Healthy Notes » Fitness http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog Helpful Hints For Living Well Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:43:52 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 Eat More Protein http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2010/03/eat-more-protein/ http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2010/03/eat-more-protein/#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:33:21 +0000 admin http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/?p=121 As we get older it is natural to begin loosing lean muscle tissue. This loss of lean muscle mass is responsible for many of the conditions that we encounter as we age. Particularly noticeable is that our metabolic rate begins to slow down as early as 30 years old. Things we once could eat now make us gain fat.

Protein is the main nutrient that our bodies need to help preserve lean muscle tissue, and most people do not eat enough. Instead they overload on fats and carbohydrates. Of fats, carbohydrates or protein, protein is the one that will not make you fat. Instead protein will work to maintain and even rebuild lost muscle tissue and in turn help to speed up your natural metabolism.

How much protein should you consume daily? A good rule of thumb is 1 gram per every pound of bodyweight. So a small lady would consume around 100 grams a day, while a large man might consume 250 grams per day. To make it simple, instead of having one chicken breast and a huge heaping serving of rice, have two chicken breasts and a little portion of rice. Orient each meal of the day towards more protein and you will begin to see great improvements in your metabolism and overall health.

]]> http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2010/03/eat-more-protein/feed/ 0 Exercise-Keep It Short, But Frequent http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2010/02/exercise-keep-it-short-but-frequent/ http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/2010/02/exercise-keep-it-short-but-frequent/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:13:24 +0000 admin http://guaranteedtosleep.com/blog/?p=119

For more than 20 years I believed that when working out in the gym more was better. I still see people in the gym for hours believing that this is what is needed to achieve results.

The problems with this approach seem obvious to me. First of all if you think that each time you exercise it needs to be this long drawn out event than it is inevitable that your workouts will be less frequent. Because how many of us will have that kind of time each day to spend in the gym? So you will find yourself working out less often because of time constraints. You will also find yourself working out less often because you don’t feel up to it. If you think that each time you walk in the gym you need to be there 2 hours and have the best workout ever you will refuse to go when you don’t feel perfect, and how many of us feel perfect everyday? Most people can get motivated for a few weeks and workout 5 days a week 2 hours a day, but this kind of schedule is not maintainable, and you will burn out quickly.

The key is consistency and frequency.  That means that you will exercise 5 days a week religiously, but these workouts will only be 30 to 40 minutes max. What will this accomplish? First, you will be able to find the time because your workouts will be short. Also, when you don’t feel 100% you can still find the energy for only 30 minutes. You will be amazed how much better you feel if you practice this approach. On days I feel no energy and don’t want to exercise I go and get a little blood pumping for 30 minutes and I always feel so much better afterwards.

Just do a little exercise 30 minutes 5 times a week, for the rest of your life. The results will amaze you.

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