smallkine blogger

In this era of fast-paced everything, even the act of eating a meal has become something we can do on the run. Breakfast comes in bars, lunch can be eaten while speeding down the highway, and dinner is merely an accompaniment to the evening news, squeezed in between other pressing activities. Invariably, when eating plays second string to everything else, every meal becomes “fast food,” as in eaten-very-fast food. If you find yourself wolfing down your meals in a hurry, you’re actually shortchanging yourself in more ways than you might think.

It turns out there’s a reason food tastes so good. You’re supposed to enjoy it—slow down and savor it, not just get it to your stomach as quickly as possible. Chewing your food thoroughly is actually the first step in the complex process of digestion, and if you glaze over it, just chewing the minimum amount of times necessary to get the food down your esophagus, you’re actually compromising this process. And it’s a mistake many people make.

If you try to imagine swallowing a whole piece of pizza, it’s easy to see why chewing is necessary. But besides breaking up your food into manageable chunks, there’s another good reason to put in the effort and chew. The saliva that coats your food as you chew actually contains digestive enzymes that begin to digest your food before you even swallow it. The enzymes alpha-amylase and lingual lipase begin digesting carbohydrates and fats, reducing the amount of work for which the stomach will be responsible. And it isn’t just a nice gesture. If food fragments are swallowed un-chewed, not only do nutrients remain locked in the fragments, but these fragments create an environment in the colon that is conducive to digestive distress—bacterial overgrowth, gas, and bloating.

For food particles to even leave your stomach though, the “gates” of the stomach, the pyloric sphincter, must open. Conveniently, chewing also aids in this process, signaling this event. And speaking of signals, just seeing your food causes your brain to send signals to the pancreas and stomach to secrete digestive acids and enzymes that are essential to digestion. And the longer your food has contact with your taste and smell receptors—the longer you chew each bite—the stronger these signals become. Strong signals mean more digestive molecules, less indigestion, less acid reflux, and superior nutrient absorption.

Chewing your food thoroughly and eating your meals more slowly has another benefit. It might shrink your waistline—and not just because you’ll have less bloating and indigestion. Eating more slowly gives your body a chance to tell your mind that it’s full, so that you stop eating before you go overboard. In a preliminary study presented at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity’s Annual Scientific Meeting in 2004, study subjects ate less when they were instructed to eat more slowly.

Here are some practical tips for chewing more thoroughly and eating more slowly:

* Give yourself enough time to eat—at least 20-30 minutes just to eat the meal, plus additional time to prepare it.
* Don’t eat amidst distractions, like the TV, computer, or while driving.
* Be fully present while you eat. Notice the smell, temperature, texture, color, and subtle flavor differences of each food you consume.
* Take smaller portions, taking a break before refilling.
* Put your fork down after each bite.
* Eat mindfully, chewing each bite as many times as necessary to pulverize any texture.
* If you’re eating in a group, be aware of the speed at which others are eating. Challenge yourself to be the last to finish.

Besides all of the physical benefits, perhaps the most pleasant benefit of all is that, if you allow yourself to slow down and chew, you’ll enjoy your food much more.

walking hasn’t been at the top of my list of favorite cardio activities. One reason is that, because it’s something we do on a regular basis, it takes some work to get the heart rate up. But, over the years, I’ve incorporated more and more walking into my day. While I still choose other activities for my structured workouts, I’ve found that walking is a great way to increase my activity without having to add more bone-jarring exercise.

If you want to use walking to help you lose weight, the key is variety, especially if walking is the only cardio you do. Don’t just go at the same pace for the same length of time every day, but try to mix things up and find ways to add intensity to some of your workouts. Some ideas:

* Add some hill training. Powering up a hill is a great way to increase your heart rate and challenge your body in different ways. Try finding a medium-sized hill nearby and walking up as fast as you can. Recover by walking back down and repeat several times.
* Use your arms. Holding weights while you walk is a no-no, but you can increase intensity by pumping your arms or using walking poles to involve your upper body.
* Go faster. I notice when I walk outside, I have a tendency to slow down without realizing it. One way to make sure you’re in your target heart rate zone is to monitor your pace and make sure you’re walking briskly. Pretend as though you’re trying to catch a bus and you have to walk as fast as you can to make it.
* Vary your workouts. Whether your walking or doing other activities, varying your workouts is a great way to avoid plateaus and continue to challenge your body. Try to mix things up with longer, slower workouts and shorter, harder workouts. Schedule easy days and harder days and add some strength training to keep your muscles strong and avoid injury.

