How Busy People Burn More Calories in Less Time

Listen, you’ve got a full time job, stressful deadlines, a baby on your hip - and maybe even a social life. Add drive time, traffic, parking hassle, and locker room change, my one-hour spin class turns into a 2 or 3 hour commitment. Nobody’s got time for that.

So, what I want to know is: what’s the most sweat-inducing, time-efficient, bull-busting workout? A workout that will not only burn the most calories in the least amount of time, but that will continue burning calories later (while I’m watching NetFlix on the couch).

After polling the experts, reading the research, and experimenting with a HIIT boot camp, here’s what I found.

Read on for the best workouts - organized by the amount of time you have available. Learn which are the best exercises for burning calories and why. And, most importantly, how to keep 'em burning long after you leave the gym.

 

THE KEY: Engage the afterburn

The following workout plans hinge on Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), also known as the “afterburn.” EPOC is the period of time after your workout that your metabolic rate (the rate at which you burn calories) remains elevated. The more intense your workout, the longer the afterburn will last. The most efficient workouts, then, will maximize EPOC to ensure the most calories burned in the shortest time period.

Only 2 days a week to exercise?
Do 30-minutes of weight training

What is it?

Using barbells and free weights to do weight-bearing repetitions to gain muscle mass and tone.

Pros

• Seriously engages EPOC 

• Builds muscle mass which raises your resting metabolic rate (RMR). The more muscle the body has, the more calories it burns at rest.

[RMR is different from EPOC: EPOC is the measure of increased caloric burn after exercise, RMR is the measure of how many calories are burned over the course of an entire day. Weight training raises both: double win!]

Cons

• Higher risk of injury

• Takes longer to recover

• Hard on joints and bones

How to ensure the longest caloric burn:

Fitness coach and author Alwyn Cosgrove writes in his Hierarchy of Fat Loss, that the key to reaping the most benefits from your weight training is recruiting the biggest muscle groups. The more muscles that work simultaneously, the more calories you’ll burn.

The best exercises for afterburn:

• Squats
• Lunges

• Squat thrusts
• Burpees

• Inverted rows
• Pull ups
• Push ups
• Kettlebell swings

Only 3 days a week to exercise?
Do 20 to 30-minutes of high-intensity interval training

What is it?

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) alternates high- and low-intensity activities through varying bursts of movements with rest periods. 

Pros

• Engages EPOC

• Trains the heart to adjust to changing conditions

• Doesn’t build as much muscle bulk (a pro for many women)

Cons

• The body needs more recovery time

• Can only do 20-30 minute sessions at a time

Because you can only do so much HIIT or weight training, you can only burn so many calories before your body wears out.

-Steve of Nerd Fitness

How to ensure the longest caloric burn:

In order to reap the full benefits of HIIT, you’ve got to go all out. Push yourself full throttle during the short sprints, and breathe deep during the recovery periods. The harder you push the longer EPOC will be engaged post-workout.

Here are two HIIT circuits to try:

Treadmill HIIT circuit 

From Justin Klein, of HUMANFITPROJECT

• 1 minute Sprint
• 90 second Recovery
• 1 minute Sprint at 3% incline
• 90 second Recovery
• 1 minute Sprint at 6% incline
• 90 second Recovery
• 1 minute Sprint at 9% incline
• 90 second Recovery
• 1 minute Sprint at 12% incline
• 90 second Recovery

Repeat three to six times depending on level of conditioning.

Kettlebell HIIT circuit

From trainer Jeremey DuVall

for Men’s Fitness

• 30 seconds of Kettlebell Swings
• 30 seconds of Right Arm Kettlebell Snatch
• 30 seconds of Right Arm Kettlebell Push Press
• 30 seconds of Right Arm Overhead Walking Lunges with Kettlebell
• 30 second Sprint
• Rest 90 seconds then repeat on left arm.

Aim for completing two to three circuits on each arm.

Up to 5 days a week to exercise?Add steady-state aerobics

What is it?

“Steady-state aerobics” is basically endurance cardio. By keeping your heart rate below the aerobic zone, you’ll be able to sustain effort for longer periods of time. Examples of steady-state aerobics are endurance running, jogging, or low-impact cardio equipment like the elliptical machine.

