Fit and Healthy Lifestyle

We all know by now that we need to use or burn more calories then we take in to lose weight and that a calorie is a calorie no matter where it comes from. With that being said however all calories are not created equal or no accurately they are not all used equally by your body.

Different food groups or food types not only have different effects on your body systems but they are also dealt with differently. The belief however that all the protein you eat is turned to muscle and all the fat you consume goes to your hips is a myth. The difference however is this; your body requires less energy to breakdown and store fat, where as it requires must more energy to process protein into a form that can be used by your body. Fat is simply broken down into smaller fat molecules and is also stored in the same form. Protein on the other hand is broken down to small amino acids, that can be used to build, repair or maintain muscle. If they are needed at the time of absorption the amino acids are converted to glucose to be used as energy, again if they are not need they are then converted to fat. It is easy to see that the body uses much more energy to convert protein into usable nutrients whereas fat requires very little.

Simple sugars which are your table sugars, the sugar in pop, and candy bars are absorbed very quickly by your body because they do not require processing to break them down into usable forms. Therefore if they are required for use when they are absorbed they are turned directly into fat that will be stored for later use. Complex Carbohydrates however take a little more effort and time to be broken down into the usable sugar form but again if they are not needed at the time of absorption they will eventually be turned into fat to be stored.

This difference in processing time does offer another advantage. The nutrients that require more time to be broken down to usable components will leave you feeling full and satisfied for a greater period of time, This is one of the reasons why low fat diets that do not recognize healthy fats will leave you feeling hungry all of the time. With a balanced diet of good healthy food you should not feel hungry, well at least your body is not hungry.

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Besides getting a great toned body, what else can you expect from weight training? The list goes on and on but here are my tip 10 favorite perks of picking up a weight.

1. Gain strength. Tired of not being able to carry all your groceries in one load? What about having to ask your significant other to open the pickle jar? The most obvious perk of weight training is increasing strength.

2. Build bone, fight osteoporosis. Strength training has shown to increase bone density, and what you do now affects your future. Build strong bones up today and in 20 years from now you might be the only one of your friends not taking medication for osteoporosis.
3. Increase metabolism. Lean muscle requires more energy than fat, so with each pound of muscle, you will be burning around 50 extra calories per day. And if you are burning more calories then taking in this means weight loss. And if you are not trying to lose weight, it means you will need to take in extra calories to feel the muscle.
4. Beat depression. Research has shown that exercise helps to decrease depression. Not only the chemicals that are released during exercise helps but also the results you see will increase confidence and make you a happier person.
5. Heart health. Being a regular at the gym makes for a healthy heart. Benefits include lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, and resting heart rate. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women. Do what you can to ward off the disease.
6. Healthy habit. Everyone needs a hobby, and this is a great one to take up. Not only does it make you a better person but it’s a heck of a lot better than going bar hopping with friends, or veg out night with the girls. Plus, the gym is a great place to meet people with similar interests.
7. Better posture. From wearing heels, to typing at the computer all day many of us can use some improvement when it comes to posture. When building strength in the back and legs your body will naturally improve and you will look taller and leaner. I no longer hear my mom’s voice telling me to “bring my shoulders back.”
8. Feel sexy. When you look sexy then you feel sexy, its that simple. Strength training will tone and slenderize the body. Keep in mind no cardio workout on its own will give the same results. Want to look good in that new bathing suit. Then stop running and grab some free weights.
9. Burn calories even after the workout. After lifting weights, the muscles are in dire need of recovery. That keeps the metabolism spiked up for several hours after a workout. The same is not true for cardio workouts. So once gain, making it easy for the weight to come off.
10. Decrease risk of injury. Strength training strengthens not just the muscles but the ligaments, tendons and bones. It increases balance and stability and therefore works to decrease your changes of injury. Have back problems? Could be due to week core muscles. Most people agree that weight training (when done properly) helps to decrease existing problems.

The pH diet is an innovative way to interact with food. The diet stresses the need for balance in the diet of alkaline and acid. This balance will help maintain a healthy flow through the bloodstream and keep cellular growth and development working at optimum levels