- Exercise in the late afternoon or early evening. (Around 4pm.)
Most athletic records have been set and broken during this time. They studied various athletes who did the exact same workout at different times of day and found out that those exercising around 4pm were up to 10% more effective than those working at other times of day. The morning is the lest effective time to work out because your blood vessels and arteries are less flexible. It even increases your chances for things like heart failure since your blood is also "thicker" for a few hours right after you wake up.
In other words: do you want to burn 10% more calories doing the same amount of work? Try to exercise around this time. Your body's core temperature is naturally slightly higher so you get extra benefits. I wish I didn't have to work graveyard. I'm two or three hours from waking up during this time. :/
- Eat the majority of your calories shortly after you wake up.
I use the term "morning" very loosely because I know that's different for everyone. For me it's usually around 7pm! Right after you wake up your blood pressure is naturally at its highest and stays that way until about mid day. If you eat your calories early on your body has the entire day to burn through them before putting the remainder in storage. On the show they gave people the exact same meals adding up to the exact same amount of calories, but they ate the meals at different times. Those who had a large breakfast (50% of their daily calories,) a moderate lunch (35%,) and very little for dinner (15%) used their caloric intake most effectively. For those who prefer to snack between meals, subtract calories from your dinner allowance.
Eating causes your glucose levels to go up and if that happens right before a period of relaxation (like sleep) your body is much more likely to store the fat for a time when you need it. I guess this is why I've always heard you shouldn't eat ____ hours before you go to bed.
Following a calorie plan like this one would be very difficult for me. I normally eat a huge amount (if not all of!) my calories right before bed for a bunch of reasons: I'm home and done rushing around so I actually have time to dedicate to a meal, I feel like relaxing and having something to eat, I have nothing to do so I get bored and eat, plus I usually feel tired after eating a decent meal. My weight struggle also comes into play here. I can't help but think that if I'm going to eat, at least I can do it right before I peace out from the world for a while. That way I know the food has hours to digest before I have to look at the scale again.
I also find that I feel more hungry if I haven't had a chance to really acknowledge and comprehend a meal. How do I do that? Do I sit there and have a conversation with it? Do I read into it? Do I practice active listening while the food communicates with me? What I mean to say is that I really need to remember the experience of eating. I want to have something that I enjoy the taste of and take a while to consume it. If I rush through a meal that isn't very stimulating to my senses I think I'm more likely to forget that I ate or feel like I've cheated myself in some way. This goes back to some of my cardinal rules, one of which is...
"I have to love it. This applies for everything from now on. If I'm going to put it inside of me and risk all the calories, fat, weight, and stress... then it better be super delicious and exactly the way I like it. If there's something I don't like about it then that's just another excuse for me to stop eating it."
-Drink a ton of water.
I never ever used to drink enough water. I would have sodas all day, and maybe some juice, chocolate milk, or other flavored beverage if it came my way. It's no wonder that I was 50lbs+ / 23kg+ heaver than I am today. Even today I struggle with it because I feel like I'm going to put on a ton of weight. This show reminded me that water is totally neutral and has no calories. It's what most of your body is made of and it needs a lot of it to function at its peak. If you're not hydrated, you won't burn as many calories by doing normal activities (breathing, sleeping, etc.) I have to tell myself that it'll be worth it in the long run. (Plus... I'm a creep and I weigh myself every time I use the restroom at home. It's neat to see how much weight I can lose just by doing it.)
There are also so many zero calorie things that can be done to water to give it flavor. You can have it at a variety of temperatures and textures (0 calorie gelatin, anyone?) This cool calculator will tell you exactly how much water you need in a day. Not everyone needs the recommended 64 ounces. It says I should have 90 ounces a day... bleh.
Theme for thinspiration is before and after. It's probably my favorite, along with scene/alternative/emo/whateveryouwannacallit. [:
I've mentioned my roommate a few times (she's with me in some of my MySpace pictures.) My height, 90lbs, vegan, constant reminder that I need to lose some weight? Here's what she looks like.
Don't forget about the giveaway on this blog! It ends soon! [:
No comments:
Post a Comment