Saturday, February 21, 2009

How to Use Green Tea For Weight Loss

Green tea has emerged as a great way to not only increase metabolism, but also promote healthy weight loss. An ingredient in green tea aid highly in promoting a natural increase in metabolic rate that will give you the energy needed for the day.

I personally consume green tea every morning to set the pace for the rest of my days. Keep in mind that everything is "green tea" on the label does not mean it is 100% natural green tea.

Always buy a reputable brand. Read the ingredients listed, and to verify that the tea was produced. These are the components you need to consider before buying, because there are many companies that manufacture so-called "green tea" that does not contain what appears on the packaging.

Where possible, the purchase of organic green tea "is recommended. Generally when a product is organic is clearly labeled as such, has become a major selling point for products.

It is also worth mentioning here that green tea caffeine occurs naturally, so if you do not have no caffeine in their diet, and then green tea is not an option for you in regard to daily use. Despite the caffeine in tea is much lower than in coffee or a sports energy drink. A good idea for those who want to avoid caffeine would buy green tea which is listed as "caffeine free" and which are also available.

The tests that were conducted in green tea not only showed an increase in the metabolism of humans, but also the oxidation of fats. A high metabolic rate and fat oxidation are two key components in achieving weight loss, thereby pushing the green tea as a recommended product for those wanting to lose a few pounds and speed up your metabolism in the process.

New studies have also shown that along with increasing your metabolism attributes, green tea also acts as an antioxidant. These findings have led to it being a product that can help fight heart disease, stroke and even cancer.

With all the findings and studies related to metabolism and green tea is truly a product that can be used to help provide the momentum. Take one to two cups a day can help keep your metabolic rate at a level that will allow you to burn calories and maintain it throughout the day with energy.

Friday, September 26, 2008

7 Smoldering Celebrities and Their Weight Loss Secrets

Celebrities always look fabulous. Whether appearing in television or films or strutting down the red carpet during movie premiers and awards, they never cease to fascinate us with their larger than life presence. The truth is, it takes a lot of effort to look the way they do, and being the public figures that they are, they cannot afford to slack off when it comes to taking care of their physical appearances. Their livelihood largely depends on how they look. Aside from the clothes, the hair and the makeup, celebrities have to take good care of their bodies.

So it is no surprise that these stars have their own secrets when it comes to staying fit and gorgeous. Their health agenda can range from extreme workouts to well-planned meals. Who doesn't want to know their secrets in staying absolutely sexy? Here are some of the diet secrets of seven women celebrities.

1. Jennifer Aniston
Former star of the phenomenal television show Friends not only mesmerized audiences with her adorable comic sense and her famous hairstyle, she was also known for having one of the sexiest bodies in Hollywood, as she appeared in countless magazine covers. To stay trim, Jennifer follows the 40:30:30 diet method. The diet consists of:

40% Low glycemic carbohydrates
-Foods such as beans, fruits and vegetables, legumes

30% lean proteins
-Tofu, fish, chicken, turkey, beef and low fat dairy products

30% essential fats
-nuts and seeds, fish and olive oils

It is essential that every meal should contain macronutrients to attain the balance of hormones and maximum weight loss.

2. Kate Hudson
The gorgeous daughter of actress Goldie Hawn gained 60 pounds during her pregnancy, which she needed to shed quickly before commencing on her next film. From her previous eating plan, she switched to a higher protein diet. She consumed high protein meals in smaller portions, and she combined this diet with an exercise program that includes weight training and cardiovascular workouts. After getting a lot of flak because of her post-pregnancy figure, Kate removed all that baby weight in only four months and has gained abdominal muscles that gained the envy of many in Hollywood.

3. Oprah Winfrey
As one of the most successful talk-show hosts in the world, there is no question that Oprah needs to maintain her physical appearance for her millions of audiences. Known as one of those celebrities who are constantly battling weight gain, she has recently toned up her figure and has never looked figure in age 50 by combining a regular exercise regime and diet plan. Oprah works out five days a week, spending 30 minutes on the threadmill and doing free weights. Her eating plan consists of legumes, fish, nuts, fruits and vegetables, chicken and dairy products that are lowfat. She limits her consumption of white sugar and flour. Oprah also credits her trim figure to her habit of not eating anything after seven in the evening.

4. Gwyneth Paltrow
A lot of people may find it hard to believe that the perpetually slim Academy award-winning actress actually needs to diet. Gwyneth actually follows a healthy eating plan that resembles Oprah's, avoiding sugar and white flour. She usually follows a macrobiotic diet, eating foods like vegetables, brown rice, and lean meat. She also eliminated dairy from her diet, and does yoga everyday.

