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Spring into fitness with a healthy jump start to your metabolism

Get the education you need to make a lifelong change!

March is Nutritional Awareness Month. When I sit down with a new client we go over what I call the big 3. The big three categories of nutrition and lifestyle management that make the changes you need to see results. To some, it is common sense, but to my surprise I am never amazed at how clueless people can be when it comes down to how much they actually know about nutrition. I had a client argue with me in almost every session about nutrition. For example: she felt fried chicken was healthy because it was chicken. It was a never ending battle of our nutrition education debate. Bottom line is what I call the 3 big areas I need my clients to focus on and become aware of. It’s not rocket science, once you have the skills and plans in place, the rest becomes reality.

 

The first category we will discuss is your METABOLISM. This is what I describe as a speeding train engine. It determines whether you take the food you eat and utilize it for energy, or you take the food you eat and store it as fat. It has a set speed. The older we get, the slower it becomes and the more important it is to keep it going strong and steady. Many things we do on a daily basis actually “sabotage” our metabolism, we just don’t realize it. Follow these guidelines to get your metabolism back on track and running as fast as possible. I’ll lay out each category in a different article. Follow these guidelines to get your metabolism out of the ditch and back on track.

 

First of all eat 4 to 6 small “meals” throughout the day. Never skip a meal. Your metabolism is like a train engine. Eating only two meals a day or having inconsistent, and long periods of time between meals, actually forces your metabolism to slow down. You HAVE to get out of the thinking process that “the more I eat, the more I weigh, the less I eat the less I weigh.” WRONG!

 

How do I eat to lose weight you may ask? One calorie unit actually equals one energy unit. We need a certain amount of energy to keep running our bodies. When you skip meals, fail to prepare, or have huge gaps in between energy intakes, you actually program your body to store fat. Your body goes into what is considered starvation mode and although you may drop a pound or two on the scale you are actually only dropping gorgeous lean muscle or water weight. This is also why we say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. When you skip breakfast you literally are “turning your engine on.” When you skip it, you set yourself up for the rest of the day for a slower metabolism. Think about that speeding train engine. If you only fill the tank with coal twice a day with long periods in between, the train must run slower to reserve the fuel. If you constantly throw bits and pieces into the fire-ZOOM, your engine is a speeding train!

 

Top it off by drinking tons of water and limit caffeine and alcohol on a daily basis. These both act as sponges and absorb water. Our bodies need water. It helps the kidneys work 100%. Without the amount of water intake the kidneys cannot function and are forced to turn to the liver to help carry out some of the main functions. The liver helps the speed of the metabolism. By turning to help the kidneys it is forced to slow down the metabolism in order for the body to function.

 

The next two categories of nutrition are coming up and we will keep the discussion going. In the meantime, start a food log and document the time you eat, what you eat, and how calories you are consuming. Studies show that people who do not keep a food log underestimate by a whopping 1000 calories they actually consumed and just did not realize it. This will be our next step: Calorie consumption. Here’s to jump starting your metabolism and springing into fitness! Summer is right around the corner!!!!

For more info: Contact Ensley directly for further information at EnsleyR@yahoo.com