Dieting Vs Exercise: What Gets The Needle Moving?

We always tell you that weight-loss cannot be achieved without diet and exercise. But is one more important than the other when it comes to staying in shape? Here’s the latest spill on that…

We recently stumbled upon this New York Times blog that makes a case in favor of dieting. An anthropological research was conducted on a hunter-gatherer type Tanzanian tribe to study the impact of daily physical activity on energy expenditure and the resting metabolic rate. This was then mapped against those of a typical Western male and female.  It was concluded that those leading an extremely active lifestyle showed no significant difference in calorie consumption and metabolism boost as opposed to those that lead a semi-active modern lifestyle.

The conclusions made from this study indicate that no matter how much you workout, you have to keep a check on your diet otherwise you will end up piling on the pounds.  So if all the exercising cannot rev up your BMR as it is supposed to, does this send a disheartening message to all those seeking weight-loss? After all shows like the Biggest Loser is all about working out and building motivation to sweat off the pounds. But these new revelations seem to undercut the positivity of getting fit.

So if exercise alone won’t cut it, should one count on starvation diets to get thin? We say no.  Apart from the actual weight-loss, workouts fill you with all the feel-good hormones and reduce the risk of several chronic and obesity related diseases. It is important to get your share of physical activity every week. However, now that we know better, don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can take the hit with a 500 calorie diet-trap muffin or a 1000-calorie lunch sandwich and just sweat if off. Eating right is important as well as exercising if not more so get knowledgeable about your diet and healthy eating habits.

When you still need more help staying on track, diet pills and appetite suppressants can come to your aid.

Source:

New York Times Blog < http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/dieting-vs-exercise-for-weight-loss/>

Walk Your Way To Weight-Loss

15 million more Americans are walking today according to a recent CDC report. So why are more people waking up to the benefits of a walking workout? It’s a great start towards your weekly 21/2 hours per week physical activity goal. Even when you’re too time crunched or financially strapped to squeeze in a gym session, you can go for the next best thing: walking. Moreover, when the weather’s right, it doesn’t even feel like a workout.

Walking is a great physical activity no matter where you are on the fitness curve. Along with burning calories and toning muscles, it also reduces the risks of chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. But a leisurely walk wont quite cut it so here are some tips on how to get the best weight-loss results from your walk:

Right Fuel: A small snack an hour before the walking workout can fuel you up and keep your blood sugar level from dipping to low. Keep it light with a small fruit, energy bar or a bowl of fat- free yogurt. Make sure to hydrate adequately before your walk. If your last meal was several hours ago, make sure you refuel after the walk with protein-rich muscle building foods like eggs and lean protein.

Right Stretch: The best warm up prior to the walking workout is slow walking for 5-10 minutes. This preps the body for what follows. Stretches should follow after you are done with the walking working. Drop your pace of walking slowly towards the end and don’t stop abruptly.

Right Pace: Experts use the number of strides taken per minute to calculate your speed. If you pay attention, you will be able to estimate how many steps you take per minute. Based on that your speed could vary between:

70 steps per minute               30 minutes per mile: 2 miles/hr

105 steps per minute             20 minutes per mile: 3 miles/hr

140 steps per minute             15 minutes per mile: 4 miles/hr

As long as you achieve the minimum you are on your way to a fast paced workout. Step it up every 2 weeks and aim to walk at a brisk four miles per hour or 15-minute mile to torch some serious calories. If you walk at this pace for 45 minutes, you will have burned an estimated 203 calories *.

Right Time: Anytime you can schedule it in is good. Mornings are the best to kick up your metabolism but it is fine as long as you can fit it into your lifestyle. If your day is too packed for a 45-minute long walking session, break it up. For example, do one 15-minute routine in the morning, one at lunch, and one at night.

Right Twist:  Add some power to your walk with these simple exercise techniques. Do a shirt pull to lengthen your spine and maintain the right form. Cross your arms at the wrist in front of your waist and raise your arms as if to pull your shirt up. Grow taller as you reach up. Then lower your arms, letting your shoulders drop into place. Repeat frequently during your walk. Some walkers add small 3-lb dumbbells to add resistance and build strength in legs and arms.

A great resource for walking workouts is the Big Book Of Walking Workouts published by Prevention Magazine.

Pick up more walking tips from a previous post on the Lichi blog

*Estimated value based on an average 150lb woman.

Sources:

Big Book Of Walking Workouts, Prevention Magazine

www.WebMD.com

Exercising With Disabilities

So we are all watching the Olympics, but we at Lichi are obsessed with the Para-Olympics. These people are AMAZING! These are real athletes doing amazing things, and its so inspiring to us. Good health has no boundaries, and whatever your limitations physically, we all need to do what we can to take care of ourselves.

You’ve heard that everyone should be exercising, but what if you have a disability? It’s hard enough taking care of the basics if you’re in a wheelchair or have other physical disabilities, much less exercise. However, exercise is even more important for people with disabilities. It keeps your body strong, gives you energy, improves stress and can help reduce fatigue. The key is to find the right kind of exercise for your situation.

Gym: There are many exercises and physical fitness procedures that can be adapted by joining any gym. Not everyone can do every kind of exercise but many exercises are suitable for every one.

Dancing: Everybody can dance, even if one has some locomotion issue or is an elderly person. Dancing to good music can stimulate their muscles.

Swimming: Not everybody but many disabled people can easily do swimming with just a little learning and practice. It is a complete exercise and also a healthy activity.

Racing: Racing is one such type of activity where wheelchair users can also take part. If there are various clubs where other users of wheel chair are also registered then such racing can be organized using power wheel chairs or hand rims wheel chairs.

Trips: Recreational trips are also one more good option. If you visit some good location or place with friends or family then you may get a change in your life as well as fresh air and time to relax out of everyday routine.

Some disabilities we are born with, some come with age, some come as a result of trauma, but none are an impediment to good health. While we are on the topic, here is a link to CampoCaro, to support our good friend Carolina Alcalde, who suffered a spinal cord injury during the storm that hit DC a few weeks ago. She never let anything hold her back before, and she certainly won’t now!

Metabolism Boosting Tricks That You Will Enjoy Thoroughly

The same old diet tricks fail you as you age. You might be aware that after you hit your 20s, your metabolism drops at the rate of 2% every year. It doesn’t have to be all downhill from there as long as you keep up a good metabolism boosting routine. With the tips we have, not only will you keep your’s in high gear but enjoy doing it all the way:

Tip #1: Drink an occasional glass of wine with your dinner. Alcohol can raise your metabolism for almost an hour and a half, helping you burn your meal faster. Go easy on the calories in your of alcohol, sticking with a light wine like Chardonnay or Merlot. Studies find that people who drink wine regularly have lower body mass, narrower waists and less abdominal fat than people who do not.

Tip # 2: Dip away on some tahini. This flavorful Mediterranean dip is made from sesame seeds, a rich source of zinc that triggers the production of leptin in your body. Leptin is a double-edged weight-loss sword that improves metabolism and curbs appetite.

Tip#3: Add some garnish to your meal. Not only do they make your food plates pretty but herbs like chives and dill weed can up your metabolism by boosting your thyroid hormones by about 150 percent. There is a flavonoid called kaempferol that does the trick.

Tip#4: Drink 2-3 cups of green tea everyday. Substances found in green tea known as catechins are responsible for triggering weight loss by stimulating the body to burn calories and decrease body fat. Green tea extracts is one of the key weight-loss ingredient in the Lichi Super Fruit supplement.