Why Weight Training

Why does Time for Change Fitness promote resistance training?

Many people focus on calories alone. The slash and dash mentality develops destructive patterns, like extreme calorie cuts and/or excessive aerobics. This sets off an alarm-state in the body where the body sheds muscle tissue to lessen energy demands, and stores body fat as a survival response. Once this physiological state is reached, it becomes nearly impossible to lose any more weight no matter how many calories you cut or how much aerobic work you add. What you end up with is a person who is on a starvation level calorie count and performing excessive exercise, yet is still flabby.

The calories burned during an exercise session are relatively small compared to the amount burned during the other 23 hours of the day. Most fat oxidation occurs between training sessions, not during. This means your exercise sessions should primarily be geared towards building muscle and boosting your metabolism.

After a strength training session, the metabolic rate raises (the after-burn effect) for longer periods of time than after aerobic work (up to 48 hours). This is because all of the steps involved in the recovery process from strength training (satellite cell activation, tissue repair, protein synthesis, etc.) require energy (calories).

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

CHAI (Spiced Tea)

CHAI (Spiced Tea)

Makes 2 cups

2 cups water
1/4 cup whole milk
1 to 2 teaspoons black tea
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
2 pods cardamom, crushed
Pinch of black pepper
3 to 4 (1/2-inch-long) pieces fresh or dried lemongrass
Sugar, to taste (optional)

Bring the water, milk, tea, and spices (except the sugar) to a boil, and boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and steep the tea for 2 to 3 minutes. Strain and sweeten with sugar if you wish.

Per cup: 38 calories; 1 gram fat; 1 pram protein; 6 grams carbohydrate

For quick and easy chai: Instead of the spices in the recipe above, substitute the spices from one bag of Bengal Spice Celestial tea. Or you can buy pre-made chai from Yogi Teas or Oregon Chai. Add 2 ounces of almond, soy, rice, or whole milk, and drink warm or cool for a wonderful finish to any meal.It's warm and sweet, contains digestive spices, and can be satisfying as a dessert. Many people find that it helps them cut down their caffeine intake, and is a nice treat before bed if it is decaffeinated.

As a rule of thumb, people who are very active, overly competitive (like me, for example), and people who lose weight easily should intake mostly decaf beverages and can use whole milk and a bit more sweetener. Those with slower metabolisms, gain weight easily, and are sluggish by nature should use almond or soy milk and more of the heating, pungent spices, such as cloves, cinnamon, and all spice. Also, this goes for everybody, don't be afraid to use honey, true maple syrup, brown sugar, and other unrefined sugars to sweeten your food and beverages!
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