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Geek Tip: Avoid Extra Holiday Pounds With Lose It

GeekSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:50:45 -0800

For me, part of gearing up for the holiday season is the realization that I'm going to overindulge in holiday goodies from time to time. While this time of year isn't the best for trying to shed extra pounds, there's still benefit in watching what I'm eating - even if I allow myself a few "cheat" days here and there. Lose It! is an iPhone app that tracks caloric and nutritional intake as well as calories burned by exercise, giving you a calorie budget for the day.

First, enter your starting weight, your goal weight (if you want to lose, that is), height, and birth date, and the app figures how many calories you need to lose a few pounds or maintain your current weight. Then, enter exactly what you've eaten that day (you can search by meal, favorite foods, previous meals, even brand name foods from supermarkets and restaurants) and any exercise you've done. The app tracks your daily, weekly, and monthly caloric intake, factoring any exercise into the equation.

I'm certainly not shooting for any serious weight loss before January (hello pumpkin pie!), but it will be nice to know how many calories I'm consuming during non"cheat" days.

FitSugar Roundup

FitSugar — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:50:03 -0800

You can go easy on the butter in your mashed potatoes when you use Yukon Gold spuds.
New Moon star Nikki Reed says hiking with her boyfriend is her fitness secret.
How well do you know the calorie counts of Starbucks's holiday drinks?
Worried about falling off the healthy wagon? Here are eight ways to get back on track.
I'm curious to know how many days a week you work out.
Ashlee Simpson-Wentz firmly believes in taco night and baby weights.
If you're starting to strength train, check out this guide to beginning weights for lifting.
Learn just how long you need to exercise in order to burn off a slice of T-day pumpkin pie.
I have some great gift ideas for the healthy cook in your life.
Learn a bit more about the fat-burning zone.

Exercise, Weight Loss, and the Fat Burning Zone

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:50:01 -0800

Much has been made of late about exercise and its relation to weight loss. There was the Time cover story The Myth About Weight Loss and a recent article on the topic in the New York Times, which recommended working out in the fat burning zone.

You see the phrase on all types of cardio machines: the fat burning zone, aka the "weight loss zone," means working out at a lower intensity to burn fat as fuel. But these workouts also burn considerably fewer calories. I was confused about how we should all be spending our cardio time, so I took my questions to exercise physiologist Jason Karp, who also happens to be an avid runner.

When I asked him if we should all be scaling our workouts back and aiming for the fat burning zone, Karp explained that it's not the type of fuel your body is burning, but the overall calories that count. "It doesn't matter if you're using fat or carbohydrates. In order to lose fat from your waistline you don't have to be using fat as fuel during workout," he said. He offered up the example of sprinters; they don't train in the fat burning zone, but they're mighty trim in the torso. Losing weight comes down to math - you want to be in a calorie deficit to shed pounds and body fat. Higher intensity exercise puts you at a higher burn rate. To burn the most calories in a cardio workout, skip past the fat burning zone and work out with more intensity. To really burn up calories, Karp recommends intervals. To learn why, read more.

Essentially, interval workouts give you the most bang for your sweat buck. Karp explains that with "intense exercise you're pushing your body more out of homeostasis," that is, the equilibrium of energy the body prefers to maintain. During the few hours after an interval workout, the body must go through a recovery period, and a lot needs to happen to return to the body to pre-exercise levels. "You've got to drop the heart rate, synthesize glycogen for the muscles, remove lactate from muscle and take it to the liver," says Karp. All these actions require energy, which raises the metabolic rate for many hours after exercising. Thirty minutes of exercise at a low intensity doesn't place nearly as much stress on the body as intervals, so you burn fewer calories both during and after the workout.

Before you hit the track and start running intervals, Karp recommends building a strong cardiovascular fitness base and working with a trainer for guidance. Even if you're not ready for sprints, play with your speed during your next cardio session. Slow and steady might win the race, but intervals will burn more calories.

Source: Flickr User pistoldrawn

Can You Burn Off Those S'mores?

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:30:00 -0700

One thing I love about camping and backpacking is that you stay very active, from pitching tents to building fires to hiking. So I don't have to feel guilty about enjoying a few s'mores.

Of course, lounging around the campfire isn't going to burn off those calories, but a few good old-fashioned camping activities will. Take my quiz to find out how much you have to work to feel better about those choco-marshmallow treats. (All calorie calculations are based on a 130-pound woman.)

Take the quiz

Back to Basics: How The Body Burns Calories

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 09:30:00 -0700

This may seem like sixth grade science class all over again but if you are trying to lose calories, then you should know the basics of how your body burns them. Here are the three primary functions the body uses for burning calories from RealBuzz.com:

Basal metabolic rate. Your BMR accounts for about 60% of your daily calorie burn, and is simply there to keep your body alive, irrespective of your activity levels.
Activity and exercise. The fuel that you require for your daily activities – from every small movements through to harder exercise – accounts for the next 30% of your calorie expenditure.
Thermogenesis. Every time you eat, digest, absorb and utilize food, heat is generated – which is referred to as the ‘thermogenic effect’. This meal-induced heat production accounts for the remaining 10% of your calorie expenditure.

So it is important to always keep the three primary calorie burning functions in mind when going through our weight loss journey. Especially activity and exercise as this is the one area where most of us are majorly lacking -- Coincidentally it also happens to be the area that we have the most control over.

