7 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

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Q. Glen, How can I increase my Metabolism?

A. Ready to transform your sweet self into a lean, not-so-mean, fat-burning machine? You may be surprised to find that don’t have to overhaul your lifestyle.

People make the mistake of thinking they have to make drastic changes to lose weight and get in shape, says Lyssie Lakatos, RD, LD, CDN, but the secret is to make small changes and incorporate them into their lives permanently.

"Dropping your caloric intake below 1,000 calories a day on a consistent basis will signal your body that you are in starvation mode, and will slow down your metabolism," warns Lakatos, who with her twin sister, Tammy Lakatos Shames, RD, LD, CDN, is the co-author of "Fire Up Your Metabolism." When the metabolism slows, we store food as fat and gain weight.

Calories do count, but it's also about how efficiently your body burns those calories. Your metabolism plays a big part in regulating your weight, Shames says. Metabolism is the way your body uses up calories from the food you eat and turns them into energy. Metabolic rate is the speed at which you use up those calories. The goal is to get your metabolism into peak operating condition so you will burn the most calories all day long -- even while you sleep.

If you follow these 7 tips to speed up your metabolism, you might never again find yourself facing the next bigger size of cute jeans at your favorite store.

Tip 1 -- Determine your daily caloric needs: To rev up your fat-burning engine, don’t overload your system with too much food, Shames says. Figure out how many calories you need to consume each day to lose weight and keep your metabolism humming. Caloric level is determined by taking into account your age, sex, height, weight, lean body mass and activity level. Here’s a quick formula from Shames to give you an idea of your magic number: Multiply your body weight by 11. For example, a 140-pound woman would need to consume 1,540 calories per day to lose weight. If you’re very active, you can multiply your weight by 12.

Tip 2 -- Divvy up your meals: Kick-start your metabolism and curb your appetite by dividing your meals into five to six small, nutritious meals a day instead of three squares. Eat a 200-400 calorie mini-meal every three to four hours. Your body will expend more energy to digest the food and your metabolic rate will increase, Lakatos says.

Tip 3 -- Just move! Physical activity accounts for 20 to 40 percent of calories burned each day. The American Academy of Family Physicians suggests that a good goal for many people is to work up to exercising four to six times a week for 30 to 60 minutes at a time. If you can’t do that much, do what you can, say the twins. Walk the dog, park the car at the far end of the lot, take the stairs instead of the elevator, clean the house, just do something

Tip 4 -- Pump iron: Muscle is your best friend! Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the pace at which your body burns calories at rest. It accounts for 60 to 70 percent of your daily calorie expenditure and it’s closely linked to the amount of muscle you have. Muscle burns more calories than fat, and the more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn, even while you sleep. Lean muscle needs calories just to exist, so start lifting those weights.

Tip 5 -- Sleep tight: Sleep loss may increase hunger and affect the body’s metabolism, which may make it more difficult to lose weight, according to studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Lancet. People who lose sleep may continue to feel hungry despite adequate food intake because sleep loss has been shown to affect the secretion of cortisol, a hormone that regulates appetite. Make sure you get in your eight hours or more of shut-eye every night.

Tip 6 -- Eat lean protein and good carbs: Your body burns some of its own calories when it digests the food you eat. This is called the thermic effect of foods (TEF) and it’s what makes protein (which has the highest thermic effect of any food) and good carbs metabolism-friendly. Lean protein such as turkey and chicken also builds calorie-burning muscle. Good carbs such as whole grains, legumes, veggies and fruit are also your body’s major fuel source, Shames says. They provide the energy to get you up and moving so you can burn more calories.

Tip 7 -- Drink H2O: Researchers in Germany have found that drinking water may increase the rate at which people burn calories. Metabolic rates among study participants increased by 30 percent after consuming approximately 17 ounces of water. The energy-burning process of metabolism needs water to work effectively. Water also fills you up, curbs your appetite, flushes out your system, and rids the body of bloat. Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses per day -- more if you’re active.

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !

My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."

Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Are You Prepared for a Heart Attack?

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Q.Glen, How Do You Prepared for a Heart Attack?

A. When it comes to a heart attack -- the number one cause of death among Americans -- time is of the essence. Every extra second it takes before you get medical attention brings you closer to buying the farm. So it's vital to know the warning signs of a heart attack, as well as what to do if it happens to you or someone in your vicinity

Known medically as "myocardial infarction," a heart attack is sometimes caused when plaque clogs one of the arteries that supply the heart with blood. This is called coronary artery disease (CAD) or atherosclerosis.

"Plaque" is made up of deposits of cholesterol, fatty materials, calcium and other substances that accumulate over time.

Sometimes the heart attack is caused when plaque becomes fragile and ruptures, which can in turn cause a blood clot to form. Either way, if the flow of blood to the heart is diminished enough, the lack of oxygen will damage the heart muscle. If severe enough, it will kill the heart muscle -- and you, too.

Heart attacks can occur with little or no obvious symptoms, but often there are noticeable signs, such as:

A sense of uncomfortable chest pressure or fullness that lasts more than a few minutes.

Strong, squeezing pain in the chest that spreads to the shoulders, neck, arms or jaw.

Fainting, lightheadedness, nausea, sweating and shortness of breath.

If you experience any of these signs, don't write it off to indigestion. If there's a phone handy, the first thing you should do is call 911 and ask for help. Be sure to stay on the line until the dispatcher has all the information he or she needs to get you help. If for some reason a phone is not handy, you need to get to an emergency room as soon as possible. Have someone else drive you. Don't try to drive yourself unless there’s absolutely no other alternative.

If the person experiencing symptoms is someone other than yourself, take the following steps:

Call 911.

Make the person comfortable by loosening tight clothing.

Help him or her into whatever position they find least painful.

Give him or her an aspirin if it’s available. Aspirin thins the blood and reduces inflammation.

If the victim goes into cardiac arrest (the heart stops), you should administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). CPR isn’t intended to restart the heart. Rather, it artificially keeps blood flow and respiration going until technical medical techniques to get the heart going such as defibrillation and advanced life support can be brought to bear. It’s a good idea to learn CPR by taking a course, but let’s go over the procedure so you have some idea of what to expect. If you call 911 on someone else’s behalf and you don’t already know CPR, the dispatcher may give you instructions over the phone.

You first need to assess the situation to make sure it’s safe to approach the victim. For instance, if the person was exposed to a dangerous jolt of electricity from a downed power line, you must not touch him or her until you’re sure they are no longer in contact with the current.

If you can approach the person, you need to ascertain if they are breathing. Once you’ve determined the person isn’t breathing, or if you aren’t sure, you should commence CPR.

First tilt the person’s head back, pinch their nose closed, place your mouth over theirs and blow air until you see their chest rise. Give two quick breaths in this manner. If the victim still isn’t breathing, start chest compressions. Using both hands, place them between the nipples and push down firmly to a depth of between 1 & ½ and 2 inches. Do this 30 times, faster than one push a second. Alternate between 30 compressions and two breaths until paramedics arrive.

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program.Please consult your physician !

Wishing You Great Health!

Any questions? Ask Glen