Walking is an excellent way to meet your cardio needs as long as you work hard enough. A leisurely stroll certainly has its place but, if you’re going for weight loss, save the strolls and pick up the pace.

I believe that most people would say jumping rope is for play, not for exercise. After all, you jumped rope as a kid on the playground and you probably forgot about it entirely after fourth grade. And it certainly isn’t touted as a benefit of joining the newest fitness center. Even if it isn’t very common as a workout tool, jumping rope fits right in with other forms of aerobic exercise (running, swimming, cycling, etc.). And as a matter of fact, it may be one of the best forms of cardio exercise out there.

For years, top athletes have been using the rope to condition for their sports. Boxers probably come to mind. But with other well-known jumpers like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (basketball), Arnold Schwarzenegger (bodybuilding), Jerry Rice (football), or Michael Chang (tennis) joining in, jumping rope is certainly not for “girly men!”

So is jumping rope for you? Here are several reasons why you might want to give it a try:

* It’s inexpensive. You probably have a jump rope somewhere in your house already. Otherwise, most ropes cost less than $10, while higher-quality ropes are around $20 and top-of-the-line models (made with the best materials) will set you back just $25.
* You can do it practically anywhere. A jumping surface like hardwood, rubberized flooring, or very thin carpet is preferred, but any hard surface works fine. Outside, inside, at the gym—anything goes.
* It burns a lot of calories in a short amount of time. It is estimated that 10 minutes of jumping rope (at 120 turns per minute) has the same benefit as jogging for 30 minutes. Those are great numbers for people short on time.
* It’s compact. A jump rope makes a great addition (or start) to your home gym. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on a piece of equipment that takes up a lot of space. A jump rope can fit nicely in a drawer—just don’t forget it’s there!
* You’ll notice improvements. Jumping rope helps build agility, speed, balance, and coordination, while improving your overall fitness level.
* You can do it with your family. Because jumping rope is a fun activity that almost anyone can do, it’s also an easy way to get your whole family exercising with you. Try making a game out of it. How many jumps can you do in a minute? How many jumps can you do without stopping or messing up? What kind of cool tricks can you do while keeping the rope turning?

Remember that jumping rope is a skilled movement—it takes both coordination and timing to rope with each jump. Keep these pointers in mind:

1. Hold handles with a firm grip, elbows close to sides.
2. Make small circles with wrists while turning the rope.
3. Keep torso relaxed, head lifted, and gaze ahead for balance.
4. Jump only high enough to clear the rope, with light ankle-knee motion.
5. During jumping, the rope should skim the surface lightly and your feet should not kick back behind you.
6. Always land softly on the balls of your feet.
7. Never sacrifice good jumping form for speed!

Now that you’ve mastered technique, this three-week program will help you build endurance. Always warm up before you start jumping, either by marching or jogging in place, for about five minutes. Finish each workout with a 5-minute cool down, and be sure to stretch the calves, quadriceps, hamstrings and shoulders.

Week 1: Practice the basic bounce step, using an interval (work-rest) training method. Try to jump and rest at a 1:2 ratio (rest twice as long as you jump, such as 15 seconds jumping and 30 seconds resting). Depending on how quickly you pick it up and how conditioned you are, start with around five to 25 consecutive jumps each work period. Then stop, rest, and start jumping again for a total of about three to five minutes. Aim for three practice sessions each week.

Week 2: As you gain confidence and ability, try to increase the number of consecutive jumps you can do before resting. Use the same interval training method, but this time at a 1:1 ratio (your rest time to be equal to your jump time, such as one minute jumping and one minute resting). Repeat your intervals for a total of five to six minutes. Aim for four sessions each week. By the end of week two, you should be able to jump for two to three minutes non-stop.

Week 3 and beyond: By now, you’ve got the hang of it! You should be able to jump for a few minutes straight without needing a break, keeping a pace around 120 turns per minute (two jumps per second). The goal over the next few weeks is to gradually increase your jumping time (while decreasing your resting time) until you can go for 10 minutes non-stop. Keep jumping rope a part of your workout routine about every other day.