What the heck is EPOC?

     EPOC stands for Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption and is the scientific term for the afterburn effect of prolonged, intense exercise. When you work out for a long period of time, the muscles begin to burn and you feel out of breath. Why? The muscles fill up with lactic acid (the burning feeling) and the body's oxygen stores become depleted. 

     When the body is trying to replenish the oxygen that is used during exercise it helps to burn calories long after the workout has ended. High intensity training sessions like boot camp classes forces the body to work harder to build it's oxygen stores back up and can take up to 16 to 24 hours post-workout.

     What is the result? When you do more intense workouts as opposed to steady state endurance exercise it may burn the same calories but working at a harder intensity takes more time to replenish the oxygen stores. This means your metabolism works harder and longer? Good thing for weight loss!

Do you have at least 5 minutes a day?

A study published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology has shown that even running for as little as 5 minutes a day can significantly lower a person's risk of dying prematurely. I don't know about you but 5 minutes a day seem pretty easy to accomplish and your heart will thank you for it. The heart needs to be exercised just like our biceps, triceps, quads and glutes if we want to maintain strong bodies.

If you don't want to run then try setting your timer for 5 minutes and go through a series of calisthenics like jumping jacks, running in place, jump roping or whatever floats your boat. Even if you don't belong to a gym, can't run 3 miles or just think you don't have the time, try the 5 minute workout and you might be surprised by the results. It might just add years to your life!

Taking enough time off from the workouts?

If you have been keeping with your New Year's Resolutions and hitting the gym every day, just remember that the body needs time to recover from intense workouts. To avoid burnout take at least one rest day a week. An easy walk will still burn calories but will give the muscles a much needed rest. If you are strength training you need to rest 48 hours in between workouts, unless you alternate upper and lower body days.

Great work if you are keeping up with your resolutions. With spring here you can enjoy the benefits of showing off those shapely legs and arms you have worked so hard to get. It's never to late to start a workout program. At any age a strength training program can benefit the bones and make the activities of daily living that much easier.

Is losing weight your New Year's Resolution?

The bottom line is more calories need to be expended than taken in if you want to see the scale move. If you do a lot of high intensity cardio workouts and the scale isn't budging, it may be than you are hungrier after working out and do not realize you are taking in more calories. One way to combat this it to take more steps throughout the day. Squeezing in a vigorous walk on your lunch break is a good way to burn some extra calories. Doing a few push ups or burpees in your office will boost your metabolism and work off those donuts you ate at the morning office break meeting.

It is also easy to over estimate the calories we burn during our hard cardio routines. When you are really sweating and huffing and puffing you might think you burned a lot of calories and you probably did. But then your appetite increases and you eat more than you might normally eat.

Working out before breakfast will burn 20% more fat is you don't have any reserves of carbohydrates on board, according to a British study. Of course if you are starving when you wake up try eating a little bit of protein instead of carbs before you work out.

It's not easy to get the balance between losing weight and feeling satisfied with what you eat. Diets don't really work cause who can do that indefinitely? Eating in moderation is much more sensible but if you do overdo it one day, don't beat yourself up about it. You may have had an extra stressful day or had some upsetting news. We are all human and the beauty is you can start again the next day with your resolutions. Every day is a new one!

Want to get ahead at work? Get more sleep!

Did you know that sleeping less than five hours a night can likely be a cause of weight gain? When we are tired our willpower suffers and it is harder to resist the vending machines at work. Sleep is important for so many reasons and just as vital as nutritious eating and exercise.

When one sleeps six to nine hours a night your concentration and productivity is improved and you feel more ready to meet the demands of a boss or your children.  Toddlers have infinite energy but even they usually succumb to an afternoon nap to recharge their batteries. Try doing the same thing, you will feel refreshed by a cat nap even if you want to do a million tasks while they sleep.

Good sleep can also improve athletic performance and the immune system. If you run races and get nervous the night before the big race try to get a good nights sleep two nights before the race. Then if you toss and turn you have still gotten some rest that can carry over.

Other benefits of good sleep are a reduction of the risk of heart attack and stroke. Poor sleep quality has also been linked to depression. Try to go to bed at the same time every night, even if you have a tendency to burn the midnight oil. To get the best sleep keep all electronics out of the bedroom and leave the cell phone off or unplugged. 

Sweet dreams!

Ways to boost brain power

There are many ways one can go about boosting brain power. The popular website Lumosity has some fun games to build neurons (or so they say) but if you don't always want to be turning to your computer then try out these ideas. Did you know that setting goals can activate areas of the brain associated with positive thinking? This in turn promotes an improvement in thinking abilities and problem solving skills. Register for that 5K race/walk/marathon or open a bank account to save for that trip you have always wanted to take. 

Asking questions of others is a great way to build brain power. But we must also listen to the answers. How many times are we on the phone and multi tasking at the same time? I'm guilty of that, putting someone on speaker and going about my business. Practicing empathy can also boost brain power. Listening to and understanding the emotions of others is a skill that your brain can learn. The world can use more listening so try to develop the skills to be a good listener and in turn someone may listen to you when you need it.

Yoga stretches to not do!

Do you know that there are certain yoga poses that might possibly cause serious damage to your neck? I used to do the "yoga plow" or shoulder stand until I read that kicking your legs over the top of your head to the floor can cause serious damage especially if you have arthritis or osteoporosis. 

Whipping your neck around in neck circles used to be common in exercise classes, not any more. It is better to turn your head slowly from side to side. You can also look up to the ceiling and then to the floor to safely stretch your neck. When you whip your neck around you can damage your neck and even your tailbone. 

Yoga is great but if you have never tried it before it is good to try out a class. The instructors can help you with proper posture and make sure you are supported when you try out that headstand for the first time. Yoga is great for stretching all the parts of the body. It reminds one to breathe and leave all the worries at the door as the mind and body relax.