There’s no denying it, stress is high these days.  All around us people are having financial problems.  Some people we know have lost their jobs, others have even lost their homes.  How could we NOT be stressed out about it? 

In December, the American Psychological Association reported that 80% of Americans feel stressed by the economy.   When those people head to their doctor, what will happen?  You know the answer to today’s health problems – prescription drugs.  When the prescription drugs are started, who knows when they can or will be stopped.  Will it be lifetime of taking daily pills?  Who knows!  On top of that, there is the cost of those drugs and the doctor visits to follow up and continue the renewal of those prescriptions.  How much does your medical coverage pay and how much will you pay out of your own pocket?  The financial worry that put you in that position will become a vicious cycle in itself of doctor bills and pharmacy costs.

Well there is another option!  One that you may already be paying for, that monthly automatic payment to your gym.  Start using it – especially on those cardio machines.  Burn up calories and burn up stress at the same time.  Studies have shown that exercise reduces stress.  It actually helps our bodies, physically and mentally to deal with stress.  So before turning to your doctor because you feel stressed out, take a trip to your gym everyday for a week.   After five to seven days of exercise, you’ll feel better about yourself and you’ll be able to clearly make a decision as to whether you really need to see your doctor, or if you can deal with this economy without those drugs.

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So that’s the good news, you burn calories when you’re not exercising and you burn calories after your exercise session is over, but, you burn the most calories while you are actually exercising. 

Researchers found that the two most important contributors to burning calories during exercise are the contracting muscles and the increased work of the heart and lungs. The frequency and power of muscle contractions are by far the major factors in determining the number of calories burned during exercise.  Faster heart rate and breathing also burn calories, but not nearly as much as movement of legs, arms, abdominal and back muscles.  In fact, moving the biggest muscles in your body – your back, legs and abs – burn the most calories.

Over time, your metabolism changes as you convert your flabby muscles into firmer and leaner muscle mass.   The more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate, the higher your BMR the more calories you burn even when you’re NOT working out.

It takes resistance or strength training to get this calorie burning benefit from exercise.  However, cardio exercise will not only burn calories it will strengthen your heart muscle, the best way to avoid a heart attack.  A good exercise regimen includes both resistance training and cardio training.
You can determine how many calories you should take in on a daily basis with the following formula:

 Activity Level                           Calories per Pound 
Very light (sedentary)                14

Light (if you walk)                     15 – 17

Moderate (if you jog)                17 – 19

Heavy (if you’re a gym rat)       20 – 23
Use your “ideal” body weight, the weight you want to be, not the weight you are.

 Example:
120lb X 18 (Moderate) = 2160 calories per day are needed to maintain 120 pounds of body weight daily
But choose those 2000+ calories wisely – keep this in mind:

Carbohydrates = 4 calories per gram

Protein = 4 calories per gram

Fat = 9 calories per gram
 

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