Hello Fit-NOW Friends!
We had such beautiful weather this weekend! I hope you were able to have a fitness filled weekend outside! Would you agree with me that every second of our day counts? Meaning we can't afford to waste any time or money on unproductive efforts. There are some great mythbusters in the article I found by Jessica Girdwain on the Womansday.com website. Let's make our efforts today count towards our weight loss.
When it comes to losing weight, we all do some pretty wacky things to
burn a few extra calories, like “forgetting” to eat before the gym,
scarfing down celery by the bunch and jogging half naked in the winter
(OK, maybe not the last one.) The bad news? Most of these strategies are
a waste of time and, worse, may even stall weight loss. To help uncover
the truth about burning calories, we’ve turned to diet and fitness pros
to discover which habits to skip—and what you should be doing instead.
1. Celery, cucumbers and iceberg lettuce have negative calories.
The concept goes something like this: some veggies are so low in
calories that they require more energy to digest than they contain. The
result? Eating celery, cucumbers or iceberg lettuce can give you a
“negative calorie balance.” Sounds great in theory, but “the calories
you need for digestion won’t ever exceed the number of calories any type
of food contains,” says Los Angeles-based nutritionist LeeAnn Smith
Weintraub, RD. However, these non-starchy, low-calorie veggies can still
help you lose weight since their fiber and water content will keep you
feeling full for longer. So go ahead and pile them on generously when
you hit the salad bar for lunch. Photo: iStock
2. Doing cardio on an empty stomach burns more total fat for the day.
It sounds like it makes sense: Your body needs energy for a morning run,
so not eating beforehand forces your body to dip into its fat stores
for fuel, allowing you to burn more fat. Exercise physiologist Brad
Schoenfeld, CSCS, author of Women’s Home Workout Bible,
spent years researching the theory, hoping to confirm it as fact.
Instead, he found that while you do burn more calories from fat if you
exercise sans snack, ultimately it doesn’t matter because, as he notes
in the Strength and Conditioning Journal, “if you burn more fat
during a workout, your body physiologically adjusts to burn less fat
post-exercise—and vice versa. So it all evens out.” Sports nutritionist
Cassie Dimmick, RD, adds, to eat or not to eat before a workout is a
personal preference, but "most experts advocate pre-gym noshing because
it provides the fuel you need to exercise longer and harder and
therefore burn more calories.” She recommends opting for a filling,
nutrient-rich snack, such as a piece of fruit, applesauce or a slice of
whole wheat toast with peanut butter. Photo: Martin Mark Soerensen / Thinkstock
3. All calories are created equal.
You’ve heard “a calorie is a calorie,” meaning your body processes them
all the same way regardless of where they come from. But not so fast:
100 calories of chocolate cake are not the same as 100 calories of
carrots. As it turns out, your body burns nearly 50% more calories after
eating a meal packed with whole foods versus an equivalent meal made of
processed fare, according to a 2010 study published in the health
journal Food & Nutrition Research. During manufacturing,
processed foods are broken down and stripped of many nutrients, making
it easier for the body to digest them. On the other hand, whole foods,
such as multigrain bread, apples or zucchini, contain good-for-you
nutrients like fiber that the body has to work overtime to break down,
temporarily boosting metabolism. Plus, “eating smarter calories via
foods packed with filling fiber or satisfying protein, like a chicken
breast instead of potato chips, will help you naturally eat less over
time,” explains Weintraub. Photo: Shutterstock
4. Always work out in the fat burning zone.
The "fat burning zone” has a nice ring to it, right? Using this function
on cardio machines keeps you working out at a slow, steady pace—around
60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate—and this low-intensity form of
exercise is thought to help your body burn a higher percentage of
calories from fat. (So if you burn 100 total calories, 60 of those may
come from fat and 40 from carbohydrates in your body.) The problem? The
total number of calories burned is the only thing that matters—not what
type of calories—and working out at a low intensity ultimately burns
fewer calories since you're not pushing yourself as hard as you should
be. In order to maximize calorie burn (and, ultimately, fat loss) in
less time, do high intensity interval training instead, says Schoenfeld.
To try it, alternate one or two minutes of easy running (or pedaling)
with a quick one-minute burst of speed (you should be breathing heavily
at the end of the interval.) Repeat intervals for a total of 20 minutes,
and do two to three interval workouts per week for the best results.
Bonus: Studies show intense workout sessions stoke metabolism for up to
24 hours after you've left the gym, burning at least 100 extra calories
throughout the day, Schoenfeld says. Photo: Ron Chapple / Thinkstock
5. To lose weight, you should only focus on cardio.
When it comes to dropping pounds, the first thing many of us think about
is sweating it out by running or cycling. However, “strength training
actually has more of an effect on helping you lose weight than cardio,”
says Schoenfeld. Charleene O’Connor, a Florida-based personal trainer,
agrees: “There’s a reason that if you go into a gym, you’ll see lean
people lifting weights,” she says. “Building lean muscle raises your
metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories when you’re doing
anything, whether that’s running or just sitting at your desk.” But that
doesn’t mean that you should abandon your cardio routine. Cardio
workouts keep your heart-health in check and burn lots of calories in
little time, so continue to hit up your favorite Spin class—just keep in
mind that a routine that mixes cardio and one or two strength workouts a
week is the best way to maximize results. Photo: Ron Chapple / Thinkstock
6. Eating six small meals a day boosts your metabolism.
While most of us were raised with the notion that we should eat three
square (read: large) meals a day, many people now believe that it's
better to eat smaller portions more frequently in order to help keep
your metabolism stoked all day. But does grazing on six mini meals
really burn more calories? While conflicting evidence does exist, a 2009
study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found no
differences in weight loss among dieters who ate three or six times a
day (total daily calories was the same for both groups). And, after
reviewing 18 studies on the topic, the International Society of Sports
Nutrition concluded that meal frequency doesn’t boost metabolism or
encourage weight loss. However, researchers did note that eating
frequently may help keep between-meal hunger at bay. Bottom line? Settle
on an eating plan that keeps you satisfied and full so you're less
likely to binge due to hunger. “I find that many of my clients do well
with three regular meals and one or two small snacks,” notes Weintraub. Photo: Shutterstock
7. Working out in cold weather burns more calories.
OK – we'll admit that this one’s half true. Because shivering from cold
temperatures revs up calorie burn, you will torch more as your body
works to heat itself up. However, the difference is negligible at best,
says O’Connor. “Trying to shiver away calories is not a smart—or
effective—strategy,” says Schoenfeld. So when the mercury plummets, be
smart and bundle up—the miniscule bump in calorie burn isn’t worth
increasing your risk of frostbite or hypothermia. Photo: Shutterstock
8. You have to burn 250 calories every time you work out in order to lose weight.
To lose a pound a week, you have to cut 500 calories a day, and some
health experts suggest achieving that by eating 250 fewer calories while
burning 250 more daily. However, losing weight isn’t about what you
burn day-to-day, but rather what you do over the course of a week—or
even a month—allowing you the flexibility to make up for days when your
diet gets derailed. That means if you’re not feeling well one day and
skip a workout, it won’t make a big difference in the long run, says
Schoenfeld. The next day, just stay at the gym 10 minutes longer or try a
higher-intensity yoga class. “As long as you’re burning more calories
in the long term, you’ll lose weight,” he says. Photo: Shutterstock
Until Next time!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!
Have an awesome day!
♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥
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