Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

Ah, the busy days of autumn. As we ease out of the warmth of summer to the cooling of fall, we either find ourselves with LOTS of time now that school’s open….or find our schedules getting even busier (and t he traffic, worse!). Well, I know that applies to me – did I tell you that two of my three boys are prepping for rugby season via SuperSlow WHILE they carry their overly-heavy share of AP and honors courses??? And while I sooo look forward to watching in angst their games (having experienced one concussion last year was not enough, I guess…), it’s that much more to fit into the schedule.

Needless to say, that’s where exercise can often fall to the wayside – it’s like we go into hibernation mode, packing on those extra calories or avoiding putting exercise high on our priority list now that we’re showing so much less skin – what you don’t see won’t hurt you…??? Now, don’t YOU be guilty of doing that!

Besides the need to actively work on creating muscle for the value of that muscle to your lifestyle, strength training enough to add just three pounds of muscle to your body helps you burn about 100 extra calories today. That fact is reinforced constantly in many periodicals – look at the October 2008 Prevention magazine for that statistic. In addition, the article points out “you want to focus on exercises that recruit the largest muscles …because they will help you build more lean mass.” Remember what we told you about the work you do on that leg press? Plus prevention also reinforces what we’ve been telling you – that people who exercise at very high intensities experience a post-exercise boost in their metabolic rate that is not only larger, but also LASTS LONGER.

Exercise can’t, of course, do it all. Managing your intake contributes significantly, as you work to more efficiently burn calories. Some interesting factoids from Prevention are also that:

* Your body actually does burn a little more when digesting ice-cold beverages – but don’t expect too much! We’re talking five-six glasses of ice water helping you burn 10 extra calories a day (but to put that into perspective, that’s 1 pound of nearly effortless weight loss per year!). In addition, those who drink more water tend to have higher metabolic rates.
* While dieting can actually lower your resting metabolic rate, you can prevent that rate from slipping by maintaining muscle (strength training).
* Did you know hot, spicy foods also cause a temporary increase in your metabolic rate? So go crazy (if you can stomach it!) on those jalapeños…. Oh, and that wonderful green tea? It also boosts your fat-burning fire…just even one large cup a day can raise your metabolism by 4% over 1-1/2 hours.
* Eating more protein has an advantage over fats or carbs by increasing your metabolic rate because your body uses more energy to process it. Strive for between 10-20 grams of protein at each of your meals. But don’t go carb-less: it has an important role to play in the efficiency of your muscle build.

So, eat smarter, exercise smarter, and leverage the fact that it only takes twenty minutes, twice a week to free you up for all your OTHER activities! Remember, looking great in those skinny jeans or prepping to look oh-so-fine in your winter attire is a great goal too.

And before I forget, kudos to now both Pat M. & Kim L. for successful “referrals” that gained each of them “Zone Bucks” toward their workouts! And, have you seen how svelte Kim is looking these days? Oh, and you’ll soon hear the results from a couple of our clients “representing” as they hit the golf course over at Silver Creek in a charitable event this month, along with a couple of “scholarship” programs we’ll tell you more about soon…