Source

Spring Into Action and Guess the Calories Burned!

FitSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 04:30:00 -0700

Ah, Spring, I'm so glad you're here. After all those short Winter days, I'm anxious to hop on my bike and enjoy the evening sun. But cycling is just one of many ways to get moving and burn off those lingering cold-weather calories. So take my quiz and see if you know how many calories a 130-pound woman burns doing these springtime activities.

Source

Take the quiz

Are the Kardashians' QuickTrim Diet Products Quackery?

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:50:02 -0800

A very pregnant Kourtney Kardashian is having a hard time accepting her baby weight. Slim sis Kim says that "Kourtney is going crazy. She feels so big right now. She's just ready to have the baby." According to Us Weekly, sisters Kim and Khloe are both dieting with their QuickTrim diet products and expectant mom Kourtney is jealous because she sees how they're both losing weight.

I've got to admit that I'm sick of hearing about the Kardashians, and now they're promoting this diet product and proving that it works. Ever wonder what it is exactly, or if it's even healthy? My gut says it's not, so I decided to check out the website to see what I could dig up. Here's what I found: QuickTrim Fast Cleanse ($30) is a "lemonade flavored drink designed to help rid the body of excess water weight, belly bloating, and intestinal bulk." So are you supposed to drink these magic citrus beverages all day and that's it?

To hear more about QuickTrim and what the ingredients are, read more.

The Fast Cleanse drink I just described is one product made by QuickTrim. It contains many ingredients including pure lemon juice concentrate, chicory root (fiber), and aloe vera gel. Although it's made with natural ingredients, detoxing your body isn't necessary.

QuickTrim makes two other diet supplements, but these are in tablet form: Extreme Burn ($50) and Burn & Cleanse ($60). Extreme Burn claims to burn up to 8,000 extra calories per month. Burn & Cleanse is a 14-day diet system that promises to burn calories all day, and cleanse and detox you all night. They're made with ingredients such as cocoa extract, acai fruit extract, hyssop, false unicorn root, and green tea leaf extract. Sounds like a witch's potion to me. But at least you're instructed to take these tablets between meals, not in place of them.

These pills are supposed to stimulate your metabolism, maintain your blood sugar levels, burn fat and calories, and contain antioxidants to promote a happy mood. Safety-wise, QuickTrim products are not FDA-approved, so I'd skip them completely and save your moolah to buy things you know will help shed pounds, like a gym membership or fresh fruits and veggies. If you're trying to lose weight, don't fall for this quick-fix diet scam. As I've said before, the safest and most effective way to slim down is with a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Tips For Cleaning the Yard Without Breaking Your Back

FitSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:30:53 -0800

The cool temps of Fall mean yard work for me. How about you? There are piles of fallen leaves to rake, and I also like to plant colorful flowers to brighten up the upcoming rainy Winter.

I'm sure many of you are knee-deep in yard work as well, and while it's a great way to burn some calories, you want to do it safely so you don't end up injuring your bod. Here are some tips.

Purchase a lightweight rake made out of plastic instead of metal. The plastic glides more easily on the grass compared to the metal, making less effort needed on your part.
When raking, keep your core stable and upright, and use your arms to pull the leaves toward you instead of hunching over. It'll tone your upper body and prevent pain in your back and neck.
If you have woods on your property, rake leaves into small piles that you carry away on a tarp. Don't try to pull too much at once, as that's a good way to strain a muscle. If you have to bag your leaves, bend your knees out to the sides and squat down to pick up piles instead of bending at your waist. This will work your booty and also prevent lower back pain.
If you have heavy things like tree stumps and rocks to clear off your lawn, use a wheelbarrow instead of carrying them yourself.
Bring a bottle of water outside and drink often. Even though you may not be at your gym, it's still a good workout.
Take breaks often. No need to do all three hours of lawn work at once. Do 20 minutes and then stretch for five. Also know when to call it a day. You can always do more yard work tomorrow.

How Many Calories Do You Burn in 1 Hour of Snowboarding?

FitSugar — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 08:30:00 -0800

Depending on what kind of snowboarder you are, will determine whether or not it's a work out or just a day out.

Maybe you're just learning and spending more time on your butt than on your feet.
Maybe you've been out lots of times and you're practicing stopping and turning.
Or maybe you've been snowboarding for practically your whole life and you're working on your tricks.

Whatever level you're at, you're still working your butt off. How many calories do you think you burn in 1 hour?

David Kirsch's Boot Camp Circuit Workout

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:30:34 -0800

We are headed straight for the ultimate day of American indulgence, Thanksgiving, which if followed by a month of festivities closing out the year. New York based trainer David Kirsch created a workout to help FitSugar readers stay on track this holiday season. He's helped Heidi Klum bounce back post baby, so he can definitely help us all tone up. David's circuit boot camp is intense, fun, and sure to burn calories. Here's how to follow the workout.

Instructions: Work through the entire circuit doing 15 to 20 reps of each exercise. Then repeat entire circuit twice more for a total of three sets. Your goal is to complete three full sets in 45 minutes. Props needed: a set of three- to five-pound dumbbells, a four- to six-pound medicine ball, and an exercise ball to fit your height.

Click here for the PDF of the workout, then print it.
Source: WireImage

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