Increase the metabolism with weight training

Everyone who sees me knows what I proponent I am of exercise and weight resistance training. Weight resistance is the quickest way to increase the metabolism and increase lean muscle mass plus it will help tone and tighten the skin. The muscle in our bodies burns many more calories than our fat cells. So the more muscle we have, the more calories our bodies will burn. Also for us, as women, the resistance training is important as we age and help with delaying onset of arthritis and osteoporosis.

Adding in some weight training to your existing exercise routine for 20 minutes, 3-4 days/week can truly make a difference. This can be done at a gym with resistance machines, free weights or resistance bands. If you need a routine to follow at home, I found one that I love: Gilad's Express Workouts are great to help add muscle (not bulk) and strength. There are 15 express workouts each under 10 minutes that you can do whenever you have a few extra minutes to spare. Each workout targets a different area. The 2 DVD set is available online at www.BodiesinmotionwithGilad.com for $29.95 or on Amazon.com for $26.99.

Does Weight Affect Your Overall Health?

We all assume that if we are overweight (BMI = 25-29.9) or obese (BMI= 30+) we will more likely develop health problems. But just how much does it matter? Actually increased body weight does take a toll on the body and the mind. The benefits of weight loss are profound. Here are several examples of how losing just a few pounds can alter your risks. Losing just 5 to 15 percent of your weight can lower your chances for developing heart disease or having a stroke. Weight loss also improves blood pressure, as well as triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Regarding diabetes, a weight gain of 11 to 18 pounds increases the risk for developing type 2 diabetes to twice that of those who maintain a healthy weight.

Recent research shows that a 5 to 7 % weight loss can prevent type 2 diabetes. Research also shows that overweight and obesity are associated with an increased risk for some types of cancer including endometrial, colon, gallbladder, prostrate, kidney, and post-menopausal breast cancers. Also, women who gain more than 20 pounds between age 18 and midlife double their risk of post-menopausal breast cancer, compared to women who do not gain weight. For every 2-pound increase in your weight, the risk for developing arthritis increases by 9 to 13 percent.

Also pre-menopausal women who are overweight can experience irregular menstrual cycles and infertility. Extra pounds can cause complications during pregnancy, too such as increased risk for death in both the baby and the mother and increases the risk of high blood pressure. Women who are obese during pregnancy also are more likely to have gestational diabetes and experience problems with labor and delivery. Moreover, obesity can negatively affect quality of life, earning potential and promotions as well as self-confidence, pride and energy. Did you also know that as we get older and apply for that all important life insurance, your premium is partially determined by your BMI along with your health history and age. The lower your BMI, the lower your premium assuming your health is good.

Why Sleep Is So Important to the Weight Loss Process

Here is an article on why sleep is so important to the weight loss process. Essentially according to the Wayne State University of Medicine, as we become sleep derrived, "hormones that process appetite begin to get disorganized." "There's a decrease in the amount of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone, when a person gets too little sleep. At the same time, ghrelin -- a hormone that stimulates appetite -- increases with a lack of sleep." It is recommended that we get not less than 6 hours of sleep per night and ultimately 7 or 8 to be at our peak. http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100205002

Vacations and weight gain

During their time in our weight loss program, many people will go on a vacation or business trip that will involve much socializing. "Control" of the dietary intake is often lost and it is virtually impossible to follow a defined dietary plan while of of your usual environment. When our patients come back to us after their trip, there is often the lament that controlling weight while on vacation is impossible.

Here are some thoughts: There is no question that part of the fun of any vacation is eating some great foods and perhaps drinking some good wine or the drinks with the whip cream, cherrie on top and an umbrella. Purposefully counting portions, not touching a dessert or alcohol beverage, etc. can actually take away from the fun of the vacation. Can you imagine spending thousands of dollars on a great cruise and NOT going to the midnite buffet? At the Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Centers, Linda and I never expect our patients to not partake of some of these food sources.

