Top Five Foods to Include with your Bicycling Program!

Exercise is overrated! Okay. Anyone who knows me knows I'm kidding.  There is nothing better for you to calm your mind and boost your body's metabolism then a great 20 minute bike ride 3 times a week or a moderate paced walk. Although exercise is the number one way to manage your metabolism and lose weight science has found several foods that can augment your exercise program and help you burn calories.

To aim for better results in your weight management goals here are my 5 top food choices to include in your daily intake.

5. HOT PEPPERS Capasaicin, a chemical found in jalapeno and cayenne peppers, will temporarily stimulate your body to release more stress hormones which is a natural metabolism enhancer. Personally I’ve noticed when I include a few jalapeno peppers with my meals I feel satiated quicker, especially when served warm.

4. LEAN TURKEY - Meats low in fat like turkey and white chicken will rev up your fat-burning engine and boost metabolism increasing your ability to burn fat by building lean muscle tissue.  A 3 ounce serving of skinless light chicken or turkey has a 120 calories and 26 grams protein. There is no doubt eating five small meals a day, which included protein it will stave off hunger.  I am a huge fan of eating eggs for breakfast. They keep me going through my AM workouts and satisfied until lunch.

3. LOW-FAT YOGURT – In a recent study, people on a reduced calorie diet who included three to four servings of dairy foods lost significantly more weight than those who ate a low-dairy diet containing the same amount of calories. Low fat yogurt is a fabulous source of calcium, providing about 450 mg or half the recommended daily allowance for women ages 19 to 50) per 8 ounce serving and 12 grams of protein.

2. GRAPEFRUIT - Remember the grapefruit diet? It was real! Researchers found that women who ate half a grapefruit with each meal in a 12-week period lost an average of 3.6 pounds. The chemical properties in this vitamin c-packed citrus fruit, reduces insulin levels, which promotes weight loss and boosts metabolism. My 21-year-old daughter is a huge fan of eating ½ a pink grapefruit before every meal.

1. APPLES AND PEARS - Overweight women who ate the equivalent of three small apples or pears a day lost more weight on a low calorie diet than women who didn't add fruit to their diet. Fruit eaters also ate fewer calories overall. It is a great way to satisfy a sugar craving. It’s the fiber in apples that expand in your belly and makes you feel full longer plus they’re low sodium. Pear fiber also helps prevent cancerous growths in the colon plus it’s rich in heart-healthy potassium!

Of course it goes without saying that water is the key to life and weight loss. A new study indicated that drinking water actually speeds up weight loss and is one of the best ways to increase metabolism. Researchers in Germany found that subjects increased their metabolic rates by 30 percent after drinking 16 ounces of water. Water is also a natural appetite suppressant that calms bloat as it flushes your system of toxins. Another great liquid for boosting metabolism is GREEN TEA. So drink up!

Bike to a New Resolution!

Last year Time Magazine named losing weight and getting in shape as the most commonly named New Years Resolutions and also the one most frequently broken. Why? Well, it seems that your good intentions to get out and exercise are not enough.  Most people view lack of exercise as a motivational problem but that is not necessarily the case. Instead it is a strong lack of countermotivation NOT to exercise that could be your stumbling block. Countermotivations include wanting to spend more time with friends or family; getting work done; and/or avoiding the anticipated pain, fatigue, injury or embarrassment of not succeeding. For those of you reading this and thinking,…”yep that’s me,” I encourage you to get out that old bicycle of yours polish up the frame, pump up the tires and get riding.

Make Bicycling a Friend and Family Affair

The beauty of biking to exercise your new years resolution is that it responds to any of the potential countermotivations that might be standing in your way.  Bicycling is one of the easiest ways to exercise because you can ride a bicycle almost anywhere, at any time of the year. Most of us learned to ride our bikes when we were young so it a common activity that you can participate in with your friends and family.  And with all of the new bike trailer attachments for toddlers everyone in the family can take part in ride.  Plus with more than 12 million children and adolescents in the U.S. considered obese a daily bike ride could easily mitigate this disturbing trend. 

Biking and Your Health

Further cycling is one of the more gentle physical activities you can participate in. It’s easy on your joints and lower body. Bicycling is one of the best overall ways to get exercise because it provides endurance and aerobic training. Bicycling improves your cardio-vascular fitness, burns approximately 300 calories per hour, improves heart health – cycling just 20 miles a week can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 50%, it improves coordination arm to leg, feet to hands, body to eye and reduces stress.

Your New Years Commitment

Making the commitment to ride your bike and follow through on your 2012 health and fitness goals will take setting realistic expectations for yourself. Ask yourself these two questions: “In your ideal world, how much time would you dedicate to riding your bike in a week?” Then ask yourself, “How much time do you think you will have for riding your bike this week?”  The ability to contrast your ideal world with your real world will allow you to recognize any potential conflicts and allow you to set a realistic cycling plan you can stick to.

BE A Proactive Pessimist

Recognizing your potential obstacles and creating a plan of action to overcome them is called proactive pessimism. In a recent study 256 women who were interested in becoming more active were put to the test. Half the women were told very little about healthy lifestyle the other half were asked to journal daily about the following questions:

1.     What is your most important exercise goal?

2.     What would be the most positive outcomes of meeting this goal?

3.     What is the biggest obstacle to this goal?

Then they answered these three questions about the obstacle:

a.     When and where is the obstacle most likely to occur?

b.     What can I do to prevent the obstacle from occurring?

c.      What specific thing will I do to help get back to my exercise goal when this obstacle happens?

Completing this exercise doubled the average amount of time participants spent exercising each week from 46 minutes to 103 minutes. The change started the very first week and lasted all the way through the 4-month follow up.

Finally, challenge yourself with a bit of healthy guilt. Research shows that anticipating how much you’ll regret skipping a workout can motivate you above and beyond imagining your positive outcomes. Ask yourself, “How will I feel tomorrow about the decision I made today?”

Find your Sticktuitiveness

When it comes to New Years Resolutions 2012 honor your motivation, be open to your motivation as well as your countermotivations. Setting realistic goals for yourself allows you the best chance of sticking to them and achieving success.

See you on the bike path!

Xoxo

Kerri