Fresh New Fit: A Little Advice from Dr. Oz

By: LL
The other afternoon, I was relaxing out on our patio with a glass of sweet tea (or the Table Wine of the South) and a stack of magazines that I had fallen behind on reading. As I paged through back issues of InStyle and O Magazine, I felt inspired. One article that had a particular impact on me was Dr. Oz's Special in the May 2012 issue of O. This was an article about simple ways to gain energy and burn fat throughout the day. Whereas not everything was great, there were a few activities that I felt were so easy to integrate into a daily routine, which I share with you below.

First thing in the morning, go through a few sets of Sun Salutations (A or B). If you are not familiar with yoga flows, a good version of Sun Salutation B can be found here. This exercises are not meant to be a workout, rather a good way to stretch, awaken your body, and turn up your metabolism for the day.

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After completing 1-2 sets of these yoga poses, drink a large glass of water (16-18 oz). Even though you did not do any intense work with your muscles, it is good to re-hydrate. Plus, if you drink a colder glass of water, your body will burn some energy to warm it up.

For breakfast, make sure to eat protein. Yes, a lot of us do not have time to put together more than cereal and a banana for breakfast, but this article recommended buying a dozen eggs and hard-boiling them on Sunday, then eating 1-2 hard-boiled eggs with your cereal each weekday morning. Adding protein to your morning meal will give you more energy and help fill you up quicker. Also, have a cup of coffee. All coffee drinkers know it kicks your metabolism into high gear, but it also gives you energy and makes you mentally more alert.

Around lunch time, get up and go for a brisk walk for 10-15 minutes. Whether it be around the office, out in the parking lot, or if you have a nice walking area nearby. Just get up a move in the middle of the day.

Also, get outside in the sun for a least 10 minutes 3x per week. In so doing, you sufficiently metabolize the vitamin D that your body so dearly needs.

Do you need an afternoon caffeine fix? Instead of more coffee or a can of soda, opt for a cup of green tea. Not only does green tea have caffeine, it also boosts your metabolism and has plenty of antioxidants. Thinking that it might be too hot during the summer? Many coffee shops now offer iced versions of the tea, and even offered in grocery stores.

When you are getting to leave work and head off to your workout, Dr. Oz recommends working your muscles mentally. He explains that this entails going through your workout in your head. This helps begin the warm up process and allows you to begin burning fat. Seriously! And, then, of course, following this mental workout with a physical one (at least 30 minutes/day, 3 times/week).

Finally, make sure to be consistent about sleep patterns and try (as much as you can) to consistently get 7-8 hours of sleep.

These things, which might already be intuitive to some, are simple add-ons to your daily routine to help you gain energy and burn fat. Just some healthy food for thought before the weekend.