Day 23 Metabolism

Every function of every organ in the body relies on the energy provided by the metabolism of calories. How much energy you need on any given day depends on what you are doing, what you ate and the state of your health. The basic metabolic rate (BMR) refers to the minimal amount of calories you need to live. Some people need only 1200 calories, while professional athletes need 2000.

People with a high metabolism burn more calories than people with a low metabolism. Intense exercise requires more energy than resting on the couch and you burn more calories digesting good food then junk food.

The goal is to have the calories you eat match the calories you burn or it gets stored as fat.

So how do you know how much energy you need?

Unless you have access to a calorie meter that accurately measures your BMR, you will only be able to estimate your energy needs. However, by performing certain exercises and eating certain foods with a high thermogenic potential, you can easily increase the amount of calories you burn.

Here are a few simple and surprising strategies to help boost your metabolism.

Exercise Less Intensity

Turns out that when the body needs energy during intense exercise it goes for the more easily metabolized foodstuff first. Carbs are quickly turned into energy and require less energy to metabolize. So to burn the fat, you need to perform exercise more often and less intensely. Sure, intense exercise can burn calories and build muscle mass that will burn energy more efficiently. But it is the steady fire that will help to improve metabolism. The best strategy is to alternate brief intense exercise with slow and steady moderate exercise.

Drink Coffee and Tea and Heat

Coffee is a stimulant that contains caffeine. It can help you stay awake but also boost energy expenditure and speed up metabolism. So don't be afraid to drink a cup of Joe.

Green tea has compounds called phenols that have great thermogenic properties. Give the green light to green tea and drink it hot or cold to promote energy expenditure.

Spice it with Heat. Some plants contain the bio-active ingredient capsaicin, which not only makes them spicy hot, but also doubles energy expenditure for 3 hours after a meal. Plants belonging to this family are a hot ticket for boosting metabolism. Include red peppers, cayenne, jalapenos, habaneros, and Tabasco to recipes. It may also work to decrease appetite centers in the brain by boosting the release of certain neurotransmitters.

Ginger is also another good add. It not only aids in digestion but increases body temperature and metabolic rates as much as 20 percent after eating. Slice fresh ginger and stir-fry it with vegetables for an energy invigorating meal.

Day 5 - The Original Cup O' Joe

COFFEE

The truth of this one is a bit murky, but the Legend of Kaldi maintains that an Abyssian or Ethopian goat herder noticed that his flock was acting especially frisky after chowing down on some bright red berries. After sampling some for himself and verifying the mood shift, he brought the berries to a local imam who studied them, eventually roasting and boiling a batch in water, thus brewing up the original cup o' joe.

Coffee's good for you. Coffee's bad for you. You've seen the studies and heard the comments. So, which is it, really? That's still up in the air. It seems that coffee, like most things in life, is fine in moderation. It only becomes a problem when people can't seem to wrap their minds around the idea of what moderation actually means. Some studies even say the more you drink the better, and almost all studies have shown that there are many more benefits than dangers to a lot of coffee drinking. There are some interesting facts about coffee, though, that we bet you didn't know. Here are just a few of them:Health Benefits:

• Coffee can lift your mood, make you happier, and make you feel better. It alleviates depression.

• Have a headache? Drink a cup of coffee. It's been shown to help people get rid of their headaches.

• People who drink coffee have less colon cancer than people who don't. That's a big deal, especially if you have a family history of cancer.

• Parkinson's disease has also been shown to be reduced by drinking coffee.

• Coffee drinkers have lower rates of Type II diabetes, and that's an especially important finding since diabetes is becoming more prevalent today.

• Gallstones and cirrhosis of the liver – both lowered by drinking coffee.

• Coffee can protect your teeth from cavities.

• If you have asthma, drinking coffee can help manage your condition and might help you stop an attack if you don't have your medication available.

• One of the biggest benefits? People who smoke or drink alcohol get protective benefits from drinking coffee and have lower rates of liver problems and heart disease.

Other Uses:

• Coffee can be used to dye paper and fabrics. If you put the beans in hot water their color will start to come out. You can use that water to dye fibers.

• If you need a good facial scrub, you can coarsely grind some coffee beans and use them to scrub your face. They have great exfoliating properties.

• If you've been preparing food and your hands smell like it, rub some coffee beans between your hands for a few seconds; you can also suck on a coffee bean to freshen and clean your breath, no matter what you've been eating.

• Have a garden? Coffee makes great compost if you don't use it in excess, and sprinkling coffee grounds and orange peels around plants will keep cats from bothering the plants or using the garden as their personal litter box.

• Greasy pans can be cleaned with the left over ground beans that you used to exfoliate and scrub your face.

• You can also use coffee beans, placed in a bowl in your refrigerator, to get rid of food smells that might accumulate in there.

• These are just a few of the many uses for coffee. Drink it for your health, and use it for all kinds of other things. Coffee has lots of great uses! Experimenting with it can give you even more great ideas about how to use your coffee to improve your life in a lot of ways. It's not just for drinking anymore.