Pros

• Low impact

• Easy learning curve

• No need for special equipment

The longer you do cardio, the more total calories you’ll burn. You must be in really good shape to handle 30 minutes of HIIT, while anyone can do 45 minutes of moderate-intensity, steady-state cardio.

Cons

-Mehdi at StrongLifts

• Doesn’t engage EPOC

Although it trains your heart to be in shape by remaining at a higher level of operation while exercising, it doesn’t train your heart to prepare for moments of extreme stress because it never really has to deal with rapid changes.

- Steve of Nerd Fitness

How to ensure the longest caloric burn:

Although low-intensity cardio doesn’t result in much afterburn, it is an excellent way to increase endurance, expand your cardiac capacity, and burn major calories. In fact, when combined with weight training it’s the most effective at fat loss, and 44% more effective than cardio alone.

 

The Caveats:

Nothing will happen if you don’t eat right.

No matter if you’re putting in 5 days a week of alternating HIIT, weight training, and endurance jogs, your body will not change if you eat like crap. It's been proven over and over. Nutrition is the biggest factor in physical performance. Get juiced up with some clean pre-workout fuel and stay hydrated - and you're pretty much guaranteed to see results fast.

You gotta recover.

The most important day of your workout is your day off. If you want to make progress quickly, you’ve gotta learn to recover. That doesn’t mean you get a free pass to an eat-athon. Employ these speedy recovery tricks, and prioritize cleansing post-workout meals. That will ensure your body fully recuperates, meaning your performance will be ever better during your next workout.

Summary

All things equal, weight training burns the most calories in the fewest amount of time, and HIIT comes in at a close second, but both are highly stressful on the body and require more recovery time. Cardio, on the other hand, burns fewer calories, but thanks to its less stressful nature, enables you to do activities longer and more frequently. Ideally, you'll want a combination of all three to keep your body in optimal condition.

~Thanks to Emily Hill

The Health Benefits of Eggs

Eggs are a common food source and have been eaten by humans across the world for thousands of years. Eggs are produced by the female animals of many different species, but by far and away the most common choice for consumption is the egg of the chicken.

The US is regarded as the world's largest exporter of eggs and it is estimated that in 2014, 256 eggs will be produced for each member of the population - the highest rate of production in the past 8 years.

This Medical News Today Knowledge Center feature is part of a collection of articles on the health benefits of popular foods. It provides a nutritional breakdown for eggs, an in-depth look at their possible health benefits, tips on how to incorporate more eggs into your diet and any potential health risks of consuming eggs.

Nutritional breakdown

Eggs contain many vitamins and minerals that are essential parts of a healthy and balanced diet. Below is a list of nutrients that can be found in eggs, along with a brief summary of what they are useful for:

• Vitamin A: maintains the skin, immune system and normal vision.
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): aids energy metabolism, red blood cells, vision and the nervous system.
• Vitamin B12: aids energy metabolism, red blood cells, the immune system and the nervous system.
• Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): aids energy metabolism and mental functioning.
• Vitamin D: keeps bones and teeth healthy and aids absorption of calcium.
• Vitamin E: keeps the reproductive system, nervous system and muscles healthy.
• Biotin: aids energy metabolism, maintains skin, hair and the immune system.
• Choline: aids fat metabolism and liver function.
• Folic Acid: aids blood formation and tissue growth during pregnancy.
• Iodine: aids thyroid gland function, maintains the skin and nervous system.
• Iron: assists red blood production and the transportation of oxygen throughout the body.
• Lutein and zeaxanthin: maintain normal vision and protect from age-related eye disease.
• Phosphorus: maintains bones and teeth and aids energy metabolism.
• Protein: needed for building and maintaining muscle, organs, skin and tissue, and producing antibodies, enzymes and hormones.
• Selenium: protects cells from oxidative damage, maintains the immune system and aids thyroid gland function.

Eggs are considered to be one of the best sources of protein available. One medium-sized egg weighing 44 g typically contains 5.53 g of protein. Nutritionists often use eggs as a point of comparison when assessing whether another food is a good source of protein or not. Around 12.6% of the edible portion of an egg is protein.

A medium-sized egg typically contains 5.53 g of protein and only 63 Calories.

