Tag Archives: lose weight

Exercise and Appetite

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Do you sometimes wish there were more hours in the day? Writing blog posts can place large demands on time, particularly if you have more than one blog. I happen to enjoy writing them, but recognize that there are other important activities I need to perform if my business is to thrive – or even survive!

So today I decided to repost an article I just wrote for another of my blogs.  Although some of it is addressed to long distance runners, I believe the post may be of general interest.  Let me know if you agree!

 

Do you feel hungry after a workout?

Most people don’t.

Immediately after a workout, whether it be a long run, a speed training workout or a strength training workout, most people find they have no appetite for a while. About 30-45 minutes later, depending on the workout, the appetite returns.

These days, I alternate running with strength training. I have found that as I grow older my running gets slower and my need for strength training increases. Yesterday, I ran a short pace run and today I did a back and biceps workout.

After my workout today (which took just over ten minutes before breakfast) I was not hungry, but about 15 minutes later I was ready for breakfast. Following a strength workout, it’s important to take some protein within about 30 minutes, so I had a protein shake. It tasted great, and made the perfect prelude to a breakfast burrito!

Burrito(My wife is out of town at present, but she made me some sausage and egg burritos and left them in the freezer. One of those after a protein shake makes for a quick post-workout breakfast.)

Exercise May Affect Food Motivation

Science Daily carried a report this month entitled “Exercise May Affect Food Motivation”, detailing the results of studies carried out at BYU. The studies report that 45 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise in the morning actually reduces a person’s appetite for food. This is great news for anyone who is trying to lose weight: you get the triple benefit of

  1. consuming calories while you exercise, 
  2. raising your resting metabolic rate and 
  3. desiring less food!

How Long Does It Last? 

According to one of the researchers:

…this is one of the first studies to look specifically at neurologically-determined food motivation in response to exercise and that researchers still need to determine how long the diminished food motivation lasts after exercise and to what extent it persists with consistent, long-term exercise.

My own experience tells me that the diminished food motivation does persist with consistent long-term exercise. I know that, when running, dragging extra weight around gives a motivation to consume less junk food and focus more on energy-producing food. And strength training builds muscle and makes me more conscious of what I eat: my body demands protein to rebuild muscle fibers.

What has been your experience with exercise and food? Do you find your food cravings reduced after exercise? If not, have you thought about varying your exercise program to see if that helps?

As a serious runner, you may find that you have no need to lose weight. In that case, I would suggest that you might need to add muscle mass through strength training: I found my upper body, especially, was wasting away during my half marathon training. Contrary to what many think, a weak upper body actually hinders long distance running.

For best training results, make sure you are using a structured, varied running and cross-training program, such as that given in my eBook “Your Half Training Schedule”, and aim for 3 days a week of strength training, such as the program I use. My experience with strength training programs in the past has been that if they take too much time I abandon them. This is why I now follow the 7 Minute Workout Program – check it out!

New Year’s Resolutions

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What are the most popular New Year’s Resolutions?

I don’t know about you, but I found my e-mail inbox filled this past week with Christmas wishes. I imagine in the next few days it will start filling up again with recommendations for New Year’s Resolutions, so I thought I would get a jump on them! And, as you know, most New Year’s Resolutions are forgotten by February because nobody thinks about how they’re going to achieve them!

With this in mind, I built a list of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions along with providing you with ideas to meet them. Here they are, in no particular order:

Have More Money/Get Out of Debt

I have heard it said that right now people continue to spend money they don’t have on things they don’t need while they wait for the economy to turn around. If this describes you, take comfort that you’re not alone! But how would it be if you could have an extra $200-$400 per month take-home money?

If you’re working now and paid on a W-2 in the U.S., this link will show you how to add $200-$400 per month to your take home pay in money you are now spending on taxes! If you’re not working at present, or not in the U.S., you may still be able to benefit from this suggestion.

If you are looking for a home-based business, here is one that, for very little outlay can build you a substantial income. Take a look at this link.

If you already have a home-based business, is it doing everything you expected? If not – check this link to see a way you can earn more money by leveraging the time you spend.

Lose Weight/Get fit/Quit Smoking

After we have overindulged on Holiday food, many of us are conscious of dragging around more pounds of fat than we would like to! I have found, though, that just setting a goal to lose weight, shed fat or gain muscle doesn’t really work for very long. To lose weight and get fit, why not train for a half marathon?

Before you laugh, let me explain the logic. If you can walk for 30 minutes, or can get yourself to the stage when you can, you will be able to “do