Desi’s! Your Health Matters!
Mybindi’s Online News about Physical Activity, Nutrition & Health

INCREASING YOUR METABOLISM
Our body is always burning calories, even when we are sleeping. Metabolism is the result of the cells in our bodies constantly working hard to burn the fuel (food). The rate of metabolism can vary person to person, therefore being unique to every individual. Now you can understand why some people never exercise and eat like crazy and remain slim and yet others kill themselves at the gym to burn off last nights buffet bonanza because they are sure to chub up.

The good thing to remember is we are not limited to a set metabolism. We can actually offset our metabolism to help increase the rate of calories being burned whether when we are running around or being a couch potato.
Metabolic rate is determined by a number of factors, including genetics, muscle mass, age, height, current weight, stress, eating patterns, gender and hormones.
Here are some tips on how to manipulate your metabolism, i.e. to get it higher to help you lose or maintain your weight:

Build Lean Muscle
Try to engage in a weight-training program. When you are lifting weights, you build dense muscle tissue, which needs more calories than fat tissue to sustain itself. The built muscle continues to burn calories resulting in an elevated metabolic rate for the next 48 hours whether you are and are not using them. This is called the aftereffect or post exercise oxygen consumption. Therefore, it is important to lift weights at least 2-3 times a week leaving a rest day in between. On your rest days you can participate in an aerobic activity such as power walking or running for 20-30- minutes. You will actually burn more calories during your aerobic session if you weight trained the day prior leading to greater weight loss, increased strength and a higher metabolic rate.

Keep Moving all day
You can increase your metabolism by involving the calories used through physical movement. The more you move, the higher you metabolism rises. You don’t even need to be running around. Moderate activity such as a brisk walk or taking the stairs instead of the elevators will help inch you closer to weight loss especially when it is part of a daily lifestyle. Remember…it’s all about active living!

Never skip meals
Many people skip breakfast in the morning due to time restraints or maybe to cut calories. It is critical to remember that eating breakfast allows the appetite center of the brain to function properly making us less likely to overeat. As well, starving your body can decrease your metabolism. Therefore try to eat 3 sensible portions of meals with a healthy snack in between to help maintain or elevate your metabolism.

Eating calorie wise foods
The action of digesting, absorbing and storing what you eat also can help your metabolism stay high. There is no solid research that any specific food can boost your metabolism but there has been some studies that have found that some foods might increase it slightly. Such foods are grapefruit, cayenne pepper, flax seed and cinnamon that are healthy options but the amount they raise the metabolism is not enough to create a real difference. Foods high in fiber can help increase the metabolism because it takes the body longer to digest them. Among the foods falling into this category are oatmeal, whole grain cereals, breads and pastas.

GOOD CARBS VS. BAD CARBS
Remember, when Brad Pitt was a star guest on Friends and his hilarious line “Look at her standing there with those yams! My two greatest enemies Ross: Rachel Green and complex carbohydrates”.

During the last few years, everyone seems to be having second thoughts when eating carbohydrates such as pasta, bread and even fruit! Low carb diets are everywhere in magazines, books and television. It seems the healthy way to go is to eat minimal carbohydrates as possible! Realistically, this is impossible and unhealthy. The fact is carbohydrates come in many forms and types and some are better or worse for your health. It is recommended that adults consume 130 grams per day based on the need to supply adequate glucose (a sugar molecule) for the central nervous system and red blood cells.

Bad Carbs
The fact is some types of carbohydrates are not good for you because they are very high in sugars. This includes refined carbs that are found mostly in white breads, white pasta, soft drinks, cookies, and cakes (including doughnuts), sugars/syrups/jams and potatoes. Having an overabundance of these types of carbs cause the body to have an excess amount of sugar in the body than normally required. Therefore this excess sugar is then converted and stored as fat in the body causing eventual weight gain, increased risk for diabetes and heart disease.

You shouldn’t try to avoid refined carbs entirely but just limit the intake and have sensible portions.

