Keep your Metabolism Stoked with these tips from Texas Fit Chicks

Many of our clients (and me!) are between 30-50...those wonderful years where our metabolism s.l.o.w.s. down. Especially after the age of 35 - then, from what I hear, 40 is also another awesome milestone for the metabolism. There are steps we can take to rev it up and work against the clock! Here are smart tips on keeping it stoked....

Tips On How to Increase Metabolism:

Eat (a good) breakfast. Every. Single. Day. If you don't, your body goes into starvation mode. The heartier the better! Fill up on lean protein and complex carbs to get your day going and rev up the fire burning furnace (aka metabolism). Here's a great example of a power breakfast that will keep you stoked:
Egg White omelet made from one egg and two egg whites: half cup of mixed peppers and onions, plus a half cup of cooked steel-cut oats topped with 2T of flaxseed oil.

Include Protein each time you eat. Aim for about 30 grams of protein—the equivalent of about one cup of low-fat cottage cheese or a four-ounce boneless chicken breast—at each meal. Critical for maintaining lean muscle mass, and we all know that muscle burns more calories than fat, so we all WANT lean muscle!

Enjoy the magic of GREEN tea daily. The brew contains a plant compound called ECGC, which promotes fat burning. In one study, people who consumed the equivalent of three to five cups a day for 12 weeks decreased their body weight by 4.6 percent. Perfect for a mid-afternoon treat with a handful of raw almonds. Also great after dinner with a little melatonin for a good nights' sleep (be sure to use decaf in the evening)! For best effect, let your tea steep for 3 minutes before drinking.

Make it HOT - Capsaicin, the compound that gives chili peppers their mouth-searing quality, can also fire up your metabolism. Eating about one tablespoon of chopped red or green chilies boosts your body's production of heat and the activity of your sympathetic nervous system (responsible for our fight-or-flight response), according to a study published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology. The result: a temporary metabolism spike of about 23 percent.

Don't leave out your multi-vitamin - It's critical for everything to be in sync for your body to be at its best. Super important for us women to get the nutrients we need daily to stay healthy. Low levels of certain vitamins can lead to slower metabolism.

Make the workout count - Nothing gets the metabolism revved like interval training. At Texas Fit Chicks Bootcamp, all of our workouts are created with this in mind. Our chicks enjoy amazing results since our workouts are geared specifically for women.

Don't be scared to lift - So often we hear women say that they don't want to 'bulk' up, so they're scared to lift weights. Lifting is critical to weight loss! You've got to build lean muscle mass to change your body. Lifting also revs up your metabolism and burns calories long after the workout is over!

Eating small meals every 2-3 waking hours will increase your metabolism and reduce fat storage. Make sure that these are healthy meals containing balanced amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fat. This meal plan is created with YOUR metabolism in mind! Stick to the guidelines and turn your body into a fat burning furnace!

Don’t Eat 3 hours before Bed. It has been proven that not eating three hours before bed reduces fat storage throughout the night.

The average Venti sized Frappuccino weighs in at 530 calories. This staggering number equals 2.5 bagels or one third of the recommended daily calories for an average woman. Beverages such as this contain high amounts of sugar should be consumed rarely since the extra calories they contain are readily stored as fat. (Think one a WEEK if you need to indulge).

During your workouts do exercise that incorporate compound movements rather than simple ones. This will not only help in burning more calories, but will also tone more muscle at once! A few good compound movement exercises include: squats, clean and press, dead lifts, bent over rows, and lunges. The workouts in this plan will help you get the most burn in the least amount of time. At Texas Fit Chicks, we make sure that our innovative (and FUN) workouts include both cardio and strength in the perfect balance for women. 

Ditch Soda. Millions of people drink an average of 2 regular soft drinks a day, which is a total of 300 calories. When you add these extra 300 calories up over a year, they result in over 30lbs of weight gain! Say no to soft drinks, and say goodbye to your unwanted pounds!

Fat free foods, when eaten in excess, will still be stored as fat! Fat free cookies and crackers are made up of a whole lot of SUGAR!

Set fitness goals for yourself, write them down and post them where you will see them every day. Your goal may be to lose 5 pounds, to lose 5 inches off your waist. Make sure that you are very specific with your goals, vague goals will get you nowhere. Our trainers will help guide you to your goals and keep you accountable to your fitness program!

