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How much cardio do you need?

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360_running_joints_1209I once was asked how physically demanding is riding a motorcycle?  Well, I guess that all depends on your skill and how you ride. The elite of the sport are in amazing physical condition because to perform at that level it gives them a significant edge.  If you are just a leisurely rider, it doesn’t require much energy, however, if you are racing around a track at mind boggling speeds your body and mind need to be in tip top shape.  This begs the question then:  “How much cardio should I do?”

If you just want to be fit then 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise a week.  That’s what is required to improve your cholesterol, blood sugar and resting heart rate to lower your risk of dying from heart disease by 60%.  If you are looking to lose weight then it is all about the extra cardio.  Sorry gals!  If you want to lose more than 5 pounds that means doing at least 45 minutes of vigorous cardio five days a week and women who keep the weight off typically do a full 60 minutes of moderate intensity cardio a day.  Can’t fit in a block of time?  Interval training (alternating high-intensity with low-intensity) works at burning more fat than a longer workout at a steady pace.  Try doing three 25 minute sessions of intervals a week: that way your workouts are long enough to give you those heart-health benefits.

If you want to tone up and build shapely muscles then doing separate cardio and resistance-training sessions will help you achieve your goals.  Yes, it’s time consuming and in the age of instant gratification, doesn’t sound so appealing.  If you are diligent though you will get those toned, sexy muscles in no time.  As with everything else, there is a catch… people who are most successful toning use weights, not just body weight exercises, and they push themselves to the max.  If you want to be fit, lose weight and tone up then you need to change up your routine and keep your body guessing.  This will yield you the best results in a minimum amount of time.

Jump start that sexy body ladies and shake it up.  With all the different ways to exercise it can be fun, grab friends and do a class, put on the tunes and take your favorite four legged friend out for a brisk jog or run, etc.  Get fit because it isn’t just good for your body, it’s great for your state of mind too.

Vixens Ride!

Metabolism Facts

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All this talk about metabolism made me curious so I did a little research about it so I could give you the facts of my findings. Metabolism is the process by which the nutrients in the food we eat are broken down in our cells to produce energy for our body. Most of the time when people talk about metabolism they are actually talking about BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) which is the number of calories your body burns over a set period of time. Your metabolism is controlled by the thyroid gland in the neck which is controlled by the hypothalamus. The speed of your metabolism depends on the complex chemical messages sent from your body to your brain telling it how much it needs to keep going. Body size and composition determine how much food you need to produce energy so the heavier you are the more energy your body need to consume to keep going, so you actually have a higher metabolic rate. Think of it like a big luxury car vs. a compact car, it takes more fuel to run the big car than it does the small car, same applies to people.

As unfair as this is, men have a higher metabolism than women. Men have more muscle and since it is more “metabolically active” than fat, it burns more energy, even at rest. Although a large man may actually have a slower metabolism than a slim woman with more muscle tissue. Age is also a factor, as it slows down slightly with age due to loss of muscle tissue as we get older. Making it that more important to stay physically active the older we get. Exercise and increased activity levels can increase your metabolism because you breathe harder and your heart rate increases, which in turn causes a demand for more energy. Although, it needs to be vigorous to make a significant difference and your metabolic rate goes back to normal as your hear rate recovers. Regular exercise, especially strength training (free weights, weight machines) all build muscle and the greater your muscle mass the higher your BMR.

The thyroid is always the villain. Having an underactive thyroid must be the problem if you are gaining weight right? Not always, it would require an extremely under active thyroid (clues would be extreme fatigue, depression, dry skin and hair, and a loss of sex drive) to be the cause. Taking a look at what you are eating and portion size could be the issue, but if you have any of the symptoms listed, check with a doctor immediately. People swear by ephedrine which can speed up metabolism and decrease appetite, but it increases heart rate and blood pressure which could be dangerous so it is best to stay away from it. Caffeine and red chilies can raise BMR briefly, but the effects are too small to bother with and the side effects are the same as ephedrine so you are better off saving your money, eating a little less and going for a brisk walk.

