Regular aerobic activity, such as swimming, hiking, walking, and jogging, as well as group exercise classes, such as Zumba, can enhance your quality of life and promote lifelong fitness and good health.
Studies show that people who participate in daily aerobic fitness activities . . .

• decrease their risk of heart disease and chronic illness
• experience lower blood pressure and improved efficiency in the muscles used for breathing and circulation
• maintain a healthy body weight, including lean muscle, by burning fat for energy
• enhance muscle balance, coordination, and agility
• manage stress effectively and recover better from stressful events

Getting Started: Steady Progress Reaps Benefits
A 20 minute stroll after dinner or during your lunch break is a wonderful first step toward improving the health of your heart and lungs and enhancing muscle endurance. As you become comfortable with more movement, begin following The American Heart Association's recommendations for enhancing overall cardiovascular health:

• 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days per week;

OR

• 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity at least 3 days per week.

If you haven't exercised in a while, first consult with your physician.
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Choose an activity you enjoy and you'll be more likely to stick with it. You'll also be more likely to maintain an exercise routine when you work out with a partner or small group. Steady progress provides more benefit than going "all out" and suffering an injury. Be patient. Give yourself several weeks for your body and mind to adjust to your healthy behavior change.

Summer is officially here! Now, think back to January 1st of this year and that New Years resolution to lose weight, get fit and look amazing in your bathing suit. I know that you have worked so hard the past 6 months and it’s now time to show off that 6-pack of abs. If you don’t have that body that you oh so desired, well…there is always next year! Its summer now and you have reached the deadline, but now come the struggles to maintain all that you have worked so hard for. 

You are about to approach the gauntlet of ice cream trucks, fatty meats broiling over an open flame, deep-fried Oreo's and lazy days just soaking up the sun doing absolutely nothing.  You have your beer in one hand, a book in the other, and you don’t plan on moving any time soon. I am here to help you navigate the trials that summer may present to you, so that you can still maintain that body you have worked so hard for.
 
When it comes to staying healthy this summer there are three main areas that can be addressed: Food, Alcohol and Exercise. 
 
FOOD:

When it comes to food, it is easy to overindulge in the wrong kinds. No summer is complete without a barbecue, but when you are invited to a barbecue every weekend, the damage can reveal itself by the end of the summer. So if you have no choice but to attend yet another barbecue, here is how you can manage them a bit better.

At a barbecue you have more control over what you are eating because you can see how it is prepared.

• Some barbecues are BYOM- Bring Your Own Meat.  Here is your chance to opt for lean proteins such as chicken breast, turkey burgers or a homemade veggie burger.
• Make your own BBQ sauce. Chances are you will be adding less sugar and no preservatives than what comes in store bought brands. Or just don’t add any at all. You can gain flavour through other toppings.
• Side dishes are where people get hurt. They are usually heavy; full of nutrient depleted white potatoes, macaroni and smothered in a thick layer of mayo. Opt to bring a healthy side of your own that way you have at least one improved option to choose from. A salad with olive oil and apple cider vinegar dressing, or veggies dipped in hummus rather than ranch dressing
• For dessert, take advantage of the fresh summer fruits as is, you can always have strawberries baked into a pie any other time of the year when they don't taste as flavourful because they are not in season. But there is nothing like fresh, in season berries or plums, maybe topped with coconut whipped cream – My favourite recipe here.

 
ALCOHOL:

A nice barbecue would not be complete without a refreshing alcoholic beverage. However, summer comes with a desire for alcoholic beverages topped with tiny umbrellas and these drinks are loaded with sugary juices. By the time you finish 2 or 3, you’ve got your calorie count for the day. Not a great way to hold onto those 6-pack abs.
 

• Instead, use club soda as your mixer with your alcohol of choice and some lemon and lime
• Or opt for wine, which at least has antioxidants, or a light beer.
• With all that alcohol, plus the heat of the summer sun, dehydration is imminent so remember to always be drinking water.
• If water is too boring try it with different combinations of fruits, vegetables and herbs such as raspberry and basil, or cucumber and mint
• It’s important to get half of your body weight in ounces of water a day. The amount needs to increase if you are sweating a lot, which we all do more of in the summer
  

EXERCISE:

We also sweat more when we are active, which the majority of people tend to be more active in the summer anyways.  But in case you are struggling with exercise, here are some ways that you can incorporate it.

• Start by reinventing happy hour. Instead of doing the patio scene to enjoy the sun after a long workday, grab some friends and do an outdoor workout to enjoy the sun.  There are lots to choose from like hiking, tennis or yoga in the park if you want to wind down after work.
• Make your fitness fun.  So many people hate lifting weights and yet when they are told they have to exercise, going to the gym is the first thing that comes to their mind. If you don’t like biking don’t do a spin class just because you found a deal on Groupon. You are just not going to stick with it if it is too much effort to enjoy it, so find an activity that works for you.
• Take advantage of the fact that it is summer. Don’t do indoor activities that you do all winter. Instead, try kayaking, canoeing or mountain biking as these are only available for a limited time and can add excitement and a sense of “new” to your workout routine.

 
These are just a few ideas on how to address three main factors when it comes to maintaining a fit and healthy lifestyle this summer. Food, alcohol and exercise can still be delicious, refreshing and fun. I encourage you to try some of these tips or maybe you have some of your own. Have a healthy and happy summer!

