Hi again,
You may perhaps think this week’s blog title is a little strange, or at best irrelevant to losing weight, but the fact of the matter is, that experts have now identified stress as having a key influence on our metabolism.
Essentially, what happens is that when the body is under constant stress, it releases stress hormones that flood the system. These stress-related hormones actually tell the body to create larger fat cells in the abdomen, resulting in both increased weight (through increased fat cells), and a slower metabolism.
Obviously, these are two very negative factors in our quest to boost metabolism and lose weight, because the last thing that we want is more and bigger fat cells in our abdomen, coupled with a diminished metabolism. Yet, tragically, this is what happens to many people who experience constant, continuous stress, especially those of us who have to balance so many competing objectives, such as work, family, and other vital tasks.
So the simple advice here is to learn to “relax and chill out”. For many that may be easier said than done, but being aware of the need for you to do so is the first step towards finding a way that works for you.
As women, we often respond very differently to stress stimulants from one another – one woman’s pain can be another woman’s gain, and the same is true for finding ways to relax. But there are some simple techniques that do work for a good proportion of women, so see if any of the following appeal that you might like to try.
Walking is a good one – yes it’s great in that it’s exercise, but for many, finding a little time to walk alone, is often a good way to step back and gain a little clarity and a perspective on life and any of the perceived stresses it places upon us.
Many women find tranquility and relaxation by listening to music, and with today’s technology, it need never be further away than your jacket pocket or handbag. Obviously you need to set aside a little ‘me time’ to really absorb your music and get the benefit – a 23 minute dash round the supermarket doing your weekly grocery shop with Led Zeppelin banging in your head is going to provide limited benefit, but if you haven’t tried experimenting with music before, give it a try – you may be surprised how quickly you can zone in and how relaxed it can make you feel.
Other ideas you may like to try include meditation, yoga, or even just trying to eat less stimulating foods that contain caffeine and sugar etc. Whatever you decide is right for you, the main thing is to try to build a daily regime into your life that includes periodic ‘time outs’ where you can re-centre yourself and de-stress.
Remember, while relaxing is good advice for anyone, it’s important to realize that stress negatively influences metabolism - so there is a link between how much stress you experience and your ability to break down cells and lose weight.
So if you don’t want to relax because you don’t have the time, at least be aware that your stressed-out life is probably playing a greater role in your weight gain or your inability to lose weight than you may have realized.
See you next time with ‘There Really is Something GOOD about Your Time of the Month !’
Take care
Sandra
PS. To discover how you can relieve stress, lose weight and have a general feeling of well-being Click Here and find out for yourself.
Monday, 23 August 2010
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Boosting Your Metabolism - Part 13 - Zzzzzzzz…..Zzzzzzzz
Sleep, a part of everyday life most would agree, and one most of us would equally like to have a little more of. But in the real world, this is a tough one, because most of us don’t have as much control as we should over the amount that we sleep. Work, education, family, housekeeping, and so many other commitments can literally prevent us from getting the amount of sleep that we would like, and more importantly, need.
Perhaps its nothing new for you to learn that for our ‘health’ we should all be getting 7-8 hours sleep a day – after all, doctors have been telling us that for years, but what exactly do they mean by ‘health’?
Most of us understand ‘health’ as a general term to describe a persons mental or physical condition, but our mental and physical condition is actually determined by a number of processes and functions going on within our bodies, some of which we are aware of, and some we are not.
Many women wrongly assume the only price to pay for burning the candle at both ends, is waking up to see a pair of red eyes and a few more wrinkles in the mirror, but there’s another price to pay as well – at the waistline!
So how can the amount you sleep affect your waistline?
Simple, one of those processes is our metabolism, and experts now tell us that not getting enough sleep actually lowers metabolism, because people who are constantly sleep deprived typically find that they have less energy to do regular daily activities; including digestion.
As a result, sleep-starved people often unwittingly lower their metabolism, because their bodies simply don’t have the strength to break down food efficiently, particularly carbohydrates.
The trouble is sleep, and for that matter exercise if you are willing to do it, may both raise metabolism but that doesn’t remove the catch 22 problem of finding enough hours in your day to do them both.