Pump some iron! Did you know that 1 lb of muscle burns 30-50 calories per day, while 1 lb of fat only burns about 9 calories per day? The more muscle your body contains the more calories you burn each day. Resistance training has been called the fountain of youth – and it really is! Don’t be scared to lift girls J Lean muscle mass is what we all WANT!

Eat a small meal and wait 20 minutes before deciding if you need more food. This will give your stomach and brain time to communicate. If you have eaten enough food, your brain will alert your body and you will find that you don't desire anything more. If you are still hungry after this period, eat a small amount more and wait another 20 minutes.

Drink a large glass of water before every meal. It may seem like a chore, but drinking a large glass of water before eating is a great way to partially fill you up and prevent you from overeating.

Eating right when you wake up is vital to breaking the fast your body goes into every night. 2- 3 hours after you eat your body shuts down your metabolism and acts as if it needs to store food. In order to communicate with your body that it is healthy, well fed, and not in need of extra fat storage you need to start your day off with a small meal and continue to eat small meals every 2-3 hours.

Eat complex carbohydrates instead of simple sugars for a leaner body. Your body is in constant need of carbohydrates to be converted into glucose and used as fuel. When your body has extra glucose it will be stored as fat for later use. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, legumes, and vegetables, take longer to break down into glucose, and will therefore be less likely to be stored as fat than simple carbohydrates such as table sugar, or fruit sugar.

Make sure that you are exercising in your "Fat Burning Zone" during cardiovascular workouts by checking to see if you can hold conversation without breathlessness. Your body needs oxygen to aide in fat burn, so make sure that you are breathing deeply.

Water is needed for every function of your body, including the burning of fat. Try drinking a big glass of water in the morning, before meals, while exercising, and before bed. Drink up – it’s good for you!

Let's head into middle age and OWN IT - I'm more fit now at 39 than I was at 19. Check this out....

20 years apart. Yes, Age is JUST a number :)

Stay healthy chicks!

~Melody CPT Founder Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp

Serving chicks in Dallas,Houston,Spring,College Station, Temple coming soon to Waco

7 Reasons why you MUST eat slowly

7 reasons why you MUST eat slowly

Everything in our lives is fast - fast cars, fast trains, fast lanes, fast money, fast broadband and of course fast food. There's lunch on the run, dinner in under 30 minutes, 2-minute noodles, take-away to grab and run. Life is rushed and stressful. When we finally grab a moment to eat, we bolt it down as quickly as we can. And multi-tasking whilst eating is the norm - we munch a sandwich at our desk, catch up with the news over dinner or read the paper over coffee and a muffin.

Now there's a new school of thought to re-train yourself to eat slow. Like the Slow Food movement that's supporting a return to traditional cuisine, it's part of the philosophy that food is special and should be enjoyed at leisure to bring out its full satisfaction and flavour. If you eat at a leisurely pace, you'll enjoy your food more, have less problems with your digestion and force yourself to slow down. Your health and attitude to life will lift noticeably!

Eat slowly, eat less, enjoy more

Eating slowly is also one of the most successful techniques to help people lose weight. A recent US study of 30 women showed that eating slowly helped them to reduce food intake by around 275 kilojoules (66 cals) at each meal without any suffering and maximized their food satisfaction scores.

Research shows it takes 15 to 20 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that it's FULL, so this technique prevents you overeating without realizing it. It's simple. Here's how to practice it (it helps to do it by yourself the first time):

1. Sit down to eat and focus on the food in front of you - your goal is to savour each mouthful aiming to ‘extract' the maximum flavour and satisfaction.

2. Eat with a fork and knife, not your fingers.

3. Put the fork and knife down between each bite. Have a pause halfway through the meal and ask yourself: "How full am I now or do I need to eat more?".

4. Take small bites and chew well. Aim to chew each mouthful at least 5 times before you swallow.

5. While you're retraining yourself, don't eat in front of TV or while you read. It becomes ‘mindless eating' and you don't remember what you've eaten.

6. Don't eat while you walk or shop.

7. If you have to eat at your desk at work, clear aside a small spot and have your food there, keeping a distance from your computer or paperwork.

Texas Fit Chicks Success Story! Check out Jamie...