5. Madonna
The pop star known as the Material Girl has always flaunted a body that is to die for, and has become a true fitness paragon over the years. She keeps herself in tip-top shape by having Ashtanga Yoga, and follows a strict diet that mostly shuns junk foods. She adopted a macrobiotic eating plan that includes organic foods rich in lean protein.

6. Claudia Schiffer
The bodacious German supermodel eats salad and steamed vegetables for dinner and eats only fruits before the afternoon. While on locations, she prefers to eat black grapes and drinks tomato juice and herbal tea.

7. Christie Brinkley
Long-time supermodel maintains her all-American good looks by being a vegetarian. She does not keep junk foods of any kind inside her home to make sure that she does not eat them when cravings occur. She snacks on sweet potatoes in place of candy bars, and she adopts a liquid juice diet when she needs to slim down fast.

Celebrities are just like ordinary people. They need to maintain their figures just like anyone else, and there is more pressure on their part since they are constantly in the public eye. Ordinary folks can have celebrity-like bodies, too, and by following these diet and fitness plans, they can also look like red-carpet worthy.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Foods that increase metabolic rate

The key to raising your metabolism is to understand how it works. Metabolism is a complex biochemical process composed of two components: anabolism and catabolism, which work in conjunction to make metabolism take place.

As they work together constructing cell tissues for growth and repair in the anabolism phase, as well as destroying or breaking down complex substances into simpler compounds for proper assimilation during the catabolism phase, they contribute to the process of distributing nutrients which are absorbed into the blood after being digested.

Metabolic rate is the amount of energy, or calories which the body uses every day – even when you are resting to maintain the vital body processes. The rate at which the body burns energy during physical activity and the rate at which the body spends energy to digest the food that you take are the two very important factors which determine the your total metabolic rate.

Thus to improve the efficiency of your metabolic rate, it is important to not just pay attention to the physical activity you do, but also to the food which you take every day.

While there are numerous exercises like weight lifting, resistance or strength training and other physical activities which boost metabolism, there are also foods which do the same job.

Here are some tips on the right food and eating patterns to boost metabolism:

  • According to many experts, one of the tried and tested ways to boost metabolism is to have breakfast always and every day. During the night, as we are resting, the metabolism slows down. If the body does not get enough nutrients, it starts to function less efficiently and will tend to store more fat during these periods of not having enough nutrition.
  • Eat six small meals per day to keep your metabolic rate high all the time.
  • Avoid eating late in the night as your metabolic rate decreases in the evening.
  • Eat less fat-rich foods.
  • Eat more lean meat and vegetables to boost metabolism.
  • Get more fiber and cut down on sugar, alcohol and caffeine
  • Stop smoking.
  • Eat fish, dark green vegetables, fruits (such as blueberries, tomatoes, and blueberries), 100% whole grains, and consumption of at least 8 glasses of water. Not only are they good for boosting your metabolic rate, they are excellent for losing weight also.
  • Eat chili and other hot spices, as they are considered to elevate metabolic rate, which results in an increased heart rate for up to 3 to 4 hours
  • Though high-protein diets are closely linked to loss of calcium in the bones, and does encourage consumption of foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol, it is also a fact that protein allows for the burning of more calories. As many as 25 percent of calories can be burnt during the digestion process when your protein intake is high.

The critical point to remember is that any excess carbohydrate that you eat will be converted into far for storage. Of course, this is true for all the fat that you eat as well. If you exercise regularly and eat the right kind of food, you are then able to burn those stored fat and increase your metabolism.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Benefits of Resistance Training to Boost Metabolism


People of all ages can get substantial benefits from including resistance training into their exercise regime. Even elderly people can find noticeable improvements in their health. By adding resistance training their muscles will become stronger and this will help them with balance, which becomes all-important as they age. By becoming stronger elderly people also become more independent as they will be less likely to rely on others.

Research has also shown that resistance training improves bone density and this is an important aspect of good health for people of all ages. Bones are constantly 'growing' as with all parts of the body, however this process slows down as we age. Resistance training helps to address this aging process by maintaining good bone density.

Post-menopausal women are particularly prone to problems relating to bone density as their hormones change and they can benefit considerably from resistance training.

Along with proper nutrition, resistance training is one of the most effective methods of reducing fat.And along with fat reduction you can expect a leaner body. Muscle burns fat so any program that increases your muscle mass will help to burn the fat. You are effectively burning fat to feed the muscles.

