Boost Your Metabolism for Fall

A balanced approach to diet and nutrition provides long-term results.
- As the balmy late-summer days give way to the cool breezes of autumn, many people are inspired to tackle their fitness routine with new vigor. With kids back in achool, parents have more time to get to the gym, and the crisp fall air makes it possible to exercise comfortably, free of the summer heat and humidity.
Even with a fitness regimen in place, most people tend to be more sedentary in fall and winter; for that reason, it is important to incorporate a balanced approach to diet and nutrition into your plan. For example, most people don't eat the recommended four to five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. But our health, energy, muscle development and more are all directly linked to the whole foods, vitamins and supplements we ingest each day.
As a society, we are very interested in health and fitness, and yet it seems that this heightened curiosity has become our worst enemy. We constantly fall victim to the quick fix approaches promised by many diet and exercise companies. In doing so, we misunderstand our body and how it really works.
Accurate information is imperative when considering a change to your diet. Unfortunately, too many people make their choices based on information from television, newspapers, magazine, books and myriad other mediums that lack scientific authenticity or any form of governmental regulation.
Test your knowledge regarding health, fitness and nutrition by answering the following true or false questions: A fat-free diet is good for you. You can lose fat around your mid-section by performing sit-ups or leg lifts. Eating late at night is bad for you. A slow metabolism is a result of your genetic disposition. An all-protein diet is a safe and effective way to lose weight and keep it off. You can lose weight more quickly if you combine exercise and an extremely low-calorie diet. When you go on a very low-calorie diet, your body will use its own fat for energy. Counting calories is the solution for proper, long-lasting weight control. The real purpose of exercise is to burn calories.
If you answered "true" to any of these questions, it is a good indication that you don't understand the basic information about your body and how it works. Don't feel bad; you aren't alone. Most Americans share these misconceptions.
Helping to cut through the clutter of misinformation, Life Time Fitness, the country's fastest-growing health and fitness company, has launched an educational tool designed to help consumers obtain accurate and practical information regarding fitness and nutrition.
Entitled "Master Your Metabolism," this unique video program helps dispel many of the myths and misconceptions surrounding health and fitness, while providing viewers with valuable insight into how the body functions and responds to exercise and what we eat. The 90-minute program summarizes years of biochemistry and exercise physiology research to provide a comprehensive understanding of how our bodies work, how metabolism can be slowed or accelerated, and how we can properly communicate our desired goals to our bodies by understanding its logic.
"The human body is an amazing machine with incredible capabilities, said Jeff Zwiefel, vice president, Life Time Fitness Health Enhancement Division. "It operates on a pure and perfectly logical platform. Our job simply is to understand that logic and learn how to communicate with our bodies. With an easy-to-understand format, 'Master Your Metabolism' has been designed to help us gain this knowledge so that we can extend longevity and enhance lifestyle."
Life Time Fitness didn't stop there. The company also amassed a team of independent, nationally renowned physicians, biochemists, nutritionists and researchers, to help it develop a full line of Fast Fuel nutrition bars, and vitamin and mineral supplements specifically designed to help people achieve their health and fitness goals.
The fact is that there is no magic formula when it comes to becoming fit and achieving the shapely and toned body we desire. The safe and effective solution to a long-term healthy lifestyle is simply gaining a big-picture understanding of how our bodies work.
"When we better understand our bodies and make wise, informed choices around a balanced diet and exercise program, we transcend that once-per-year effort to get into shape for the summer to achieve a consistent, long-term and healthy lifestyle," said Zwiefel. "Instead of being blindly lead by every new diet and exercise fad, consumers finally will possess the knowledge to understand what works, what doesn't, and why."
For more information about Master Your Metabolism or LIFE TIME FITNESS, visit www.lifetimefitness.com, or call (800) 430-5433.