|
Austin, TX (I-Newswire) February 15, 2011 - I hope you enjoyed the first 5 strategies for cranking up your body's own fat burning furnace. It's time to move on to part 2. I'm getting skinny just thinking about them.
-- Natalie
------------------------
While exercise and diet play important roles in this effort, there are also some simple, easy things you can do during the course of each day to automatically increase your metabolism and the rate at which you burn calories. They don’t require much time, planning or effort. But they give you an extra advantage – make that 10 extra advantages – to help you lose (and keep off) the weight.
Here are strategies 6 through 10:
Strategy #6: Take Cold Showers, or Alternate Hot and Cold Water
Regularly taking cold showers provides tremendous health benefits, and used to be a key component of physical culture and healing practices through the early 20th century. From a weight loss perspective, a cold shower forces your body to increase heat in reaction to the water’s effects on body temperature. This thermogenic effect naturally increases your body’s ability to burn fat.
If you’re not used to cold showers, you can transition gradually. For example, begin your shower at a comfortable temperature and slowly change over to colder water. Turn it to completely cold at the end and stand under the frigid water for 20 to 30 seconds. Build up your time under the cold water.
Another method I really like is to alternate hot and cold showers. This is great for recuperation from hard training, a stressful day, or when you are ill. Simply stand under the hot water – as hot as you can stand it – for two to three minutes. Then change to completely cold water and stand under for one to two minutes. Repeat several times. Very invigorating!
------------------------
My first reaction to the cold shower idea was "no way." I still haven't done it, but I'm starting to see a recurring theme lately of how cold temperatures activates fat burning in your body.
-- Natalie
------------------------
Strategy #7: Get 15 to 20 Minutes of Sun Each Day
A number of studies have shown that sun exposure helps to normalize insulin and blood glucose levels. It also helps control appetite in many people. And it improves your mood.
If you live in a cold weather region, you may find it difficult to get out in the sun every day. Do what you can to get outside, even if it’s a short walk on your lunch break. You may also wish to invest in a full spectrum lamp which offers the same benefits as sunlight.
During the summer, the safest times to sun are in the mornings before 10am and in the afternoon after 2 or 3pm.
Strategy #8: Fidget a Lot
If you live or work with someone who fidgets a lot, you know how crazy their constant movement, bouncing and tapping can make you.
But the fidgety people are on to something. They burn up to 40 percent more calories each day than non-fidgeters.
When you are sitting at your desk working, or sitting on the couch watching TV, remember to fidget. Change your sitting position frequently, bounce your leg, tap the desk, get up and pace around the room when you need a break from your work to think.
Hundreds of such small movements over the course of the day can add up to substantially more physical activity – and burn more calories – without your even trying.
Strategy #9: Stop Eating At Least Two Hours before Bedtime
If you eat at night, your body works to digest the food you consume while you are sleeping. This requires a lot of energy that could be used for detoxification, repair and rejuvenation – processes that are supposed to be happening when you sleep.
Eating large meals and snacking in the evenings, often right up until bedtime, is pretty common.
Consuming a lot of calories right before bed is a killer in terms of any effort to lose weight. You’re adding those calories at the same time your metabolism is naturally starting to ebb.
Your body just can’t handle food well at this time. This affects the quality of your sleep. When you eat late at night, you probably wake up feeling tired and lethargic in the morning – even if you get eight hours of sleep. That’s because the need to digest the food hinders your body’s natural overnight processes that are so important to health and energy.
To avoid this, establish a cutoff time at least two hours before your regular bed time. After this time, you will not eat. Not only does this support your body’s processes at night. It also helps you avoid the temptation to pig out at night. As a rule, you simply don’t eat after 8pm, so pigging out is not an option.
Strategy #10: Get 8 Hours – or More – of Quality Sleep Each Night
Probably 85 percent of people feel like – or know – they don’t get enough sleep. Not only will eight hours of sleep provide you with more energy, stamina, and patience. It’s also critical to any weight loss program.
When you sleep, your levels of growth hormone increase and levels of cortisol decrease. Growth hormone is good. It helps build muscle and keep you younger. Cortisol is bad from a weight loss perspective. When you don’t get enough quality sleep, secretion of growth hormone declines. Levels of cortisol and other stress hormones actually build up over several nights or weeks. This buildup promotes fat deposition, especially around the waist.
Make the commitment to go to bed earlier. Move up your bedtime gradually, by 10 or 15 minutes per night. An hour of sleep before midnight is worth two hours after midnight.
You’ll be amazed at how much better you will feel after just two or three nights of eight to nine hours of sleep. Over time, getting at least eight hours on a regular basis will accelerate your weight loss program, and make it easier to maintain your ideal weight, once you reach it.
Source: Technorati
Karen's site: Best Breathing Exercises Energy Fitness & Personal Power Blog
------------------------
There they are. 5 more ways to get your body to burn more fat. Some of the suggestions are simple and some of them may be a bit radical, but I'll bet you can find at least a few to try. Pick a few of these strategies and try them out.
Let me know what you think and please share today's post on Facebook.
Think skinny,
Natalie
SoDamnSkinny.com
Like this? Check out part 1 of this article: 10 Simple Strategies to Turbo Charge Your Fat Burning - Part 1
About SoDamnSkinny.com:
My goal is to make the world a skinnier place starting with myself. I hope that by sharing my experiences it will motivate others to make some changes.
Company Contact Information
SoDamnSkinny.com
Natalie Sawyer
5300 Bee Cave Rd, Bldg 3, Suite 250
Austin, TX
78746
Phone : 877-905-4445
|
