Does Wine Make You Fat?

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This is a question that has plagued me for years, does drinking wine make me gain weight? Is that just bloat? There are so many mixed opinions on wine, so let's find out the truth together.

Wine is Pretty Calorie Loaded

Wine can have anywhere from an abysmally low 25 calories to an embarrassingly high 400+. Obviously, not all wines are created the same way, and not all wines have the same sugar content. A pinot Grigio will hit you somewhere around 130 calories while a less sweet Sauvignon Blanc will be about 120 per glass. Reds will have the same range with Merlots and Pino Noirs being in the lower 120's and Burgundies being closer to 130. 

A nice little trick to staying on the lower side of the calories is to steer clear of dessert and sweeter wines like Rieslings that can have anywhere from 125-240 calories per serving! Dry wines will have less sugar, and therefore, fewer calories. Reds will have more alcohol content (on average) and will take longer for your body to digest. 

Wine Slows Your Metabolism

First off, wine is made up of 14% carbs and 86% alcohol. There are no fats or protein, and really, hardly any carbs. So where does that bloat come from? Well, any alcohol will trick your body into breaking it down before any food item. Calories from alcohol cannot be stored in the body, and therefore, must be broken down first. This means that if you are drinking a glass of wine with dinner, all digestion stops when that white or red touches your lips. 

Likewise, all metabolic activity ceases and anything fat unable to be broken down will be stored. This process will also increase fat storage around the belly- that bloat!

Alcohol Increases Our Want of Fats

When we digest wine (or any alcohol), our bodies digest the alcohol first and the carbs second. This can lead to a drop in our blood sugar and a feeling that we must eat. And this is what leads you to binge eating after a big night out. Of course, there is pretty little chance of this happening with one glass, unless it is a dry wine which causes blood sugar to drop. 

The sad thing is, any alcohol consumption will trigger the same area of our hypothalamus that says we need more fats. A chemical called galanin is produced when we drink alcohol or eat fatty foods. This chemical is also the one that makes us crave it. Therefore, the more we eat or drink, the more we will want to eat or drink. 

What About the Bloat? 

Yes, unfortunately wine can cause bloat. But, it may be for a different reason than what you are thinking. Alcohol dehydrates the body and increases the visible signs of cellulite, also known as my nemesis. Like galanin, both the bloat and the increased cellulite are tied together. Any alcohol will cause dehydration and inhibit vitamin absorption. This can lead to water retention, known as bloating, and increased cellulite since the skin is not as elastic as usual. Loss of elasticity in the skin can make cellulite easier to see because the fat molecules that are pulling on the connective tissue that is less elastic and more susceptible to that pulling effect. 

The Real Kicker

Ready to think all science is just bored people spinning a bottle on what new discovery has been made? Well, here is is. Long and broad scientific studies have found that women in their middle ages who have had a normal amount of wine on a daily basis (one 5-ounce glass) gain less weight and are less likely to become obese than those that did not. 

Of course, there are a few things we can do to ensure that one glass per day does not wreak havoc on our bodies. Be sure to drink plenty of water, only drink wine when your body is not digesting other foods, continue your normal healthy diet, and keep working out! All of these little things will ensure a healthy body now, and apparently, a healthy one later in life as well. 

7 Reasons to Take 10,000 Steps per Day

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Movement, of course, is part of a healthy lifestyle. Things like iPhones and pedometers are a great way to gauge your activity level and see how much movement you are getting throughout the day. Health experts recommend that we all walk between 10,000 and 12,000 steps each day! That is a lot of steps and averages between 5-6 miles! Do you walk that much? I must admit that I usually do not. But, the weeks where I am making strides towards this goal, I notice that I am less bloated and have more energy. Why, you may ask. Well, it turns out that walking can to a lot more for our fitness than we may think.

1. Decreases Bloating

As said before, walking helps decrease bloating. Really, any workout will help reduce bloating when done along with proper water intake. Walking is a great way to get ride of that pesky bloat because almost anyone can do it with a reduced risk of injury. The side-to-side movement that walking creates in the torso region will also build up those abdominal muscles and increase your metabolic rate.

Oh, and did I mention that walking 10,000 steps per day will burn at least 750 calories!?!?! That is reason enough.

2. Maintains Healthy Blood Pressure

Walking 30-minutes a day can help lower high blood pressure and the bad cholesterol in the body. These 30-minute walks are a bit different than parking farther away from the store and hiking in because it is a large portion of time and one, concerted effort. Walking 30-minutes every day will, likewise, decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke since both can occur from high LDL (bad cholesterol) levels and high blood pressure.

3. Decreases Arthritis and Osteoparosis

This is music to any forward thinking lady or older woman! Yes, walking 10,000 steps per day will decrease osteoporosis and arthritis. How? Well, the light, weight bearing activity of walking increases bone density over time. Likewise, the movement will lubricate joints and help with healthy joint function.

4. Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a bit like the happiness vitamin since low vitamin D levels have direct links to depression. Unfortunately, 1/4 of our population has vitamin D deficiency. Walking outside 30-minutes per day can help increase vitamin D levels since vitamin D comes from the sun. Of course, your can also take a vitamin supplement for increased levels. I recommend, as always, an organic supplement from a trusted company. Gas station and most drug store brands will not cut it since the vitamins are not well absorbed into the body and have very few checks before leaving the lab where they are synthesized. We pay a lot for our good food, there is no reason to derail all that money and effort with bad vitamins that will do nothing for our health.

There, lecture over. Other positive effects of vitamin D including increased immunity, proper organ function, and calcium absorption since vitamin D is needed in that process.

5. Gain Energy

As odd as it sounds, walking will increase your energy levels. This is because the body takes in more oxygen when we are active. Oxygen helps with mental clarity, physical energy, and proper organ function. A brisk walk will increase oxygen levels without taking away to much energy from a cardio rich workout.

6. Works the Bum and Legs

That's right, working out is a low impact activity that will increase the muscles in the legs and bum. If you are really wanting to increase your leg musculature, try walking at an incline. Inclines are one of those secret weapons for a gravity defying derriere. And to make this even better, the more muscle we gain, the higher our metabolic rate will be. This means that walking 10,000 steps today could get you to those weight loss goals weeks from now!

7. Works the Core and Arms Too!!

Yes, walking is a cross form of motion that will work the abdominal while the arm movement will help increase arm strength. So really, walking can be used a an all over, moderate workout! This is a great way to warm-up before your workout, or, cool down after one!

The Water Challenge

Well, today is the first day of our slim down challenge!! I am so excited to get this started, we have so many fun things planned for the next couple of weeks that I simply cannot wait to get going on- let alone the prizes!!! It will be soooo great!!

As many of you know, one of the big parts of this challenge is drinking tons of water each day. Really, we will be drinking well over the daily minimum (which most people still do not drink daily) and seriously giving our bodies some hydration. This will give you more stamina, a better complexion, less dry skin (so needed in the winter!), and help clear out toxins that our bodies may be holding on to.

A little tip for those who, like me, hate water- put some lime wedges or cucumber in it. This will help with the taste and reduce bloating. Win, win!

The Why and How of Working Out Twice per Day

If you are looking to increase your weight loss or workout results, working out twice per day just might be your golden ticket. When you workout multiple times in one day, you are giving your metabolism multiple jump starts that will help increase the carbs burned, muscles developed, and overall physical fitness. Multiple workouts per day really is a win-win and could be the difference between a successful weight loss regimen and the dreaded plateau phase. 

That being said, there are some dangers of working out multiple times per day. The first, of course, being fatigue to the body. When we overwork our bodies, we can risk getting muscle fatigue and overuse along with all the not-so-fun things that go along with it. If you begin having muscle aches, uncontrollable shaking, or extreme pain, you are overworking that body. To avoid this costly error, it is best to complete one heavy and one light workout per day.

It is especially important to slowly increase your workout regimen. Those that are already extremely physically fit will have less of a problem jumping in to double workouts than those who are not. Be sure that you are listening to your body and not having any single workout be longer that 90-minutes. Keeping workouts shorter will also decrease the risk of workout burnout which could happen twice as fast if you are working out super hard and twice as often.

A great equation for double workouts is to workout between 4-6 days of the week with one hard and one light workout per day. This will give your body plenty of rest time to recover and still keep you on track for all those incredible fitness goals. My favorite way to do this is one cardio workout that increases my metabolic rate at the beginning of the day and one toning workout towards the end- preferably before a big meal like dinner.

By doing one cardio workout and one lighter workout you will be increasing your metabolic rate twice in one day (the big one coming from your cardio session), toning muscle along with burning fat, and increasing physical fitness without increasing the risk of physical injury. This is also a great way for those training for a race to get more results from there workout regimen in less time. Run training twice in one day can be detrimental to the body, but, run training once with a recovery training later in the day can, actually, improve race times while decreasing time needed between long runs.

Now, for after the workouts. What we do to our bodies' directly after a workout can have as big an impact on our physical fitness as the workout itself. Keep your metabolism going strong by eating a post workout snack rich in proteins and complex carbs. These are exactly what the body needs to recuperate and continue the positive effects of the workout the whole day through.

Here is an article all about what to eat before, during, and after a workout.

Likewise, it is important to increase the amount of water you are drinking since you are increasing the amount of hydration your body needs. A good rule of thumb for me is to increase my water intake by 20% to 40% on double workout days depending on the duration and intensity of the workouts. Days where my workout includes a 10-minute toning and 3-mile run will need less hydration than a hot yoga session and a jog.

Working out twice in one day can turn fitness goals into fitness realities faster and decrease risk of injury. This also means that the workouts can be less intense or shorter while still having the same effect. Just be sure you are being smart while getting fit. Plenty of the proper nutrients from your daily diet and a good multivitamin along with lots of water are vital for this step-up in your physical fitness. My favorite vitamins are those that are 100% organic and have all the daily nutrient content in them already. These are my go-to and they are buy one, get one free for September!

What is your biggest workout tip?