Around 9% of an egg's content is fat, found almost exclusively in the egg's yolk.

The majority of fat in an egg is that which is generally regarded to be the most healthy; approximately 38% is monounsaturated and 16% is polyunsaturated, with only 28% being saturated.

Eggs are also a rich supply of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. These are predominantly in the form of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which helps with the maintenance of brain function and normal vision.

These fatty acids are most commonly found in oily fish and so eggs provide an alternative source for people that are unable to eat fish.

Cholesterol

Eggs are also known for containing cholesterol. One medium-sized egg weighing 44 g typically contains 164 mg of cholesterol.

In the past, dietary cholesterol was considered to be something that could increase the risk of conditions such as coronary heart disease. Experts believed that high levels of dietary cholesterol significantly affected the levels of LDL cholesterol (also known as "bad" cholesterol) in the body.

The problem was that dietary cholesterol is, more often than not, found in foods that contain high levels of saturated fats. Further research has managed to separate the effects of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat and found that dietary cholesterol increases the levels of both LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol (also known as "good" cholesterol).

The changes were also small in comparison with those instigated by saturated fat. Aside from this, the increase made to good cholesterol levels balances out the increasing levels of bad cholesterol. As eggs are low in saturated fats, the effect that they have on blood cholesterol is deemed to be clinically insignificant.

Possible health benefits

As suggested by their wide nutritional content, there are several health benefits that can be derived from eggs:

• Strong muscles: the protein within eggs helps keep muscles working well while slowing the rate at which they are lost.
• A healthy brain: eggs contain vitamins and minerals that are needed for the regular functioning of cells, including the brain, nervous system, memory and the metabolism.
• Good energy production: eggs contain all the daily vitamins and minerals that are needed to produce energy in all the cells of the body.
• A healthy immune system: likewise, vitamin A, vitamin B12 and selenium are all key to keeping the immune system healthy.
• Lower risk of heart disease: having a healthy immune system helps. Choline plays an important part in breaking down the amino acid called homocysteine, which is associated with the development of heart disease.
• Healthy baby development during pregnancy: nutrients within eggs help to prevent birth defects such as spina bifida.
• Healthy eyesight: lutein and zeaxanthin help to prevent macular degeneration, an eye condition which is the leading cause of age-related blindness. Other vitamins also promote healthy vision.
• Weight loss and maintenance: the high quality of protein within eggs has been found by researchers to keep people energized and feeling fuller for longer. Feeling full prevents unhealthy snacking and reduces overall calorie intake.
• A healthy appearance: some vitamins and minerals within eggs help promote healthy skin and work to prevent the breakdown of body tissues. A strong immune system also contributes to a healthy look overall

Incorporating eggs into your diet

In many parts of the world, eggs are a readily available and inexpensive source of food. They are very easy to add into quick and healthy meals such as sandwiches and salads, but can also be used to make meals of themselves.

Kedgeree is a dish made from eggs, fish, rice, parsley and curry powder.

Eggs are a versatile food that can be prepared in many different ways, such as frying, hard cooking, poaching, scrambling and baking.

Here are a few examples of meals that can be made using eggs. Some of these are naturally healthier than others:

• Omelet
• Huevos rancheros
• Pancakes
• Kedgeree
• Quiche

Potential health risks

Bacteria

People are advised to avoid eating raw or undercooked eggs. Bacteria can enter the egg through pores in the shells.

Eggs exit the bird's body via the same passageway that feces are excreted from and so there is a risk that bacteria such as Salmonella could enter the egg at this stage. Bacteria can also enter the egg if they are present in the bird's reproductive tract before the shell has formed around the egg's contents.

In the US, all eggs graded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are washed with a sanitizing rinse during the screening stage at a processing plant.

Pasteurization

In the US, egg products - eggs removed from their shells for factory processing - distributed for consumption are required by law to undergo a process called pasteurization. During this process, eggs are rapidly heated and kept at a specific temperature for a certain amount of time in order to kill off any Salmonella bacteria.

Pasteurization does not cook the eggs or alter their flavor or nutritional value. Eggs can be pasteurized while still in their shells - indeed, some grocery stores sell them - but it is very difficult to carry this out without specific equipment and not end up cooking the egg. As a result, pasteurizing shell eggs is best left to food processing factories.