For example, after a long day of work and dealing with family and home commitments, you may find that the only time you have to exercise is late at night; say around 9:00 pm, or even later. That being said, if you constantly steal time away from your sleep/rest in order to exercise, you can actually do more harm than good, because the following day you won’t have enough energy to digest what you eat.
So what’s the answer, because clearly you’re not going to get fit by sleeping instead of exercising.
Ultimately, it’s a question of balance. You don’t have to work out every night - perhaps you can integrate a workout into your life during the day; maybe at lunchtime or right after work.
Most fitness clubs are open very early (some are even 24 hours a day), and if you choose to workout at home, you can do so in a generally affordable way.
If you find that you have trouble sleeping, then this can also negatively affect the speed of your metabolism. Insomnia and other sleep disorders are very common problems, for which there exists a variety of support systems to help you get the rest that you require – to see one of the best I’ve come across, Click Here and discover how you can easily take control of your life and ‘sleep like a baby’, but in the meantime, some non-medical tips to help you fall asleep include:
Of course no-one but you can find the right balance in your life, but if you thought the trade-off for missing a few hours sleep was a few eye drops and a little extra make-up the next morning, now you know better!
See you next time in ‘Relax …. Your Waistline Depends On It’
Best wishes
Sandra
Perhaps its nothing new for you to learn that for our ‘health’ we should all be getting 7-8 hours sleep a day – after all, doctors have been telling us that for years, but what exactly do they mean by ‘health’?
Most of us understand ‘health’ as a general term to describe a persons mental or physical condition, but our mental and physical condition is actually determined by a number of processes and functions going on within our bodies, some of which we are aware of, and some we are not.
Many women wrongly assume the only price to pay for burning the candle at both ends, is waking up to see a pair of red eyes and a few more wrinkles in the mirror, but there’s another price to pay as well – at the waistline!
So how can the amount you sleep affect your waistline?
Simple, one of those processes is our metabolism, and experts now tell us that not getting enough sleep actually lowers metabolism, because people who are constantly sleep deprived typically find that they have less energy to do regular daily activities; including digestion.
As a result, sleep-starved people often unwittingly lower their metabolism, because their bodies simply don’t have the strength to break down food efficiently, particularly carbohydrates.
The trouble is sleep, and for that matter exercise if you are willing to do it, may both raise metabolism but that doesn’t remove the catch 22 problem of finding enough hours in your day to do them both.
For example, after a long day of work and dealing with family and home commitments, you may find that the only time you have to exercise is late at night; say around 9:00 pm, or even later. That being said, if you constantly steal time away from your sleep/rest in order to exercise, you can actually do more harm than good, because the following day you won’t have enough energy to digest what you eat.
So what’s the answer, because clearly you’re not going to get fit by sleeping instead of exercising.
Ultimately, it’s a question of balance. You don’t have to work out every night - perhaps you can integrate a workout into your life during the day; maybe at lunchtime or right after work.
Most fitness clubs are open very early (some are even 24 hours a day), and if you choose to workout at home, you can do so in a generally affordable way.
If you find that you have trouble sleeping, then this can also negatively affect the speed of your metabolism. Insomnia and other sleep disorders are very common problems, for which there exists a variety of support systems to help you get the rest that you require – to see one of the best I’ve come across, Click Here and discover how you can easily take control of your life and ‘sleep like a baby’, but in the meantime, some non-medical tips to help you fall asleep include:
o Try drinking warm milk before bedtime
o Try yoga or other stress-relieving practices
o Try having a warm bath before bedtime
o Don’t eat late at night
o Don’t exercise close to bedtime; your body can become so energized that you won't sleep!
See you next time in ‘Relax …. Your Waistline Depends On It’
Best wishes
Sandra
Sunday, 8 August 2010
Boosting Your Metabolism - Part 12 - Get on the Wagon
Maybe you have noticed that people who carefully choose low-fat, low-calorie meal choices, are often very disciplined when it comes to not ordering the Chef’s Special pecan pie for desert, yet order a glass or two of wine with their meal?
Well, unfortunately, these people are really undermining their efforts to boost metabolism, and are simply unaware that many alcoholic drinks are laden with almost as many calories as sugary-rich soft drinks.