Good Carbs
There are carbohydrates that are essential and very healthy and can help you maintain your weight and help combat heart disease, cancer and diabetes. This includes: whole grain products such as whole wheat bread or whole wheat pastas, cereals, vegetables, fruits and beans. Another bonus is these products contain fiber. Fiber forms a vital part of the diet by adding mass to the stool, which eases elimination. The Adequate Intake for fiber for adults is 25 grams to 30 grams per day.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR YOU!
In today’s age, there isn’t really any big excuse to not exercise. Most of has tried to stick to an exercise plan but we were unable to follow through it because of boredom, lack of time or simply just being too tired or unmotivated. But it’s funny how many of us do have time to watch our favorite TV show or that 3 hour bollywood movie….am I not right guys?
As I mentioned before: you don’t have to necessarily have to spend money to join a gym or buy expensive exercise equipment. Living actively throughout the can be often enough to keep you physically fit and gain all the health benefits. However, there are a lot of options out there that many of you can take advantage of and make part of your routine. We live in fitness driven world where you have the opportunity to exercise for 30 minutes or for 3 hours. Here are some ideas how to engage in regular physical activity whether you’re willing to spend the cash or not.

Low on Cash!
The best way to start is to pair up with a buddy and start a walking or jogging program. You can also buy a pair of dumbbells ranging from 2 to 5 pounds depending what is comfortable for you and use them to help build your arm muscles. After you walk or jog, you can do some weight training exercises (Next month’s article)!

If you want to attend exercise classes, check out the Toronto Parks and Recreation website. Often many community centers near your house have free or really cheap aerobic, weight training, pilates or yoga classes.

If you are attending College or University, it is most likely you are already paying a membership fee paid part of your tuition for the on campus fitness facilities. Therefore during your spares or before and after your lectures, hit your school gym and take advantage of all the expensive equipment and fitness classes. Studies have shown students who exercise regularly have higher grades because they are more energetic and alert!!!

Lastly, take a visit to any department stores or book stores and visit the VHS and DVD section to find a great selection of exercise videos and choose which one appeals to you by checking out how long the sessions are (30 or 60 minutes) and the fitness level (beginner, intermediate, advanced). It is best to buy 2 or 3 fitness videos, perhaps one copy of an aerobic, strength training and yoga or pilates video to give you more options during the week to prevent you from becoming bored and giving you a total body workout.
High on Cash!

Remember you don’t want to feel like you wasted all your money in the case things don’t work out well at the end. Therefore, before choosing a good gym requires some time and careful thinking. Often many people become so excited that they join the first gym they visit and “boom” they are so overwhelmed by all the equipment and classes and slowly become irregular members being stuck with a yearlong contract.

It’s important to check out many local gyms as possible and ask for a one-day pass to try out their facilities. Try to talk to the personal trainers and other members to see how friendly and comfortable they are attending that particular gym. Also try to see the types of classes they offer and the times to fit your schedule.

Girls, if you feel uncomfortable exercising in front of males, make sure the gym has a separate workout area for women.

Another important factor is, make sure you don’t spend hours at the gym and feel like you have to try every equipment there. Try to stay there the most for an hour, 30 minutes cardio and 30 minutes strength training or simply attending a one-hour fitness class. Try as well to perform different exercises and classes so you won’t become bored.
Personal trainers can be often expensive but it is worth it to have a couple of professional fitness lessons. Trainers can actually help you set realistic goals and plan a proper weight-training program.

If you don’t feel like joining a gym and rather workout at home, you can always buy a treadmill or Eliptical trainer. Remember to buy those weights as well!

LASTLY…remember always have music playing with you wherever you are exercising. Fast music like remixes, reggae, hip hop, dance, bhangra, bollywood etc. have a great and high beat that will guarantee to bring your heart rate up and get you sweating. As well, the time will fly by! So make sure you’re batteries are charged for your Mp3, CD or walkman player!

NEXT MONTH
How to Create Your Own Weight Training Program
How to Eat Properly on the Go!
Why Water?