Sweat This!

At the conclusion of my Kenpo X workout Wednesday evening I was totally amazed at the level of intensity that I had achieved for the duration of 1 hour with an average heart rate of 146 beats per minute and a high of 160! I wear a heart rate monitor. Ya baby, I was in the zone! The result of that insanity was I was literally dripping from head to toe as though I had just stepped out of the shower. It felt great knowing that I was working hard to improve my cardiovascular health. The training exercises are a bullet proof way to fire up your metabolism, which is what I'd like to blog about today.



Metabolism is the rate at which your body burns up calories just to keep you alive. The body functions such as your heart rate, your lungs breathing, your blood coursing through your veins, your mind thinking and dreaming, everything your body does is burning calories all the time. The more you work your muscles, the higher the calorie burn and the resulting increase in your metabolism.

Before I began to be concerned about my health, I spent most of my time on my butt and eating a LOT of junk! To think that every moment I spend sitting down at my desk, on the couch watching TV, at the computer is time spent growing fat! Every single moment I have spent over the past 4 and half months has been on my feet helping me to get trim! If you want your bottom line to grow, literally, do nothing. Changing the way I think about my health and the foods that I eat, and changing how much I move my body everyday are two of the components that have helped me to succeed in building a body that's now a fat-burning machine.

Dieting is not about following a so-called quick fix diet and then go back to the same way of eating. You need to eat plenty of food. Starvation only works to boost fat gains and lose precious metabolic burning muscles! Eating nutrient rich foods in a balanced diet will help you to retain and build muscle while burning fat, and you'll have more energy, better health and a happier outlook on life. Just the simple act of eating smaller meals more often (5-6 times a day) helps you to burn more calories. Not only that, but the very types of food you put in your mouth will also have a direct effect. Lean proteins simply burn more calories while at the same time dulling your hunger.

Exercise and moving your body are critical to building up your metabolism and burning calories. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, find a way to be more active in your daily activities, such as walking and taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away from the store to walk further, standing while waiting instead of sitting at the doctors/dentist office, carrying your own golf clubs instead of using a cart, bike instead of drive, have more sex, and the list goes on. The gym is not the only place to make your body move. All of the 12 exercise routines I have done with Beachbody product P90X created by Tony Horton have been at home in my living room. The resistance training using weights and my own body weight have helped to strengthen my muscles, which in turn burn more calories and raise my metabolism. The proof is in the sweat and the amazing transformation of my body!

I used to come home after work, often at night, and so hungry ready to devour a big meal just an hour or two before sleep. The key to avoiding this pitfall is to eat often during the day and fuel up on whole foods that truly beat the hunger and fatigue. There is no magic genie or miracle pill. Eating a smart, balanced diet with the right kinds of protein, carbs, fats that are rich in nutrients, vitamins, minerals and fewer bad foods like refined or artificial sugars and sweetners, trans-fats and too much salt, are your first line of defense against health problems. With proper diet you can eliminate and control such enemies as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar. You too can become a nutritional superhero and boost your metabolism all day!  I now eat like a superhero and get the best bang for my calories.  I think I'm eating more than I ever did before and rarely feel hungry.  It's not about eating less, it's about getting more out of the food you do eat and being in the best shape of your life.

If you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me.  I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts.  I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes.  So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!