Evaluating Your Liquid Intake
How many times have you heard that you should drink about 2 litres of water a day? I will bet that you have heard it often. You have probably also heard that soft drink, alcohol and coffee etc. does not count.
It s not that it does not count but the extras that are in these other drinks need more water to flush them out, making your kidneys work even harder.
Have you ever thought of how many servings are in the normal can of Fanta or Coke? One right? Wrong, there are two servings in every can. So when you read the contents per serving, remember to double it.
It is for this reason that water is the recommended drink. It contains less sugar, caffeine and \"other stuff\" than other drinks.
Don't believe those energy-boosting drinks either. They are full of Sugar, caffeine and \"Other Stuff\", designed to give you a quick spike in energy. Too much of them and you are likely to become jittery or have an upset stomach.
Staying Hydrated
Athletes drink water before exercising and small amounts(about 20ml) every 15 minutes or so. to help maintain excessive fluid loss.
A fair means of judging your fluid levels is by your urine.
“People who are optimally hydrated should urinate every one to two hours, and your urine should be pale yellow or clear. Darker colour usually means more concentrated urine, an indication that you should increase your fluid intake.\"
Luigi Gratton, from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)
Let Your METABOLISM Work For You
So many of us blame our \"Slow Metabolism\" for our extra weight. Well, that is simply not the reason.
Firstly, let us understand what metabolism is. Metabolism is simply the chemical process that takes place to allow your bodily functions to sustain life. Processes like extracting energy from your food, breathing and brain function.
We often hear the term \"Metabolic Rate\" which is correctly termed Basal metabolic rate and commonly referred to as resting metabolic rate. This refers to the amount of calories that your body uses, daily, just to sustain life. All your other activities burn additional calories.
What Determines Your Burn Rate
We have already determined that your organs burn energy. There is another big role player - Muscle. How does muscle affect your Metabolism? If your body weight is 70 kgs, of which 23 kgs are Fat, you only have 47 kgs of energy-burning muscle and organs. That 47kgs would burn around 1400 calories per day at rest.
If you weigh 70kgs and only 11kgs are fat then you would have 59kgs of fat-burning tissue that would burn about 1750 calories at rest. So, imagine if you did some exercise. It could help you burn in the region of 2000 calories a day.
To improve your metabolism and thereby your Basal Metabolic Rate you need to build muscle tissue. Your muscle mass works like a furnace, burning calories and stored fat for energy. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism, and the faster you burn calories. Eating plenty of protein daily is essential to maintaining your muscle mass for good health, energy and effective weight management.
Metabolism Truths And Myths
There are some interesting myths about metabolism and here are a few Myths and Truths:
- Myth: Slowing Metabolism With Age
- The Truth Is - It is commonly accepted that our metabolism slows with age. While this tends to be true in most cases, it has nothing to do with age but more with us slowing down and getting less exercise. So, to help maintain your metabolism from slowing as you get older, you need to concentrate on maintaining or increasing your muscle mass and safeguarding against that spare tube around the middle.
- Myth: You Cannot Change Your Metabolism
- The Truth Is - I am sure you know someone that eats what they will and remains almost fat-free or someone that just looks at food and piles on 5 kgs! While you might not notice any significant difference in lifestyle, e.g. neither go to the gym nor have an exercise routine, you will probably find that the person that doesn't gain weight is more active. They probably walk around more at work or do a lot of activity at home or fidget a lot while the other is more sedentary.
- Myth: Eating A Grapefruit With My Meal Will Speed Up My Metabolism
- The Truth Is - Grapefruit is not a remarkable breakthrough food. It is a watery, Low-carb food that takes up space in your stomach that would have been taken up by other higher-calorie food. It may help with weight loss but actually does nothing for your metabolism.
- Myth: Cutting Calories Sows The Metabolic Rate, So What Is The Point Of Exercising?
- The Truth Is - Your metabolic rate may slow down but the decrease is minimal. By building muscle and becoming more active (which people usually do as they lose weight), you can offset this decrease.
Download Week Three PDF HERE
If you have any questions, please contact your Coach here.
Stay Safe - Stay Healthy
WLC Team
