Body Bonus Burn, Baby, Burn! The key to a healthy weight and a healthy you

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Body Bonus Burn, Baby, Burn! The key to a healthy weight and a healthy you

lies in your metabolism. Want to eat more without gaining weight and torch

calories doing just about nothing- plus feel better, to boot? Yeah, we

thought so. Luckily, these pages are all you need to get things roaring. By

Rones For most of us, metabolism brings to mind one thing: our weight

and how many calories we can eat without gaining any more of it. It is

that-and much more. Metabolism describes the complex processes that regulate

how our cells use and store energy, " says Zonszein, M.D., head of the

clinical diabetes center at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York.

Imagine your hormones and your brain chatting about your diet. When your

metabolism is running normally, messages get sent back and forth between

your brain and your body that help determine how many calories you need.

When these messages become scrambled, key hormones such as insulin go out of

balance. That's when your metabolism goes into hibernation and appetite

increases-either of which will make your weight go up and your health

suffer. Tap our tips to keep yourself up to speed. The perks of a healthy

metabolism Happy news from your scale Your metabolism raises or lowers your

appetite in response to the number of calories your body needs on a given

day. If your metabolism is working as it should, your weight stays steady.

If it malfunctions, that equation gets thrown off, yielding either a

sluglike calorie burn or a Hungry Man-sized appetite. The result: excess

flab, particularly around your middle, where it affects organs. Blood sugar

that's in balance If your body can't process all the fat, carbs and sugar

from your food-often from overeating- your pancreas pumps out more insulin

to try to help your body store the extra fuel. Over time, you become

insulin-resistant: You need more and more of the hormone to digest your

food. Your pancreas can't cope, and type 2 diabetes develops. A future free

of heart fears When your pancreas can't make enough insulin, the amount of

fat in the bloodstream increases, " bad " LDL cholesterol and glucose go up

and " good " HDL cholesterol goes down, says Yehuda Handelsman, M.D.,

president of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Add in

weight gain and too little exercise and you've upped your risk for a heart

attack. A scary syndrome skirted A combo of three of these- a high waist

circumference, high triglycerides (blood fat that can accumulate in and

around organs), elevated blood sugar levels, low HDL or high blood

pressure-qualifies you as having metabolic syndrome, which increases your

risk for stroke, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, Dr. Zonszein explains.

How hot are you burning? Even if all you do today is sit on the couch, your

body is still using calories-how many is determined by your resting

metabolic rate. Whether your RMR burns high or low " depends on your age,

body composition and gender, " says A. Potteiger, Ph.D., professor of

movement science at Grand Valley State University. Young people burn more

than old people do, men more than women, lean folks more than flabby. But

RMR, which you can rev by building muscle, is responsible for less than 75

percent of your daily burn. The rest is up to you. If you've got an RMR of,

say, 1,000 calories, you could teach your body to torch up to 700 more in a

day. You can discover your RMR with a little easy math. First, convert your

weight into kilograms (divide pounds by 2.2) and your height into

centimeters (multiply inches by 2.54). (10 x weight) + (6.25 x height) - (5

x age) - 161 = calories burned at rest Here's what it would look like for a

30-year-old woman who is 5 foot 4 and weighs 130 pounds: (10 x 59) + (6.25 x

163) - (5 x 30) - 161 = an RMR of 1,298 calories Next, multiply your RMR by

the number below that best represents your activity level. That's it! Now

you know the number of calories you need to consume per day to maintain your

weight. 1.2 for sedentary (barely any or no exercise) 1.375 for lightly

active (easy exercise one to three days a week) 1.550 for moderately active

(moderate exercise three to five days a week) 1.725 for very active (hard

exercise six or seven days a week) 1.9 for extremely active (very hard

exercise and possibly a physical job) RMR x activity level = calories you

can eat per day without putting on pounds Rev your engine Not happy with the

metabolism you've got? These strategies-for mealtime, gym time, downtime and

bedtime-will help you put the pedal to the metal. Pick protein Protein is

the building block of muscle, " says a Anding, R.D., a spokeswoman for

the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic

Association). The more lean muscle you have, the more calories you expend.

Bump up your burn. Your muscles can use only 30 grams of protein at any

time, a study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association notes. Any

more than that gets stored as fat. Aim for a minimum of 46 g of protein per

day. A sample menu: Breakfast 6 ounces lowfat yogurt with 1/2 cup berries

and a medium skim latte (23 g) Lunch Spinach salad with 2 oz chicken and 1/3

cup black beans, served with pita with 2 tbsp hummus (30 g) Dinner Asian

stir-fry with 1/3 cup each tofu, snow peas, red bell peppers, bok choy, bean

sprouts and 3/4 cup brown rice, sprinkled with 2 tbsp slivered almonds (23

g) Soothe your stress It's impossible to live in a worry-free bubble, but

constant anxiety can cause your adrenal gland to pump out too much cortisol.

High levels of the stress hormone change how your metabolism stores fat,

sending flab to the belly, where it affects vital organs (and your bikini

confidence). Bump up your burn. Yoga can reduce stress by signaling to your

brain to lower cortisol levels, according to a review in The Journal of

Alternative and Complementary Medicine. There's evidence that meditation and

tai chi may have the same effect. To find your version of Zen-ercise, sign

up for group-buying sites to get deals on classes. Pick your fave and make

it a regular habit. Be a cardio queen Just one 45-minute high-intensity

workout can help increase your RMR by 37 percent for up to 14 hours

post-exercise, a study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise indicates.

