December 27, 2007

5 things you can do each morning to have more energy

Energy is a source within us that we can increase or decrease not only using the mind, but based on how we utilize our food and drink. Here are a few things you could do every morning to give you boundless energy.

1. Drink a pint glass of water first thing in the morning. If you don’t like water on its own, squeeze some fresh lime into it. 

2. Have a good breakfast. A good bowl of muesli won’t do you harm and neither will some porridge. Both are much better than a fry up.

3. Start off with at least 10 minutes of exercise. Stretch all your body’s larger muscles. Consider doing a brisk walk around the block each morning too.

4. Take in the sun light. I wake up when I see sun. Its energy, invigorating and excitement is absolutely amazing. Get up and spend a minute outside looking up in the sky taking in the morning light. Wrap up warm if it’s cold, but make sure you do it.

5. Fresh juice. I make myself a great carrot, apple and ginger juice daily. There is power in eating or drinking fruit before a meal and drinking a large glass of fresh juice is the best way to get started each day.

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November 15, 2007

How to make your body burn more calories

If you understand calories and the science behind it all, you’ll be able to create the perfect plan for making weight loss easy and fun.The secret lies in increasing your metabolic rate and thus burning more calories.That is, the rate at which your body burns up your calories. If you take in 2000 calories a day and burn 2000 calories through exercise that same day, you’ll stay at the same weight. If you take in 2000 calories and burn only 1000, you’ll gain weight and fast if it continues that way.Most people consume a lot of calories but don’t put in the effort to burn it. No wonder they’re gaining weight or not losing any.  Here are a few things you can do to increase your metabolic rate:-(1) Move.Yes, the old adage of getting up from your seat and moving around every so often is true. Although the average person burns about 30% of calories through daily activity, you need to increase it more if you’re going to get your body to burn more!It’s simple, but most people forget to get up once in a while. Remind yourself with messages, alarms and buzzers to get you going every so often. Here are some ideas: Tap your feet, Stand up when you’re on the phone, Drum your fingers, Stand up and stretch, Move your head from side to side, Change position, Pace up and down, Park in the furthest corner of the car park.(2) Build muscle.When you increase the muscle in your body, you use up a lot of extra calories and so this is another great way to burn those calories. Muscle is active in it’s state and so the more you exercise the more it burns. Train with weights several times a week. Do a bit of cardio each time to begin and whatever you do, you’ll look better, feel younger and lose weight!(3) Eat Little and Often.I was born to learn to eat three heavy meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner - and not eat in between. There’s truth to that, but I’ve found that eating heavy meals doesn’t help my body, productivity and organisation for my work in front of a laptop or in the lab.Eating little, but often, is a good way to ensure the food you intake at each period has sufficient space to digest without putting you into a tired state.There are two reasons why meal frequency may affect your metabolism. Firstly, levels of thyroid hormones begin to drop within hours of eating a meal, and metabolism slows. Secondly, it may be that the thermogenic effect of eating several small meals is slightly higher than eating the same amount of calories all at once.Those are three simple ideas you can get going with.But, of course, before you start, it’s important to figure out how many calories you’re taking on a daily basis so you know how many you should be looking to burn.Here’s a good site to help you count your calories:-http://www.caloriecounting.co.uk

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