A bottle of beer can deliver a few hundred calories, and most cocktails are in the same range. Wine is generally considered to deliver the least amount of calories; but even this is a bit of a slippery slope.
Three glasses of wine can be worth 300 calories that the body simply has to deal with in one form or another, but that’s not all, because studies show that drinking alcohol with meals actually encourages over eating; which means yet more calories that need to be burned away (or transformed into fat!).
The tip here isn’t to stop drinking alcohol altogether (despite the title of this section). If you enjoy alcohol then there’s no particular reason why you have to quit cold turkey, but you will save a bit of money and not consume as many calories.
If you are compensating for these added calories through exercise or muscle building, that’s okay and catabolism cannot occur. But if you go heavy on the alcohol instead, without compensating, then anabolism will inevitably occur, and new cells will be created from those calories (mostly fat cells).
So the call here is simply that you become aware that alcohol influences your metabolism significantly. If you consume excess alcohol, (even without becoming inebriated), you force your system to deal with more calories and worse still, they will be ‘empty’ calories with little nutritional value.
Just something to bear in mind till next time, when we continue through the Lifestyle section of Boosting Your Metabolism.
See you again soon
Sandra
Well, unfortunately, these people are really undermining their efforts to boost metabolism, and are simply unaware that many alcoholic drinks are laden with almost as many calories as sugary-rich soft drinks.
A bottle of beer can deliver a few hundred calories, and most cocktails are in the same range. Wine is generally considered to deliver the least amount of calories; but even this is a bit of a slippery slope.
Three glasses of wine can be worth 300 calories that the body simply has to deal with in one form or another, but that’s not all, because studies show that drinking alcohol with meals actually encourages over eating; which means yet more calories that need to be burned away (or transformed into fat!).
The tip here isn’t to stop drinking alcohol altogether (despite the title of this section). If you enjoy alcohol then there’s no particular reason why you have to quit cold turkey, but you will save a bit of money and not consume as many calories.
If you are compensating for these added calories through exercise or muscle building, that’s okay and catabolism cannot occur. But if you go heavy on the alcohol instead, without compensating, then anabolism will inevitably occur, and new cells will be created from those calories (mostly fat cells).
So the call here is simply that you become aware that alcohol influences your metabolism significantly. If you consume excess alcohol, (even without becoming inebriated), you force your system to deal with more calories and worse still, they will be ‘empty’ calories with little nutritional value.
Just something to bear in mind till next time, when we continue through the Lifestyle section of Boosting Your Metabolism.
See you again soon
Sandra
Monday, 2 August 2010
Boosting Your Metabolism - Part 11 - Lifestyle
When we come across the term lifestyle, we tend to think of our basic day-to-day habits, which sometimes we do without giving them much of a second thought. But it is worth giving it a thought, because your lifestyle can influence the speed of your metabolism considerably.
Now quite honestly, most of us live busy lives in one form or another, and therefore it’s challenging to really keep an eye on all of our habits.
Balancing work, family, hobbies, and other commitments often means that our lifestyle isn’t so much of a choice, as it is a necessity.
Yet with respect to the fact that many of us face sincere limitations in our lifestyle choices, there are many things that we can do – little things, but important things – that can help speed up our metabolism.
So if you’re a bit put-off by the term lifestyle, please don’t skim over this section of the series. The little things that you change in your regular, day-to-day lifestyle can have the most profound influence on the speed of your metabolism, and help accomplish your short and long-term weight loss goals.
We’ll keep rolling on in Blog 12 with ‘Get on the Wagon’.
See you then
Sandra
Now quite honestly, most of us live busy lives in one form or another, and therefore it’s challenging to really keep an eye on all of our habits.
Balancing work, family, hobbies, and other commitments often means that our lifestyle isn’t so much of a choice, as it is a necessity.
Yet with respect to the fact that many of us face sincere limitations in our lifestyle choices, there are many things that we can do – little things, but important things – that can help speed up our metabolism.
So if you’re a bit put-off by the term lifestyle, please don’t skim over this section of the series. The little things that you change in your regular, day-to-day lifestyle can have the most profound influence on the speed of your metabolism, and help accomplish your short and long-term weight loss goals.
We’ll keep rolling on in Blog 12 with ‘Get on the Wagon’.
See you then
Sandra
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
