Are there certain foods that will help increase metabolism?

The answer is YES!

The types of foods that boost metabolism are known as negative calorie foods. This means that you burn more calories from digesting the food than the food is actually worth.

For example, if you eat a food containing 100 calories and you find out that the food will burn 120 calories, you have burned a net of 20 calories just by eating that food. AWESOME!

Negative Calorie Foods

Foods that are capable of producing negative calorie results include:

Fruits

• apples
• blueberries
• raspberries
• strawberries
• grapefruit
• lemons
• mangos
• pineapple
• oranges
• tangerines

Vegetables

• carrots
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• lettuce
• cabbage
• asparagus
• beets
• spinach
• onions
• celery
• zucchini

Warning: Avoid “empty calories” (junk food) or calories from foods with poor vitamin and nutrient content. These types of foods have a reverse effect on our metabolism; they add more to our body fat because they require fewer calories to digest than the amount of calories they contain. End result - slower metabolism.

The best way to jumpstart your Metabolism is Exercise!

Sheila Rolling, Personal Fitness Trainer and Owner of Fit for Life - Fitness Club in Faribault, MN.

Picked up a few pounds over the holidays? A new Lifesteps 16-week Weight Management Program is forming in January at Fit for Life.

ACT NOW! The next class begins with individual interviews the week of Jan. 12^th.

Participants have the choice of Wed. noon class or Thurs. 5:15 p.m. class.  Step 1 begins on either Wed. the 21st or Thurs. the 22nd of Jan. depending on which day of the week you choose.  We meet for 1 hour each week thereafter for a total of 16 weeks in a group setting (about 8-12 people per class).

Group classes are small to allow you to feel comfortable sharing information and ideas. If you are committed to losing weight and keeping it off.

Most weight loss programs restrict you from eating certain foods, encourage harmful practices to promote quick weight loss or offer over-the-counter weight loss drugs. You must recognize that these types of programs are “temporary fixes” to a lifelong problem and unless you increase your awareness of what you eat, how much you eat, how you eat and why you eat, there’s a high risk of gaining your weight back.

Lifesteps recognizes that weight loss is hard work. It contains strategies for making lifestyle changes in both eating and exercise habits. Our leaders work in partnership with you to help you develop an individual plan that meets your needs. There is no special diet - you eat the foods you enjoy, the same foods your family eats and there are no marathon exercises - you choose activities that fit your schedule and your fitness level. Information is presented sequentially and each step builds on the previous one.

You will develop healthy eating and exercise habits that will help you lose weight and keep it off for the rest of your life!

Please see our Lifesteps page for more information about this program or contact Sheila Rolling at our fitness center, by phone at (507) 333-5430 or use our online contact form 24 ours a day.

Aerobics = Cardiovascular Exercise

Aerobic exercise, also known as cardiovascular exercise, is any sustained, rhythmic activity that involves large muscle groups. Examples include walking, jogging, cross training, cycling, climbing and swimming. Aerobic exercise makes the lungs work harder as the body’s need for oxygen is increased.

Do you lose weight faster with this kind of exercise?

Weight is lost by creating a calorie deficit, burning more calories than you take in, so performing activities that burn large amounts of calories is an excellent accompaniment to a calorie controlled diet to help shift those unwanted pounds. For example, half an hour of high paced walking or low paced jogging can burn around 300 calories. This can make a substantial contribution towards achieving the necessary calorie deficit to lose weight, or it can even earn you a bar of chocolate that you feel less guilty about eating.

Aerobic Options

Fit for Life provides a wide variety of aerobic options, such as treadmills, cross trainers, exercise bikes and stairclimbers. For those of you who prefer to work out as part of a group, Fit for Life provides a variety of group classes such as spinning, choreographed aerobics, kickboxing and step aerobics, yoga/pilates/core strengthening and even several classes for seniors including yoga with a trained instructor to ensure that you get the most from your workout.

Sheila Rolling, Personal Fitness Trainer and Owner of Fit for Life - Fitness Club in Faribault, MN.