Research has also proven that resistance training has many other beneficial effects for your health from lowering blood pressure and lowering your heart rate while at rest. This will obviously reduce the risk of heart disease quite considerably.


The additional strength that can be gained from resistance training serves to help anyone lead a more active lifestyle. With the added benefits of strength, fat loss, balance and the ability to slow the aging process, there is nothing quite like it to help you live longer and be happier along the way.


It doesn't need to be something that rules your life, as even a little bit of training will benefit you, however, doing it consistently will result in a better return for the time you invest in your health.


Amy

Monday, December 3, 2007

Green Tea Love... Use it to Skyrocket Your Metabolism

Green tea for weight loss? Absolutely!

Green tea has surfaced as a great way to not only increase your metabolism but also promote healthy weight loss. The ingredients in green tea aid highly in promoting a natural increase in your metabolic rate that will allow you to have the needed energy to go through the day.

I personally consume green tea each morning to set the pace for the rest of my day. Keep in mind that everything that has “green tea” on the label doesn’t mean it’s 100% natural green tea.

Always buy a reputable brand. Read the ingredients listed, and check for where the tea was manufactured. These are components that you need to analyze before purchasing since there are many companies that manufacture so called “green tea” that do not contain what is listed on the package.

When possible, purchasing “organic green tea” is recommended. Usually when a product is organic it’s clearly labeled as such, since that has become a great selling point for products.

It’s also important to mention here that green tea does produce natural caffeine, so if you rather not have caffeine in your diet, then green tea is not the option for you with regards to daily use. Even though caffeine is within the tea, it is much less than that in coffee or a sports energy drink. A good idea for those who want to avoid caffeine would be to purchase green tea that is listed as “caffeine-free” as those are available as well.

Tests that were done on green tea not only showed an increase in metabolism for individuals, but also fat oxidation. A high metabolic rate and fat oxidation are two key components in achieving weight loss, thus thrusting green tea as a recommended product for those looking to lose a few pounds and speed up their metabolism in the process.

New studies have also shown that along with its metabolic increasing attributes, green tea also acts as an antioxidant. These findings have led to it being listed as a product that can help with the fight of heart disease, cancer and even stroke.

With all the findings and studies relating to Green tea and metabolism, it’s truly a product that you can use to help give you that boost. Drinking one to two cups a day, can aid in keeping your metabolic rate at a level that will allow you to burn those calories and keep you energized throughout the day.

To learn more about boosting metabolism, there's a great book that I personally used to lose a lot of weight- the Black Book of Secrets. Purchase it here.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Role of Carbs in Metabolism and Weight Loss

Carbohydrates' Role in Metabolism and Weight Loss

Carbohydrates are one of the most misunderstood components of metabolism. In this article, I’ll help build you knowledge of how the body utilizes and stores away energy.

The cells of our body metabolize energy, which is obtained from the protein, carbohydrates, and fats that we eat as foods. These energy sources come in various forms, and these different forms of energy affect our metabolism.

Although there is plenty of debate as to whether carbs are “necessary” for functioning, I whole heartedly believe so, after all my research. Whether you want to lose weight or not, carbohydrates are the most important source of energy for any activity that we do.

So what exactly happens when we eat carbs?

Once we eat carbohydrates, they are further broken down to smaller sugars like glucose, fructose and galactose. These sugars get absorbed and are used as energy. The glucose that is not used immediately gets stored in the muscles and the liver in the form of glycogen. Once this glycogen store is saturated, all extra glycogen gets stored as fat. Obviously, this not what we don’t want.

Glycogen, the stored form of carbohydrate in the liver and muscles, is the main generator of energy for all forms of physical activity. Performing short sprints or marathons, glycogen is tapped into for fuel.

One of the biggest things relating to weight loss, that most people don’t realize is that you need to keep muscle fiber, and build muscle fiber. These muscle fibers are the backbone of your metabolism.

An intake of proper amounts of carbohydrate is necessary so that our muscle fiber isn’t broken down for fuel. That’s right, muscle is actually broken down If you do not take adequate amount of carbohydrates, the protein will break down to make glucose for energy.

Since the primary function of proteins is to build muscles, bone, skin, hair and other tissues, then you are naturally limiting your resources for building and maintaining tissues if you rely on it for energy source. Eating fewer carbohydrates also puts an extra load on the kidneys, which has to work double time to eliminate the waste from protein breakdown.

