Pump up your strength workout and you’ll reap the rewards long after you’ve put down the dumbbells. Research has shown that your metabolism can stay revved by 25 percent for up to 15 hours after a high-intensity strength session. Plus, regular resistance training helps keep your metabolic fires ignited daily, notes Michele S. Olson, PhD, an exercise physiologist at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama. This workout focuses on a slower lowering phase for each exercise, which forces the muscles to work harder, says Cindy Whitmarsh, president of Ultrafit Nutrition Systems in San Diego.

For each rep, lift the weight in two counts and lower it in eight. Do two or three sets of each move. Aim for a total of three workouts a week — after six weeks, you’ll have sleeker muscles and a metabolism that roars!

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Find Your Metabolic Rate

Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) — the amount of calories you burn before adding in any activity — accounts for roughly 70 percent of your daily calorie burn. Knowing this number should help you estimate just how much you need to eat and exercise every day. But until recently, finding your precise RMR could be done only in a laboratory setting. Enter personal RMR monitoring devices such as the BodyGem, a small tool that measures oxygen output from the breath. It is routinely used at high-end health clubs. But at about $50 for a BodyGem test, we wondered if the investment was truly worth it.

“While this data may be helpful to someone on a strict calorie-controlled diet, it has its drawbacks,” says Reed Humphrey, PhD, a professor of physical therapy at Idaho State University. “If you log in a low number, you might be tempted to cut your calories too far, which can harm both health and metabolism,” he says. Instead, concentrate on a balanced diet and regular workouts. “These are the things to invest in, since they have an impact on what you see in the mirror,” he says

Does Water Speed Metabolism?

Q&A: Can drinking water speed up your metabolism?

Yes, says Rachel Brandeis, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, but the effect is tiny and temporary at best. “You might burn a few extra calories, but it won’t translate into any long-term, meaningful changes,” she explains. One study found that subjects who drank half a liter of water a day had a 30 percent increase in metabolism — but the boost lasted just 40 minutes.
Originally published in Fitness magazine, October 2005.

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We’re not saying that 6 minutes will turn you into Kim Kardashian. But this routine is more than genius. New York City trainer Michael Gonzalez-Wallace has been teaming up with a Columbia University neuroscientist for the last couple of years to design what can only be called the next generation of exercise.

“In the begining I was training all these very succesfful people, but their minds would be on something else,” says Gonzalez-Wallace. So he began to add balance and coordination challenges to the strength-training moves, inspired by his years as a former semi-pro basketball player in Spain.  Sometimes he even had his clients exercise with their eyes closed. ”I started seeing incredible results. The older ones were thinking more sharply and the young people were getting massive definition—really fast.”

Since then, science has confirmed his instincts and helped him perfect the technique. “We’re still learning,” he says, “but we know for sure that the more you challenge the brain when you move, the better the results—both mental and physical.”

To try Gonzalez-Wallace’s  ”Super Body, Super Brain” workout (also the name of his upcoming book), check out these four moves. They’re great as a morning wake up, but you could also do them after work to wind down, or add them to your usual workout. Ideally, aim for three to five times a week along with 20 minutes of cardio each day.  Because you’re working multiple muscles and forcing your brain to concentrate with each move, you’ll be maximizing the payoff.

Abs, Thighs, and Brain!
Do the following moves one after the other, as one circuit. Rest 15 to 45 seconds. Then, go back to the beginning and do two more circuits.

STANDING TWISTER Works: your core, obliques, glutes, hamstrings, and calves

A) From a standing position (right), hold a towel in both hands with arms straight up overhead. Cross your left leg behind your right and bend both legs. Your back foot should be on its toes.

B) Balancing on your right leg, raise your left leg—still bent—up and out to the side, at the same time as you twist your torso toward it (below). You should feel like your body is making a “C”. Hold here for 2 seconds. “This is really challenging, because you’re targeting the obliques, which are hard to get to, and where you tend to store fat,” says Gonzalez-Wallace (who’s showing the moves.) Do 10. Then switch legs and do 10 more to the other side.

DOUBLE PUSH Works: arms, shoulders, chest, glutes, calves

A) Start in a plank with arms straight, slightly wider than your shoulders. Your legs should be together, and your feet on your toes.

B) Lift your right leg behind you, holding the plank position (below). If you want more of a challenge, rather than straight toward the ceiling, direct it slightly to the right side on a diagonal. Then return to the plank (position A.) Now do the same with your left leg. Alternate leg lifts for a total of 10 (5 with each leg).

C) Now drop down from the plank into a pushup position, arms bent at a 90-degree angle, elbows out to the side, head straight in line with the back (right). If this is too difficult, bend your knees and rest them on the floor. Do 10 pushups.

THIGH TONER
Works arms, glutes, and thighs.

A) Start in a plank position, legs straight and together, on your toes. Your arm are bent, elbows in the floor, and hands clasped (right).

B)  Holding the plank position, bend your right leg, so the knee is dropped toward the floor. Now lift the right leg to the side (left.) Do 10 raises (don’t touch the knee when you lower.) Switch legs and do 10 lifts with the left.

GIVE AN ARM & A LEG
Works: the triceps, glutes, hamstrings, and back
A) Lie on your stomach, forehead on the floor, fleet flexed. At the same time, raise your right arm and left leg a few inches from the ground (below). Stay in your comfort zone—rather than going for height, just concentrate on lifting the limbs simultaneously until you feel the muscle tension. Then switch and raise the left arm with the right leg. To increase the challenge, add hand weights or use water bottles (hold the weights so that you start with the thumb and forefinger of each hand resting on the floor.) Alternate and do 20 lifts.

Now that you’ve finished your first circuit, go back to the beginning and do two more. For extra credit, try closing your eyes.

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Fitness

2. Salmon: Make the swap from a saturated fat burger to a salmon fillet. While some saturated fat is fine, a little goes a long way. The average cheeseburger has more than half a day worth of the artery clogging fat, which will increase your risk for a heart attack. Conversely, salmon lowers that risk thanks to heart healthy fats. Omega-3s can prevent erratic heart rhythms, reduce likelihood of blood clots inside arteries, improve the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol, and prevent cholesterol from becoming damaged, at which point it clogs arteries.

3. Berries and Cherries: Props must be given to nature’s candy. These sweet treats are high in polyphenols, which prevent cell damage that creates unhealthy blood vessels and heart. During the winter, opt for frozen berries. Try thawing a bag of frozen strawberries in the refrigerator. Then, add unsweetened, steel-cut oatmeal with the berries their juice and your heart will say thanks with each beat.

4. Quinoa: Often mistaken as a grain, this tiny sprouted seed is an excellent source of magnesium, the mineral that relaxes blood vessels. Low dietary levels of magnesium lead to some scary health issues like increased rates of hypertension, ischemic heart disease and heart arrhythmias. Quinoa cooks quickly and makes great leftovers. Toss with grilled veggies and roasted chicken for a delicious one-pot dinner, or try this Red Curry Quinoa recipe.

5. Hot Cocoa: You read right! Hot cocoa is brimming with antioxidants – two-times more than red wine and three times more than green tea. The cool February temperatures are no match for a mug of hot cocoa. My tip: since hot chocolate mixes are full of sugar, use 100% cocoa and combine with a teaspoon of sugar. Plus you’ll sweeten with the natural sugars in the milk.

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