time for exercise too. Make you a priority.
As many of you may already know, wheatgrass products have been popping up rather frequently over the past couple of years. Research keeps revealing more and more health benefits from drinking fresh wheatgrass juice.
Wheatgrass itself is extremely fibrous and indigestible from the human stomach, which is why we need to juice it before we consume it. Its exceptionally high content of 70% chlorophyll makes it known as a “superfood.” There are plenty of other things which make it super. Starting with the lengthy amount of amino acids (roughly 17), followed through by excellent sources of vitamin C, K, E, and B. Minerals such as calcium, cobalt, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, protein, sodium, and zinc to name a bunch.
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My name is Justin Styffe and I play for the Laredo Bucks of the Central Hockey League. I am a third year professional and feel lucky to do what I do. All of the perks of professional hockey of course come with a price tag. All too often that price is injury.
On January 16th of last season I was going hard to the net when I was hauled down from behind. I went feet first into the goal and caught my left foot on the post. It bent my foot back, rupturing all the ligaments in the top of my ankle, breaking four bones in my ankle and breaking my fibula in three places. The result was an ended season and an eight hour surgery to install plates, cables, bolts, and screws.
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Stress plays a huge role in our daily lives. Stress factors into our health, weight, mood, and relationships. It is no wonder that stress reduction is a hot topic. A good way to help combat and reduce stress is through the utilization of relaxation techniques. Relaxation techniques work to reduce stress by lowering the heart rate, slowing the breathing rate, and reducing tension to name just a few.
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Even if you are eating a wide array of healthy foods it is still possible that you might not be getting enough of a few key nutrients. Recent research has shown that even when eating a healthy diet it might be beneficial to supplement with calcium, vitamins E and D, and magnesium.
Calcium is important in building and maintaining healthy bones and teeth as well as aiding in blood pressure regulation and muscle contraction. The RDA for calcium is 1,000 mg and even more for women over the age of 50. Foods which are high in calcium are milk, yogurt, spinach, tofu and almonds.
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Performance running is all about speed over distance, but you don’t always need to be training that way. Long slow runs help develop excellent core muscles while explosive workouts provide you with that kick you need to finish a race strong. The trick is finding a system that utilizes all these exercises together. When you workout with a plan and have a competitive goal, you can train to peak right at the time of your event.
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I flew into Kingston Thursday June 25 for the trials. The weather was rainy all over the island and it continued all through Friday. I was able to visit my home town and spent the night before I ventured back to Kingston and got myself back to addressing the task at hand; another national championship.
The last encounter was a bit close, with only 1 tenth of a second separating 1st and 2nd. I finished the race in lane 4 or 5 a bit peculiar for the 800m, but apparently my counterpart kept drifting to the right down the final straight and I had to do the same to avoid collision. It may have been a case of blurred vision, the jury is still out :-)
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