So you want to know how many calories to consume every day? Here’s what you need to know when figuring how many calories you should be ingesting daily http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_need.php:

1. You Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_BMR.php accounts for 70% of the calories you burn just to stay alive (in order to keep breathing, making sure your heart beats and blood pumps around your body)
2. Around 12% of your calories are used for thermogenesis  – what you need to keep warm, digest food and respond to stress.
3. The rest are burned doing daily tasks or more strenuous exercise.

Slim for Life

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In a recent discussion with a girlfriend of mine, we reminisced on how wonderful it was to not have to worry about weight when we were younger. How we just seemed to metabolize so efficiently even with little sleep, excessive drinking and minimal exercise. Seeing that time has come and passed I must resort to the good old fashioned way…exercise, eat well, less stress and get more sleep. In fact it was right about then we ordered a second round, mostly to numb our brains from continuing down that road the rest of the night ;).

I ended up coming across an article in Shape a week later that was related to our discussion which I found interesting and educational and wanted to share it with you. I am not naturally slim, nor do I have a great metabolism, I have to work at it and it does seem to get harder by the decade. But that being said, if I hadn’t been as diligent I know that I would not be in nearly as good a shape. So it is promising to know that just a few tweaks here and there can help us from sabotaging our health and waistline for many years to come.

In your 20’s your muscle mass is at its peak and it requires more energy for your body to maintain it, this is when our metabolism is at it’s highest. If you have put on a few pounds and decide to crash diet or juice fast you are eating at the muscle mass you are presently naturally blessed with and that will end up backfiring on you by slowing your metabolism down. This can also mess with your thyroid which will slow bodily functions and end up making you gain weight. A better solution is to just eat healthy most of the time and splurge on occasion (i.e. a small bag of chips or a cupcake) so you don’t deprive yourself. Also don’t forget to count those liquid calories in coffee drinks, soda and alcohol which can significantly add to your daily caloric intake. If you haven’t been active, now’s a good time to start a fitness routine and at least get 30-60 minutes of moderate aerobic activity 5x/week or vigorously 3x/week. Strength training 1-2x/week is also a good idea.

In your 30’s your metabolism starts to drop 2-5% per decade and after menopause it drops even faster. Meaning you need to burn at least an extra 40 calories a day or risk gaining at least 15 pounds of fat every 10 years. Most women in this age group are juggling parenting, work or both and this may mean skipping meals, stress and not enough sleep which start those love handles into making their not so welcome appearance. It is important to eat regularly to keep our hunger and satiety hormones in check. Eating protein (eggs, nonfat yogurt) paired with a slow digesting carb like whole grain toast or berries for breakfast is a top priority. For snacking: nuts, veggies with hummus or crisp breads with a lowfat cheese help curb your hunger and keep you sharp throughout the day. Get more sleep! Skimping on your sleep can actually alter your metabolism and affect your hormones that control your appetite. I consider that a serious double whammy. This is also an important time to incorporate strength training to avoid muscle loss. It’s important to keep that muscle mass up to keep your metabolism on high so sneak in cardio whenever you can at least 3x/week. If you are looking at losing weight and boosting your metabolism make the most of your 20-30 minute workout with interval training. One minute of intense activity (jogging) with 1 minute of recovery (walking) and you will burn 10-20% more calories than if you had worked out at a contact pace.

In your 40’s stress is a major factor (between work and family) and it increases the production of cortisol, a hormone that increases blood glucose levels, which in turn can break down your muscles. Excess cortisol can also lead to insulin resistance, keeping glucose in your bloodstream instead of moving it into the cells which will make you tired and hungry. Here’s the icing on the cake…our ovaries also start to produce less estrogen and our testosterone also decreases which distributes the body weight to new areas we never had a problem with (from the butt to the gut), oh and let’s not forget to add that we are still losing lean muscle mass (causing our metabolism to be even slower). Here are some solutions to this depressing list of items…if you feel the need to munch, wait a few minutes or brew some black tea which has been shown to cut cortisol levels or green tea which contains theanine, an amino acid that keeps mood swing in check and can keep you calm. It also has been shown to help maintain your metabolism, research says 5-6 cups a day is the magic number. Get more fiber, it slows down the digestion process, 25 grams a day means you’ll absorb 90 fewer calories. Relax! Try yoga it lowers cortisol levels and many different poses actually build muscle. If yoga isn’t your thing, increase strength gaining to 3x/week and push yourself, sculpting more muscle can boost your resting metabolic rate by 7%. Continue with interval training and if that is getting boring try high intensity circuit training for as little as 14 minutes per session. It involves 2 to 3 7-minute circuits that include vigorous moves (jumping jacks, stair climbing) doing each one for 30 seconds, pause for 10 seconds between them and then repeating the circuit.

