One Big Health Nut

Genetics do determine your metabolism.  But genetics do not condemn you to a slow metabolism.  There are ways to increase your metabolism.   

1.     Increase your Omega 3 fatty acid intake.  Omega 3 fatty acids help stabilize your blood glucose levels and cholesterol.  Blood sugar or glucose levels provide the energy necessary to exercise.  And exercise is essential to boosting your metabolism.  You can find omega 3 fatty acids in fish.  Try to add this into your diet at least twice a week.  Otherwise, you can find omega 3 in supplement form.     

2.     Perform interval training.  Interval training ‘shocks’ your body, forcing it to burn calories faster.   Interval training involves increasing the intensity of the cardio exercise you are doing for 30 to 90 second intervals.  If you are using the treadmill or stationary bike, increase the speed substantially for 60 seconds every six minutes.  After 60 seconds, reduce the speed to your previous speed.  Repeat for the length of your workout. 

3.     Increase lean muscle mass through resistance training.  Muscle burns fat at a much higher rate than fat, even when at rest.  If you increase the percentage of lean muscle mass on your body, your metabolism will increase.  Muscle burns 50 calories per minute at rest while fat burns only 5! 

4.     Eat small regular meals.  Do not restrict your calorie intake to under 1000 calories per day.  This will slow your metabolism.  Instead eat small meals every 3 to 5 hours.  This forces your body to continuously use and burn the calories being consumed.  Your body will burn the calories more efficiently and will be less likely to store the calories as fat. 

5.     Don’t stress.  Allowing stress to overtake you will slow your body functions, including metabolism.  Chronic or extreme stress can lead to depression which also slows the metabolism.  If you feel stress overwhelming you, schedule a massage or try yoga.

Doctors have raised concerns regarding overprescribing antibiotics.  Concerns expressed over prescribing antibiotics unnecessarily center around creating a resistance.  The fear is that by prescribing antibiotics to patients when it is not absolutely necessary will lead to viruses and bacteria becoming resistant to the antibiotics.  Research has found a similar issue could be true for antibacterial products.   

Antibacterial products contain the ingredient triclosan.  This is the most commonly used ingredient in the war against germs.  Most of the bacteria that are currently in our households are not deadly.  Our bodies have adjusted to their presence.  The current demand for antibacterial products has led to a concern that the constant exposure of bacteria to triclosan will cause the bacteria presently in homes to become resistant.  The new triclosan resistant bacteria could pose a threat to vulnerable populations like the elderly and children.   

The rising concerns of the public due to recent media attention regarding e-coli and salmonella has created a demand for antibacterial goods.  Consumers are purchasing record numbers of antibacterial items. Everything from hand soap to household cleaners has become antibacterial.  The problem is there are literally millions of bacteria present in the home.  The products will not eliminate all bacteria.  It will just cause the bacteria to mutate into new, unfamiliar, and possibly dangerous bacteria.  To be safe, some experts are recommending you stick with your regular products and pass up antibacterial products.

Vitamin C plays a primary role in maintaining good health.  Vitamin C is used by your body for disease prevention as well as for normal body function.  The growth and repair of body tissues, production of the protein collagen, and the production of white blood cells necessary to fight infection all rely on vitamin C.  Vitamin C is also needed to heal wounds.   

The immune boosting properties of vitamin C do more than help prevent illness.  Taking vitamin C after you become ill will help you recover quicker.  Research suggests that vitamin C has restorative capacity.  People suffering with chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, high cholesterol, and even weight issues including obesity may benefit from additional quantities of vitamin C.   Evidence has been found that suggests vitamin C could slow the damage these conditions can cause to the body.  Vitamin C may even help prevent these chronic conditions.  Research is still being conducted to verify this.   

Since vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin, your body doesn’t store it.  You need to constantly replace the vitamin C your body uses.  When you are sick, your body depletes its vitamin C stores quicker.  You will need to inundate your body with significant amounts of vitamin C.  Given the proven benefits and the possible preventive and restorative benefits of vitamin C, you may consider taking additional quantities of the vitamin.  Even if it doesn’t prevent the chronic conditions, the benefits of vitamin C are numerous and worth the extra doses.  

We’ve all been there.  Someone in the house comes down with a cold or, worse, the dreaded stomach virus.  You do not want to be the next victim.  But how do you avoid contracting the stomach virus when you share living quarters?   

Let’s start with the bad news.  You can become infected with the stomach virus up to two days before you start exhibiting symptoms.  This means that by the time the person in your household starts vomiting or complaining of stomach pain/cramps, you may already have contracted the virus.  Of course the incubation period discussed above can be as little as four hours.  So you want to take action as soon as you realize someone in your household is ill. 

Now here is the good news.  You can avoid the stomach flu.  Just follow the instructions below and you may be able to avoid contracting the virus that causes the stomach flu. 

Rule number one:  Wash your hands and wash them frequently.  Studies suggest that if you wash your hands at least five times a day you significantly reduce the chances of becoming ill.   

Rule number two: Keep your hands away from your face.  The majority of illnesses are contracted by touching your hands to your nose, mouth, or eyes.  Avoid touching your face as much as possible.  If you have to touch your face, follow rule number one first and you should still avoid getting sick. 

Rule number three:  Sanitize your living quarters. The virus can live for up to three days on hard surfaces.  Spray Lysol disinfectant on every phone, light switch, door knob, remote control, water faucet/knobs, and toilet flush mechanism in the house.  These are the most commonly touched places in the house.  The person afflicted with the stomach virus may have deposited the virus on any of these surfaces.  If you touch the surfaces, refer to rules one and two. 

Rule number three:  Sanitize your toothbrush.  The toothbrush is in close proximity to all the surfaces the sick person may have touched.  This is especially true if their toothbrush is next to yours.  The virus is airborne and will easily make its way over to your toothbrush.  Soak your toothbrush in alcohol and rinse thoroughly.   

Rule number four:  Do not use a common towel.  If the towel is damp, the virus will thrive on it.  Use a fresh towel. 

The amount of fat on your body makes a significant impact on your appearance. Body fat takes up more room inside your body while the same percentage of lean muscle will appear more compact. Increasing the percentage of lean muscle may increase your number on the scale since muscle weighs more than fat. But the equivalent percentage of fat will give you the appearance of being heavier and larger, even if the scale indicates you weigh less.

The percentage of body fat you should have on your body will vary by gender, height, and weight.

Women
Height 5’0” ideal weight 100-113lbs

Height 5’3” ideal weight 112-126lbs

Height 5’6” ideal weight 125-140lbs

Height 5’9” ideal weight 131-146lbs

Men
Height 5’5” ideal weight 132-148lbs

Height 5’8” ideal weight 147-162lbs

Height 5’11” ideal weight 161-177lbs

Height 6’2” ideal weight 175-193lbs

The percentage of body fat is usually measured based on the Body Mass Index. The Body Mass Index of an individual is determined by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. The healthy Body fat percentage for women should be between 16-25%. The body fat percentage for men should range from 13-16%. The lower the percentage of body fat, the leaner and more muscular your physique will appear.