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"A year after having my 3rd child I knew how much weight I’d put on and how unhappy I was, but food was the only thing that could make me feel happy (besides my kids).  Every week I would say, “I’ll start dieting next Monday, what’s one more week.”  And before I knew it my size 18 jeans were getting too tight.   There was no way I was going to buy a size 20 jean so I knew I had to do something serious.  I was devastated and mad, at myself of course for ever letting it get this far out of control. At this point, it was a few weeks before Christmas and I knew I would not be able to have the self-control to not overeat during the holidays so I waited until January.  

On January 2, 2011 I started a food journal and counted calories, as well as began using my gym membership that I had had for a year and a half, but never even stepped into the gym.  I decided not to “diet”, but rather change the way I ate and control my portions.  I was going to the gym about 4 times a week doing around 30 minutes on the elliptical machine and 15 minutes of weight lifting machines.  By April I had lost 51 pounds.  Once summer came around I was bored with the gym and stopped going almost completely and stopped my food journal and calorie counting.  I was very aware of what I ate and did try to eat as well as I had been, but was not near as strict as I should have been.  By December of 2011 I had put 19 pounds back on.  I was furious with myself for undoing all the hard work I had already done, and decided I was changing my lifestyle completely after Christmas.

On January 4, 2012 I started my food journal and gym visits again.  This time I had a workout buddy and it helps tremendously!  On the days I didn’t want to go to the gym she would make me, and on the days she didn’t want to I would make her.  This time I decided to change not just my eating, but my families also.  Instead of making a separate meal for myself I started cooking dinners that I could eat with my family.  I quit buying food that would tempt me.  I was going to the gym between 3 to 5 times a week, always doing 30-40 minutes of cardio and then 15-20 minutes on the weight machines.  By June I had lost 38 pounds, but was getting extremely bored with the gym and wasn’t feeling like I was strong.  I obviously looked better with 38 pounds gone, but I just felt like I needed something more.  Me and my workout buddy started talking about trying a boot camp, but we were nervous about what we thought it would be like going to one with all these fit men and women.  And then we came across an ad for Texas Fit Chicks on Facebook.  We looked into it and decided that we would give it a try.  It appealed to me because it is only for women and that took out the intimidation factor that other boot camps had.  

On June 25, 2012 I went to my first Texas Fit Chicks boot camp, in Wylie.  It was the best workout I’ve ever had in my life.  It was so hard, and I could barely move for the next 2 days but I loved it.  In the 11 weeks I have been with Texas Fit chicks, I have lost another 8 pounds and 5.25 inches.  I am stronger than I have ever been, and I have muscles.  I’ve never had muscles before!  I love our trainer, Sandy.  She is so encouraging and tough on us, but never yells or humiliates us, which was one thing I was nervous about when signing up for a boot camp.  All of her girls have her cell phone number and she is willing to help us at any time, which to me means so much.  Recently she volunteered to come to my house and help me with food and nutrition on her own time, which I totally took her up on that offer.  She is extremely knowledgeable and truly wants to help people.  Sandy is so much more than a trainer; she’s a confidant, friend, and an inspiration.  I feel like Texas Fit Chicks has given me so much more than just a workout.  Having a trainer that is right there telling you that you can do it when you feel like you can’t helps so much.  At the gym, I would stop if I felt like I couldn’t continue, but Sandy gets me going and I don’t stop.  I am now starting my 3rd round of Texas Fit Chicks, and I have no intention of quitting anytime soon!

Over all 20 months since I first decided I was ready to change my life, I have lost a total of 78 pounds.  This summer has been the first time since the summer of 2006 that I have worn shorts, and gone to a pool or beach and actually got in the water and enjoyed myself.  I am still working on the way I see myself.  It has been a very hard journey to realize that I am better and healthier than I was.  I still don’t see myself accurately when I look in a mirror, but if I look at a picture for some reason I do see the way I really look now.   I am so much happier now and much more confident.  I still have work to do to get myself to my ultimate goal, but I know now that I can do anything that I want to do.   And I’m looking forward to getting there and staying there! - Jamie H.

More information on our Wylie Texas Fit Chicks here

Are you ready to get in the best shape of your life and be our next FIT CHICK? You can do it too!!
Start any Monday - have a plan for the holidays and let our trainers get you there!

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