In your 50’s your metabolism takes the biggest hit after menopause which typically occurs around 52. Due to the hormonal changes, you don’t absorb protein as well and your muscle loss accelerates (whereas you were losing 5 pounds of muscle per decade, you are now losing up to 10). It is even more crucial to stay active and it will help with keeping you in good shape as well as keep back and joint pain at bay. Low-impact activities like swimming, cycling and brisk walking can help alleviate joint and muscle pain. Varying your cardio routine daily will help with overuse injuries which can happen with repetitive motion. Stick to strength training 3 times a week if you want to stay strong. To stay slim, find ways to eat less at every meal (like extra serving of veggies and half the amount of pasta or potatoes, cook with less oil and butter, eat 3 fewer bites). Extra protein is also important to fending off those pounds (multiply your body weight in pounds by .7g to figure out how mud you should be consuming each day). Protein load after workouts, you have a 30 minute window when your body will absorb the most amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscle. Aim for around 20g right after your cool down to see the best results.

Staying active and being fit allows us to enjoy life, friends and family and most of all the sport we all love. Let’s stay lean and mean Vixens!

Timing is everything

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Timing is EverythingFrom the sound of the blog it would sound like we are talking about timing your braking and turn entry/exit, huh? Well, it has been a while since I blogged about something health related so we are going to switch “gears” here, no pun intended. We all have a master internal timer that is our circadian clock and it keeps every bodily function on track daily. Your memory, energy level, metabolism and chances of getting sick actually change throughout the day so let’s break it down a little.

Eating breakfast within 90 minutes of waking up help get your energy levels up and revs up your metabolism, while satiating your appetite to keep you from overeating later in the day.

Getting some sunlight (at least 15 minutes) before 10am cues your brain to stop releasing melatonin which will signal your brain to wake up you up and improve your mood (I call it getting your happy rays).

Your core temperature rises between 10 and 11am and again from 5-7pm, this is when your muscle, nerves and joints warm up and you feel sharper and more energetic. Your brain also tends to be the most agile during this period so this would be prime time to tackle a challenging project at work.

Have a medical procedure before noon, there are studies that show physicians are most alert before noon thus making fewer mistakes in the morning. Scheduling a doctor’s appointment in the morning is also beneficial as they are more alert to catch anything suspicious during your examination.

Between noon and 2pm your body temperature naturally dips causing you to feel sleepy, go for a walk to help overcome this lull.

If you are going to cheat on your diet, do it between 11am and 2pm, it allows enough time for your body to burn off the excess calories and get back on track before bedtime.

Between 5 and 6pm our body temperature peaks which means you are most agile and less likely to get injured, your hand-eye coordination is the sharpest, lung function is high, muscle fibers are warm and your mood is brighter. Did you know that this is the time of day when Olympic records tend to be set?

If you are going to grab a drink after work keep it between 4pm and 8pm, even better reason to hit happy hour now! This allows the alcohol to metabolize before you sleep, any later and you are more likely to toss and turn all night. Eating dinner before 8pm helps your body metabolize the food well before you turn in for the night, if you have too many late nights, it causes a change in metabolism and insulin production which will eventually lead to weight gain. Our bodies are designed to sleep when the sun goes down, so don’t mess with mother nature or she will get you back with added pounds.

Apply anti-perspirant at bedtime, the chemicals that keep you from sweating are better absorbed when your skin is dry. Most people apply it when their skin is damp after a morning shower, but if you use it at night it’ll plug your sweat ducts and help you stay fresh for 24 hours.

In the middle of the night we tend to be most creative, so if you find you can’t sleep, let your mind wander and come up with ideas or solutions. While it is not wise to do this often, on occasion it can help you solve a difficult issue you may be struggling with while putting it to rest and then allowing you to sleep more solid.

For more information, check out “The Body Clock Guide to Better Health” by Michael Smolensky and Lynne Lamberg.