Health Tips

Weight Loss Tip:
Never skip breakfast.

By eating a good breakfast (250-400 calories) every morning, you will better control your caloric intake for the rest of the day. High fiber cereals, oatmeal, and cream of wheat (with skim milk)
are good choices. Adding fruit, berries, nuts, or raisins make them tasty and filling!

Question: I want to burn more calories and I want to prevent osteoporosis, but I’m afraid I will “bulk up” if I lift weights. What can I do?

Answer:
Weight lifting (strength training) builds muscle, which not only increases overall body strength, tone, and balance, it helps you burn calories more efficiently than fat and other body tissues. Lifting weights is an effective way to burn calories, because increasing muscle mass helps to increase your metabolic rate. The amount of calories expended depends on the how strenuously you decide to work out. If you were to lift heavy weights four or five times a week, you would see a more defined physique, but most women will not bulk up, because we don’t have enough of the hormone testosterone.
If you add strength training with light weights (3-10 lbs.) to your current workout schedule, you will burn more calories and lose more fat, and your muscles will be better toned and defined, but you will most likely still be “smaller” even if you did add some size to your muscles. Why? Because one pound of muscle takes up less space than one pound of fat (and it looks a lot better!).
The bonus is that when your bones work against resistance, they maintain, and even repair bone mass! So you not only can help prevent bone loss, you can add it back! But the ONLY way to do that is to work against resistance, i.e. weight bearing exercise. Dancing, jogging, or anything you do standing up against gravity goes a long way toward this end, but to achieve the best results, your muscles and bones must push against something resistant (the floor, as in doing pushups, or weights).

MORE MUSCLE = LESS FAT AND BETTER BONES

For more health tips visit the official Jazzercise site at http://www.jazzercise.com

If you have any questions please consult your physician.