Storage and cooking

Eggs should be avoided if their shells are cracked or if they are out-of-date. Most advisory bodies recommend that eggs are stored in the refrigerator. The USDA state that if eggs are left out at room temperature they can sweat, making it easier for bacteria to move into the egg and grow.

Eggs with cracked shells should not be consumed, unless the cracking occurs during the process of cooking.

Washing eggs is not recommended as this can not only lead to water getting into the egg through the pores of the shell but also remove the protective coating that is put on the outside of the shell by the bird that lays it. USDA-graded eggs will have been sanitized using materials that do not compromise the shell.

When cooking eggs properly, they must be cooked thoroughly until the yolks are firm. Scrambled eggs, for example, should not be runny.

If an egg floats in water, it will have enough air within it to keep it buoyant. Although this indicates that the egg is old, it does not necessarily mean that the egg cannot be used. The best way to check whether the egg is safe to be consumed is to crack open the shell; if the contents smell unpleasant or the coloration is unusual then it may not be safe.

It is also possible to tell whether an egg is raw or hard-cooked by spinning it on a flat surface. If the insides are not cooked then they will cause the egg to wobble, while a hard-cooked egg will spin easily.

It is best not to put all your eggs in one basket; it is the total diet or overall eating pattern that is most important in disease prevention and achieving good health. It is better to eat a varied diet than to concentrate on individual foods as the key to good health.

~Thank you:  James McIntosh, Medical News Today

Deciphering Names of Beer!

Looking for Lunch Meats with Less Sodium?

Unless you're slicing from your home roasted turkey or chicken, it is difficult to find lower-salt lunch meats. A store-bought 2 ounce serving of sliced chicken, turkey, ham, beef, or bologna typically has around 500 to 700 milligrams of sodium.

That’s a third of a day’s worth (in just 50 to 100 calories’ worth of food). Salamis can hit 1,000 mg.

And that’s before the 300 to 400 mg of sodium in two slices of whole wheat bread, the 100 mg in every tablespoon of mayo or teaspoon of dijon mustard, or the 150 mg in each slice of cheese. Got your blood pressure cuff handy?

Our recommendations have no more than 360 mg of sodium in a 2 oz. serving.

To find the lowest-salt meats, look for:

“Healthy” in the name. Healthy Ones, Celebrity Healthy, and Market Pantry (Target) Healthy hover around 350 mg of sodium per 2 oz.

“No nitrites added.” “No nitrites or nitrates added” lunch meats from smaller brands—like Applegate, Simply Balanced (Target), and New Hope Provisions and Wellshire (both sold only at Whole Foods)—typically have 250 to 350 mg of sodium. The “uncured” hams from those companies have around 450 mg (Wellshire’s has 350 mg).

“No nitrites added” or “no artificial preservatives” lines from bigger companies—like Hillshire Farm Naturals, Hormel Natural Choice, and Oscar Mayer Selects— will set you back around 450 to 550 mg.

“Lower sodium.” Lower-sodium brands vary. Columbus Reduced Sodium and Dietz & Watson Gourmet Lite turkey breasts have only 220 mg of sodium, and they’re big on taste. In contrast, Lower Sodium turkey breasts from Hillshire Farm Deli Select have about 420 mg and Sara Lee’s range from 390 to 470 mg. (Sara Lee Lower Sodium Honey Roasted Turkey Breast’s 300 mg of sodium is for a small, two-slice, 1.6 oz. serving. Eat three slices, and you hit 470 mg.)

For the lowest-sodium lunch meats, ask the deli counter to slice up a “no salt added” turkey breast or roast beef from a brand like Boar’s Head. A 2 oz. serving has only around 50 mg of sodium.

~Thanks to Jayne Hurley

The Ultimate Green Building Powered by Algae

Seaweed is an amazing source of fuel for the body, and......