Bump up your burn. A vigorous workout raises your internal temperature,

creates some inflammation and depletes your energy stores, " says C.

Nieman, Ph.D., professor at Appalachian State University. Afterward, it

takes extra energy for your body to bounce back to its normal resting state.

Intervals are great for upping calorie burn during your workout, but to keep

metabolism high hours after you've left the gym, you need to exercise once

or twice a week for 45 minutes at a steady level that makes it difficult to

converse (about a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the hardest you could

go). Relax after the tough workout, and revel as you burn nearly 200 more

calories from your couch. Sculpt lean muscle As you age, you start to lose

some muscle mass, " says Geralyn smith, an exercise physiologist and

national director of the Equinox Fitness Training Institute. Lifting weights

helps you maintain and build on what you have, so your metabolism stays

high. Bump up your burn. Two or three times a week, finish your

calorie-zapping cardio sessions with 15 to 30 minutes of strength training.

Perform 12 to 20 reps of moves that engage as many muscles as possible, such

as squats, planks, lunges and push-ups, " smith says. You'll get higher

muscle activation and calorie burning with this strategy. Devise your own

plan with the self Workout Builder at Workouts.Self.com. Clock your snooze

As few as two sleepless nights can mess with your metabolism- increasing

levels of the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates hunger, and decreasing

levels of the hormone leptin, which tells you to stop munching-a study in

Endocrine Development shows. Research also notes that sleep debt causes

insulin resistance, interfering with how your metabolism processes fat and

leading to weight gain. Bump up your burn. Seven to eight hours of sleep per

night is considered the sweet spot, says D. Simon Jr., M.D., of

Providence St. Medical Center in Walla Walla, Washington. The Up by

Jawbone ($99) can help you track your zzz's. The bracelet uses motion

sensors to monitor movement, calculating your calorie burn and how well you

sleep. Fill up on plants The fiber in produce helps stabilize blood sugar

levels, keeping your metabolism humming. Plus, the antioxidants in fruit and

vegetables help your body get rid of free radicals, says Kantha Shelke,

Ph.D., a spokeswoman for the Institute of Food Technologists. Free radicals

can harm healthy cells- cells your body needs to keep your metabolism going

strong. Unwanted pounds and health complications can result. Bump up your

burn. Aim for 25 g to 30 g of fiber per day. To get the most benefit for

your calories, load up your plate with these 10 foods, which, in addition to

having fiber, Norwegian researchers have found are high scorers when it

comes to antioxidant capacity: walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, dark

chocolate, blackberries, cranberries, boiled artichokes, dried apricots,

curly kale and red cabbage. Torch it The simplest way to keep your

metabolism high...eat! Skipping meals deprives your body of the fuel it

needs to keep your furnace stoked and happy. Metabolism myths Thin people

have fast metabolisms. Myth! The less you weigh, the slower your metabolism,

because it takes fewer calories to maintain your weight. If a speedy

metabolism is what you covet, you'd be better off admiring Olympic skier

Lindsey Vonn's quads of steel than Kate Middleton's slender physique. The

more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, " Nieman says. This fact

also explains why it's crucial for those looking to slim down to pair a diet

plan with exercise. Strength training will keep your metabolism revved as

the pounds drop. I've gained weight. I think it's my thyroid. Myth! Home in

on your habits before you blame hormones. The number of people who are

overweight or obese because of a thyroid problem is minuscule, " says

Dobs, M.D., professor of medicine at s Hopkins University School of

Medicine. True, if your thyroid gland stops making enough of the hormones

triiodothyronine (T³) and thyroxine (T4), your metabolism may slow down and

a small amount of weight gain- 5 to 10 pounds-could result. But this

hypothyroidism is relatively rare and usually accompanied by symptoms such

as constipation and fatigue, Dr. Dobs says. Extra girth is more apt to stem

from an unsurprising mix of genes, diet and lack of physical activity. Blood

tests can tell for sure. If I feel sluggish every afternoon, I must have a

problem with my metabolism. Myth! More likely, your lunch is to blame for

the blahs. A meal heavy on refined carbs such as white bread can increase

levels of the brain chemical serotonin, which may make you drowsy, " Anding

says. You also digest these carb-rich foods quickly, which causes your blood

sugar to spike and then drop-hence the desire to nap under your desk. For

lasting energy, pack a lunch with fiber, whole grains and protein, which

your body takes longer to metabolize. Think PB & pear on whole wheat. Heavy

sweating equals a fast metabolism. Myth! You can't measure the speed of your

metabolism by your puddles of perspiration. There are a number of reasons

why you may have to towel off after a workout: It's hot in the gym, your gym

clothes don't wick sweat, or you bundled up when it wasn't that chilly

outside. But take heart: If you're drenched, you were probably giving your

workout all you've got, which will pay you back in calorie-blasting muscle

mass later. Keep blazing at any age Puberty Metabolism goes up RMR increases

mostly because this is when girls experience a big growth spurt, " says

Ellen Pavone, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at

Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Early 20s Metabolism

begins to dip Starting at about the age of 20, you're looking at a natural

decrease in RMR of roughly 1 to 2 percent per decade, " Nieman says. This

slowdown is mainly because of a decline in lean body mass, which you can

fight by adding strength training to your workouts.

" Let Your Light So Shine before men,

so that they may see your good works and glorify our heavenly father in heaven.

` 5:16 "

~Be Blessed, Sugar