Bag of Fat Burning Tricks

I was reading an article in a men's fitness magazine (yeah, I'll read anything!) and came across an article about 50 fat burning tips. I didn't agree with all 50 and after all, I am NOT a man, but some of them sounded pretty sound to me, so this is the list I came up with:

1. Lean protein
2. Whole grain carbs
3. Good fats, especially Omega 3's
4. Add eggs and grapefruit to your diet
5. Apples are good for you
6. Spice things up - eat hot peppers
7. Go nuts for almonds, walnuts and Brazil nuts
8. Eat organic whenever possible
9. Drink green and black tea
10. Drinking a couple of glasses of cold water temporarily boosts metabolic rate
11. Whey protein
12. Eat fish high in Omega 3's
13. Make some weight lifting workouts heavy weights
14. Mix up training by lifting lighter with more reps some of the time
15. Rest less in between weight lifting sets to burn more and faster
16. Tuning in to music while working out can boost your workout level and intensity
17. Do cardio after lifting weights
18. Stagger tough workouts. Two 30 minute sessions of working out may help you work more intensely than one 1 hour session.
19. Working out between 5 and 7 pm boosts metabolism while you are resting (sleeping) later
20. Get up and stretch at least every 20 minutes while at the computer or watching TV
21. Get a minimum of 7 hours sleep every night
22. Chew gum
23. Walk or ride bike instead of driving any time you can

Running

Another segment I found quite interesting from the Jillian Michaels' radio show was about running. Jillian stated she does like to run, but does because it is great exercise. I started running about a year and 1/2 ago, but have to confess...it hasn't gotten much easier!

Here are some tips Jillian shared about running:

1. Wear the right shoe. Have feet and "strike" measured at a good running shoe store. A running expert there will be able to steer you toward the best shoe for your strike pattern. (Strike is how your foot hits the ground - rolling inward, rolling outward, hitting the ball of your foot versus the heel, etc.)

2. Have good running posture.

• Head up looking at the horizon
• Shoulders back and steady
• Body vertical - not leaning forward
• Shorten strides
• Hands below heart level
• Heel of foot should strike under your hips, not way out in front or behind

3. Work with a running coach for a couple of sessions.

Perfect Weight Loss Day

I have been listening to the Jillian Michaels' radio program. It airs on Sunday mornings, but you can access it by logging in to Jillian's website at www.jillianmichaels.com and listen anytime during the week.

One of Jillian's segments this week was to describe a "perfect" weight loss day. Here is the gist

1. 60 minutes of intense exercise per day. 2 30-minute sessions are ok.

2. Eat every four hours - protein and good carb

3. Caffeine - up to 200 mg. a day, but not after 3pm

4. 60-80 oz. of water

5. Move around as much as possible. For example: stand when talking on the phone instead of sitting, get up every 1/2 hour from the computer and stretch, take stairs instead of elevator, ride bike instead of driving the car a mile or two, etc.