Bite into a hot pepper, or chilis, and you'll instantly feel the 'flame effect.' But can these fiery fruits actually boost your metabolism and promote weight loss?
 
To a degree, the scientific answer is yes.
 
Chilies get their heat from an oily chemical compound called capsaicin, which is concentrated in the membrane surrounding the seeds of the Capsicum plant. In studies, Capsaicin boosts thermogenesis - the process by which the body turns calories into heat to use for fuel. However, the effect on weight loss is modest, at best. Here's why:
 
Given the pungency of peppers, it's difficult for anyone, even a person with a great tolerance for spicy foods, to eat hot peppers often enough and in a sufficient enough serving to lose weight via the 'chili pepper effect.'
 
Even though we can't eat enough hot peppers to result in weight loss, including chilies in your diet promotes good health in other ways. Chilies are rich in vitamins A, E and K and potassium. Additionally, in scientific studies capsaicin (in capsule form) has been shown to help reduce pain and inflammation, boost immunity, lower the risk for Type 2 Diabetes, and clear congestion associated with colds.
 
Caution:  Biting into a raw or cooked chili pepper creates an intense heat inside the mouth (the flame effect). If that happens to you, drink milk or eat cottage cheese or plain yogurt to tame the heat. Also, if you're not accustomed to eating chilis your throat may swell and your body may react to the peppers and cause you to vomit.
 
The Hottest of the Hot
The Scoville scale measures the heat of chili peppers. The following list shows chilis in the order of their Scoville Heat Units, from high heat to modest heat:

• Habaneros and Scotch bonnets
• Cayenne pepper
• Tabasco pepper
• Thai chili pepper
• Jalapeno and Serrano chili peppers

Hot Tip:  If you can't remember which are the hottest of the hot peppers, look at the thickness of the stem. The thinner the stem, the hotter the pepper (and higher the capsaicin). Red peppers are hotter than green.

It's not unusual to blame your shrink-resistant waistline on a slow metabolism. But that's not usually the culprit keeping you from reaching your ideal weight.
 
What is Metabolism?
Metabolism is your body's method of converting calories, from the food you eat, into energy needed to power all the physiological processes that keep you alive and kicking 24/7. The minimum amount of energy your body needs to keep you going is called Base Metabolic Rate (BMR).
 
Calories in food - protein, fat and carbohydrates - fuel your BMR. Each of us requires a unique daily number of calories to maintain BMR so we can breathe, grow, think, sleep, digest food, and filter waste. Age and lifestyle are significant factors in calculating BMR. If you sit more than you move each day, your BMR is lower and your daily calorie needs are lower, too.
 
Losing or gaining weight is about energy balance (calories taken in - calories burned off). Take in more calories than your body needs for maintaining BMR (or take in more calories than you use for physical activity) and you will gain weight.
 
It's in My Genes!
Your genes (and hormones) play a role in metabolism because they can influence the potential you have to grow muscles (how dense and how big) and how your body stores fat. However, genetic and hormonal mechanisms in metabolism are extremely complex. There are no definitive theories. Yet, many people have lost and maintained a tremendous amount of weight despite their family history. Many health experts agree, "Your genes are not your fate."
 
Chances are your 'slow metabolism' has more to do with your diet and the type of exercise you are (or are not) doing on a regular basis.
 
If your exercise routine builds lean muscle, that helps rev-up your metabolism. Muscle tissue requires more energy to maintain than fat tissue. This is why people with leaner bodies (a higher muscle to fat ratio) have a higher BMR. (Those are the folks who eat carrot cake that doesn't 'go right to their hips.')
 
Build a 24-Hour Fat Burning Body
The first key to revving-up metabolism is eating a whole foods diet: lean protein, high quality grains, plant-based fats and oils, fresh fruits and veggies, and drinking lots of water.
 
To really turn-up the heat on your metabolism, and your waistline, you'll want to try the muscle-building, never boring workouts listed below. These workouts help your body generate a 'post-exercise burn' that can rev up your metabolism for 2 - 24 hours after you finish a workout. Factors that determine the after-burn effect include your current fitness level and body composition, the intensity and duration of exercise, and type of exercise performed.
 
Just remember: Our bodies are designed to adapt; beginners to elite athletes both have to change-up their routine every few weeks to continue to see progress.
 
Circuit Training:  Exercises all the major muscle groups in one workout (30-45 minutes) and may include body-weight movements, machines, dumbbells, and exercise bands. Exercises are performed for 8-12 reps, 1-3 sets of each.
 
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). These workouts alternate bouts of maximal physical effort with a rest (or lower intensity) period for set times (e.g., 40 seconds max, 15 seconds lower effort). HIIT principles can be integrated into a variety of exercise routines including walk/run, swim, weight training, and group classes. Research shows an increase in calorie burn for up to 24-hours post exercise.
 
Metabolic Conditioning routines are highly intense and designed to engage different physiological "energy" pathways in the body. These workouts typically use a "suspension exercise system" (e.g., TRX) but can be integrated into other fitness activities. It's best to have a metabolic exercise routine designed and supervised by an experienced exercise specialist who can appropriately alter the intensity, reps, sets and rest intervals.
 
CrossFit often done as a group activity, this involves a variety of functional movements that engage the whole body at a relatively high intensity. The routines involve running, rowing, squatting and other exercises that support the way your body moves on a daily basis. The aim is to generate maximal power in as little time as possible to get stronger and fitter.
 
Calculate your BMR here!

I hope these tips become helpful for you on your weight loss journey!