Move Those Feet!

I hope you have a happy holiday, even if you don’t celebrate Christmas. It’s time off from work, and that’s reason enough to eat far too many cookies and to drink much too much eggnog. Just burn that picture of the fat cat into your brain, and maybe you’ll laugh at that image rather than stuff your face at the office party.

Stay happy, healthy, and safe and I’ll bring you more weight and health tips for the New Year.

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I made the mistake of trying on last year’s jeans. Although I managed to get them up over my hips, I can’t get the zipper up, let alone button them. I had previously thought that I could lose weight where I wanted (like across my stomach and back). But, I learned why all those crunches haven’t paid off yet.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to really target any single part of your body in weight loss. If you lose a pound of fat, it could come from anywhere. You have no control over where that fat is reduced; so, if you’re concentrating on crunches or other stomach-reducing exercises, those efforts won’t show until the fat cells are depleted (they never go away - they just shrink, like you wish they would).

I know that crunches only take a few minutes, and cardio takes a little longer. But, the cardiovascular exercise will help you lose weight faster. If you can work up a slight sweat one or two times a day (about 30 minutes each session), then you’re well on your way to losing that belly and to maintaining a healthier lifestyle.

After just one month of a daily 30-minute treadmill walk (raising the bar on speed and elevation along the way) and weight training 2x week, my blood pressure went from 120/82 to 104/79. After two months, I had lost ten pounds. And, I wasn’t on a diet…I simply quit eating junk.

But, don’t worry - last year’s jeans still don’t fit. I still have a ways to go…

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Most individuals don’t think about weight training when they’re trying to lose weight. Weight training, after all, builds muscle mass and contributes to an overall weight gain. But, the long-term effects of weight training can help you lose weight and keep that weight off. Plus, you’ll stand taller, look slimmer, and have more stamina and strength.

The other benefit behind weight training is the amount of calories burned after the weight-training session. Depending upon your gender and size, you can burn more than 300 calories following a 30-minute weight training workout, thanks to an increase in resting metabolic rate (RMR). That sweating you experience after thirty minutes of resistance movements is your body burning energy (calories). But, according to Peak Performance:

Higher exercise intensities induce greater metabolic responses that take more time to dissipate. Paradoxically, though, athletes (particularly endurance athletes) can actually slow their RMR when training intensely and for prolonged periods. This tends to happen when calories are consumed in insufficient quantities to fuel energy expenditure plus the additional increase in RMR.

The reason behind this slowdown in RMR is a genetic factor known as ’starvation mode,” where the body tries to hold on to energy to prevent a system collapse. One way to avoid holding on to calories after a workout is to - ironically - eat snacks before or after those workouts.

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Did you wake up this morning to an image like the one above? If so, you probably didn’t get enough fiber during the day and you fell for that cake. It was calling you, after all.

Fiber is king in my book. It’s the key to a low glycemic load, because it acts like a sponge to soak up sugar. Therefore, fiber takes longer to burn in the digestive system and this slow burn helps to keep that metabolism going.

In other words, when you eat more fiber, you burn more calories. You burn calories when you digest your food anyway (thermogenesis), and a longer, slower burn helps you to burn calories as you eat. With that said, the number of calories burned through thermogenesis isn’t going to knock off that piece of chocolate cake you ate last night. That’s treadmill material.

But, fiber helps you to stay full longer, so it helps to reduce your appetite. If you had some fiber before you heard that cake calling you last night, you might not have been half as attentive. Speaking of sugar - fiber will help reduce insulin spikes, so you stay attentive instead of going up and down like a yo-yo.

Think beans. Beans contain a huge amount of fiber even though they contain a huge amount of carbs as well. But, beans contain “good” or “white hat” carbs that burn slowly after you digest them. Plus, they give you a good shot of protein that can help to satisfy that hunger longer. So, if you skipped breakfast, don’t head to the deli for a quick chocolate “pick me up,” although you’ll be tempted (if you’re anything like me). Instead, go for a cup of chili with beans and a salad for lunch and you may stay satisfied most of the afternoon.

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I’ve quit smoking a number of times before. Anyone who knows anything about how to quit smoking knows that each time a person quits, they’re that much closer to quitting for good. But the only time I had felt comfortable with quitting before was with medication.

This time, I made an appointment with a doctor and asked for the same medication (I even had the old prescription bottle!). But, he said he’d rather I try Chantix. Although I was a bit hesitant, he was enthusiastic about how it had worked for many of his patients.

So I’m now three months into the three-month Chantix plan, and I’m doing great. Not that I didn’t have some rough days; but the medication works to block those nicotine receptors…so if you think about something else other than a cigarette, that craving is nothing more than an itch that really doesn’t need to be scratched.

I will warn you that I’ve had a few reactions to Chantix. Sometimes it makes me drowsy, and a few times I was slightly nauseated by the pills. And, I believe that they’re responsible for a few totally sleepless nights. But, I’d rather put up with all that unsettling mess on a temporary basis if I could quit smoking.

The point is - ask your doctor what might work for you. Any medication after age fifty, especially if you’re on other meds, is something to weigh seriously. But - if you try it - I wish you luck!

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