Photo courtesy of NordNordWest/Wikimedia Commons

• An algae-powered building rises in Hamburg, Germany: Designed by Splitterwerk Architects and the engineering firm Arup, the BIQ is the first residential structure to fully utilize the power of algae. While on the surface the 15-unit apartment building looks like a bubbling green lava lamp stretched over an entire building, those moving bubbles help to feed and order the living algae embedded within the Bio Intelligent Quotient (BIQ) facade. The living algae, in turn, powers the entire structure, making it the world’s first algae-powered structure and theoretically fully self-sufficient building ever. As the engineers describe their technology: “The building is coated on its two sun-facing sides with glass-plated tanks of suspended algae. Pressurized air is pumped into the system, feeding the organisms carbon dioxide and nutrients while moving them about—creating the lava lamp effect—to keep them from settling on the glass and rotting. Scrubbers clean off any sticking biomass, freeing up more sunlight for the remaining algae to perform photosynthesis. Periodically, algae are culled, mashed into biofuel, and burned in a local generator to produce power. Excess can be sold off for food supplements, methane generation to external power providers, or stored for future use. The result is a building shaded from summer heat by algae foliage, insulated from street noise, and potentially self-generating the power to sustain its own harvesters, heat, and electricity.”
  

5 Healthy Ways to Eat Pumpkin

I’m a pumpkin lover! I buy canned pumpkin year-round so I can regularly whip up pumpkin smoothies, and I sprinkle pumpkin pie spice onto lots of things, including oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and warmed fruit. Basically, the fall season isn’t long enough to satisfy my passion for pumpkin, and I’m not alone.

A few years back New York magazine deemed pumpkin the new bacon, as pumpkin-inspired foods and drinks exploded in popularity. Trouble is, most of them aren’t so healthy (bagels, cheesecake, ice cream, sugary lattes…), and some only include pumpkin flavoring, rather than the real deal.

Actual pumpkin—either fresh roasted, or unsweetened canned—is a true superfood. This member of the squash family is loaded with immune-boosting vitamin A and filling fiber, and a half cup of puree contains less than 50 calories. It’s also more versatile than you think.

Here are five satisfying, but healthy ways to enjoy it (some may be unexpected), so you can truly reap the nutritional benefits.

Smoothie

In a blender, combine one half cup canned pumpkin with one cup of unsweetened coconut milk, a tablespoon of either coconut butter or almond butter, a teaspoon each of pumpkin pie spice and organic maple syrup, a scoop of pea protein powder, and 3-4 ice cubes. Whip until smooth. It’s my version of liquid pumpkin pie—heavenly!

Oatmeal

After making your oatmeal with hot water, fold in two tablespoons of warmed canned pumpkin, mixed with 1 teaspoon of organic maple syrup and a half teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Easy breezy.

Oatmeal Recipes for Every Day of the Week

Chili

Roast fresh pumpkin in the oven at 350° F for about 45 minutes or until it’s tender all the way through. Cool and cube, discarding the skin. In a small saucepan combine a half cup of sliced grape tomatoes with one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, two tablespoons minced yellow onion, and a quarter cup of chopped green bell pepper. Saute over low heat until veggies are tender. Add a half cup organic low sodium vegetable broth, a quarter cup of water, tablespoon of fresh chopped cilantro, teaspoon of minced garlic, and an eighth of a teaspoon each of ground cayenne and black pepper. Bring to a quick boil and then reduce to a simmer and stir for 10-12 minutes. Add a half cup each black beans and cubed pumpkin, stir to heat through, and serve. I love this dish because it’s hearty, but not heavy.

Soup

In a small saucepan, sauté two tablespoons of minced yellow onion and teaspoon of minced garlic in two tablespoons of low sodium organic vegetable broth until onions are translucent. Remove from heat. In a blender combine a half cup of canned pumpkin with the onion mixture, along with half cup unsweetened coconut milk, quarter cup of organic low sodium vegetable broth, and a half teaspoon of curry seasoning. Whip until smooth, transfer to saucepan, bring to a quick boil, reduce to a simmer for 5-6 minutes, and serve. A healthy way to warm up on a chilly day.

Hummus

In a food processor, combine a half cup of chickpeas with two tablespoons each of tahini and canned pumpkin, along with a teaspoon of minced garlic, tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice, and a sixteenth of a teaspoon each cayenne pepper, black pepper, and cumin. Puree until smooth and serve with raw or roasted veggies, like broccoli and cauliflower. A pumpkin twist on a go-to favorite!

~Thanks to Cynthia Sass