It is interesting to note that one gram of carbohydrate provides 4 calories of energy. Our muscles store carbohydrates; you will often hear a sports person talking about carbohydrate loading and depletion, which refers to the amount of carbohydrate energy we can store in our muscles.

Though this is around 2000 carbohydrate calories, we can alter this amount through depletion or supplementation. Carbohydrates can be simple or complex forms. Simple carbohydrates are converted to energy very quickly and can provide a fast source of energy.

Fruits and energy drinks are good examples of simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates take longer time to be metabolized and absorbed in the body. They also take a long time to be broken down. Pasta, rice and breads are good examples of complex carbohydrates. Starch and fiber are also examples of complex carbohydrates, but fibers cannot be digested and used as an energy source.

Foods high in starch include pasta, cereals and whole grains. The diseases which occur due to defect in carbohydrate metabolism include: Diabetes mellitus, Lactose intolerance, Fructose intolerance, and Galactosemia and Glycogen storage disease

Monday, November 26, 2007

Weight Loss and Metabolism Overview

An Overview of Your Metabolism and Weight Loss

Metabolism is a series of complex bio-chemical reactions by which food is transformed into energy and by which our bodies require to function.

Metabolic rate, to put it very simply, is the amount of energy (also called calories) our body needs to do some of the basic functions even when you are sleeping. This includes maintaining heartbeat, the brain, liver, kidney, digestion, and everything else.

The energy or calorie that is burnt by the body comes from the food that we eat, which can be broadly divided into three groups: proteins, carbohydrates and fats. There are many factors which affect our metabolism ranging from our gender, age, body composition, genetics, and others. Of course, some people are born with slower metabolism than others.

Metabolism can also vary with the kind of food that we eat and the kind of physical activity we do to burn all the calories that we have consumed. Some people have a very simplified meaning of metabolism: it influences the way we gain or lose weight. Metabolism is a series of complex biochemical processes which can be divided into two simultaneously-occurring situations: anabolism and catabolism.

While anabolism is involved in creating new cell tissues and its maintenance, catabolism is the process by which complex elements are broken down to make them available to the cell and to the blood. These two processes, which go hand-in-hand, follow a myriad of metabolic pathways where intra-cellular reactions are triggered and accelerated by enzymes.

It is a fact that metabolism decreases with age. This is caused by two factors: elders eat lesser calories than their younger counterparts and exercise less. Though the instances widely differ between the elders who eat well and exercise, it can be said that slowing or dropping of metabolic rate is not an inevitable result of aging.

You can always control the drop in metabolic rate by eating a balanced and nutritious diet followed by adequate physical exercise. Metabolic rate also varies according to gender. Men who tend to have more muscle mass than body fat have higher metabolic rate than women.

If you want to know what the right metabolic rate is for you, you have to find out how many calories you would need as your total daily energy expenditure plan. This is also called the TDEE (Total daily energy expenditure). This is the total number of calories you will burn per day, including all your physical activities.

Knowing this ‘maintenance level’ gives you an idea of the diet adjustments and exercise plan which you have to schedule to maintain the right body weight as well as the right metabolic rate.

Metabolic Syndrome

Sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet, smoking, excessive consumption of fatty foods etc give rise to a disease condition called Metabolic Syndrome. Some of the risk factors identified for Metabolic Syndrome, according to WHO, are obesity, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides.

It is considered that if you have any or all of the risk factors you are highly prone for a heart attack or stroke, which can prove to be fatal. Physical exercise and metabolic rate have a close relationship. According to research, physical exercises may substantially increase the metabolic rate between 6 and 36 hours of the exercise session; and endurance exercises, if done regularly, boost normal activity levels during the rest of the day.

Metabolic rate also has a close relationship with weight gain or loss, as well as with increased risk of cardio vascular diseases. If you consume more calories than you burn, you put on weight; and if you burn adequate calories as you consume, you can retain your body weight.

Uncontrolled obesity, physical inactivity, and over consumption of processed carbohydrates, fatty acids and saturated fats are considered to be predisposing factors for a range of cardiovascular diseases.

There are many foods and dietary supplements, some of them even herbal, which are available in the market to boost metabolism. HGH or human growth hormone is also another hormone therapy which can help people lose weight, without having to do any physical exercise. Of course, doctors’ prescription and monitoring is necessary before going for HGH therapy.

P.S. If you're in search of a real, proven system to lose weight, please try the Black Book of Secrets. I've used it with tremendous results. You can read more about it here