Miche Hoffer - MichRoFIT Circuit Training Boot Camp

How to burn the most calories.

The most common question I get is: "What is the easiest way to lose weight?". Well, the first thing you have to realize is how you gained the weight in the first place. As you get older your metabolism slows down, but most of that is because we lose muscle mass and we exercise less. Here is some good points from an article in Epigee:

If you are worried about your metabolism slowing down, don't be. Experts agree there are several things you can do on a daily basis to increase your metabolism, such as:

• Eat Breakfast: It is important to eat breakfast in the morning to kickstart your metabolism. Since you have gone the entire night without eating, your body needs the energy from food to help you carry out your daily activities. And if you're tempted to skip a meal in order to to do some quick weight loss, don't! Your metabolism will slow down if you skip this meal. Experts also advise eating small meals every couple of hours to help increase metabolism.
• Get Active: Your body needs to exercise at least 30 to 60 minutes a day at least three times a week, if not every day. But you don't have to do all your exercise at once; you can break it up into manageable portions with a 20 minute walk in the morning, a half-hour bike ride in the early afternoon or an hour-long aerobic workout at the gym after work.
• Build Muscle: Since muscle burns more fat and increases metabolism, it wouldn't hurt to incorporate weight training into your fitness routine. You should lift weights two to three times a week since your muscles need 48 hours to recover between sessions. If you have questions about the forms and techniques of weight lifting, you should consult a personal trainer or fitness consultant rather than risk personal injury.
• Drink Plenty of Water: Your body needs plenty of water to perform it�s various functions. Plus water will help flush toxins out to keep you healthy.
• Get Enough Protein: The American Dietetic Association notes that the protein from nuts, tuna and cheese takes longer to digest, burns more calories and therefore increases your metabolism. Protein should make up 10% to 35% of your daily caloric intake.
• Get a Good Night's Rest: Women need seven to eight hours of sleep a night for the body to recuperate, for muscles to be regenerated and to feel rested enough to tackle the next hectic day! Research has shown that those who don't get enough sleep are likely to gain weight.. So get yourself a bedtime routine and be sure to catch your eight hours of sleep every night.
• Avoid Alcohol: Studies have shown that people who drink alcohol before meals will consume more calories. After the body burns the alcohol, all the other calories of the meal are stored as fat. So try to limit or even cut-out alcohol altogether from your diet.
• Try to Limit Stress: Stress can cause weight gain due to the release of hormones like cortisol that slows down metabolism. If you're feeling stressed, take 15 minutes for yourself during the day to doing something that relaxes you, like listening to music, stretching or writing in a journal

FOOD, too many calories in and not enough calories out. First and foremost you have to change your eating habits. I know that it's easier said than done, but it's the easiest way to lose weight. However, you can only cut so many calories before your body goes into survival mode. This means that your body will store any food it consumes instead of efficiently using it to do your every day work. Exercising helps to burn calories, and build muscles that will burn more calories than fat. For those of you who are interested in burning excess calories, running is the exercise that burns the most calories.

Here is a list of the the exercises that burns the most calories per hour: http://www.livestrong.com/article/18777-cardio-workout-burns-calories/.

What I say is: "just move around during the day, if you can". If you have one of those jobs that keep you in front of a computer all day, join a running group or a class. MichRofit has some great circuit training classes that is sure to help you burn some unwanted calories. Come join us!

MovNat - Erwan Le Corre - Barefoot Running

Minimalist running, my experience.

The new trend, minimalist running, has been spreading like fire. For you who haven't heard about this before, it's running barefoot or with minimal support. The thought behind the minimalist running is that you are somewhat forced to run more on your forefoot rather than with a heel strike. This will in turn help with a better cushioned stride that protects knees and joints. The less support also helps strengthen your feet (arches).

After seeing this new trend I wanted to find out for myself what it was all about so I got a pair of Vibram FiveFinger shoes. I was told to start running about 10% of what I had been running up until that point. I was very excited to try it out since it reminded me of running barefoot just like I did during my track career. I went out for a short run around the neighborhood. I was surprised to find that it didn't feel so weird after all. I found myself running a bit faster than I normally do, most likely because I did not want to be seen in those funky shoes. After the run I noticed that my achilles tendon was very sore. After all the years of wearing shoes with a built up heels, my achilles tendon had shortened, and now they had finally been used the way they were meant to be used.

After using the shoes for a while I did get more comfortable, but my calves were still getting sore. I guess it takes a while to get used to the lengthening of the calf muscle. My body felt great, and I had less problems with my knee. (I have no cartilage left in my left knee). I know that I had an advantage because of my background as a track athlete, but I think that minimalist running is a step in the right direction. We just have to start really slow, and I mean REALLY slow! You have to let the body get used to its natural position again, and stretch your calves a lot.

I'm currently training for an Iron Man, and I have only used the minimalist running to strengthen rather than as a lifestyle. I do runs up to 3-4 miles, but anything longer than that I use my light trainers. Minimalist running is not for everyone, but I think many problems common running related problems like: knee, feet and back, can be greatly reduced. Please let me know your own stories if you have tried this form of running. Happy running!!