Some suggestions: 1-Perhaps provide yourself some "wiggle room" before leaving, meaning that for several weeks before a known, upcoming vacation, purposefully be extra-vigilant on your dietary intake so as to lose more weight than usual, expecting that vacation week will be difficult to lose weight, and odds may even be a weight gain. 2- Choose vacation spots where your food/alcohol are paid for ala carte. The "all inclusive" resorts that provide food and booze in the "all you can eat and drink" mode challenges the very fabric of human nature. 3-Limit your alcohol intake...it is amazing what damage alcohol does to your weight loss efforts. 4-Log onto the business center's internet everyday and read this blog...envision Posner's face saying "when you get back you won't be happy if you step on that scale and see that you gained weight you worked so hard to lose." (laughing...kidding you about this one) 5- "taste" desserts as opposed to eating the entire thing..6-exercise daily...every hotel/resort/crusie ship etc. has a workout facility..no excuses!!!

time for my morning run...hey...anyone interested in a "Serotonin-Plus' run sometime on a weekend? Informal gathering of our patients, staff, friends, etc? can be a walk/run...pick a park in Northern VA or D.C.

More on serotonin

Check this out....Here is another article on the benefits of increased serotonin. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605150908.htm It certainly makes the point for continuing on serotonin well after your weight loss is achieved.

weight loss and marketing scam

I was running around Burke Lake Park yesterday morning (kind of slow...this age thing really sucks...not much fun being passed by young mothers jogging and pushing their strollers with babies in them) and heard on the radio a commercial that made it sound like a study: 'We are recruiting people now who want to lose signifcant weight for a "risk-free" trial of _____." The commercial went on about this miraculous new supplement that produces outstanding weight loss. The tenure of the commercial made it sound as if they were soliciting study participants for a trial of this. In fact, this was nothing more than playing words to make it seem as if this was a study, but in reality, this was nothing more than a scam to get people to call. Once on the phone, I have no doubt that the "operators on duty" would try to extract the credit card from the caller...shipe the product and not ding the credit card for 30 days..hence the "free trial". These companies know full well that many people will not bother to return the bottle of bogus pills and their credit card will be charged.

I have brought this up before but will do so again: anything that sounds too good to be true always is too good to be true, as this relates to claims for "easy" weight loss. To lose weight effectively and for the long term, lifestyle changes are required. There is no such thing as the magic pill . (Except our serotonin products....okay...teasing here...even our great pills are an ADJUNCT to what is really required for long term weight loss)

weight loss...human sabotage?

You are out to dinner with friends enjoying an excellent meal. You have probably had a cocktail, a salad or an appetizer, some of that warm bread and butter, a very tasty steak or seafood dish with some type of potato as a side dish. Great food, great talk, great time. The waiter than comes over with the dessert tray showing incredibly tempting desserts ranging from cheesecake to the double chocolate cake to the apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Everyone at the table smiles, looks at each other, and almost like the critical, time constraint decision making of the teams' general mamagers at the NFL Draft, couples make decisions as to what desserts to "share". Now, if someone at that table expresses the following: "I really do not want anything...I am full.", this is followed by a virtual lambasting from everyone else at the table. "Oh, come on, you can have a little." The collective consensus basically makes us feel like an outcast if we decide to forego more calories. So, we give in and say that we will have a few tastes.

The point here is that when the dessert tray comes, no one at that table truly feels anything approaching the sensation of "hunger". Every person there, ESPECIALLY the overweight ones, know full well that the dessert should not be eaten. But, if everyone around the table is eating it, then eating the dessert is okay, right?. However, if one or more people express the sentiment that because of feeling full, trying to fight weight issues, or for other reasons, they won't order the dessert, the ones who do will feel somewhat deflated and not feel as good about eating the high caloric item. You have taken their fun away and make them a bit self-conscious.

Please do not be one of the saboteurs, meaning do not "push" food on people, especially overweight friends, relatives or coworkers. Also, do not allow yourself to be "bullied" by a saboteur who tries to force food on you. Very nicely, but clearly explain that you are trying to lose weight to be healthier and the person can feel free to do what they would like, but they need to respect your mission.

On the non-weight loss front: 2 stethoscopes up for the new Sandler picture: Don't Mess With The Zohan...very silly, lots of New York humor.

Another issue: Record high temps for the D.C. area....please do your workout indoors.