Archive for February, 2010

How do you gain weight safely & healthy if you have fast metabolism?

Trying to gain weight, just like trying to lose weight, can be very frustrating. There are 3 things you can do to get started.

First, you need to figure out how many calories you are consuming each day. Log down everything you are eating and drinking, then figure out how many calories that totals at the end of the day. The next day add 200-500 calories to that total. Keep logging your food and figuring out calories to be sure you are adding calories each day.

Second, eat more often. Six meals a day is not unheard of for those with a fast metabolism, but you must not skip this step. Adding calories is a must!!

Third, Weight Train!! This will ensure that the extra calories you are consuming are used to build muscle, not stored as fat. Be sure to seek the advice of a professional to be sure you are doing this right. Good luck!

Do rest days help your overall workouts and fat burning?

The answer is YES! But, it’s important to know what you need to rest from doing.

Cardio exercise can be done daily and should be done at least 4-5 times per week. This will help you burn fat if you’re working within an appropriate target heart rate zone.

Weight training (aka strength training) is different. If you’re weight training to build tone and definition, you should rest 1-2 days between work-outs. If you’re weight training to build muscle (i.e. bulk), you should rest 4-5 days between work-outs.

Appropriate weight training actually breaks the muscle down (this is good) and it’s important to give your body time to heal those muscles which helps them respond to the work-out and become stronger.

It’s important to incorporate both cardio and weight training into your weekly work-out routine. Remember: muscle burns fat, so the more muscle you have the more fat your burn, even when you’re resting!!

I want to feel healthy and have tried different exercises and diet plans for years but find it hard to stick to something. Why is that?

Changing your attitude about your commitments is the first step. You need to think about your new endeavor as a lifestyle change and make only changes you know you can live with for a lifetime. Don’t try to change too much at one time.

Pick one behavior you want to change and work on it until it becomes a habit. Always remember how long it took you to get where you are today. You can’t change that in a few weeks!

Easy behaviors to start with that will pave the way

• Drink 8 cups of water each day
• Don’t eat after 7:30 pm
• Get no less than 7 hrs of sleep each night
• Reduce (but don’t completely eliminate) intake of:
  
  • Cookies
  • Candy
  • Pop
  • Chips
• Eat LOTS of fruits and veggies
• Walk for 20 minutes 5 times per week

Your body will begin to reap the rewards of your healthy attitude and everything else will fall into place.